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diff --git a/old/50080-8.txt b/old/50080-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 905a4cc..0000000 --- a/old/50080-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4825 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Motor Matt Makes Good, by Stanley R. Matthews - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Motor Matt Makes Good - or, Another Victory For the Motor Boys - -Author: Stanley R. Matthews - -Release Date: September 30, 2015 [EBook #50080] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTOR MATT MAKES GOOD *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Demian Katz and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images -courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - - - - - - - - - MOTOR STORIES - - THRILLING - ADVENTURE - - MOTOR - FICTION - - NO. 20 - JULY 10, 1909 - - FIVE - CENTS - - - MOTOR MATT - MAKES GOOD - - ANOTHER VICTORY - FOR THE MOTOR BOYS - - _BY THE AUTHOR - OF "MOTOR MATT"_ - - [Illustration: _"FIRE away, kevik!" clamored Carl, - and just then Matt pulled the trigger._] - - _STREET & SMITH, - PUBLISHERS, - NEW YORK._ - - - - -MOTOR STORIES - -THRILLING ADVENTURE MOTOR FICTION - -_Issued Weekly. By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered according to -Act of Congress in the year 1909, in the Office of the Librarian of -Congress, Washington, D. C., by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Avenue, -New York, N. Y._ - - No. 20. NEW YORK, July 10, 1909. Price Five Cents. - - - - -MOTOR MATT MAKES GOOD - -OR, - -ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE MOTOR BOYS. - -By the author of "MOTOR MATT." - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I. OFF THE CHILIAN COAST. - CHAPTER II. HURLED INTO THE SEA. - CHAPTER III. SAVED BY A TORPEDO. - CHAPTER IV. WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE. - CHAPTER V. A SURPRISING SITUATION. - CHAPTER VI. ANOTHER ATTACK. - CHAPTER VII. A BAD HALF HOUR. - CHAPTER VIII. CHASING A TORPEDO. - CHAPTER IX. NORTHWARD BOUND. - CHAPTER X. A HALT FOR REPAIRS. - CHAPTER XI. DICK MAKES A DISCOVERY. - CHAPTER XII. A WARY FOE. - CHAPTER XIII. PLUCK THAT WINS. - CHAPTER XIV. A LITTLE WORK ON THE INSIDE. - CHAPTER XV. A STAR PERFORMANCE. - CHAPTER XVI. CONCLUSION. - THE SPIDER WATER. - GOOD WORDS FOR THE 'GATOR. - VENOMOUS FISH. - - - - -CHARACTERS THAT APPEAR IN THIS STORY. - - - =Matt King=, otherwise Motor Matt, king of the motor boys. - - =Carl Pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking German boy, stout of frame - as well as of heart, who is led by a fortunate accident to link his - fortunes with those of Motor Matt. - - =Dick Ferral=, a young sea dog from Canada, with all a sailor's - superstitions, but in spite of all that a royal chum, ready to stand - by the friend of his choice through thick and thin. - - =Ensign John Henry Glennie, United States Navy.= - - =Sons of the Rising Sun.= - - =Captain Pons=, who has come from Havre, France, to deliver the - submarine boat, _Pom_, to the Chilian Government, only to fall into a - net spread by the Sons of the Rising Sun. - - =Captain Sandoval=, of the Chilian Navy, who has appeared before, in - the MOTOR STORIES, and appears for the last time and bows himself out. - - =Captain of the Port of Lota, Chili=, who plays a small but important - part. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -OFF THE CHILIAN COAST. - - -"Great spark plugs!" - -"Strike me lucky!" - -"Py shiminy Grismus!" - -There were three surprised and excited boys on the rounded deck of -the submarine boat _Grampus_. It was a calm, cloudless night, and the -sea was as smooth as a mill pond; but, for all that, the night was -cloudless, a dank, clinging fog had rolled down from the Andes and -out upon the ocean, blotting out moon and star and rendering their -surroundings as black as Erebus. - -The _Grampus_ was proceeding slowly northward along the Chilian coast. -Motor Matt, Dick Ferral, and Carl Pretzel were on the deck forward, -keeping a sharp lookout. The electric projector from the conning tower -bored a gleaming hole into the darkness ahead, giving the lads a -limited view in that direction. Speake was half in and half out of the -conning tower, steering from that position. - -The waters gurgled and lapped at the rounded sides of the boat, then -floated rearward in long lines of phosphorescence, spreading out in the -wake like two sticks of an open fan. At the stern of the submarine the -propeller churned up a glittering froth. - -What the boys saw, however, that had aroused their startled -exclamations was a cluster as of glowing lights a foot or two under the -surface of the water. This mysterious glow was moving, at a moderate -rate of speed, in a course that crossed that of the _Grampus_. - -"Slow down, Speake!" called Matt to the helmsman. - -The jingle of a bell, down in the motor room, was heard faintly, and -the submarine's speed fell off perceptibly. The cluster of starlike -points bubbled onward, missed the bow of the _Grampus_ by a few feet, -and vanished in the gloom on the port side. - -"Vat it iss?" murmured Carl, rubbing a hand dazedly across his eyes. -"Dere iss lighdning pugs on der land, und I vonder iss dere lighdning -pug fishes in der sea? Dot looked schust like a shark mit some search -lights on his headt." - -"I'm a Fiji if there was any fish about that," averred the bewildered -Dick. "Can you rise to it, matey?" he asked, turning to Matt. "What -sort of a sizing do you give it?" - -The king of the motor boys was puzzled. - -"It might be a piece of drift from the shore," he answered, "or the -fragment of a wreck." - -"Aber it _moofed_!" exclaimed Carl. "It moofed droo der vater schust -like it vas alife!" - -"The current may have caused that. There are all kinds of currents in -this part of the ocean." - -"Und der lights, Matt. Pieces oof wreck don'd haf lights like dot!" - -"That was a trick of the phosphorescence. There were probably nails or -spikes in the timber, and wherever they projected and caused a ripple -there was a glow in the water." - -Matt turned to Speake. - -"Make a turn to the left, Speake," said he. The submarine swerved -slowly to the port tack. "There," said Matt; "hold her so." - -Dick gave a low laugh. - -"You don't take much stock in that explanation of yours, matey," he -remarked, "or you wouldn't be following that bit of supposed flotsam -and jetsam." - -"I've explained it in the only way I know how, Dick," returned Matt, -"but I'm still a good deal in doubt. We'll see if we can overhaul the -thing and make a further examination. I don't like to take the time, -but it may turn out to be time well spent." - -Motor Matt knelt well forward, just where the V-shaped waves parted -over the sharp nose of the _Grampus_, and while he knelt he peered -fixedly into the water ahead. - -"You're such a cautious chap," spoke up Dick, hanging to one of the -flagstaff guys and likewise staring ahead, "that I've been all ahoo -wondering why you were doing this night cruising. The night's as black -as a pocket, and this coast is about as dangerous as you can find -anywhere, and yet here we are, groping our way along, never knowing -what minute we may bounce upon a reef or say how do you do to a sharp -rock." - -"Remember that Pacific Mail boat we spoke yesterday?" inquired Matt, -over his shoulder. - -"The one that told us they had news, in Santiago, that a Japanese boat -had got away from the Chilian, Captain Sandoval, below the Strait of -Magellan?" responded Dick. - -"Exactly. When we left English Reach, at the western end of the strait, -we know Captain Sandoval, of the Chilian warship _Salvadore_, was -pursuing the mysterious Japanese steamer; and we also know that that -steamer had on board our enemies, the Sons of the Rising Sun. The mail -boat said the news that the steamer had escaped the _Salvadore_ had -been flashed by wireless from Punta Arenas, and had been repeated by -telegraph to Santiago and Valparaiso." - -"I don'd pelieve dot Chap poat efer got avay from der _Salvatore_!" -declared Carl. - -"It may be that she did, Carl," went on Matt, "and we've got to make -sure of it just as soon as we possibly can. That's the reason we're -traveling through this thick fog, and taking our chances on hitting a -reef or sunken rock. We've got to reach Lota and find out for sure if -those Japs are again free to bother us. You know what it means if the -Sons of the Rising Sun got away from Sandoval. Those misguided Japs -have sworn that the _Grampus_ shall never be turned over to the United -States Government at Mare Island Navy Yard. They're a desperate and -fanatical lot, and we've got to know just what we're up against, so far -as they are concerned. Lota is on the railroad and telegraph line, and -we'll get news there, if anywhere." - -"As usual," observed Dick, "that head of yours has been working, old -ship, while the rest of us have been wondering what you were trying to -do. I don't think you'll catch up with that piece of drift." - -"Nor I," Matt answered, getting to his feet and coming aft. "Whatever -that was, I suspect we'll never be able to discover, so my guess will -have to stand. Put her on the starboard tack, Speake," he added to the -man in the conning tower. - -The submarine once more resumed her course toward Arauco Bay and Lota. - -"You fellows go below and turn in," Matt went on to Dick and Carl. "I -can con the ship, all right, and there's no need of the two of you -staying awake and helping me on the lookout." - -"You'd better let Glennie relieve you, mate," suggested Dick. "You've -been on deck duty for six hours." - -"I'm going to stay right here," said Matt, "until we get safely into -Arauco Bay." - -There was no use arguing with Motor Matt when he made up his mind that -duty commanded him to do a certain thing, and Dick and Carl wished him -luck and went below. - -Ensign Glennie was lying on the locker in the periscope room. - -"You shifted the course," said he, rising on one elbow and peering at -Dick and Carl as they dropped off the iron ladder. "What was up?" - -"Somet'ing mit a shiny headt vent past us," replied Carl, dropping down -on a stool and beginning to draw off his shoes. - -"Something with a shiny head?" queried the nonplused ensign. - -"Yah, so. It vas a funny pitzness." - -"What was it, Dick?" - -"I'm by," answered Dick, shaking his head. "I've seen a good many queer -things afloat, but that was the queerest. It was too dark to see much, -though. Mayhap if we'd had a little more light, we could have made a -closer examination and the mystery would have been explained." - -Thereupon he went into details, telling Glennie all that he and Carl -knew. - -"Can you make anything out of it, Glennie?" Dick finished. - -"I'm over my head, like the rest of you," answered the ensign. -"Probably Matt hit it off pretty well when he said it was a bit of -water-logged drift, floating between two waves, with spikes cutting -the water and throwing off gleams of phosphorescence. This part of the -Pacific is full of cross-currents. And it's a mighty dangerous stretch -of water, too, I'm telling you. Matt is certainly anxious to reach -Lota, or he'd never persist in pushing through waters like these in -such a fog." - -"He's worrying again over those Sons of the Rising Sun." - -Dick pulled off one of his shoes and swung it reflectively in his hand. - -"I don't think it is possible that that Jap steamer got away from -Sandoval," said Glennie. "The officers on that mail boat must have got -it wrong." - -"Our old raggie is bound to find out just how much truth there is in -the yarn, anyhow," continued Dick. "We're what you might call on the -last leg of our cruise, and the little old _Grampus_ has covered the -east coast of two continents and is well up the west coast. We have -dodged trouble in pretty good shape, so far, and Matt don't intend to -let the Sons of the Rising Sun put us down and out at this late stage -of the game." - -"The Japs can't put Motor Matt down and out," averred Glennie, with -suppressed admiration. "He has met them at every point, and has given -them the worst of it. They'll never be able to destroy the _Grampus_. -Mark what I say, my lads, Motor Matt is going to 'make good' with -ground to spare, and chalk up another victory for the motor boys." - -Dick and Carl would have cheered this warm sentiment, but before they -had a chance to do so, a wild yell came from Speake. - -"Tumble up here, you fellows! Quick, now!" - -Speake, as he spoke, crushed himself against the side of the -conning-tower hatch, in order to make room for those in the periscope -room to pass him and reach the deck. - -Startled by the words and wildly excited manner of the helmsman, Dick, -Carl, and Glennie lost not an instant in rushing up the ladder and -dropping over the side of the conning tower. - -"Where's Matt?" cried Dick. - -"That's just what I want to know," answered Speake, his consternation -growing and a tremulous awe finding its way into his voice. "He was on -the deck a few minutes ago, but he isn't here now. The last I saw of -him he went aft, around the conning tower. The next thing I knew, when -I turned and looked for him, he wasn't aboard." - -All three of the lads were stricken dumb. For a brief space none of -them spoke, but looked toward each other in the gloom, frantically -alarmed and vaguely fearing--they knew not what. - -"He couldn't have fallen overboard," spoke up Glennie, first to break -the silence that held them as by an uncanny spell, "and yet it's -certain he's not on the boat." - -"Matt!" roared Dick, making a trumpet of his hands and calling into the -blank darkness. "Ahoy, Matt!" - -No answer was returned. All that could be heard was the hum of the -submarine's motor, the swish of the propeller, and the lap and gurgle -of waves along the rounded side. - -Carl began to whimper. - -"Ach, du lieber! Oof anyt'ing has habbened py dot bard oof mine, I -don'd know vat I shall do, py shinks! He vas der pest friendt vat I -efer hat, und----" - -"Put about, Speake!" cried Dick, now thoroughly alive to the situation. -"If Matt went overboard, then we're rushing away from him, and he's -swimming somewhere in our wake." - -The shaken helmsman immediately turned the _Grampus_ in a wide circle -and rang for full speed. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -HURLED INTO THE SEA. - - -Matt was very much worried when Dick and Carl, agreeably to their -orders, went below. It was not the strange visitor that had passed the -bows of the _Grampus_ on its glowing way that rested heavily on his -mind, but the news gathered from the captain of the mail boat that had -been spoken early in the day. - -On leaving the western end of the Strait of Magellan, the submarine -and her crew had, as they supposed, left behind them for the rest of -their cruise their wily enemies, the Sons of the Rising Sun. They had -had trouble enough on account of the Japanese while coming through the -strait, and Matt thought that he and his friends were entitled to a -respite, so far as the nefarious plots of the fanatical young Japs were -concerned.[A] - -[A] The adventures of the motor boys, in and around Magellan Strait, -were set forth in No. 19 of the MOTOR STORIES, entitled, "Motor Matt's -Defiance; or, Around the Horn." - -It was the responsibility for the safety of the _Grampus_ that rested -so heavily on the young motorist's mind. Weeks before, when the -submarine had left Belize, British Honduras, Captain Nemo, Jr., the -owner of the boat, had placed the craft entirely in Matt's hands. - -"I wouldn't trust the _Grampus_ with any one else, Matt," declared the -captain. "But you've got nerve, your judgment is good, you know the -craft from one end to the other, and whenever anything goes wrong and -you get into a scrape, you've got a knack of always getting out of it -without much damage to yourself. A hundred thousand dollars is to be -paid for the _Grampus_ when she reaches Mare Island. If the submarine -doesn't reach there in good condition, the money will not be paid. -Sickness will detain me for a while in Belize, and so that puts this -work of taking the boat around the Horn up to you. Now go ahead!" - -Motor Matt appreciated to the full Captain Nemo, Jr.'s trust and -confidence. He had vowed to himself over and over again that he would -prove to the captain he was worthy of the trust reposed in him. Matt -was thinking of all this on the deck of the _Grampus_, after Dick and -Carl had left him; and, in the midst of his reflection, he fancied he -heard a muffled sound from somewhere in the submarine's wake. - -Instantly alarmed, he passed the conning tower, without exchanging any -words with Speake, and took up a position not far from the churning -propeller. But he heard nothing further, and could see nothing either -to increase or diminish his fears. He was just turning about to make -his way forward, when a coil struck about his throat, drawing taut on -the instant and preventing any outcry. At the same instant there came -an irresistible pull backward. - -Matt, astounded by this unexpected attack, reaching him from some point -away from the boat and darting silently and suddenly out of the thick -gloom, flung up his hands in an attempt to clutch one of the wire guys -of the periscope mast. - -He missed the guy by a fraction of an inch, slipped downward over the -rounded deck and rolled into the water. He made little noise, so little -that Speake could not hear it above the swirl of waves thrown up by the -rounded plates of the _Grampus_. - -Another moment and Matt was in the water and swimming. The deadly -compression at his throat continued, and he was unable to voice a -sound. He could see the little search light of the submarine moving -rapidly onward into the darkness, and could see the half of Speake's -form, like a blot of shadow, rearing out of the tower hatch. - -All this time Matt felt the pull of the rope about his neck, drawing -him steadily and remorselessly away into the foggy night. No one spoke -behind him, and there was not the slightest sound to tell him who his -captors were, or where they were, or how they had succeeded in making -him a victim in that mysterious fashion. - -A minute, two minutes, passed. At the end of that time Matt felt his -strength leaving him because of the strangling grip about his throat. -Then, suddenly, the rearward "pull" relaxed and the constriction at -his throat ceased. With one hand he reached upward and pulled the -strangling coil loose and gulped down a deep draught of air. - -A moment later he gave vent to a cry, hoping to attract the attention -of Speake. But the _Grampus_ was too far away. With difficulty Matt -freed himself of his shoes and coat. He had no idea how long he would -have to swim, but he prepared himself to keep afloat as long as -possible. What the end was to be he did not know, and he had no time to -give to that phase of the question. - -Some mysterious force had hurled him from the deck of the _Grampus_ -into the sea, and perhaps this same force would continue to take care -of him. Turning about in the water, he lifted himself high with a -downward stroke of his powerful arms, and peered in the direction from -which the attack had come. He could see nothing and could hear nothing. - -For a moment Motor Matt was tempted to forget his dire plight in -marveling over the mysterious nature of that attack. The next instant, -however, he began asking himself if it would be possible to reach the -Chilian shore. It was a mile away, at least. To swim such a distance -was no very extraordinary feat, but there were currents sucking Matt -oceanward, and against these it was powerless for him to struggle. - -Matt could keep afloat, but to what purpose? Would it be possible -for him to keep on the surface until his friends on the submarine -discovered his absence and put back to his rescue? Even if he could -swim for that length of time, could his friends find him in that -darkness, with the current dragging him farther and farther from the -course over which the _Grampus_ had recently passed? - -In Motor Matt's place, a good many lads would have given up the -struggle, but Matt was of different calibre. As long as there was a -breath in his body he would fight, for he knew that while there is life -there is always hope. - -Blindly and doggedly he continued his battle with the waves, peering -into the northeast from time to time, in the hope of seeing the search -light of the _Grampus_. He did not see the search light, but he saw -something else lying sluggishly in the water not a great distance from -where he was. - -"A log!" he thought. - -Under the impression that fate had thrown across his path a bit of -drift from the mainland, he swam to the object and laid hold of it as -it heaved and ducked on the placid waves. - -It was not a log. As he put out one hand it came in contact with -smooth, wet metal. The object was a long cylinder, blunt at one end and -pointed at the other. - -"A torpedo!" ran his thought, as he hung over the rounded object with -one arm and supported himself in the water. "Who fired the torpedo?" -was the question he asked himself. - -He had leisure now for a little reflection. No strength was required to -keep himself afloat, for the steel cylinder supported him. - -As he hung there, lifting and falling with the long, deadly tube, his -thoughts harked back to the queer object he, and Dick, and Carl had -seen in the water. The result of his reflections paralyzed him. - -_Some mysterious enemy had launched the torpedo at the Grampus!_ - -Had the infernal machine struck the submarine, the craft and every one -aboard would have been torn to pieces. - -A slow horror pulsed through Motor Matt's veins. - -The same enemies who had launched the torpedo must surely have jerked -Matt from the deck of the submarine. But who were they? where were they? - -With difficulty he lifted himself and got astride the rolling cylinder. -From that elevated position he looked around him into the darkness. -Silence reigned in every direction. There was no sign of the mysterious -foes who had attempted to destroy the _Grampus_ and to make a prisoner -of her commanding officer. - -Presently the young motorist became conscious that the coil was still -about his throat, and that a long object was trailing downward and -hanging with some weight from his neck. - -It was a rope. He began pulling it in, coiling the wet length of it in -his hand. The rope was all of seventy-five feet long, he judged, and -that distance must have marked the position of his foes when the noose -was cast. To see even half that distance into the thick darkness was -impossible, but why had Matt not been able to _hear_ the men who had -attempted such dastardly work? - -Speculations were useless. Matt, however, had secured a makeshift raft -which would keep him afloat until such time as the _Grampus_, or some -other boat, could pick him up. - -Hoping that the submarine would come to no harm, and determined to make -the best of his desperate situation, the king of the motor boys set -about making an examination of the steel tube that supported him. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -SAVED BY A TORPEDO. - - -Matt's first move was to take the noose from about his throat and pass -the rope around and around the torpedo, tying it fast. The loops of -the rope gave him a handhold which he could not possibly have secured -otherwise on the hard, smooth shell, rendered slippery by the water -with which it was drenched. - -The torpedo, he quickly discovered, was a Whitehead--a powerful and -deadly engine in use by all the navies of the world. - -It was about seventeen feet long and a foot and a half in diameter. -Torpedoes of this nature are constructed to run under the surface at -any required depth down to twenty feet. A propeller and compressed -air furnishes the motive power, and as the air becomes exhausted, the -torpedo rises higher and higher. With the air shut off and engine -stopped, the cylinder rises to the surface. As that was the case in -the present instance, it seemed certain that the motive power of this -particular torpedo had been nearly exhausted. - -The _Grampus_, being constructed for work in time of war, had torpedo -tubes and one torpedo aboard. Matt had studied the mechanism of the -Whitehead, and he was able to proceed intelligently in his present -dilemma. If there was still any air in the big tube, he might use it -to carry him to the north and east, in the direction taken by the -_Grampus_. - -The lever, he discovered, which locked the engine was standing erect, -while the "tripper," which worked automatically the instant the torpedo -was discharged and put it under its own power, was lying flat on the -curved side. - -Before trying to get the compressed air in the shell to working, he -swam to the blunt end of the torpedo and removed the small propeller -that manipulated the firing pin. By this wise move he rendered harmless -the explosive within the shell. - -Swimming back, he mounted his queer raft by means of the rope loops, -lifted the "tripper," and depressed the starting lever. - -The twin screws, placed tandem fashion at the stern, began slowly to -revolve. Heading the point of the tube north by east, he began one of -the strangest rides that had ever fallen to his lot. - -As the air within became more and more depleted, the steel cylinder -rose higher and higher in the water. - -For a lad so deeply in love with motors as was Matt, the novelty of -that ride could not fail to appeal to him. He was safe, at least for -a time, and felt sure that ultimately he would gain the shore or be -picked up by a coastwise ship. As for the _Grampus_, there were cool -heads and steady nerves aboard of her, and the submarine's safety would -be looked after. Besides, the mysterious foes had failed in their -night's work, and there was probably no more danger to be apprehended -from them. - -As Matt held himself astride his queer craft, guiding it by a pull this -way and that, he fell to thinking of the manner in which he had been -hurled into the sea. - -Some boat had discharged the torpedo, and it seemed certain that -those who had tossed the rope over his head and pulled him from the -submarine's deck had been on the same boat. - -Had it been the intention of Matt's enemies to haul him aboard their -boat, or only to strangle him and keep him in the water until the -_Grampus_ got well away, then cast him off and let him sink to the -bottom? - -Matt's humane instincts rebelled against the latter supposition. His -enemies, he reasoned, had intended hauling him aboard their boat, but -in some manner had lost hold of the end of the line. - -A Whitehead torpedo costs something like four thousand dollars, and -is altogether too valuable to leave adrift when it has been fired and -misses its target. Those who had discharged the torpedo would surely -look for it--and, if they found it, they would also find Matt. - -This caused the young motorist a good deal of trepidation. He reasoned, -however, that on account of the darkness of the night and the fog, his -mysterious foes would probably remain in the part of the ocean where -the torpedo had been fired and look for it in the daylight. Between -that hour and daylight, Matt was hoping to be picked up. - -The compressed air in a torpedo will carry it about nine hundred yards. -This torpedo had not gone its full distance, on account of an automatic -misplacement of the "tripper" and starting lever, but enough of the air -had been used so that Matt's ride was a short one. - -After a few minutes the propellers ceased to revolve, and Matt and the -steel cylinder came to a stop, heaving up and down on the surface of -the water. Yielding to the pull of the current, the torpedo started -erratically seaward, and another fear was born in Matt's mind. - -The farther seaward he was carried, the more difficult it would be to -fall in with a passing boat, and the farther off would be his rescue. -To carry his grewsome thoughts still farther, there was a good chance -that he would succumb to thirst and hunger before his woeful plight was -discovered, and---- - -But this gloomy train of reflections was interrupted. In the distance -Matt could see a glow of light, shining hazily through the fog. Was it -the search light of the _Grampus_, or a gleam from the other boat? - -Divided between hopes and doubts, he waited and watched. The glow -presently resolved itself into a pencil of light, and he became fairly -positive that it was the searching eye of the submarine. - -"Ahoy!" he shouted. - -Instantly a distant commotion struck on his ears. - -"Ahoy, ahoy!" came an excited answer. "Is that you, Matt?" - -"Yes. Shift your wheel a couple of points to starboard and you'll be -heading straight for me. Come slow--and don't run me down." - -The gleam of light suddenly shifted its position. Aiming directly at -Matt, it grew brighter and brighter. Matt was able to make out the dark -outlines of the submarine's low deck and conning tower, and to see -three figures well forward toward the bow, all clinging to guys and -leaning out over the water. - -"Are you swimming, old ship?" came the tense voice of Dick Ferral. - -"Hardly," Matt answered. "I've been in the water for upward of an -hour--and I couldn't have fought the current that long if I had been -compelled to swim." - -"How you vas keeping off der pottom, Matt?" piped up the relieved voice -of Carl. - -"There's a sort of a raft under me," Matt laughed. - -"A raft? Where the dickens did you get hold of a raft, Matt?" - -This was Glennie. - -"Not exactly a raft," went on Matt, "but a Whitehead torpedo. We met -each other at just the right time for me. I'm riding the torpedo, and -it's a fine thing for keeping a fellow afloat." - -Startled expressions came from those on the submarine. By then the -Grampus was so close that her search light had Matt and the Whitehead -in full glare. The amazement of the boys on the submarine increased. - -"Dot's der plamedest t'ing vat I efer heardt oof!" gasped Carl. "Modor -Matt riding on a dorpeto schust like it vas a tree, oder somet'ing like -dot! Ach, himmelblitzen!" - -Speake guided the _Grampus_ alongside the torpedo. - -"Be careful, Speake!" warned Glennie. "If that infernal machine bunts -into us, we're gone." - -"I'm looking out for that," answered Speake. - -"You don't need to worry," called Matt reassuringly. "I wasn't going to -take chances with two hundred pounds of high explosive, and one of the -first things I did was to fix the priming pin so it wouldn't work." - -The _Grampus_, responding to a signal flashed into the motor room, came -to a halt. Dick threw Matt a rope, and he began tying it to one of the -loops that encircled the shell of the torpedo. - -"Why are you making fast, matey?" inquired Dick. - -"Because I want to tow this torpedo into Lota," answered Matt. - -"Oh, bother that! Here we've been all ahoo thinking you were at the -bottom and as good as done for. Now that we've found you again--and in -a most amazing way, at that--cut loose from that steel tube and come -aboard. What's the use of fussing with it?" - -"I'll explain when I come aboard," Matt went on. "Make the other end -of the line fast, Dick, and give the cable a scope of fifty feet. I've -hooked to her so that she will follow us stern foremost." - -Glennie helped Dick make the cable fast; then Matt, drawing in on the -line, came alongside the rounded deck plates, and Carl helped him off -the torpedo. - -"Ach, vat a habbiness!" sputtered Carl. "I hat gifen you oop for deadt, -Matt, und vat shouldt I efer have done mitoudt my bard? How you come to -be like dot, hey?" - -"There's something mighty mysterious about it," said Matt. "I thought -I heard a noise somewhere in the darkness behind the _Grampus_, and -stepped aft to watch and listen; then, before I knew what was up, the -noose of a rope fell over my head and tightened about my throat. I went -into the water with hardly a splash, unable to give a cry for help." - -"I didn't hear a sound!" put in Speake excitedly. - -"It was all done so quickly and silently, I don't see how you could -have known anything about it, Speake," said Matt. "I was in a bad -way when I sighted that torpedo. I got astride of it, started the -propellers, and rode in the direction the _Grampus_ had taken. When the -compressed air gave out, I was expecting to be picked up by some other -boat--by the boat that had fired the torpedo at us." - -"At us!" exclaimed Glennie. "Do you mean to say that torpedo that saved -you was launched at the _Grampus_?" - -"Exactly," returned Matt. "It was the torpedo Dick, Carl, and I saw, -and which I thought might be a floating log or a piece of wreckage." - -This astounding intelligence almost carried Matt's chums off their feet. - -"What enemies have we in these waters?" cried the startled Glennie. - -"Why," answered Matt, "who but the Sons of the Rising Sun?" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE. - - -"Let's go below, mates," suggested Dick, "and overhaul all this. -There's meat in it for us, and it will stand us in hand to get at it." - -"I'll not go below this night, Dick," said Matt, "and we'd better all -of us stay on deck and keep our eyes peeled for Japs. Carl can go and -bring me up some dry clothes, an extra pair of shoes and stockings, and -an extra coat." - -"Dot's me, bard," chirruped Carl, making for the conning tower. - -"Get the boat on her proper course, Speake," said Matt; "we must get -out of this neighborhood as soon as we can--and as quick as we can. -Watch the torpedo as we come about, Dick, you and Glennie. See that the -cable doesn't foul the guys or the periscope mast." - -Speake signaled for a fresh start, and as the submarine described a -circle and pointed the other way, Dick and Glennie kept the hawser -clear. The torpedo took its scope of cable, and the drag of it was -plainly felt as soon as the submarine began to pull. - -"It's main lucky, mates," remarked Dick, as Carl regained the deck with -Matt's dry clothing, and the young motorist began to get out of his wet -togs, "that we've such a smooth sea. If the wind was blowing hard and -the water was choppy, Matt would have a hard time with that torpedo of -his." - -"A lucky thing, too," added Glennie, "that there's a thick fog. If -Matt's enemies had seen him, they'd have finished the work they set out -to do with that lariat." - -"On the other hand, Glennie," put in Matt, "we don't want to forget -that it was the fog that enabled them to come so close. Their boat must -have got within seventy-five feet of the _Grampus_ in order for any one -to drop that noose over my head." - -"I'll be keelhauled if I can understand how such a trick was done," -said Dick. "From my experiences on the cattle ranges of Texas, I should -say that a seventy-five-foot cast with a riata is a mighty big one, and -liable to be successful about once in a hundred times. But here's this -swab that lassoed Matt, snaring him the first crack--and throwing from -a boat's deck and across water, at that!" - -"Then, too," proceeded Glennie, "their boat has less noise to it than -any craft I ever heard of. It shoved along within seventy-five feet of -us--and none of us heard a sound!" - -"I thought I heard a noise, Glennie," returned Matt, "and that was what -took me aft." - -"I can't understand how it was done," muttered the ensign. - -"Veil, anyvays," struck in Carl, "id vas done, no madder vedder anypody -oondershtands it or nod. Kevit making some guesses aboudt der vay it -vas pulled off und look der pitzness skevare in der face. It vas der -Chaps--who else vould dry to plow der _Grampus_ oudt oof water? So -vat's to be done aboudt it?" - -"Carl's talking sense, fellows," said Matt. "Those Japs are against us. -We thought we had left them behind, and that we should be able to reach -San Francisco before they could make us any trouble, but here they are, -going for us harder than ever." - -"They're not using that steamer of theirs, mates," averred Dick. - -"The steamer might have torpedo tubes," answered Glennie. - -"Ay, so she might; but she couldn't lie along within seventy-five feet -of us without making noise enough to wake the dead. The Sons of the -Rising Sun have changed boats--and how have they had time to do that, -and reach this part of the coast almost at the same time as ourselves? -We've plugged right along ever since leaving the strait." - -"That gives me an idea," said the ensign, "and you fellows can take it -for what it's worth. Our knowledge of the Sons of the Rising Sun is a -trifle hazy, but we know them to be a secret organization whose aim -is to help Japan. The organization is not sanctioned by the Japanese -government, for its members commit deeds which would plunge the nation -into war if it sanctioned them. Now, this secret society is probably -quite extensive. Perhaps we are not dealing with the branch of it that -kept us busy most of the way to the Horn, but with another outfit of -the Sons of the Rising Sun that has been laying for us here." - -"That's possible," agreed Matt. "The question is, shall we put into -Lota and try to find out something more regarding our enemies, or keep -on to Valparaiso, as we had originally intended?" - -"I'm for putting in at Lota," said Dick. "We can't tow that infernal -Whitehead all the way to Valparaiso." - -"It will be just as well to stop there, in my opinion," seconded -Glennie. "If we're dealing with another branch of the Sons of the -Rising Sun, perhaps we can get some information about them in Lota." - -"Meppy," ventured Carl, "ve could lay in a sooply oof gasoline in Lota, -und vouldn't haf to shdop at Valparaiso, huh? Dot vould safe dime, und -I am gedding hungry for a look at der Unidet Shtates again. Der more I -see of odder gountries, der more vat I like my own." - -"His own!" laughed Dick, who, now that Motor Matt had been safely -recovered, was feeling in fine fettle. "You could tell he was a Yank, -just by the way he talks, eh?" - -"I peen an American mit a Dutch agsent," protested Carl, "und I t'ink -so mooch oof der Shdars und Shdripes as anypody. I vould schust as soon -shtep on der Pritish lion's tail as anyt'ing vat I know." - -"If you step on the British lion's tail, and I find it out, matey," -laughed Dick, "I'll have you hauled up and fined for cruelty to -animals. One of these days I'm going to write to the kaiser and tell -him about you." - -"Vat I care for der kaiser?" snorted Carl. "He iss a pooty goot feller, -aber he ain'd so big like der Bresident oof der land oof der free und -der home oof Modor Matt." - -"Fine-o!" chuckled Dick. - -"A dandy sentiment, Carl!" exclaimed Glennie. "What do you think of -that, Matt?" - -"Why," returned Matt, "I think that if the lot of us don't stop -joshing and attend more to watching our immediate neighborhood that -the land of the free and the home of the brave is liable to be minus -one submarine and a lot of motor boys. That Jap boat is a particularly -noiseless craft; she came close enough to us to launch a torpedo, and -close enough to tangle me up in a rope and pull me into the ocean. If -she did it once, she can do it again. We've got to keep sharp eyes -forward, aft, and on both sides. Dick, you'll be the bow lookout, and -Glennie can go aft; you watch the port side, Carl, and I'll watch the -starboard. Can you steer for the rest of the night, Speake?" he added -to the man in the conning tower. - -"I guess I can stand this extra duty if you can, Matt," replied Speake, -"considering what you've been through." - -"A dip in the ocean and a ride on a torpedo doesn't count," said Matt, -dropping his wet clothes down the hatch; "it's what may happen to us if -we don't keep on our guard that bothers me. This boat is going to be -delivered at Mare Island, Japs or no Japs." - -"Und righdt site oop mit care, you bed you!" cried Carl, dropping down -on the port side of the conning tower. "I feel so easy in my mindt as -oof I vas alretty pack in der best gountry vat efer vas." - -"Carl is full of patriotism to-night, mates," observed Dick, from the -bow. - -"I vas dickled pecause Matt is alife und kicking. Dot inshpires me -mit batriotic sendiment, und odder feelings oof choy. Be jeerful, -eferypody." - -Weighing the evidence offered by the torpedo attack, and the snaring -and dragging of Matt into the water, had not resulted in bringing out -very much that was of importance. It served, however, to emphasize the -need of vigilance by developing the resourcefulness and malevolence of -a wily foe. - -At 4 a. m. the submarine was close to the land lying south of the Bay -of Lota, and, as the mist was still too thick to make out the distance -and bearing of the coast, Matt thought it advisable to stop the motor -and wait for the fog to clear with the sun. - -Advantage was taken of this stop to prepare breakfast. While all hands -were eating, Gaines and Clackett, who had been at their posts during -the exciting occurrences of the night, were duly informed of all that -had taken place. - -At 6 a. m. the morning was bright enough so that Matt felt they could -proceed with safety. - -The passage into the Bay of Lota, between the island of Santa Maria and -Lavapié Point, is narrow and difficult, abounding with sunken rocks and -other hidden dangers that have not been surveyed and charted. - -Luck, however, was with the motor boys, and the passage into the bay -was succesfully accomplished. Just as the sun broke through the mist -and brought out the beauties of the bay, the _Grampus_ nosed her way -into it. - -On three sides the bay is surrounded by wooded hills, which shelter it -in every direction except on the north. - -"Dowse me," muttered Dick; "this coast looks like that of Cornwall and -Devonshire, with that red earth, those granite cliffs, and the trees -running down to the water's edge. What are those chimneys and all that -smoke over there?" - -"Smelting works and potteries," explained Glennie. "They are owned by a -woman, Madam Cousiņo, one of the richest women in Chili." - -The _Grampus_, being of light draught, was able to go close inshore. -Anchor was dropped within a couple of cables' length of the wharf. The -"mud hooks" had hardly taken hold before a man in a tawdry blue uniform -came off from the shore in a boat. He was rowed by two negroes, and -appeared to be very much excited. - -When his boat was laid alongside, the official stood up, flourished his -arms, and spouted a stream of language. It was Spanish, and came in -such a torrent that Matt, who knew something of the lingo, could make -nothing of it. Glennie was better versed in the tongue, and listened -attentively and with growing concern. - -"Here's a go, Matt!" exclaimed the ensign, as soon as the official -paused to catch his breath. "This man is the captain of the port, and -he has placed us all under arrest." - -"Arrest?" cried Matt incredulously. "What for?" - -"He says we're thieves, and that we have stolen this submarine boat." - -"Dot's aboudt der lasht t'ing vat I oxpected!" muttered Carl. "Take der -uniform off dot feller, und ve vill find he iss a Son oof der Rising -Sun, I bed you. Led's go to der pottom oof der pay und infite him to -come down und ged us." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A SURPRISING SITUATION. - - -"Sink me!" growled Dick. "Here's a rum go, if anybody asks you. It's -bobs to sovereigns that those Japs are mixed up in this." - -"We can very soon convince the captain of the port that he's made a -mistake," said Matt quietly. "Get your written instructions, Glennie, -and we'll go ashore with him. There's something queer about this, and -it may be a good thing for us to get to the bottom of it." - -"How aboudt Tick und me?" inquired Carl. "Ain'd ve going along mit you?" - -"You and Dick and the rest of the crew," Matt answered, "will stay -here and take care of the _Grampus_. Somebody will have to do that, -you know, Carl. It's fully as important as going ashore and explaining -matters to the officials." - -Glennie told the captain of the port that he and Matt would go ashore -with him and make it plain to everybody that there was a mistake. The -ensign's uniform, spick and span and mighty fetching, made a wholesome -impression upon the captain of the port. - -While Glennie was getting his papers, the port official dropped back -alongside the torpedo and examined it with considerable interest. When -the ensign reappeared on the submarine's deck, the boat was brought -back and Matt and Glennie got aboard. In five minutes they had reached -the wharf and clambered ashore. - -The negroes who had rowed the boat dropped in on each side of the two -young Americans, each drawing an old-fashioned pistol that fired with a -percussion cap. - -"They're bound we're not going to run," laughed Matt. - -"I don't know," returned Glennie, "but I'd rather be in front of those -old relics when they're shot off than behind them. I guess a fellow -would be safer." - -The captain of the port led the way to the Casa de la Administracion -of the Seņora Cousiņo. It was built on the crest of a low rise, and -afforded a fine view of the bay. A tall, slim man, who looked like -a Frenchman, stood on the steps of the casa surveying the _Grampus_ -through a glass. With an expression of disappointment, he lowered the -glass and turned toward the captain of the port as he drew near. Then -there was French talk and Spanish talk--the tall, slim man using his -native tongue, which the Chilian evidently understood, and the Chilian -using the Spanish, with which the Frenchman appeared familiar. - -Glennie gave strict attention to all that was going on. The finger and -whole-arm movements, the hunching of the shoulders, and the shaking and -ducking of the heads, accompanied the talk as a sort of pantomime. -Matt was highly amused. - -A look of astonishment appeared in Glennie's face as he listened. - -"By George!" the ensign exclaimed, when the conversation between -the Chilian and the Frenchman had died down. "We've jumped into a -surprising situation here, Matt, if I've got this thing right." - -"What is it, Glennie?" asked Matt. - -"Well, the Frenchman says that the submarine isn't the boat he thought -it was, and that our arrest has been a mistake." - -"I'm glad they found that out without putting us to any trouble. Is -there another submarine in these waters? And has it been stolen?" - -"That's where the surprising part comes in. I'll have to talk with -these fellows, and ask them a few questions, before I can get the -layout clear in my mind." - -French and Spanish had formed a part of Glennie's education at -Annapolis; he reeled off both languages now, first at one and then -at the other of the two men, asking questions and receiving voluble -replies. - -In five minutes he had the situation straightened out to his -satisfaction, and sat down on one of the stone steps beside Matt. - -"The tall man, Matt," said Glennie, "is Captain Pons, of Edouard -Lavalle et Cie, shipbuilders, of Havre, France. This firm of Lavalle & -Co. are builders of submarines, and they recently finished such a craft -for the Chilian navy. The boat was brought over on a tramp freighter, -and Captain Pons came along to instruct the Chilian officers and crew -in the manner of running the submarine, and also to secure a draft for -the purchase price. - -"The submarine was unloaded safely, and was provisioned by Captain Pons -for a run to Santiago, where she was to be inspected by the secretary -of the navy. Captain Pons was not to get his money from the government -until the submarine reached Santiago. The Chilian crew was to come -over from Coronel yesterday afternoon, but arrived in the morning, a -good twelve hours ahead of time. Captain Pons rowed out with them to -the submarine, showed the captain of the crew all over the boat and -explained the machinery to him; then, quite unexpectedly, so far as -Captain Pons was concerned, the crew grabbed the Frenchman, threw him -into the rowboat, closed the hatch of the submarine, and dropped into -the bottom of the bay." - -Matt was listening with intense interest. - -"The crew that Captain Pons took out to the submarine wasn't the right -one?" he observed. - -"No. The real crew arrived in the afternoon, agreeably to schedule, and -found Captain Pons without a submarine and very much up in the air. If -he can't recover the submarine from the thieves, his firm may hold him -responsible for the loss of the stolen boat." - -"There were torpedoes in the French submarine?" - -Matt began to grow excited as the situation cleared before him. - -"Two," replied Glennie. - -"And the bogus crew--who were they?" - -"Instead of coming from Coronel, it was discovered that they came -from the south--by railroad from Valdivia, on the coast. It has also -been discovered that they were Japanese--Japs who had their eyes -straightened. It is supposed that they are from the mysterious steamer -that escaped from Captain Sandoval, below English Reach." - -Matt's astonishment almost lifted him off the stone step on which he -was sitting. - -"Our old enemies!" he exclaimed. "The Sons of the Rising Sun have -secured a submarine boat, and that means that they can follow us -wherever we go." - -"Hard luck, Matt, that events should drift into this tangle! That -French submarine had to be here, it seems, at just the right time to -help out the Japs. The young Samurai must have known about this other -craft. After dodging Captain Sandoval, they managed to reach Valdivia -and came on from there by train. That is how they were able to get -ahead of us." - -"Every mysterious twist is taken out of the situation now, Glennie," -said Matt, almost stunned by the audacity of the Japs and the marvelous -way in which circumstances had aided them. "They took possesion of -the French submarine and started south to meet the _Grampus_. The -noiseless way in which they hung upon our flanks is easy to understand. -The torpedo was launched at us while the French boat was submerged; -and when that rope was hurled at me, the boat was just out of the -water--there were no lights about her, and the search light of the -_Grampus_ enabled those on the French craft to make that cast with the -riata." - -Matt's face went pale. - -"Glennie," he continued, "the hardest job of our lives is ahead of -us! The Japs have a submarine, and there's not one of them who would -not willingly give his life if, by doing so, he could destroy the -_Grampus_. As long as our enemies were in a steamboat, and compelled to -remain on the surface, it was easy to keep away from them; but now, no -matter where we go, they can follow us." - -"I don't know anything about this French boat," returned Glennie -thoughtfully, "but I'll bet something handsome she's not half so good -a craft as the _Grampus_. There's a big advantage for us, right at the -start. Then, again, about the only thing we're to fear from the stolen -submarine is the torpedo work. Captain Pons says there were only two -torpedoes in the craft. One of them is accounted for. They have only -one more--and I guess we can get away from _that_. Besides all this, -don't forget that the Japs are green hands with the submarine, and have -had no practical experience in running her. Captain Pons explained to -them the theoretical part of the machinery, but, you take it from me, -those wily Orientals are going to get themselves into trouble." - -"They manoeuvred the submarine pretty well last night," said Matt. "I -don't see how they could improve much on their work. A Jap, Glennie, is -a regular genius in 'catching on' to things. Show him how to do a piece -of work once, and he knows it for all time. They're clever--as clever -as they are wily, and sometimes treacherous." - -At this point, Captain Pons put in a few words. - -"I see ze torpedo is wiz youar boat, monsieur. You say zat you peek -heem out of ze sea, but he is my torpedo, and he is vorth many sousand -francs. I am to have him, eh?" - -Matt looked at Glennie. - -"We might need that torpedo, Matt," suggested the ensign, "for the -_Grampus_ has only one. If it comes to a fight with the French boat -that extra Whitehead would come in handy. I think we had better keep -it." - -"So do I," agreed Matt. He turned to Captain Pons. "The torpedo was -fired at us, captain," he went on, "and it was by a happenchance, and -at a considerable risk to myself, that I was able to save it and tow it -in." - -"He is mine, by gar!" cried the Frenchman. - -"What good is the torpedo to you without the submarine?" - -"Ma foi, I can sell heem. I save zat much." - -"Any way you figure it," insisted Matt, "we're entitled to salvage on -the torpedo." - -"Nozzing, not one centime!" screeched Captain Pons, jumping up and down -and flourishing his arms. - -"Suppose I pay you the difference between the salvage and the cost of -the torpedo?" asked Matt, willing to adjust the matter in any way that -would secure peace. - -"Non! I want ze torpedo, and zis talk of ze salvage is w'at you call -boosh; _oui_, zat is all, nozzing but boosh." - -There seemed no amicable way of settling the dispute. Matt, feeling -that the Whitehead was of prime importance to the _Grampus_, was -determined to stick to his contention. - -He and Glennie stood up, and all on the steps of the casa turned their -eyes downward to where the _Grampus_ lay on the placid waters of the -harbor, the long, black cylinder of the Whitehead some forty or fifty -feet back of the stern. - -While they looked, a most astounding thing happened. The torpedo seemed -suddenly to become imbued with life. It shivered, jerked sidewise like -an animated log, whirled around frantically, and then, with one end -leaping into the air, it darted downward, out of sight! - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ANOTHER ATTACK. - - -This weird vanishing on the part of the object in dispute between Motor -Matt and Captain Pons left those on steps of the Casa gasping. The -Frenchman dropped limply down and hugged his folded arms to his breast; -the Chilian looked wild, and a superstitious fear arose in the eyes of -the two negroes. Glennie grabbed up the glasses the captain had been -using a few minutes before, clapped them to his eyes, and proceeded to -examine the surface of the bay. - -The strange movements of the torpedo had had something of an effect -upon the _Grampus_, for she had swung about on her cable and dipped -slightly sternward. She was lying quietly enough now, however, and -Carl, Dick, Speake, Gaines, and Clackett were swarming over her deck -and evidently wondering what had become of the Whitehead. - -Matt, with his naked eyes, could see his friends moving about, although -it was impossible for him to discover exactly what they were doing. - -"They're pulling in the rope that was made fast to the torpedo," said -Glennie. "They've got the end of it in their hands." - -"Great spark plugs!" murmured Matt dazedly. "That was a queer -performance, I must say. Can you see anything of the Whitehead, -Glennie?" - -"Not a thing. There must have been some compressed air still left in -the cylinder, and in some way it got to the screws." - -Matt shook his head. - -"That's not it, Glennie. Even if the Whitehead's screws had begun to -work they couldn't have caused the big tube to dance around in that -unheard-of fashion. I----" - -Matt, with a sudden alarming thought running through his mind, started -down the steps at a run. The Frenchman shouted something. Taking his -cue from Captain Pons, the Chilian also shouted. Probably it was a -command for Matt to halt, but the young motorist did not construe -it in that way. Pons, himself, had said that there was no cause for -the arrest of Matt and Glennie, and Motor Matt believed that he was -perfectly free to go wherever he wished. Just then he was tremendously -eager to get aboard the _Grampus_. - -One of the old-fashioned pistols went off with a _bang_ like a small -cannon. A lead slug screeched through the air well over Matt's head. - -"Come back, Matt!" yelled Glennie. "If you don't, the next bullet may -come closer to you." - -Matt faced about indignantly. - -"What are they shooting at me for?" he demanded. - -"They don't want you to get away, just yet." - -"But I've got to get away! We must get aboard the _Grampus_ as quick as -the nation will let us. Can't you understand this business, Glennie? -That French submarine is in the bottom of the bay! The Japs are -recovering that torpedo! You know why they want it, as well as I do." - -"Jupiter!" exclaimed Glennie, "I hadn't thought of that. But you'd -better come back here, Matt, while we explain the situation to Captain -Pons. It's better to have him and the captain of the port for friends -rather than enemies." - -"Every minute's delay makes the position of the _Grampus_ just that -much more dangerous. Carl, Dick, and the rest don't know a thing about -this other submarine, and if the Japs made an attack on our boat, while -she's lying at anchor----" - -"Don't fret about that, Matt," cut in Glennie. "The Japs will have -their hands full saving their torpedo. They're thinking more about that -Whitehead just at present than of anything else. But, anyhow, we can't -try to dodge the bullets these negroes will send after us if we make a -run of it." - -Matt, fretting over the delay, slowly returned to the steps. The negro -was reloading his pistol, the other was making ready to use his weapon -in case Matt refused to obey orders, and both the captain of the port -and Captain Pons were looking extremely fierce and determined. - -Both captains were talking to Glennie. The ensign answered them -sharply, and the captains gave responses equally sharp. - -"What a pair of dunderheads!" growled Glennie to Matt. - -"How's that?" queried Matt. - -"Captain Pons has developed a very bright idea," was the ensign's -sarcastic response. "He says we caused the torpedo to act in that -unaccountable manner, and that we did it in order to steal it from him." - -Matt caught his breath. - -"Is Captain Pons in his sober senses?" he demanded. - -"All the senses Heaven endowed him with are on duty." - -"How does he think we could cause the torpedo to act in that manner?" - -"He lays it to our friends on the _Grampus_, but is gloriously -indefinite concerning the way they worked the trick." - -Matt walked up the steps and faced Captain Pons. "We had nothing to -do with the disappearance of the torpedo!" he cried. "Why, the very -idea is preposterous! How could any of our men cause the Whitehead to -disappear in that fashion?" - -"You want ze torpedo," insisted Captain Pons doggedly. "You make ze -dispute wiz me. Zen, w'en I say _non_, ze torpedo belong wiz me, -_pouf!_ away he go lak a streak. You haf stole heem, and you will -answer to ze French government for zat, by gar!" - -"That is foolish talk, Captain Pons, for a man of your age and -experience." - -"Hein! I am not so foolish as w'at you zink." - -"It was the other boat that stole the torpedo--the submarine the Japs -stole from you." - -"Zat could not be ze _Pom_. Ze Jap zey would not dar-r-r-e bring ze -_Pom_ back in ze bay." - -"You don't know those Japs as well as we do, captain. They are enemies -of ours, and have followed us clear from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. They -want to destroy the _Grampus_, to keep her out of the hands of the -United States Navy. If I don't go down there, and warn my friends and -do something to protect our submarine, this _Pom_ of yours may make an -attack." - -"Zis is a friendly port," replied Captain Pons, with a wave of the -hand. "Ze Japs will not dar-r-r-e make attack in ze friendly port." - -Matt was disgusted. He felt that he had never met a man so dense as -this Captain Pons. - -"The Japs stole your submarine in a friendly port," he remarked dryly. -"I guess that proves that they're not above committing lawless acts -in a Chilian harbor. You have no right to detain Ensign Glennie and -myself. We are under the protection of the Stars and Stripes. If -you are determined to keep us with you on this ridiculous charge of -stealing the torpedo, then will you not accompany us to the _Grampus_ -while we take measures for the boat's protection? While there, perhaps -we may be able to convince you how foolish this charge of yours is." - -"Zat is reasonable talk," admitted Captain Pons gravely. "I vill spik -wiz my good friend, Captain Arco." - -Matt and Glennie drew apart while the two captains held a whispered -conversation, although a very animated one. - -"A couple of jumping jacks!" muttered Glennie; "and blockheads, to -boot. I wonder what those French shipbuilders were thinking of to send -a man like Captain Pons with their submarine." - -"Well, he may know all about the submarine, and be perfectly -trustworthy," answered Matt. - -"I wouldn't trust him to drive a pair of mules on a canal." - -The ensign was completely disgusted. - -"Ah!" he said, a moment later. "The two great minds have at last come -to a decision in this momentous matter." - -Captains Pons and Arco approached the two lads importantly. - -"Ze good captain has agreed to go back wiz you and me to ze submarine," -announced Captain Pons. "If, w'en we get zere, you will hand ovair ze -torpedo, zen we not make ze trouble for you any more. _Allons!_ let us -be gone." - -The negroes, following an order from the captain of the port, dropped -in on either side of Matt and Glennie, their antiquated pistols -prominently displayed. Then, with the two captains leading the way, the -American lads left the Casa de la Administracion. - -"How those Japs managed to get hold of that torpedo without showing -themselves," remarked Glennie, on the way to the landing, "is a -conundrum." - -"They must have come up under the torpedo," answered Matt, "just close -enough to the surface to grapple a coil of the rope that was around the -steel shell." - -"Even on that theory the move is hard to understand. While the _Pom_ -was under water it would not be possible for any one aboard of her to -work at the ropes around the torpedo." - -"Perhaps the grappling was done by manoeuvring the boat." - -"That might be----" - -Glennie was interrupted. By that time the party had nearly reached the -landing. Before any of them stepped foot on the wharf, however, there -came a loud detonation, and a geyser-like column of water arose high -in the air. So lofty was the column that some of the spray from it was -hurled across the intervening stretch of the bay and into the faces of -Matt, Glennie, and the rest. - -When the column had sunk downward, those on the shore could see that -the _Grampus_ had disappeared! - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A BAD HALF HOUR. - - -Matt, Glennie, the two captains, and the negroes were stupefied. They -stood as though rooted to the ground and stared across the water toward -the spot where the _Grampus_ had been anchored. - -"_Sacre!_" muttered Captain Pons. "Zat was a torpedo, by gar!" - -"It was fired at the _Grampus_!" cried Matt, almost beside himself. "I -was afraid an attack would be made--and the boys didn't know anything -about that other submarine, Glennie. If our boat has been destroyed, -if--if----" - -Matt staggered against the post to which the painter securing the -rowboat was made fast. - -The negroes began talking excitedly between themselves, and Pons and -Arco likewise began to air their opinions. - -"Don't lose your nerve, Matt," said Glennie. "That was a torpedo, all -right, and it goes without saying that the Japs discharged it from -the _Pom_, under water. It hit something, and was discharged, _but it -didn't hit the Grampus_." - -"No," answered Matt, his moody eyes resting on the spot where the -_Grampus_ had been anchored, "the torpedo didn't hit the _Grampus_, for -the column of water spouted up almost a fathom from the place where -she was moored; but the boat may have been destroyed by the explosion, -for all that. When the geyser dropped, it covered the place where our -submarine ought to have been. But you can see, Glennie, she isn't -there." - -Motor Matt had gone through many perils and difficulties since he and -his chums had started for "around the Horn" with the _Grampus_, but he -had never been so greatly cast down as he was at that moment. He was -thinking of Carl, of Dick, and of the three brave men, Speake, Gaines, -and Clackett, who had stood shoulder to shoulder with him through all -the dangers that had met them since leaving British Honduras. - -It was a good thing that Glennie, at that moment, was so hopeful. - -"We haven't been able to see the _Grampus_ for several minutes, Matt," -he observed. "In coming down the hill from the casa, the boat was -hidden from us." - -"All the same, Glennie, she was in her berth, whether we saw her or -not. If she hadn't been where we left her, the Japs wouldn't have had -any target, and the torpedo would not have been exploded in that spot. -If it comes to that, the fact that we didn't see her goes to show that -she may have changed her position a little, and have been right where -the torpedo exploded." - -"I don't think that for a minute," averred Glennie stoutly. "The last -we saw of the _Grampus_ all our friends were on deck. If she had been -torpedoed, we'd certainly see some of the boys in the water. They were -under hatches when that Whitehead went off; and, if they were under -hatches, they may have been safe. I'm inclined to think they were." - -"If the bottom plates of the submarine were blown in," proceeded Matt, -"she would sink and go down like so much lead. Let's get into the boat -and row out, Glennie. We can see a good deal more if we're right over -the spot where the _Grampus_ was anchored than we can from here." - -Matt, suiting his action to the word, dropped hastily over the edge of -the wharf and into the boat. The wharf was in a bad state of repair. -The planks had been torn from the piles, and a region of semi-darkness -stretched away under the floor. - -As Matt dropped into the boat, his face was turned landward and his -eyes rested for a moment on the gloom that lay between the outer piles -and the shore; but, during that moment, he glimpsed something that gave -him a start. Unless he was greatly mistaken, he could make out the dim -shape of a human form crouching in the darkness. - -"Cast off the painter, Glennie, quick!" he called. - -The ensign lifted the loop over the top of the post and flung it into -the boat. - -Grabbing the wharf planks, Matt gave a pull that sent the boat in -between the piles. He could hear shouts of wild suspicion coming from -Captain Pons and Captain Arco. Unable to figure out what impelled Matt -to vanish under the wharf, they jumped to the conclusion that he was -doing something he ought not to do. - -Paying no attention to the frantic voices, or the frenzied tramping -on the planks overhead, the young motorist continued to drag the boat -onward toward the shore. Several yards back from the edge of the wharf, -the bow of the boat struck against a timber that had one end imbedded -in the sand, while the other end rose upward, clear of the water. - -The human form Matt had seen was lying upon the timber. The man made -no move to escape, or to protect himself, and Matt was not long in -discovering that he was either dead or unconscious. - -For a moment Matt's heart was in his throat. His fears, even against -his better judgment, made him apprehensive that this form, lying -helplessly on the timber under the wharf, might be that of one of his -friends. - -Close examination, however, proved his fears groundless. The man -was under medium height and had a tawny skin. He was barefooted, -bareheaded, and stripped to his waist. Rolling him into the boat, Matt -drew the light craft back into the daylight at the edge of the wharf. - -"What under the canopy are you about, Matt?" called Glennie, from the -edge of the wharf. Then, seeing the man in the bottom of the boat, he -gave vent to an astonished whistle. "_That's_ what you went under the -wharf for, eh? Where was that fellow?" - -"He was lying on a timber, just out of the water," answered Matt. "The -question is, where did he come from, and what was he doing there?" - -"He looks as though he was stripped for swimming." - -"And he worked so hard in the water, and in getting ashore, that he -gave out and lost consciousness as soon as he pulled himself upon that -timber. The fact that he was under the wharf proves that he didn't want -anybody to find him. He's a Jap, Glennie." - -A yell escaped Captain Pons, and he began talking excitedly and -pointing his finger at the Jap. - -"What does Pons say, Glennie?" Matt asked. - -"He says that that fellow was one of the men who stole the _Pom_. The -captain is very sure he is not mistaken. There were five in the party." - -"Gif the r-r-rascal here!" cried Captain Pons, stretching his arms -downward, "gif heem to me! By gar, he is one of ze t'ieves--ve haf -captured one of ze t'ieves!" - -Matt lifted the unconscious man, and three pairs of hands caught him -from above and pulled him up on the wharf. Hardly had the Jap touched -the planks than, with amazing suddenness, he jumped to his feet and -tried to run. - -"He was shamming!" exclaimed Glennie. - -"No," answered Matt, as the two negroes deftly caught the fleeing -Jap and flung him roughly down on his back, "I'm positive he was not -shamming, Glennie. He recovered while we were lifting him to the wharf -and thought he could make a bolt and get away." - -As the two negroes held the prisoner down on the planks, Captain Pons -stepped to his side, bent over, and shook a fist in his face. - -What the captain said was in Spanish, which he probably used for the -Jap's benefit, and Matt could not follow his words further than to be -sure that Pons was threatening and reviling the man for the treacherous -part he and his countrymen had played. - -The prisoner looked up calmly into the Frenchman's face, seeming to -take his capture and his failure to escape as a matter of course. - -"We get the torpedo," said he, in good English, the moment Captain Pons -ceased talking. - -"How did you get the torpedo?" queried Glennie, pushing the captain -aside and drawing closer to the prisoner. - -"I volunteered," went on the Jap, a note of ringing exultation in his -low voice; "they passed me through the torpedo tube, and I cut the -cable that secured the torpedo to the other submarine, and made a rope -fast from our boat. It was hard work, all under water. Then I swim -ashore, but I am weak and faint and try to hide. You have captured me. -Do what you will. _Banzai_, Nippon!" - -The Chilian could not understand English, and he was consumed with -curiosity. Captain Pons understood, however, and the calmness of the -prisoner, during his brief recital, filled him with rage. He tried to -strike the Jap, but Glennie interfered. - -"Let him alone, Pons!" cried Glennie. "He thinks he has done right. -Anyhow, he's a prisoner, and a prisoner should not be mistreated." - -"_Diable!_" ground out the captain. "He make ze brag zat he steal ze -torpedo! S-scoundr-r-el! He should be hang', by gar!" - -Glennie turned to Motor Matt. - -"You heard, Matt?" he queried. "The Japs passed this fellow out through -the torpedo tube of the _Pom_ while the boat was under water. He made -a line fast, cut the cable securing the torpedo to our submarine, and -then swam ashore. A rare piece of work!" - -"Ask him about that torpedo attack on the _Grampus_," said Matt. "See -if you can find out anything about the intentions of the other Japs." - -"You are one of the Sons of the Rising Sun?" queried Glennie, again -addressing the prisoner. - -A gleam darted through the Jap's eyes. - -"I say nothing," he answered. "I have told about the torpedo. But I -tell you nothing more. It is all for Nippon, for my beloved country." - -"That's the way with those fellows," said Matt disappointedly. "He -wouldn't speak another word even if he was tortured. I'm surprised that -he said what he did about the torpedo. Turn him over to Pons and the -captain of the port, Glennie, and let's row out into the bay and see if -we can learn anything about the fate of the _Grampus_." - -Matt's face was haggard with fear and anxiety. He had had a bad half -hour, since the explosion of the torpedo and the disappearance of the -_Grampus_, and his face reflected the intensity of his feelings. - -Glennie turned away from the prisoner and stepped to the edge of the -wharf. He paused there for a moment, rigid as a statue, his eyes -wandering over the surface of the bay. - -Motor Matt, wondering at his manner, likewise directed his gaze off -over the water. As he did so, Glennie recovered his wits abruptly and -gave vent to an exultant yell. - -"Hurrah!" he roared, jerking off his cap and waving it. "What's the -matter with the motor boys, Matt? We've had our worry all for nothing!" - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -CHASING A TORPEDO. - - -Dick and Carl, together with the rest of the crew of the _Grampus_, did -a lot of guessing after Matt and Glennie left them with the captain of -the port. - -The commotion kicked up by the torpedo put a sudden and effectual stop -to their speculations. Carl, Dick, and Speake were on deck when the -Whitehead began its peculiar performance, and the jerks administered to -the _Grampus_ by the tow line quickly brought Gaines and Clackett up -through the tower hatch. - -"Ach, du lieber!" cried Carl. "See vonce vat has habbened mit der -dorpeto. A vale has got dangled oop mit der tow line; oder oof id don'd -vas a vale id vas a shark, und a pig feller, I bed you. Vat a funny -pitzness! From der actions, id looks like der dorpeto vas alife." - -"Whale!" scoffed Dick. "Don't you believe that a whale, or shark, -either, has got anything to do with that." - -"Vat it iss, den?" - -"I give it up. What do you think, Speake?" - -"Ask me something easy," answered Speake. "Mebby something has got -loose inside the torpedo--compressed air, or something--and that that -is what's putting the big tube through its jig." - -"Led's pull in der line," suggested Carl, "und make der dorpeto pehave." - -"Not on your life!" cried Dick. "It's full of dynamite, and I'll never -let the _Grampus_ get any closer to that infernal machine than she is -now." - -"Matt vants dot dorpeto or he vouldn't haf taken der drouple to tow her -in." - -"Matt can have it, matey, but I don't intend to board a Whitehead when -it's dancing a hornpipe. If the dynamite should happen to let go----" - -Dick was interrupted by a chorus of surprised yells from the rest of -his companions. - -The torpedo, kicking one end high in the air, had taken a "header" -toward the bottom of the bay. - -"Dot means goot-by," murmured the amazed Carl. "Der vale's run off -mit it. Bedder dot vale look a leedle oudt und not knock his tail too -hardt against der dorpeto. Oof he do dot, den, py shinks, he make some -mincemeat out oof himseluf." - -"Great guns!" exclaimed Gaines. "What do you suppose did that, Dick?" - -"More mysterious things have happened to us since we left Magellan -Strait," ruminated Dick, "than ever came our way before. Suppose we -haul in on the tow line and have a look at the end of it." - -The line was pulled aboard. There were some forty feet of it, and the -end was sliced off clean. - -"A knife did that!" declared Clackett. - -"Der vale dit id mit his teet'," asserted Carl, who always hung to one -of his own theories like a dog to a bone. - -"Bosh, Clackett!" scoffed Gaines. "How could a knife have done that? -Who was down there to cut the rope?" - -"It don't make any difference what separated the rope," put in Speake, -"the thing was done, and something or other is running away with Motor -Matt's torpedo. Matt must have wanted that Whitehead or he wouldn't -have gone to the trouble to tow it in. Are we going to let it get away -from us?" - -"How can we help it?" inquired Clackett. - -"We can follow it," asserted Speake. - -"We haven't any business taking the _Grampus_ from her anchorage while -Matt's ashore," said Gaines. - -"I guess Matt wouldn't mind if we took a dive along the bottom of the -bay to overhaul that runaway torpedo," remarked Dick. - -"Sure, nod!" chimed in Carl. "Matt vill be as madt as some vet hens ven -ve tell him der dorpeto skyhooted avay mit itseluf und ve ditn't do -nodding to shdop id." - -"We'll chance it, anyway, mates," said Dick. "I'm always in command -whenever our old raggie is off the boat. Get down to the motor, Gaines. -Clackett, get after the tanks. Come below, the rest of you, and let the -last man down secure the hatch." - -Speake was the last one to drop down the hatch. The ballast tanks were -already filling as he stepped off the iron ladder upon the floor of the -periscope room. - -Dick was at the wheel. - -"Turn on the electric projector, Speake," said Dick. "I'm going up into -the tower and do the steering from there." - -Dick got just two rounds up the ladder when a muffled roar enveloped -the _Grampus_, and she was heaved violently over until the tower was -almost on a level with her keel. - -Carl, who had been inspecting the periscope, was thrown violently -against the rounded wall over the locker. Speake, just reaching up to -turn the electric switch that sent a current through the wires of the -projector, went head over heels against one of the bulkheads. As for -Dick, he pulled off a remarkable stunt at ground and lofty tumbling, -winding up with his head under the periscope table and his heels in the -air. - -Yells came in muffled volume from below, proving that Gaines and -Clackett were likewise having their troubles. - -The _Grampus_ righted herself almost as quickly as she had flopped -over. This, taking place before those aboard had had a chance to adjust -themselves, still further complicated matters. - -When every one was finally right side up, Dick jumped to the speaking -tubes. - -"How are you down there, Gaines?" he called. - -"I turned a handspring over the motor," came back the voice of Gaines, -"but I guess I didn't damage anything." - -"I stood on my head in one of the accumulators," added Clackett through -the tank-room tube. "We turned turtle there for about half a minute. -What caused it, Dick? I heard an explosion, too." - -"That bally old torpedo must have gone off," answered Dick. "No use -hunting for it now." - -"I don't believe it was that torpedo that exploded," said Speake. "What -could have set it off?" - -"Der vale shlowed oop a leedle," explained Carl, "und id run indo him. -I bed you somet'ing for nodding dere iss vale all ofer der pay." - -"We're in luck, anyhow," exulted Dick. "This old flugee is as trim -and steady as ever. Now that we're down near the bottom we'll cruise -a little and see what we can discover. We've got an hour or two, I -guess, before Matt and Glennie get back to the landing and want to come -aboard. Slow speed, Gaines," he called. - -Hurrying up into the conning tower, Dick pressed his eyes against the -forward lunettes. The trail of light, reaching out through the lunette, -illuminated the murky waters for several yards beyond the point of the -submarine's bow. - -There was a commotion in the depths, and fishes were darting in all -directions. - -Steering from the ladder, Dick headed the _Grampus_ toward the north. -They had not gone far before Dick saw something which made him rub his -eyes. - -"Am I doing a calk," he muttered, "or are these lamps of mine making -a monkey's fist of their work? Strike me lucky! Carl! Look into the -periscope!" - -A vague shape was passing through the gleam of the search light. It -looked like a huge cigar, its pointed end tilted slightly upward. At -the rear of the object there was a flurry of water. - -"Id's a vale!" boomed Carl, whose mind seemed to be running on whales -that day. - -"It's another submarine," gasped Speake, "that's what it is. I wonder -if Matt didn't know there was another submarine in these waters?" - -"Watch!" cried Dick excitedly. "What's that behind the thing?" - -The other boat was moving in a course that angled slightly with the -direction the _Grampus_ was following. Because of this the second craft -was some time in passing through the glow of the search light. - -As Dick called out, those at the periscope table saw the Whitehead -torpedo glide into the gleam from the electric projector. A rope held -the forward end of the torpedo to the stern of the other submarine, the -buoyancy of the steel cylinder causing its rear part to stand almost -straight up in the water. - -It was an odd procession the boat and the torpedo made as they defiled -through the pencil of light. - -"Dot's der feller vat shtole Matt's dorpeto!" cried Carl. "Run against -der rope, Tick, und preak der dorpeto loose." - -"Not much, I won't, matey," breathed Dick. "We're not going to take any -chances with _that_ Whitehead." - -"It certainly wasn't that torpedo that went off, a little while ago, -Dick," observed Speake. - -"Right-o," Dick answered, startled by the thought this remark of -Speake's had aroused. "It was a torpedo, though, and that other craft -must have launched it at us." - -"Ach, himmelblitzen!" gasped Carl. "For vy should dot odder poat shoot -some dorpetos ad us, hey?" - -"Give it up, Carl, unless there are some of those Sons of the Rising -Sun aboard." - -Dick slid down the ladder in a hurry. - -"Empty the tanks, Clackett!" he sang out. "We've got to hustle out -of this," he added to Carl and Speake, "before they shoot another -Whitehead at us. Keelhaul me, but this will be news for Matt. We've got -to tell him about it as soon as ever we can get the _Grampus_ back to -her old berth." - -Two minutes later the submarine lifted her turtle-like back out of the -waves. Dick headed her south, and Carl and Speake pushed open the hatch -and went out on the wet plates. Dick ascended the ladder to steer from -the hatch. Hardly had he got head and shoulders into the outside air -when a shout from Carl and Speake drew his eyes toward the wharf. - -Matt and Glennie, and a few more the boys did not know, were on the -landing. Glennie was yelling and waving his cap. - -"Vat's der madder mit him, I vonder?" queried Carl. "He vouldn't be -doing dot oof he knowed aboudt dot odder poat und der dorpeto." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -NORTHWARD BOUND. - - -The _Grampus_ had no more than dropped anchor in her old berth than -Matt, Glennie, Captain Pons, the captain of the port, and the negroes -were alongside in the boat. - -"Great spark plugs," cried Matt, "but you fellows gave me a scare." - -"Vell, bard," answered Carl, "ve vas a leedle schared ourselufs." - -"Here's another scare for you, matey," called Dick. "The Sons of the -Rising Sun have a submarine of their own, and are after us. They were -here, off Lota, and just went north with that torpedo in tow." - -"Jupiter!" exclaimed Glennie. "How did you fellows know that?" - -"You act as though it wasn't any news to you." - -"It isn't, but we thought you fellows were not informed and would fall -a victim to the _Pom_." - -"_Pom?_" echoed Dick. - -"That's the name of the other submarine," went on Matt. "She's a French -craft and was brought here by this man, Captain Pons, to be turned over -to the Chilian government. Five Japs worked a trick and succeeded in -getting hold of her." - -"Why, how----" - -"We'll tell you all about it later, Dick. Where were you when that -torpedo went off?" - -"Just diving to the bottom to go hunting for the other torpedo. That -Whitehead they fired never touched us." - -"It must have touched something," put in Speake, "or the firing pin -wouldn't have got in its work." - -"It hit a harbor buoy," said Matt. "At least, the captain of the port -says there was a buoy at this point. As it isn't here now, it must have -been demolished. It's a lucky thing for all of us that the buoy was -between the _Grampus_ and the Whitehead. Glennie and I will go back to -the shore, Dick, and get a barrel of gasoline. You get the hose rigged -and have everything ready to discharge the gasoline in short order. -We're northward bound, and are going to get away from these waters just -as quick as the nation will let us." - -There was something of a disappointment in this for the men on the -submarine. They had hoped for a chance to stretch their legs ashore, -but they appreciated the necessity of getting the _Grampus_ out of -harm's way as quickly as possible. - -"Won't the _Pom_ lay for us as we pull out of the bay, Matt?" asked -Dick. - -"She can't lay for us. You see, she had only two torpedoes. One of -those was destroyed in the attack made on the _Grampus_ in the bay; -the other one the _Pom_ is dragging off to some place where she can -get it in shape for work. We need not fear any attack from the Sons -of the Rising Sun until the other Whitehead is ready for use. If we -act quickly, we can get well away from the _Pom_ before she becomes -dangerous." - -"_Diable!_" rasped out Captain Pons. "Is it ze American vay to r-run -from ze enemy? Pur-r-r-soo and capture, zat is ze sing. I will go wiz -you, _oui_, I, myself, Captain Pons. You will help me get back ze -_Pom_. Eh?" - -"We're not here to take any risks with the _Grampus_, captain," said -Matt. "Responsibility for the safety of the boat rests on my shoulders, -and you'll have to get some Chilian war ship to help you." - -"Zat is not right!" cried the captain. "One mariner is in ze duty bound -to help anozzer mariner in ze distress. Me, I call on you. You refuse, -zen zat is mos' contemptible." - -"I'm sorry you look at it in that way, captain," replied Matt; "but -it's just possible I know my own business better than you do." - -Captain Pons had a little fit all by himself, and while he had it he -was saying unpleasant things. - -"What's the matter with the frog eater?" cried Dick. "Throw him -overboard!" - -Matt signed for the captain of the port to have the negro oarsmen get -the boat back to the landing. The captain at once gave the order and -the boat danced away in the direction of the wharf. - -Captain Pons was still calling down anathemas on the heads of all -Americans who refused to help a Frenchman in "ze distress." - -"By gar," he cried, "I vill vire my government how you haf treat' me! I -vill use ze cable, and let ze president of my country know it all. It -is mos' contemptible!" - -"Captain," said Matt, "we are not allowed to take any strangers aboard -the _Grampus_. Our submarine has appliances which put her so far ahead -of every other boat in her class that we are all under seal of secrecy -and are bound by a pledge to keep strangers away. So, you see, it would -be impossible for you to take a cruise in the _Grampus_." - -Captain Pons glared. - -"It is mos' contemptible!" was all he could say. - -Matt and Glennie, without delaying further, pushed into the town. Matt -had little difficulty in finding the gasoline he wanted. He had to go -to two or three places before he found fuel that answered the severe -tests he put it to, but finally he got what he desired and had it -hauled to the landing. - -The captain of the port was not in evidence, but his two negroes were -waiting at the boat. - -Matt had come down to the wharf in the wagon that brought the gasoline, -and Glennie had been left to follow on foot. The ensign put in an -appearance just as the barrel had been transferred to the boat. Matt -was surprised to see him carrying a rifle. - -The only firearms aboard the _Grampus_ consisted of a six-shooter which -had accompanied the ensign when he first assumed his duties on the -submarine. - -"What are you going to do with that, Glennie?" laughed Matt. "Shoot -Japs?" - -"Well, no, not exactly," answered Glennie, "There are a good many ways -in which a weapon of this sort might come in handy, besides using it -for shooting Japs. It's an American gun, Matt--a Marlin. It looked sort -of homelike, so I just took it in, along with a box of cartridges." - -If Matt hated one thing more than another, it was a gun. He had seen -firearms used so recklessly while he was in the Southwest that he had -acquired a strong prejudice against them. Notwithstanding this fact, -he was a crack shot, and had more than once carried off the prize in a -shooting contest. - -"All right, Glennie," said he, although a trifle reluctantly, "bring it -along." - -"You don't like guns, Matt," observed the ensign as he lowered himself -into the boat and dropped down on one of the thwarts. - -"Or knives, either," added Matt, "when they are used to get the better -of another fellow. A pair of fists make pretty good weapons." - -"Fists are all right," laughed Glennie, "so long as the other chap uses -them; but when you find an enemy standing off forty or fifty feet and -looking at you over the sights of a gun--well, that's the time another -gun would be mighty valuable." - -By the time the small boat fell in alongside the _Grampus_, Dick, Carl, -and the rest had the hose ready and it took only a few moments to rig -the pump. Presently the gasoline was flowing down the tower hatch and -into the reservoir below. - -Dick, keeping one eye on the negroes while they bent over the pump -handles, leaned against the conning tower and heaved a long breath. - -"I'm hoping, old ship," said he to Matt, "that we'll be able to leave -the Japs behind, this time, for good and all. Those on the _Pom_ must -have seen us while we had their craft under our search light, and I -guessed good and hard why they didn't turn and send another torpedo at -us. I didn't know, you see, that they only had two Whiteheads to their -blessed name. We could have pulled their fangs if we had opened up that -torpedo and took out the dynamite." - -"I intended," answered Matt, "to take the torpedo aboard through one -of our tubes as soon as we reached this harbor, but the captain of the -port came down on us before I had the chance." - -"How did you find out about that submarine, and the Japs being in -charge of her?" - -Matt straightened out this point to his chum's satisfaction. That part -of Matt's recital which had to do with the Jap who had been captured -under the wharf was particularly interesting to Dick. - -"Those fellows don't care a rap for their own lives," muttered Dick, -"and that's what makes 'em such nasty fighters. When that fellow got -out through the _Pom's_ torpedo tube, he must have come up directly -under the Whitehead. By hugging the torpedo close, he could have got -his head out of water without any of us on the _Grampus_ seeing him. -But he took long chances, just the same, and there are only four Japs -left to navigate the other craft. The work probably calls for all -hands, and there's bound to be a time when the _Pom_ can't run for lack -of hands to navigate her. The Japs are only human, and they'll have to -have a spell of rest like every one else." - -"We've got a good chance to show them our heels," said Matt, "and it's -our duty to make the most of it." - -"I'm a Fiji, though," said Dick, "if I don't hate to run away from -those Sons of the Rising Sun. It looks as though the United States and -Great Britain had struck their colors to the yellow rascals." - -"I feel the same way, Dick, but this submarine is worth a hundred -thousand dollars, and we're only her trustees. It's our duty not to -take any chances with her." - -"Right-o, matey. I understand that just as well as you do. Captain -Nemo, Jr., ought to give you a good slice of that hundred thousand when -you tie up the _Grampus_ at the navy-yard wharf." - -"I'm not looking for that, Dick," returned Motor Matt earnestly. "It's -the idea of _making good_ that appeals to me beyond anything and -everything else. It isn't so much the money that comes to us for what -we do, but the way we toe the scratch that counts." - -An hour later all preliminaries were finished and the _Grampus_ was off -up the bay, tanks emptied and steel hull high in the water, her motors -humming and setting a record pace. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A HALT FOR REPAIRS. - - -Late in the afternoon of the day they left Lota Bay the _Grampus_ spoke -the British ship _Sovereign_, bound from Santiago to Liverpool. By -means of a megaphone, Matt had a brief talk with the captain of the -sailing vessel. - -"What craft is that?" inquired the British captain, after answering -Matt's hail with information concerning his own vessel. - -"The submarine _Grampus_," answered Matt, "six weeks out from Belize, -British Honduras, and bound for San Francisco." - -"My word!" came from the other megaphone. "Sure about that?" - -Matt was "stumped." It was certainly an odd question to ask. - -"Of course I'm sure of it. Why?" - -"Well, we passed another submarine, two hours ago, and she was towing -a torpedo. Said she had discharged it at a target and was going to -beach it somewhere, and get it in shape for further use. But the bally -joke of it is that the captain of that other submarine said that _his_ -boat was the United States submarine _Grampus_. It's a main queer go -if there are two submarines of that name both belonging to the United -States Government." - -"Well, what do you think of that?" muttered Glennie, leaning out of the -hatch. "The nerve of it!" - -"That other boat was the _Pom_," called back Matt, "sent over to Chili -by a firm of French shipbuilders. She was stolen from the harbor of -Lota by a handful of Japs." - -"Fancy that! Those Japs are----" - -The rest of it Matt could not hear. The two boats had merely spoken -each other in passing and were quickly out of reach of each other's -megaphones. - -"Those Sons of the Rising Sun are stealing our thunder," remarked -Glennie. - -"I suppose," returned Matt, "that it's a heap safer for the Japs to -call their boat the _Grampus_ than the _Pom_. If they happened to speak -a vessel that knew of the stealing of the _Pom_ results might prove -disastrous if they told the truth." - -Matt descended to the periscope room to give the news to Carl and Dick. - -"Dot's der vorst yet!" grunted Carl. "Der itee oof dem Chaps calling -deir old frog-eader poat der _Grampus_! I don'd like dot. Id vas some -insulds." - -"I guess we can stand it, Carl," said Matt. - -"Did Pons tell you anything about that French submarine, matey?" -inquired Dick. - -"A little, but not as much as I would have liked to learn. The _Pom_, I -infer, is smaller than the _Grampus_, and is propelled by electricity -when submerged and by gasoline on the surface. She's only able to -stay under water an hour. Captain Nemo, Jr., could teach those French -builders a trick or two with his patent submerged exhausts." - -"How's her diving? Can't she remain submerged longer than an hour with -her ballast tanks full and her electric motor quiet?" - -"No. Her rudders keep her below the surface, and the diving rudders -won't work unless her motor's going." - -"She don'd amoundt to mooch, oof dot's der case," commented Carl. -"Der _Grampus_ has got der _Pom_ shkinned bot' vays for Suntay. I bed -you somet'ing for nodding der _Pom_ couldn't have come aroundt der -bottom end oof Sout' America like vat ve dit. _Pom!_ She vas vat der -French fellers call a _pomme de terre_, by vich, ven I so expression -meinseluf, I mean a botato. Whoosh!" and the Dutch boy gave a grunt of -disgust. - -The night fell clear and bright. It was Matt's intention to continue -running during the night, but submerged so that only the periscope ball -was awash. - -When the time came to fill the ballast tanks, however, an unexpected -difficulty presented itself--a difficulty which had almost brought -overwhelming disaster once before, when the _Grampus_ had just emerged -from Magellan Strait: the Kingston valves by mean of which the tanks -were operated failed to work. - -This was no particular fault of the valves, but of some damage that had -been done to them, and which caused them to go wrong occasionally--and -usually at the most inopportune times. - -Matt had made up his mind that new valves would have to be put in, but -that was a job which would necessarily have to wait until the submarine -reached the end of her long journey. - -Repairing the valves would take several hours, and Matt decided to stay -on the surface and put in a little bay on Quiriquina Island. - -It was not necessary to reach the island before morning and when Dick -relieved Gaines at the motor, a call for half speed went through the -speaking tube to the motor room. - -The young motorist studied his charts, then, with the surroundings of -the islands clearly in mind, took the steering wheel himself and laid -his course by compass. - -It was about five o'clock in the morning when the _Grampus_ rounded a -bluff headland and took a due east course across Tona Bay. Quiriquina -Island loomed up clear and distinct against the gray dawn hovering in -the eastern skies. - -The cove which Matt selected as a berth for the submarine while repairs -were being made had a sloping beach of white sand. It was virtually a -bay within a bay, and the waters were as calm as those of an inland -lake. - -As soon as the anchors were down, all hands came on deck to get a whiff -of the morning air. - -"We'd better have breakfast before we tackle the valves, hadn't we, -Matt?" inquired Speake. "I know I can work better on a full stomach, -and I suppose the rest of you can." - -"Good idea, Speake," returned Matt. "I had thought about that, but -supposed you would like to loaf a little and not pen yourself up in the -torpedo room with an electric stove." - -"Those confounded valves bother me," grumbled Speake, "and I couldn't -loaf and enjoy myself if I had to think about them." - -"They bother me, too," added Glennie, "and I believe I'll go below and -look them over." - -"I'll go with you," said Clackett. "We can make a preliminary survey -and then get busy right after breakfast. Plenty of chance to loaf -during my watch below." - -"Glad to see you fellows so industrious," laughed Matt. "Perhaps, if -you are real smart, you can get those valves fixed by breakfast time, -and the rest of us won't have to tinker with them." - -"You'll be needed, Matt, when it comes to the fixing," answered -Glennie, as he climbed into the conning tower. - -Clackett followed him. - -"I guess I'll go down, too," yawned Gaines, "and catch forty winks on -top of the periscope-room locker. This morning air is fine, but I'm -satisfied to take my share through the open hatch." - -He followed Clackett into the tower. Dick, descending to the edge of -the rounded deck, peered into the clear depths of the water below. - -"I can see our cable, mates," said he, "and our anchor with one fluke -in the sand. Come on, Carl. Let's take a swim before breakfast." - -"Nod me, Tick," answered Carl. "I feel like loafing, und shvimming iss -too mooch like vork." - -"How about you, Matt?" - -"I feel as Carl does," said Matt. "Take your swim if you want to, Dick, -and Carl and I will be the anchor watch." - -Dick was out of his clothes in a jiffy. "So long," he called, as he -took a "header" from the bow of the boat. - -He was perfectly at home in the water, and when Matt saw him swimming -out toward a headland that walled in the cove on the south, he thought -little of it. When he saw that Dick was intending to swim around the -point, however, he stood up and called out a warning. But Dick only -laughed and kept on until he was out of sight. - -"He von't go so far dot he can't ged pack again," remarked Carl. "He -iss like a fish, Tick iss, und he feels pedder in der vater as oudt oof -id." - -Carl, for some days, had been wearing an outfit of sailor togs which he -had found in the slop chest of the submarine. He was trying to be as -nautical as possible, so that he could "shiver his timbers" and "dash -his deadeyes" with the best of them when the _Grampus_ reached San -Francisco. - -"I can valk like a sailor," remarked Carl, getting up from his seat by -the tower, "und aboudt all I lack now iss to be aple to hitch oop my -drousers like vat a sailor does. How iss der vay oof it, Matt?" - -"Never mind that part of it, Carl," laughed Matt. "You'll be enough of -a sailor at the end of this cruise, even if you don't know how to hitch -up your trousers. Besides," and Matt squinted at him critically, "I -doubt if you could ever do the trick." - -"For vy nod?" - -"Why, the trousers are too tight a fit around the waist." - -"Yah, so, aber dey're so pig a fit oop und down dot I valk on der -pottoms, und id iss eider hitch dem oop oder cut dem off. Now, vatch. -Meppy id goes like dis." - -Carl jumped into the air, grapped the band of the trousers with one -hand in front and the other behind, and kicked out his legs. When he -came down, his feet were so far apart that they slipped on the rounded -plates, and he went down and rolled over and over. Matt grabbed him -just in the nick of time to keep him out of the water. - -"Look out," warned Matt, "or you'll take a swim whether you want to or -not." - -"I guess dot I leaf der hitching pitzness oudt," said the chagrined -Carl, "aber id vas so bicturesque dot I vish I could manach id. Now, -ven I----" - -Carl was interrupted by a shout, wafted toward them from across the -cove. He and Matt started up and saw Dick swimming in their direction -with all his might. - -"What's the matter, Dick?" called Matt. - -"Sharks!" came back the breathless answer. - -Matt was no more than a second making up his mind what he should do. -To help Dick by bringing the _Grampus_ closer to him was out of the -question--disaster might overtake the young sailor before the anchor -could be lifted from the bottom. - -"Ach, himmelblitzen!" murmured Carl fearfully. "Vat ve going to do, -Matt?" - -"Below with you, quick!" flung back the king of the motor boys. -"Glennie's rifle is in the periscope room. Get that and a coil of rope -and hustle back here." - -Carl, shaking with excitement, hurried to carry out the order. As he -vanished into the tower, Matt went forward toward the bow of the boat, -keeping his keen eyes on Dick. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DICK MAKES A DISCOVERY. - - -The ability of the king of the motor boys to "keep his head" in trying -situations had more than once turned the tide for himself and his -chums. Matt could become as excited as anybody, but excitement never -interfered with the steadiness of his nerves or with his ability to -think quickly and resourcefully in time of danger. - -Far beyond Dick Matt could see a black, triangular fin slitting the -water, tacking this way and that, but coming closer and closer to the -young sailor. - -Dick was swimming rapidly, but the shark, of course, was cutting -through the water at a much faster gait. Had the shark laid a straight -course for its intended victim, the latter would long since have been -overtaken. - -With a keen eye Motor Matt made a quick estimate of the distance -separating Dick and the shark from the boat. He concluded that Dick -could not by any possibility reach the _Grampus_ before the shark would -be upon him, but the sea scavenger would be close enough for a good -shot. - -Carl, in a veritable tremor of excitement, rolled over the top of the -conning tower with the rifle in one hand and a coil of rope in the -other. - -"Don'd led dot shark ged avay mit Tick," he pleaded, handing the rifle -to Matt. "Pud a pullet righdt indo dot shark, Matt, mitoudt vaiting any -longer as bossiple." - -"I've got to wait until I can get a good shot, Carl," answered Matt, -"and that time will come when the shark goes over on its back." - -"Ven id does dot," quavered Carl, "id iss retty to bite. Oof you make a -miss, Matt, id iss all ofer mit Tick." - -"I'll not make a miss. Get a clamp on your nerves and be ready to throw -the rope as soon as Dick comes near enough." - -"My teet' chatter a leedle," whimpered Carl, "aber my nerfs iss all -righdt. Don'd you be afraidt pecause I am, Tick," he cried. "Schvim -like der Olt Poy vas afder you!" - -Dick had need of all his breath and could not waste any in useless -words. He was coming through the water at a fierce clip, his arms -working like piston rods in a fine, steady, overhand stroke. He could -see Matt on the deck with the rifle ready, and he knew that whatever -the king of the motor boys could do would be done. - -"Ach, shood, shood!" implored Carl, watching the black fin zigzagging -nearer and nearer. "Don'd vait, Matt!" - -But Matt paid no attention to Carl. He knew what kind of a target he -wanted, and that the shark would give it to him if he waited. - -When Dick was about a dozen feet from the boat, the right moment came. -With a flip of its tail the shark leaped partly out of the water and -turned on its back, its great jaws opening. - -Matt had braced himself firmly and lifted the Marlin repeater to his -shoulder. - -"Fire avay, kevick!" clamored Carl, and just then Matt pulled the -trigger. - -It was a bull's-eye hit. Straight to its mark leaped the murderous bit -of lead, and the shark, stunned by the impact of the bullet, snapped -its jaws harmlessly together and sank downward in the reddening water. - -"You're all right, Dick!" cried Matt. "Toss the rope, Carl." - -Carl threw the line and Dick laid hold of it. The report of the rifle -brought Gaines from the periscope room, Glennie and Clackett from the -tank room, and Speake from the torpedo room in short order. All of them -were on the deck just as Matt and Carl assisted Dick out of the water. - -"What's the rumpus?" inquired Gaines. - -Matt pointed to the shark, which was floating, belly up, on the water. - -"Your rifle did it, Glennie," said Matt. "If it hadn't been for that, -nothing could have saved Dick. I didn't think there was a shark within -miles of us when Dick went into the water." - -Dick was nearly fagged. The tremendous exertion he had put forth had -tried him severely. - -"It was foolish of me to go around that point," said Dick, leaning back -against the conning tower, "but I'm glad I did." - -"Dot's funny," returned Carl. "Glad you vent aroundt der point und -shdirred oop dot shark! How you make dot oudt?" - -"Well, I made a discovery," went on Dick. "If I hadn't made that -discovery, like enough I'd have kept on swimming and have got so far -away the shark would surely have nipped me before I could have got back -close enough for Matt to shoot." - -"What was the discovery?" asked Glennie. - -"There's another cove around the point, a good deal like this one. The -_Pom_ is there, close inshore, and----" - -"Der Chaps!" breathed Carl, thunderstruck. - -"The _Pom_!" exclaimed Glennie. - -"Here's a piece of luck!" ground out Gaines. "Who'd have thought we'd -moor ship alongside the same island picked out by the Japs! There seems -to be a fatality about our dealings with these Sons of the Rising Sun. -Even after we dodge them we have the knack of dropping right into their -hands again." - -"Mebby," suggested Speake, "they saw us and followed us to the island." - -"Hardly that, mate," spoke up Dick. "They've beached that torpedo, and -all four of the Japs are ashore, tinkering with it." - -Matt was puzzled to know what to do. If the Japs had not heard the -rifle shot, it would be possible for the _Grampus_ to haul in her -anchor and slip away, unnoticed, providing the tank valves were -repaired and she could leave the bay under water. But this manoeuvre -would leave a threatening danger behind, and Matt and his friend would -never feel safe from an unexpected attack. - -In that critical moment, Motor Matt would have given a deal if he could -have known all about the _Pom_ and her capabilities. For a few moments -he stood on the deck, turning the situation over and over in his mind, -his eyes on the point around which lay the hostile submarine. - -"How far is the _Pom_ anchored off the shore, Dick?" he asked. - -"Not more than half a cable's length." - -"Do you think the Japs saw you?" - -"I'm sure they didn't--they were too busy with that torpedo. But they -may have heard me yell, or the report of that gun may have reached -them. They have good ears, those fellows." - -"Get into your clothes, Dick," said Matt, having at last made up his -mind as to what he should do. "After that, take the rifle and sit here -on the deck. Watch that point of land. If the Japs fix that torpedo so -they are able to use it, they will have to come around the point in -order to launch it at us. Finish getting the breakfast, Speake. Gaines -will pass it around as soon as you have it ready. Clackett and I will -go below and see what we can do with those valves. Don't bother us with -any breakfast until we have them once more in working order." - -"What are Carl and I to do, Matt?" inquired Glennie. - -"Stay up here with Dick, and keep your eyes peeled." - -Matt, Clackett, and Speake went below. Matt and Clackett were an hour -at the valves before they were finally made dependable. All the while -they were at work a deep silence reigned throughout the boat. Every one -realized the necessity of keeping quiet so as not to arouse the Japs. - -Matt, after swallowing a cup of coffee, came out on deck and began -taking off his clothes. - -"What's the game, matey?" asked Dick. "You're not going into the water -and give the sharks a chance at you, are you?" - -"I'm going ashore," said Matt. - -"I wouldn't do that, Matt," counseled Glennie. "Why is it necessary? -If the valves are in shape, we can pull out of here and make our way -north under water. The Japs will never be the wiser." - -"I'm tired of bothering with these Sons of the Rising Sun," Matt -answered. "We never know what they're going to do, or when they're -going to do it. I thought we had dropped them for good, down below -English Reach, but they were clever enough to get away from Sandoval -and play that trick in Lota. If possible, let's put them out of the -running, now, for keeps." - -"How will you do it?" questioned Gaines. - -"I'm not just sure of that, and won't be until I do a little -reconnoitring ashore. I've a scheme in mind, but I want to be positive -it will work before we try it. Go down to the engine room, Gaines, and, -Clackett, you take your usual place in the tank room. Heave up the -anchor, Speake. Glennie, you get into the conning tower. If the current -sets inshore and causes the _Grampus_ to drift that way when the anchor -is up, have the motor run just enough to hold the boat where she is. -Dick, you hang on to the rifle. When you go down, Gaines, pass up the -strongest cable we have, so that Carl can bend it on to the mooring -ring at the stern. Understand?" - -"I guess we all understand what we're to do," replied Glennie, "but -I'll be hanged if I know why we're to do it." - -"You'll know--perhaps sooner than you imagine." - -Matt, stripped to his trousers, stepped to the landward side of the -boat. - -"Sharks always go in pairs, mate," cautioned Dick. - -"If you see one take after me, Dick," returned Matt, "treat it the same -as I did the one that took after you." - -With hardly a splash Matt dropped into the water and swam toward the -beach. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A WARY FOE. - - -Matt reached the beach without mishap. Beyond the white stretch of sand -grew a chaparral of bushes and low trees, covering the slope which -ended at a ridge forming the backbone of the point to the southward. - -The young motorist took his way in this direction, halting at the edge -of the brush for a moment to turn and give a reassuring wave to his -comrades on the _Grampus_. - -Carl was just securing the end of a rope to the iron ring at the stern -of the boat, Glennie was half inside the conning tower, and Dick had -the rifle across his knees. All three answered Matt's parting salute, -and he faced about and hurried into the chaparral. - -Matt's course carried him up the side of the ridge. Once at the crest -he would be able to look down on the Japs and take note of their -operations. He would thus be able to determine whether the bold scheme -which he had at the back of his brain would be feasible or not. - -The crest of the ridge was not more than fifty feet above sea level, -and the king of the motor boys was not long in reaching it. There, -screened by a thicket of bushes, he was able to look down on the other -cove, and make a leisurely examination of the _Pom_ and the Japs. - -The _Pom_, as Dick had said, was lying within a short distance of the -shore. She was an odd-looking craft, being of a much smaller diameter -than the _Grampus_, and having a flat deck built over the rounded -plates of her hull. The conning tower was only about half the height -and diameter of that of the _Grampus_, and seemed to have a solid top -without any hatch opening. The hatch was forward, on the flat deck, and -the cover was pushed back. - -From the submarine, Matt's eyes wandered to the shelving beach. - -The torpedo was there, rolled up beyond the reach of the lapping waves, -and two of the Japs were busy about the conical end of the tube. Matt -chuckled as he thought of how he had tampered with the firing pin. -Before they could make the pin serviceable, the Japs would have to rig -another of the little propellers; and, while their ingenuity was no -doubt equal to the job, yet it would take time to finish it. - -The two men who were at work were clad only in their trousers, and had -clearly reached the shore as Matt had done, by swimming. They went -about their work steadily and with an application which indicated that -they had little attention for anything else. - -From their manner, it seemed a fair inference that the rifle shot, or -Dick's yell, from the other side of the point, had failed to reach them. - -But where were the other two Japs? Had they returned to the _Pom_? - -It might be that the two on the beach were in need of more tools and -had sent the others out to the boat after them. - -Matt, thinking of his plans, measured the distance from the end of the -point to the _Pom_. - -"The _Grampus_ can do it!" he muttered, with an undernote of exultation -throbbing in his voice. "A quick dash, and then a hustle seaward--and -the trick is done. But those other two Japs--I wish they would leave -the boat and come ashore. They form the danger point in the carrying -out of the scheme." - -There was something else Matt noticed as he peered out from behind his -thicket, and that was that two rifles lay on the sand within easy reach -of the Jap mechanics. - -"Those guns are another danger point," he said to himself. "The _Pom_, -however, will be between the _Grampus_ and the beach, and will act as a -sort of barricade. Anyhow, nothing venture, nothing win." - -For five minutes longer Matt waited, watching for the other two Japs to -reappear through the _Pom's_ hatch. But they did not come, and he felt -that he could wait no longer. - -Arising from his crouching position, he turned to retrace his course -down the hill. He had not taken a dozen steps, however, when, dodging -around a clump of bushes, he came face to face with the two missing -Japs! - -From the actions of the two men, it was plain that they were as much -surprised as was Motor Matt. - -The cause of this unexpected meeting flashed through Matt's brain like -lightning. - -The rifle shot had been heard, and these two Japs had been told to -cross the ridge and investigate. Matt had gained the shore before the -Japs had cleared the bushes and were able to see him. As they descended -the slope, he was going up, and fortune had decreed that they give each -other a wide berth. But fortune had taken another tack, for she was -now bringing Matt and the Japs altogether too close to each other for -comfort. - -These Japs, like the two at work on the torpedo, were stripped of all -unnecessary clothing; and, fortunately for the young motorist, they -carried no weapons. - -For an instant Matt and the two yellow men stared at each other; then -the Japs gave vent to a yell, and prepared to keep Matt from continuing -on down the hill. - -Matt, remembering the two rifles he had seen on the beach, had no -intention of waiting for the other two Japs to reach the scene. He -saw the men before him preparing to lay him by the heels in the most -approved ju-jutsu style, but that did not keep him back. - -He leaped forward, apparently aiming to pass directly between the two -men. They jumped to get in his way, whereupon he dodged to the right. - -But, if he was quick, so were the Japs. No sooner had he changed his -course than they also had faced the new direction. - -As Matt went flying down the hill, one of them made a dive for him. The -king of the motor boys struck out with his right fist--and he had a -"right" about which Carl Pretzel was wont to sing praises. - -The fist accomplished its work, so far as that one Jap was concerned. -A sharp breath was jolted from the yellow man and the hands he had put -out dropped limply, the while his whole body slumped backward. - -But something happened to Matt, just what he had not the least idea. -All he knew was that he was lifted high and sent crashing headfirst -into a thicket of bushes. - -The second Jap had put into practice one of the wrestling tricks he had -learned in Nippon. - -Matt, however, was not sorry he had been thrown in that unceremonious -fashion, for, just as he dropped into the bushes, the sodden _whang_ -of a rifle spoke from the crest of the ridge and a bullet flew whining -over the very spot where he had been running. - -The other two Japs had lost little time in coming to the aid of their -comrades. - -Matt was up almost as soon as he was down. His superb physical training -rendered him proof against any such fall as that he had just received. - -Both Japs were reaching for him as he ducked clear of the bushes, but -he slipped out from under their gripping fingers and flashed down -the slope like a streak, screening his flight with every particle of -tangled undergrowth that got in his way. - -The rifles behind him continued to cough and splutter. The unarmed -Japs, however, were between Matt and the marksmen, and the care the -latter had to use sent their bullets wide. - -The Japs were no match for Matt when it came to sprinting. Matt had -learned the game from a half-breed friend, the best "miler" in Arizona, -and he now showed the Japs how an American boy can run when he has his -heart in it. - -Before the yellow men had cleared the fringe of bushes at the edge of -the beach, Motor Matt was in the water; and when the Japs emerged, Dick -plowed up the ground at their feet with bullets from the Marlin, and -drove them back. - -Matt could not have swum faster if there had been a whole school of -sharks after him, but before he got to the _Grampus_ lead from the -shore was pounding a merry tattoo against the submarine's steel plates. -Dick, exposing himself recklessly, was answering with the Marlin. -Neither side was damaging the other, but the firing spurred Matt to -superhuman exertions. - -When the young motorist reached the boat, Carl ducked out from behind -the conning tower and gave him a hand up the slope of the deck. - -"Now's the time," panted Matt, falling at full length across the curved -plates. "Start her--full speed." - -"Where are we to go?" demanded Glennie. - -"Around the point and take the _Pom_ in tow," Matt answered. "All -four of the Japs are ashore, in this cove. Before they can cross the -ridge and interfere with us, we ought to be able to pick up the other -submarine and make off with her. Look alive, now! We can't turn the -trick if you don't hustle." - -The daring nature of Matt's scheme dawned on the lads with something -like a shock. And it appealed to them, too! It was just such a scheme -as they might have expected Motor Matt to set going. - -"Hoop-a-la!" jubilated Carl, as Glennie punched the motor-room jingler. -"Vat do you t'ink oof dot? Modor Matt goes ashore mit himseluf und -coaxes der Chaps to shace him mit rifles, schust to ged dem oudt oof -der vay so ve can shteal pack der _Pom_. Vat a feller he iss!" - -"You're giving me altogether too much credit, Carl," expostulated Matt. -"I ran onto those Japs by accident, and would have gone a good ways to -keep clear of them." - -"Vell, vat's der odds aboudt der tifference? Der modor poys iss on dop -und----" - -A bullet from the shore slapped against the side of the conning tower -and whistled off into space, passing so close to Carl's head in its -flight that he stopped his glorying and fell flat on the deck. - -"They'll not stay long on the beach there when they see where we're -going," remarked Matt grimly. - -"They've stopped their firing now, old ship," cried Dick, "and are -rushing back into the bushes as fast as they can scramble." - -"It has probably dawned upon them that we're planning to run off with -the _Pom_," said Matt. "Quick work, now, and we'll win the day, and cut -these Sons of the Rising Sun out of our future calculations." - -The propeller was churning the waters like mad, and Glennie was laying -a safe course to round the point and bring the _Grampus_ close to the -_Pom_. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PLUCK THAT WINS. - - -By the time that the _Grampus_ got around the point and was plunging -onward, with "a bone in her teeth," straight for the _Pom_, Matt had -recovered his breath and was ready to play his part in the rest of the -work. - -"Make a circle around the stern of the _Pom_, Glennie," said Matt, -peering shoreward to see if there were any signs of the Japs coming -down the south side of the ridge. "That will give Dick a chance to jump -to the deck of the other craft." - -"I'll do it, Matt," replied Glennie. - -"Give me the rifle, Dick," went on Matt, "and you lay hold of the end -of the rope Carl has secured to the ring. As soon as you get on the -other boat, make the rope fast." - -"Ay, ay, matey!" cried Dick, elation ringing in his voice and his eyes -glimmering with excitement. "We'll make a go of this, now that you have -planned the scheme and done the heft of the work in getting it started." - -"There may still be a whole lot of trouble and hard work between us -and success. Let's not be too confident. Ah," and Matt pointed toward -the side of the ridge, "there come the Japs. They're running even -faster than they did when they were after me. We're going to have a -tight squeak of it, Glennie, to double the stern of the _Pom_, get Dick -aboard and pull away with our tow before the Japs get into the water." - -"It's their guns I'm thinking of," said Glennie. "If they happen to -pick me out of the conning tower, or to knock Dick off the deck of the -_Pom_, the fat would all be in the fire." - -"They'll not do either of those things, matey," averred Dick -confidently. "It's our innings, now, and we're bound to score." - -The _Grampus_ raced on, and down the slope rushed the Japs in a frantic -endeavor to reach the water and gain the _Pom_ before the venturesome -motor boys could carry out their plans. - -No shots were fired by the Japs. This seemed strange, since a -well-placed bullet would have meant so much to them. - -"What's the reason they're not tuning up, matey?" asked Dick. - -"Dey hafen't got der time for dot," chuckled Carl. "Dey're in too mooch -oof of a hurry, py shinks." - -"They could put a couple of bullets where they would play hob with us," -went on Dick, "and they must know it." - -"They do know it," said Matt. "There are four of the Japs, and only two -guns. I rather surmise that they have used up all the ammunition in the -magazines of the rifles, and that their reserve supply is on the _Pom_." - -Just at that moment Glennie swerved the _Grampus_ to pass between the -stern of the _Pom_ and the shore. - -"Ready, Dick!" warned Matt. - -"Right-o," answered Dick, seizing one end of the cable and balancing -himself on the port side of the _Grampus_. "Swing her as close as you -can, Glennie," he added to the ensign. - -Supporting himself by clinging to a wire guy with one hand, Dick -waited. Glennie signaled the engine room for slower speed, and the -_Grampus_ rounded neatly and pushed her nose past the tower of the -other boat. - -"There you are, Dick!" cried Matt. - -The next instant Dick had leaped across the intervening stretch of -water and had landed on the flat deck of the _Pom_. - -Before his feet had struck the deck, however, Matt saw a Jap's head and -shoulders push upward through the _Pom's_ hatch. If there had been time -to feel anything so useless as surprise, Matt would certainly have been -taken all aback. - -Captain Pons had said that only five Japs had comprised the crew which -had palmed themselves off as Chilians. One of these five had been left -in Lota, a prisoner. According to Matt's reckoning, that left only four -of the yellow men in charge of the _Pom_. Where, then, did this extra -Jap come in? - -Matt did not pause to let this drift through his mind. Making a short -run across the _Grampus_, he flung himself after Dick, reaching the -flat deck of the other submarine and only saving himself a fall over -the opposite side of the craft by dropping to his knees. - -Hardly had he landed when a pair of heavy feet clanged down behind him -and a form collided roughly with his back. Once more Matt came within -a hair's breadth of dropping off the port side of the _Pom_. - -"Py shinks," puffed a choppy voice, "you don'd vas going to leaf me -pehindt! Dere iss more Chaps on dis poat as we knowed aboudt, und----" - -Carl's sentence was never finished. The Jap Matt had seen in the open -hatch had gained the deck and had rushed at Carl like a whirlwind. -Another showed himself, following close upon the heels of the first. - -"Make the rope fast, Dick!" roared Matt. "Carl and I will look after -these fellows." - -Dick went down on his knees and began securing the rope. It was -necessary to make it fast before the slack was all taken up, otherwise -the tow line would have been jerked out of Dick's hands and the work -would have had to be done all over again. - -Matt caught the second Jap about the waist as he crawled through the -hatch. There was a brief struggle, and it ended by Matt heaving the -Jap over the side and into the water. The other Jap had performed a -like service for Carl, and the Dutch boy, blowing like a porpoise, was -floating around in the bay, trying to get hold of something and pull -himself back on the deck. - -The Jap started at once for Matt. Before he reached him, Dick, who had -made fast the line, rushed him from the rear and literally bore him off -the boat. He dropped into the water alongside his comrade. - -"Help Carl aboard, Dick!" called Matt. - -Dick bent over and gave Carl a hand. Just at that moment the boat -leaped forward under the sudden pull of the _Grampus_. - -But here, just as victory was all but ranged on the side of the motor -boys, the unexpected happened. - -Perhaps Glennie was to blame. It would have been better if he had -slowed the _Grampus_ down almost to a stop and then picked up the -strain on the tow line with a steady pull. - -It was useless, however, to find fault with anybody. The thing -happened, and that was all there was to it. - -The tow line snapped. One end of it jerked back and caught Matt a -tremendous blow on the temple, and he dropped as though from the impact -of a heavy fist. - -A howl of consternation broke from Carl. - -"Id's all oop mit us!" he shouted. "Der rope iss pusted in der mittle, -Matt is down, und der Chaps iss all aroundt us!" - -Carl's quick eyes had sized up the situation correctly. The four Japs -who had crossed the ridge from the other cove had reached the water and -were swimming to the _Pom_. The two who had been forced overboard by -Matt and his chums were paddling about and making frantic efforts to -regain the deck. - -Dick had not much time to think of what they should do. With Matt down, -could he and Carl successfully beat off the six yellow men? - -Dick flung a despairing glance after the _Grampus_. Glennie, wild with -anxiety over the outcome of what seemed a certain _fiasco_, was ringing -all kinds of signals in the motor room, and, for once in his life, -seemed completely "rattled" and at a loss as to what move he should -make. - -At that moment an idea darted into Dick's brain. - -"Keep away, Glennie!" Dick yelled, waving his hands. "Sheer off to a -good distance, and wait! Carl," and he whirled on the Dutch boy with -fierce determination, "we'll take Matt below. We can close ourselves -inside the steel shell and the Japs won't be able to get at us." - -"Meppy dere's more Chaps in der poat!" demurred Carl. - -"No!" thundered Dick. "Do you suppose they'd stay below while this -scrimmage was going on over their heads? Down the hatch with you, and -take Matt as I lower him!" - -Carl saw that there was nothing else for it, and made haste to carry -out his orders. The floor was less than five feet under the deck, and -Carl was able to stand erect and take Matt in his arms as Dick let him -down. The Japs were gaining the deck from all sides as Dick followed, -and the hatch cover was banged shut and made fast just in the nick of -time. - -"Ach, du lieber!" muttered Carl, listening to the patter of bare feet -on the plates overhead. "Vat a fix iss dis. Der Chaps haf got us, und -dey ain'd got us; und ve haf got dem in der same vay. Ve can't ged -oudt, und dey can't ged in. Vat's der answer?" - -"A little light, first," said Dick coolly. "Don't let the Japs worry -you--there's a stout steel armor between us and them. It's as black as -a pocket in here, now that the hatch is closed. Have you got a match?" - -It took Carl several moments to dig a match out of his blouse. He had -one, just one, and it was a wonder he had even that. No one had any use -for matches aboard the _Grampus_. - -Carl drew the match along the steel floor. As the flickering gleam grew -stronger, he and Dick took in the dimensions of that part of their -prison. - -The floor apparently divided the interior of the steel hull in half, -the rounded plates of the hull meeting it on both sides. A bulkhead cut -off the view aft. - -"You rub Matt's forehead and hands and see if you can't fetch him to," -said Dick. "I'm going aft to see what's on the other side of that -bulkhead." - -"Der match iss gone!" muttered Carl, dropping the charred stick. - -"I've located the bulkhead door, so it doesn't much matter," answered -Dick. - -The opening of the door brought in a little daylight. The door led out -under the conning tower, and the light came through the tower lunettes. - -Dick, straightening up, shoved his head and shoulders into the tower. -On all sides Jap eyes were glaring in at him. - -"Ugh!" he muttered, and dropped down again. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -A LITTLE WORK ON THE INSIDE. - - -When Matt drifted back to consciousness, his head lay on Carl's knee. -Carl and Dick had dragged him out under the conning tower, where the -light was better. - -"Where are we?" were Matt's first words. - -"In the _Pom_, matey," was Dick's grim response. - -"Ve can't ged oudt, eider, Matt," croaked Carl gloomily, "und der Chaps -can't ged in. Vich vould you radder be, der Chaps or us?" - -Matt sat up, rubbing his head. - -"I remember now," he murmured. "The tow line broke, and the _Pom_ end -of it sprang back and hit me on the forehead. You brought me below?" - -"I couldn't think of anything else to do, matey," said Dick. "We were -surrounded by six Japs, and I thought it better to take our chances -inside. We got below and closed the hatch just in time. Listen! You can -hear the Japs walking around on deck. If you get up in the tower you -can see them looking in at the lunettes! But it's not pleasant. The -straightened eyes of those swabs are pretty savage. I wouldn't give -tuppence for our chances if they could get at us. And they may find out -a way to come in here. If you can think of anything to do that will -help us out of this hole, Matt, please be in a hurry about it." - -"Yah," put in Carl, "don'd vaste any time." - -"Where's the _Grampus_?" asked Matt. - -His head bothered him, but there was no time to think of physical -troubles of that sort. - -"I told Glennie to keep her away. There wasn't anything he could do by -running close, anyhow. The Japs would have boarded the _Grampus_, if he -had come too close, and there would be only four on our boat to stand -off the six Japs." - -"Oh, well," remarked Matt, looking around, "this might be worse." - -"How?" moaned Carl. "I don'd see dot." - -Matt's interest in the _Pom_, now that he was able to give the boat a -personal examination, bade fair to eclipse his concern for the dangers -by which he was surrounded. Here was a brand-new piece of mechanism, a -boat crammed with French machinery that would well repay a close study. - -A rigid box under the conning tower, enabled a man to lift the upper -half of his body into the cupola and get his eyes opposite the -lunettes. As the man stood there, his right hand fell naturally on a -steering wheel and his left on push buttons which must communicate with -the engine room. - -"This is a whole lot different from the interior of the _Grampus_," -muttered Matt. - -"Id is so shmall as a rat drap," shuddered Carl. "I feel like I vas -shut oop in a cage." - -Matt, pushing backward from the turret, fell off a ledge into a sort -of well. As he sat up and groped about with his hands, he touched a -switch. Pulling the switch, an incandescent lamp flared out overhead. - -"That's better," said he. "Now we can look around without so much -trouble." - -Here, aft from the conning tower, machinery was packed away closely. - -Up against the roof, on the port side, was a little engine, operated -by compressed air, by which the submarine was steered. Matt discovered -that by observing the wires that ran to the engine from the steering -wheel. - -On the starboard side, likewise against the roof, was another engine, -with disks at each end as large as dinner plates. - -"H'm," mused Matt, trying to rub the ache out of his head so his brain -would be clearer, "those disks are diaphragms, and must be connected, -in some way, with the water pressure. I have it!" and a triumphant -look crossed his face, "this is the diving engine, and that wheel"--he -touched the wheel as he spoke--"controls it." - -At one side was a cubic steel box. - -"Air compressor," said Matt, touching the box. - -On the floor, just where Matt had dropped into the well, were two -levers. Matt lifted one of them. Instantly there came a gurgle and -splash of water, directly under Carl and Dick. - -"Avast, matey!" cried Dick. "I wouldn't fool with those things until -you know more about them." - -Muffled cries came from the Japs outside. - -"They hear what's going on," laughed Matt, "and they don't like it. -We're filling the submerging tanks, Dick," he explained. - -"Then why don't we sink?" - -"It takes the engine to help us sink--the diving engine and the motor." - -Farther back beyond the well was the engine room. - -"Here's where I'm at home," said Matt, creeping into the engine room -and turning on another incandescent light. - -In one side were switchboards for the dynamotors, and near them were -spiral resistance coils curving along the roof. Over on the other side -was a trolley controller, which Matt knew must be used for speeding the -vessel under water. - -"Give the wheel of that diving engine a turn to the right, Dick," -called Matt. - -Dick obeyed the order. Matt turned the switch of the controller and -then instantly there was a low, electrical hum and the _Pom_ started -toward the bottom. - -"Get on the box under the conning tower, Dick," said Matt, "and do the -steering." - -"How'll I steer? There's no periscope." - -"Steer by compass--there's one right in front of you as you stand in -the tower." - -"But what'll I do for light? We're under water and no daylight comes in -at the lunettes." - -Matt touched a switch, and electric light flooded the tower. - -"I don't like this tinkering, I'm a Fiji if I do," muttered Dick, as he -crawled up into the tower. - -"We've got rid of the Japs by the tinkering, Dick," said Matt. "They're -swimming ashore by now." - -"What I'm afraid of is," went on Dick, "you'll get us on the bottom and -not be able to take us to the surface again." - -"Don't let that worry you. If we want to go to the surface, all we have -to do is to twist the diving rudders and empty the tanks." - -"What's the course, matey?" asked Dick. - -"West by north until we clear the point, then north." - -"How am I to know when we clear the point?" - -"Why, we'll go to the surface and take a look. Glennie will probably be -glad to have a sight of us before long." - -"I'll bet he's worrying his head off! The quicker we can go up, Matt, -the better." - -"All right. Carl!" - -"On der chump!" answered the Dutch boy. - -"Give the wheel of the diving engine a turn to the left--to the _left_, -mind." - -"Dere she goes." - -Instantly there was a perceptible movement upward. - -"Now," went on Matt, "lift that other lever on the floor near you--the -one I didn't lift, if you can remember." - -Carl lifted the lever, and, by chance, the right one. A hiss of -compressed air was heard, followed by a splash of water being forced -from the ballast tanks. The _Pom_ jumped for the surface like a streak. - -"Daylight at the lunettes!" shouted Dick, overjoyed to make sure that -Matt really knew what he was about. "All you've got to do to know all -about a piece of machinery, Matt," he added, "is just to look at it." - -"And use my head," laughed Matt. - -"Py shinks," boomed Carl, "you can do more mit a cracked head dan any -odder feller can do mit vone dot's all ridght. Yah, so helup me. You -know more aboudt machinery in a year as anypody else does in a minid." - -"See anything of the Japs, Dick?" inquired Matt, stopping the electric -motor. - -"Not a sign!" exulted Dick. "But there's the old _Grampus_, with Speake -on deck and Glennie half out of the tower. Their eyes are this way, and -you'd think, from their faces, they're looking at a ghost." - -"Dey can't oondershtand how ve got oudt oof dot schrape," said Carl. -"Ve hat some pooty pad brospects, for a vile, you bed you." - -"Holy smoke!" exclaimed Dick, almost falling off the box he was -standing on. - -"What's the matter?" - -"Why, there's our old friend, the cruiser _Salvadore_, with--with---- -'Pon my soul, Matt, I'm a Fiji if that Captain Pons isn't on the bridge -with Captain Sandoval!" - -This was amazing news. - -"The war ship must have just got here, then," said Matt. - -"But how did she know where we were?" - -"Probably she spoke the _Sovereign_," Matt answered. "That would have -given Sandoval a pretty good clue." - -"Oh, strike me lucky! The _Salvadore_ is turning broadside on, and some -of her crew are manning the small guns--the rapid-fire guns. They're -going to blow us out of water, Matt!" - -"Hardly that, Dick," said Matt easily. "Sandoval isn't going to destroy -this submarine. Pons wouldn't let him, even if he had such a notion. If -anything happened to the boat, Pons wouldn't be able to deliver her to -the Chilian government." - -"They're mighty warlike, anyway," went on Dick. "And there's Glennie, -on the _Grampus_, trying his best to attract the attention of Sandoval." - -"Sandoval and Pons think the _Pom_ is full of Japs," laughed Matt. -"We'd better go up and clear the fog out of their brains. It will be a -pleasure to meet Captain Sandoval again. He's a good friend of ours, -you know." - -"Meppy dot vas a lucky t'ing," vouchsafed Carl, "seeing as how Pons iss -madt pecause ve vouldn't go afder der _Pom_ mit der _Grampus_." - -"That's just what we did, though, although we didn't intend making any -such move. We shall now have the pleasure of turning the _Pom_ over to -Captain Pons." - -Making their way through the bulkhead door, Matt, Dick, and Carl gained -the hatch, threw it open, and crawled out on the submarine's deck. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -A STAR PERFORMANCE. - - -The _Pom_ was lying between the _Grampus_ and the _Salvadore_. When -Matt, Dick, and Carl showed themselves there were loud cheers from -Glennie and Speake. Pons, on the bridge of the war ship, could be seen -jumping up and down like a pea on a hot griddle, waving his hands and -yelling. The war ship was too far away for the boys to hear what Pons -said. - -"I'd about given you fellows up!" exclaimed Glennie. "When that -confounded tow line parted, my hopes parted with it. We saw you sink -and throw the Japs into the water, and we were sure you'd gone down to -stay." - -"The Japs got ashore, did they?" asked Matt. - -"Every last one of them." - -"Well, Glennie, come along here and take us off. I want to go to the -war ship and make a report to Captain Sandoval." - -Glennie brought the _Grampus_ close to the French boat, and the three -boys transferred themselves to their own craft. - -"I vouldn't trade vone oof der _Grampuses_ for a tozen of der _Poms_," -asserted Carl, as they were borne away in the direction of the -_Salvadore_. - -"I don't know how seven Japs ever stowed themselves away inside the -_Pom_," muttered Dick. "They must have been packed in there like -sardines." - -"They managed to do a pretty fair amount of work, too," said Matt. "Not -the least of it was lassoing me and pulling me into the water." - -As the _Grampus_ approached the war ship, Captain Sandoval leaned from -the bridge with his megaphone. - -"Motor Matt, king of the motor boys!" he shouted. "Ah, ha, _amigo_, you -are as full of surprises as the egg is of meat." - -Captain Pons failed to join Captain Sandoval in his amiable sentiment. -Pons shook his fist. - -"R-r-rascal!" he shouted. "He is mos' contemptible!" - -"Throw over your sea ladder, captain," called Matt; "I want to come -aboard and talk with you." - -"_Gracias!_" cried Sandoval. "I am delighted, _amigo_." - -A few minutes later Matt was in the captain's cabin. He had been there -once before, but not under circumstances that were very pleasant. On -the previous occasion, Captain Sandoval had been hostile and full of -unjust suspicions. Now he was more than friendly, and it was Captain -Pons who was hostile. - -"You heard how those rascally Japs gave me the slip, _amigo_?" asked -Sandoval. "Ah, ah, what a wretched piece of business! It was in a fog, -and one could not see his hand in front of his face. Thus they escaped. -_Ay de mi_, it was a blow! I came north looking for the rascals, and -I reached Lota last night and found Pons. He told me of the troubles -he has been having with the Japs, and since it was my duty to aid him -in recovering the _Pom_, why, I took him aboard and we started north. -The British vessel Sovereign gave us a tip, and we followed it to this -bay. First, we saw the _Grampus_; then, all so suddenly, up out of the -ocean came the _Pom_! I trained my guns on her to fire in case the Japs -proved unreasonable. Presently, behold, the hatch of the _Pom_ opens -and you appear. Wonderful! I can hardly believe my eyes because of the -so great surprise!" - -"Ah, my captain," broke in Pons, "zis Matt is ze r-ruf-fian, ze -villain. He say he no haf ze time to bozzer wiz my little boat, zat he -not go hunt for her; now, by gar, we see heem on her deck. He play ze -trick wiz me. He do w'at he say he not do. He try steal ze boat, _oui_, -zat is w'at he do. I demand of heem ze satisfaction!" - -The captain's eyes became very fierce and he threw back his shoulders -and slapped his chest. - -"Ah, my captain," said Sandoval, "don't make a mistake. I know Motor -Matt, and he is a gentleman. I have given him my hand, my captain, and -Captain Sandoval never gives his hand to a scoundrel." - -Captain Pons arose with much dignity and bowed to Captain Sandoval. - -"_Merci, monsieur!_" he murmured. "Nevair vill I say ze derogatory word -to youar honor, but ze actions of zis Motor Matt, w'at you call, is -mos' contemptible. Let heem spik, let heem explain if he can." - -"_Amigo_," said Captain Sandoval, "you will explain, for my sake, to my -honorable friend, Captain Pons?" - -"That's what I came here to do," answered Matt. "I and my friends have -saved the _Pom_ for Captain Pons, and this is the reward he gives us." - -Captain Pons got up and bowed again to Captain Sandoval. Not to be -outdone in courtesy, Captain Sandoval arose and bowed to Captain Pons. - -"If I do heem ze wrong," said Captain Pons gravely, "zen I make -ze _amende_. Until he explains, I have ze right to call him mos' -contemptible." - -"You have the right," agreed Captain Sandoval. - -Then they bowed again and sat down. - -All this was highly edifying to Matt, but it did not get him very far -along with his explanation. - -When he got started, however, he held the floor in spite of disturbing -symptoms on the part of Pons to get up and bow. He carried the -explanation through to its conclusion, and not failing to put due -stress on the dangers he and his friends had undergone in their attempt -to get the better of the Sons of the Rising Sun. - -The two captains were deeply impressed. For some moments after Matt had -finished they sat speechless in their chairs; then, as one man they -arose. Together they bowed to Matt. - -"_Ay de mi_," breathed Captain Sandoval, "did you ever hear of anything -so wonderful?" - -"Mos' r-r-remarkable!" exclaimed Captain Pons. - -Then they bent to each other. After that Captain Sandoval sat down, but -Captain Pons stepped over to Matt and embraced him; then, before Matt -could defend himself, Captain Pons kissed him on the cheek. - -"_Mon ami!_" said he; "my friend, I mak' ze apologee. I ask zat you -forgeeve ze talk about you as ze mos' contemptible. It is I, me, zat is -mos' contemptible----" - -"No, no, my captain," protested Captain Sandoval, putting up his hand, -"you shall not so greatly injure yourself." - -"I r-r-repeat," thundered Captain Pons, thumping his chest fiercely, "I -made ze mistake, and I, myself, am mos' contemptible." - -Captain Sandoval sighed and looked depressed. - -"Zis brav' young man," proceeded Captain Pons, "save ze _Pom_ for me. I -sank heem, as one gentleman sank anozzer. Zere, ze debt is cancel. All -zat remain is for me to hol' him in mos' tender memory." - -"The six Japanese are on the island, Captain Sandoval," said Matt, who -was beginning to get a little bit tired of Pons and his mushy nonsense. -"Will you send a party ashore to capture them?" - -"At once," was the answer. - -"And, by the way, Captain Pons," went on Matt, "didn't you say there -were only five Japs in the crew that stole the _Pom_." - -"Fife, _oui_. I count zem and I know." - -"Well, that one we captured under the wharf, at Lota, comes out of the -five, and would leave four." - -"_Oui_, wan from fife is four." - -"Then, captain, how do you account for the fact that there were six on -the _Pom_ when she reached this bay?" - -"Do you say I spik untruths?" flared the captain, displaying a tendency -to renew his quarrel with Matt. - -"Not at all, not for the world," answered Matt, with an inward laugh, -"but I am puzzled. One from five, in this case, seems to have left six." - -"I know nozzing, sare," said Captain Pons. "If zere was seex w'en zere -should only haf been fife, zat is zeir business." - -"Then we'll let it stand that way," said Matt. - -"I am mos' agreeable," returned Captain Pons. "Presently, my captain," -he went on, to Sandoval, "I go aboard ze _Pom_ wiz ze crew you gif me, -an' we take ze boat to Valparaiso. Is it not so?" - -"Yes, my captain," replied Sandoval. "I will lend you the crew and will -convoy you to Valparaiso." - -"You are mos' kind." - -This was enough for Matt. He excused himself, shook hands with -Sandoval, and hurried away. - -As soon as he was safely in the periscope room of the _Grampus_, he -threw himself down on the locker and laughed until he was sore. - -"Get me the rest of my clothes, somebody," said he, "and then start the -_Grampus_ northward again." - -"Where's our next port of call, old ship?" queried Dick, while Matt was -getting into the garments he had taken off just before swimming ashore -in the cove. - -"Callao," answered Matt. "Then Panama, Acapulco, San Diego--and -Frisco." - -"Dot lisdens like home!" rumbled Carl. - -"In two weeks," cried Glennie, "we'll be at Mare Island, and the cruise -will be finished. It's all plain sailing from this on. The Sons of the -Rising Sun will have all they can do to take care of themselves, let -alone try to make any more trouble for us." - -"We're done with them, and there are no ifs or ands about it this -time," said Matt. "I'll admit, when I learned they had made off with -that French submarine, that I thought they were equipped to accomplish -something against us; but we cleared that difficulty in one-two order -when we got started." - -"It might have been a lot worse, mates," observed Dick, "and there were -several times when I thought we were done, done as brown as a kippered -herring; but we pulled through--mainly because Matt had his shoulder to -the wheel and gave us the right sort of a boost over the hard places." - -"As much credit should fall to the rest of you as to me," spoke up -Matt. "Take the wheel, Glennie. Full speed ahead, Gaines," he added, -through the motor-room tube. - -The cylinders never hummed a cheerier tune than they did when they -started the _Grampus_ once more on her journey northward, and no boat, -surface or submarine, ever carried a happier crew. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -CONCLUSION. - - -As day followed day and week followed week, bringing no sign of any -further trouble with the Sons of the Rising Sun, Motor Matt and his -friends realized that, beyond all doubt, they had worsted their wily -foes, and perhaps had taught them a lesson which they could ponder -wisely. - -At Panama, which was almost the same as United States soil, the boys -took shore leave, turn and turn about. From this place Matt sent a -cablegram to Captain Nemo, Jr., at Belize. - - "On the last leg of our journey. All well and _Grampus_ as fit as a - fiddle. Telegraph me at Acapulco." - -"Too bad that old canal wasn't finished," observed Dick, as the -_Grampus_ left Panama, "at the time we left Belize. We could have come -through it, if it had been, and saved a month's time and all that -mix-up with the Japs." - -"That wasn't the point, Dick," spoke up Glennie. "This trip has been in -the nature of a try-out for the _Grampus_. The government wanted to see -what she could do--and I guess the government will know when my log is -read at headquarters." - -"You're giving us a good report, Glennie?" laughed Dick. - -"As good as I can make it." - -"Then that means a sale of the boat, without a doubt." - -"I understood that my report was to be final. I've had the cruise of -my life with you motor boys, and I almost hate to reach San Francisco, -because we'll have to separate there." - -"You're an A One comrade, Glennie," said Matt heartily, "and you need -never look for a pal while this outfit of motor boys is around." - -"My sentiments to a t, y, ty," averred Dick. - -"Und mine, too, py shinks!" cried Carl. - -Glennie was deeply touched. At the beginning of the cruise there had -been some hard feelings between him and Dick and Carl, but as they had -come to know each other better the unpleasantness had worn away. - -All four of the lads were now loyal friends, having undergone perils -and dangers shoulder to shoulder, and so each had tried the other's and -had not found them wanting. - -At Acapulco Matt was confidently expecting to receive a message from -Captain Nemo, Jr. In this, however, he was disappointed. There was no -message for him. Matt could not understand the reason and was prone to -think dire things. - -"Captain Nemo, Jr., would surely have answered that message I sent him -from Panama," said Matt, "providing he had received it." - -"Sure he would," agreed Glennie; "and the fact that you did not get an -answer is proof that the captain did not receive your message." - -"Aber vy ditn't he receif id?" asked Carl. - -"That's the point that alarms me, friends," went on Matt gloomily. "You -know we left the captain sick at Belize; too ill, in fact, to come with -us on the _Grampus_. We haven't heard a word from him since the cruise -began, and it may be that his sickness terminated fatally." - -This thought cast a depression over the motor boys. Captain Nemo, Jr., -was a good friend of theirs, and all of them liked him. The _Grampus_ -was the triumph of the captain's career, and if he was to be stricken -down just as the boat, in charge of the motor boys, was to pass -successfully through the Golden Gate, the elation Matt and his friends -would otherwise feel must give way to dejection and sorrow. - -The victory of this successful cruise was entirely theirs, but the loss -of Captain Nemo, Jr., would rob the victory of all pleasure for them. - -But the gloom that accompanied the submarine from Acapulco northward -was lost in rejoicing at San Diego; for no sooner had the _Grampus_ -anchored in the bay off the latter place than no less a person than -Captain Nemo, Jr., himself, rowed out and came aboard. - -The captain was well and hearty, and his delight in welcoming the boys -was boundless. - -He looked over the boat and complimented all hands on her efficiency -after such a long cruise--the longest and hardest any submarine had -ever made; and in the periscope room, until long into the night, the -captain sat wide-eyed and absorbed, listening to the adventures of -those whom he had commissioned to take the _Grampus_ from Belize to -Mare Island. - -When all had had their say, and the recital was done, there followed a -period of silence. The captain was the first to speak. - -"A hundred thousand dollars, my lads, is a great deal of money; but -if I had been able to look ahead and learn what dangers were to beset -you on your long journey, I would not have allowed you to start -for a million. I had some inkling of this Japanese business, for I -was offered two hundred thousand for the _Grampus_ by the Japanese -government. I chose to deal with the navy department of my own country, -even at a direct pecuniary loss to myself. My refusal to sell to the -Japs brought a threatening letter from the Sons of the Rising Sun, but -I treated it with contempt. I should have taken you into my confidence -regarding this Japanese matter before you left Belize, but I thought it -of no moment and hesitated to alarm you by even mentioning it." - -"It's all but over now, captain," laughed Matt lightly, "and I think -we are all of us better for the experience. I know I wouldn't sell the -benefit that has accrued to me from this cruise for a lot of money." - -"Nor I," said Dick. - -"Me, neider," chirped Carl. - -"Let me go on record, too," put in Glennie. - -"I'm glad you all feel in that way about it," said the captain. - -"By the way," asked Matt, "why didn't you answer the cablegram I sent -you from Panama, captain?" - -"Principally because I never received it," was the smiling response. -"Where did you address the message, Matt?" - -"To you, at Belize." - -"Why, I left Belize a week after you did! It was my intention all along -to leave Central America, work up into the States, and then meet you -here and take the last lap of the cruise with you." - -"It was a mighty big relief to see you come aboard at this port," said -Matt. "I hadn't the least idea what was the matter." - -"You had a guess that I had taken the One-way Trail, hadn't you, Matt?" -jested the captain. - -"I didn't know but that might have happened." - -"In that event," said the captain, "I had already made a will whereby -you boys were to receive the whole amount to be paid by the government. -So, you see, my being alive has cost you a pretty pile." - -"The money doesn't count, captain," declared Matt stoutly. - -"No? Well, money usually counts in this world, Matt--in fact, it cuts a -pretty wide swath in every direction." - -"It is secondary, captain, to the idea of 'making good.' When we left -Belize I vowed that we'd make good and prove that your confidence in -us wasn't misplaced. We've all had that in mind before anything and -everything else." - -"It's a good trait in you," replied the captain, "and in any young man, -to love a piece of work for itself, and, money apart, centre every hope -on making a success of it. That's the spirit that brings its reward, -not only in money, but in self-approval, which is something money can't -buy. Every one who went around South America on the _Grampus_ will -find, I think, that I know how to be grateful; this, while of secondary -importance to the consciousness of duty well performed, will be a -substantial acknowledgment of the debt I hold myself under to all of -you. - -"In San Francisco the _Grampus_ will be sold. The motor boys will -go one way, Captain Nemo, Jr., another way, and Speake, Gaines, and -Clackett still another. But I hope that this will not be the last of -our associations, but that we shall sometime come together again and -renew our friendships, which have been so firmly woven together by this -cruise of the _Grampus_, and the persistent and successful effort of -the king of the motor boys to _make good_." - -With the hearty echoes this sentiment received still lingering in -our ears, the hour seems propitious for taking leave of Matt and the -motor boys, while they are at the threshold of another of their many -victories. - - -THE END. - - - - -THE NEXT NUMBER (21) WILL CONTAIN - -Motor Matt's Launch; - -OR, - -A FRIEND IN NEED. - - New Friends and New Fortunes--The Raffle--Ping-pong Objects--Another - Rescue--An Odd Tangle--The Rich Man's Son--A Plan that Failed--A - Chase Across the Bay--The Lion's Mouth--The Mouth Closes--Surprising - Events--McGlory's Run of Luck--Waiting and Worrying--Ping Stars - Himself--A New Twist, by George--Another Twist, by Matt and McGlory. - - - - -MOTOR STORIES - -THRILLING ADVENTURE MOTOR FICTION - -NEW YORK, July 10, 1909. - - -TERMS TO MOTOR STORIES MAIL SUBSCRIBERS. - -(_Postage Free._) - -Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each. - - 3 months 65c. - 4 months 85c. - 6 months $1.25 - One year 2.50 - 2 copies one year 4.00 - 1 copy two years 4.00 - -=How to Send Money=--By post-office or express money-order, registered -letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent by -currency, coin, or postage-stamps in ordinary letter. - -=Receipts=--Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change -of number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly -credited, and should let us know at once. - - ORMOND G. SMITH, } - GEORGE C. SMITH, } _Proprietors_. - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers, - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City. - - - - -THE SPIDER WATER. - - -II. - -On the 30th there was trouble beyond Wild Hat, and all our extra men, -put out there under Healey, were fighting to Hold the Rat Valley levels -where they hug the river on the west slope. It wasn't really Healey's -track. Bucks sent him over there just as the emperor sent Ney, wherever -he needed his right arm. Sunday, while Healey was at Wild Hat, rain -began falling. Sunday it rained; Monday all through the mountains it -rained; Tuesday it was raining from Omaha to Eagle Pass, with the -thermometer climbing for breath and the barometer flat as an adder--and -the Spider woke. Woke with the April water and the June water and the -storm water all at once. - -Trackwalkers Tuesday night flagged Number One, and reported the Spider -wild, with heavy sheet ice running. A wire from Bucks brought Healey -out of the west and into the east, and brought him to reckon for the -last time with his ancient enemy. - -He was against it Wednesday with dynamite. All the day, all the night, -all the next day the sullen roar of the giant powder shook the forming -jam above the bridge, and after two days Healey wired, "Ice out," and -set back without a minute's sleep for home. Saturday night he slept and -Sunday all day and Sunday night. Monday about noon Bucks sent up to -ask, but Healey still slept. They asked back by the lad whether they -should wake him. Bucks sent word, "No." - -It was late Tuesday morning when the tall roadmaster came down, and he -was fresh as sunshine. All day he sat with Bucks and the dispatchers -watching the line. The Spider raced mad, and the watchers sent in panic -messages, but Healey put them in his pipe. "That bridge will go when -the mountains go," was all he said. - -Nine o'clock that night every star was blinking when Healey looked -in for the trackwalkers' reports and the railroad weather bulletins. -Bucks, Callahan, and Peeto sat about Martin Duffy, the dispatcher, who -in his shirt sleeves threw the stuff off the sounder as it trickled in -dot and dash, dot and dash over the wires. - -The west wire was good; east everything below Peace River was down. We -had to get the eastern reports around by Omaha and the south--a good -thousand miles of a loop--but bad news travels even around a Robin Hood -loop. - -And first came Wild Hat from the west with a stationary river and the -Loup Creek falling--clear--good night. And Ed Peeto struck the table -heavily and swore it was well in the west. Then from the east came -Prairie Portage, all the way round, with a northwest rain, a rising -river, and anchor ice running, pounding the piers bad--track in fair -shape, and--and---- - -The wire went wrong. As Duffy knit his eyes and tugged and cussed a -little, the wind outside took up the message and whirled a bucket of -rain against the windows. But the wires wouldn't right, and stuff -that no man could get tumbled in like a dictionary upside down. And -Bucks and Callahan and Healey and Peeto smoked, silent, and heard the -deepening drum of the rain on the roof. - -Then Duffy wrestled mightily yet once more. - -"Keep still," he exclaimed, leaning heavily on the key. "Here's -something--from the Spider." - -He snatched a pen and ran it across a clip; Bucks leaning over read -aloud from his shoulder: - - "Omaha. - - "J. F. BUCKS: - - "Trainmen from No. 75 stalled west of Rapid City--track afloat in - Simpson's Cut--report Spider bridge out--send----" - -And the current broke. - -Callahan's hand closed rigidly over the hot bowl of his pipe; Peeto sat -speechless; Bucks read again at the broken message, but Healey sprang -like a man wounded and snatched the clip from his hand. - -He stared at the running words till they burned his eyes, and then, -with an oath, frightful as the thunder that shook the mountains, he -dashed the clip to the floor. His eyes snapped greenish, and he cursed -Omaha, cursed its messages, and everything that came out of it. Slow -at first, then fast and faster, until all the sting that poisoned -his heart in his unjust discharge poured from his lips. It flooded -the room like a spilling stream, and none put a word against it, for -they knew he stood a wronged man. Out it came--all the rage, all the -heart-burning, all the bitterness--and he dropped into a chair and -covered his face with his hands. Only the sounder clicking iron jargon -and the thunder shaking the wickiup like a reed filled the ears of the -men about him. They watched him slowly knot his fingers and loosen -them, and saw his face rise dry and hard and old out of his hands. - -"Get up an engine!" - -"Not--you're not going down there to-night?" stammered Bucks. - -"Yes. Now. Right off. Peeto, get out your men!" - -The foreman jumped for the door. Little Duffy, snatching the train -sheet, began clearing track for a bridge special. In twenty minutes -twenty men were running as many ways through the storm, and a live -engine boomed under the wickiup window. - -"I want you to be careful, Phil," Bucks spoke anxiously as he looked -with Healey out into the storm. "It's a bad night." Healey made no -answer. - -The lightning shot the yards in a blaze and a crash split the gorge. "A -wicked night," muttered Bucks. - -Evans, conductor of the special, ran in. - -"Here's your orders," said Duffy. "You've got forty miles an hour." - -"Don't stretch it," warned Bucks. "Good-by, Phil," he added to Healey, -"I'll see you in the morning." - -"In the morning," echoed Healey. "Good-by." - -The switch engine had puffed up with a caboose; ahead of it Peeto had -coupled in the pile driver. At the last minute Callahan concluded to -go, and with the bridge gang tumbling into the caboose, the assistant -superintendent, Ed Peeto, and Healey climbed into the engine, and they -pulled out, five in the cab, for the Spider Water. - -Healey, moody at first, began joking and laughing the minute they got -away. He sat behind Denis Mullenix, the engineer, and poked his ribs -and taunted him with his heavy heels. At last he covered Denis' big -hands on the throttle with his own bigger fingers, good-naturedly -coaxed them loose, and pushing him away got the reins and the whip into -his own keeping. He drew the bar out a notch and settled himself for -the run across the flat country. - -As they sped from the shelter of the hills, the storm shook them with -a freshening fury, and drove the flanges into the south rail with a -grinding screech. The rain fell in a sheet, and the right-of-way ran -a river. The wind, whipping the water off the ballast, dashed it like -hail against the cab glass; the segment of desert caught in the yellow -of the headlight rippled and danced and swam in the storm water, and -Healey pulled again at the straining throttle and latched it wider. - -Notch after notch he drew; heedless of lurch and jump; heedless of -bed or curve; heedless of track or storm; and with every spur at her -cylinders the engine shook like a frantic horse. Men and monster alike -lost thought of caution and drunk a frenzy in the whirl that Healey -opened across the swimming plain. - -The Peace River hills loomed suddenly in front like moving pictures; -before they could think it the desert was behind. - -"Phil, man, you must steady up!" yelled Callahan, getting his mouth -to Healey's ear. The roadmaster nodded and checked a notch, but the -fire was in his blood, and he slewed into the hills with a speed -unslackened. The wind blew them, and the track pulled them, and a -frenzied man sat at the throttle. - -Just where the line crosses the Peace River the track bends sharply -through the Needles to take the bridge. The curve is a ten degree. As -they struck it, the headlight shot far out upon the river--and they -in the cab knew they sat dead men. Instead of lighting the box of the -truss, the lamp lit a black and snaky flood with yellow foam sweeping -over the abutment, for the Peace had licked up Agnew's thirty-foot -piles--and his bridge was not. - -There were two things to do; Healey knew them both, and both meant -death to the cab, but the caboose sheltered twenty of Healey's faithful -men. He instantly threw the air, and with a scream from the tires, -the special, shaking in the brake shoes, swung the curve. Again the -roadmaster checked heavily, and the pile driver, taking the elevation -like a hurdle, bolted into the Needles, dragging the caboose after it. -But engine and tender and five in the cab plunged head on into the -river. - -Not a man in the caboose was killed. They scrambled out of the -splinters and on their feet, men and ready to do. One voice came -through the storm from the river, and they answered its calling. It was -Callahan, but Durden, Mullenix, Peeto, and Healey never called again. - -At daybreak, wreckers of the West End, swarming from mountain and -plain, were heading for the Peace, and the McCloud gang--up--crossed -the Spider on Healey's bridge--on the bridge the coward trainmen had -reported out, quaking as they did in the storm at the Spider foaming -over its approaches. But Healey's bridge stood--stands to-day. - -Yet three days the Spider raged, and knew then its master, while he, -three whole days, sat at the bottom of the Peace, clutching the engine -levers, in the ruins of Agnew's mistake. - -And when the divers got them up, Callahan and Bucks tore big Peeto's -arms from his master's body and shut his staring eye and laid him at -his master's side. And only the Spider, ravening at Healey's caissons, -raged. But Healey slept. - - -THE END. - - - - -GOOD WORDS FOR THE 'GATOR. - - -Twenty years ago a visitor to that part of the South below North -Carolina could see alligators in almost every stream and bayou, but now -one may frequently spend months traveling through this region and not -see a single alligator except those in captivity. The killing of the -creatures for sport or for their hides has been the main cause of their -great decrease in numbers. In addition thousands of the young have been -killed or shipped away, while enormous numbers of the eggs have been -gathered and sold as curios. - -It was not until about 1855 that the demand for alligator leather -became of importance. The market was not long continued. In 1869 -fashion again called for the leather for manufacturing into fancy -slippers, traveling bags, belts, card cases, music rolls, etc. The -demand has continued to the present and many thousands of the animals -have been killed, while the preparation of the skins has given -employment to hundreds of people. - -The output of the tanneries of this country approximates 275,000 skins -annually, worth about $425,000, part of which come from Mexico and -Central America. It is estimated that about 3,800,000 alligators were -killed in Florida alone between 1880 and 1909, nearly 20,000 being -killed in 1908. - -The earliest settlers in the Southern States found alligators, or, as -they were then called, crocodiles, exceedingly abundant in almost all -streams, especially in Florida and Louisiana. Many marvelous tales are -found in the early chronicles of the ravages of these monsters. They -were said to eat dogs and pigs, and to consider the negro an especially -succulent tidbit, while it was considered dangerous to go into streams -where they were known to exist. When such a stream had to be crossed -hours were spent sometimes in beating it to frighten off the alligators. - -The researches of scientists have shown that there is very slight -foundation for such stories, and it is probable that the greater number -of pigs lost by the planters could have been traced to other enemies, -particularly the two-footed kind, while runaway slaves would naturally -encourage the belief that alligators had dined off them. - -The greater part of the supply of alligator leather now comes from -Florida, and owing to excessive hunting the industry is profitable -only in the central part of the peninsula, in what is called the Lake -Okeechobee region and in the Everglades. Here the principal hunters -are Seminole Indians, who have their homes on hummocks far back in the -Everglades and come to the settlements only when in need of articles -which they cannot produce themselves. - -The alligator is most active at night, and his days are usually spent -lying on some low bank or log overhanging the water, where it can enjoy -the warmth of the sun and be able to retreat to its native element at -the first sign of danger. While on land alligators are very clumsy, in -the water they are exceedingly active, and, being strong swimmers, are -able to catch the larger fish with but slight trouble. For animals like -the muskrat and otter swimming across lagoons they are always on the -watch. - -On seizing its prey the alligator sinks with it to the bottom and there -remains until all struggling has ceased; it is then able with less -effort to tear it into pieces. While thus submerged a peculiar collar -at the base of the tongue prevents the water from passing into its -lungs. - -While the alligator is said to make very effective use of its tail -in warfare, the widely disseminated story that it uses its tail to -sweep animals off the banks into its jaws appears to have but slight -foundation in fact. - -In April or May the mother alligator seeks a sheltered spot on a -bank and there builds a small mound with a hole in the middle. The -foundation of this mound is of mud and grass, and on these she lays -some eggs. She then covers the eggs with another stratum of grass and -mud, upon which she deposits some more eggs. Thus she proceeds until -she has laid from twenty-five to sixty eggs. The eggs are hatched out -by the sun. - -As soon as they have chipped the shell the baby alligators are led -to the water by the mother, who provides them with food, which she -disgorges. Papa Alligator has to be carefully watched at this time, for -he highly esteems a dinner of young saurians, and is not particular -whether they are his own or his neighbor's children. When by strategy -or downright fighting the mother has got her family safely into their -natural element it is not long before the young scatter, each to begin -life on his own hook. At this period they form a favorite food for -turtles and the larger fishes. - -When fully grown the alligator is about sixteen feet in length. In the -adult stage it is greenish-black above, having lost the yellowish color -bands that belong to its earlier years. Hunters say that alligators -grow very slowly, attaining the first year a length of about one foot. -When two feet in length they are said to be from ten to fifteen years -old, while those twelve feet long are supposed to be seventy-five or -more. Their normal life is estimated at from one hundred to one hundred -and fifty years. - -Alligator hunting originally began as sport. Then some one tanned the -skin and found that it could be put to commercial use. Carried on as it -must be, at night, the hunt is picturesque. - -In many places the hunters fasten bicycle lamps on their caps, and when -the animal is attracted by the light pick it off by hitting it in the -eye with a rifle ball. Torches are often used. Sometimes the hunter -lures the alligator to the surface of the water by "telephoning to the -'gator," as it is called. - -An alligator is always attracted by the peculiar grunt which the young -alligators make, for there is no sort of food they love better than -newly hatched 'gator. The hunter takes a long, slender pole and lets -one end of it down very quietly into the water. The other end he places -between his teeth and imitates the grunt of the baby 'gators. The old -fellows easily hear the call and come up to feast on babies they think -are there. - -In catching them alive hunters frequently lasso them while asleep on -the bank or on a log. When asleep in their holes in the mud they are -occasionally drawn out by means of an iron hook. These holes are easily -found. Sometimes the grass is set afire and the animals lassoed as they -seek the water. - -After the alligator is caught the hunter in sport sometimes mounts it, -using the reptile's fore feet and legs as reins. It is needless to say -that it is only by the exercise of considerable skill that the hunter -keeps his seat through the struggles of the reptile, and if care is not -used the fun may develop into tragedy. - -Alligators three feet and more in length are generally killed at -once and the hide removed. All of the hide except the ridge of the -back, which is very bony, is used. The hide is salted, and is then in -condition for sale to the buyers, who are usually storekeepers, who -furnish provisions and ammunition in exchange. - -The hides range in value to the hunter from 20 cents for a three-foot -hide to $1.25 for a hide seven feet or more in length. The five and -six-foot hides are the most desirable, as the larger hides have a hard -piece of bone in the square checks on the hide, and it is impossible to -sew through this. Nearly all of the tanning is done at Newark, N. J. - -Young alligators are often brought in, and are worth about 8 cents -apiece. The eggs are also gathered, and sell for 2-1/2 cents each. -They are mainly sold to curio dealers, who either hatch them out or -blow them and sell the shells. Most of the small alligators are stuffed -and sold as curios to tourists, who pay from 50 cents to $2 apiece for -them. - -Many of them used to be shipped North alive by tourists as presents. -Owing to ignorance as to how the animal should be cared for many of -these soon died. - -If properly cared for, the young alligator will thrive even in -unnatural circumstances. Its main requirement is sufficient heat. -Its diet should consist of bits of fresh meat, insects and worms. -They often show great fondness for the ordinary earthworms, and will -frequently refuse all food but these. The larger specimens in captivity -are fed about three times a week on fresh meat or small live animals, -and they require little attention other than this. - -Alligators' teeth, which are secured by burying the head until they -have rotted out, are of fine ivory and valued for carving into -ornaments. They are worth to the hunter about $2 a pound--from fifty -to seventy-five teeth. The dealers will not buy very many of them, as -there is but a limited demand. At one time the paws were saved and -mounted as curios, but it is impossible to do anything with them now. - -Both flesh and eggs are eaten by a few persons, but it requires a very -hardy stomach to stand the disagreeable, musky odor. There is nothing -better, hunters declare, than the tip of the tail of an alligator which -has reached, say, the pullet period. It is creamy in color, tasting -a little like frogs' legs, but with a more pronounced gamy flavor, -juicy--altogether tempting. The dish is a great favorite with the -crackers of Florida. - -Alligator tails are best at the time of the ricebird season. The big -alligators float in the water with only their eyes showing. When an -alligator gets near a flock of these fat, juicy little birds it dives -to the bottom. Its long, wide snout scoops up some of the loam, and it -floats to the surface again with just the rich soil showing. - -The birds think it is an island. They alight upon it. When the whole -family is there the big beast turns suddenly. Just as the birds -scramble off the alligator opens its mouth once. They are gone. - -The birds are neat little feeders, and the alligator is an epicure at -this time of the year. The ricebird diet makes the tip of its tail -tender and sweet. - -In St. Augustine is an alligator farm, one of two in the United States, -the other being at the Hot Springs in Arkansas. Here the alligators are -kept in confinement until large enough for market. - -It will probably be news to many that Florida has a representative of -the crocodile family. This animal was first supposed to be confined -to the West Indies and South America, but it has been occasionally -captured on the peninsula of Florida. It is easily distinguishable -from the alligator by its narrow snout. For many years scientists were -skeptical of reports from Florida of the appearance of this animal in -that State, but the capture of several fine specimens in recent years -has settled all doubt. - - - - -VENOMOUS FISH. - - -It is curious that while so much has been written in our language -on snake bites there has been comparatively little placed on record -concerning the stings of fishes. - -Snake bites are rare in this country, but fish stings are very common, -especially among fishermen and fishmongers. The fishes that most often -sting are the great and little weevers. A prick on the hand or foot -from a weever causes much swelling and inflammation. - -If the arm is affected the inflammation may spread to the shoulder, the -swelling of the whole limb being enormous. The pain is agonizing, the -patient often falling into a state of collapse or becoming delirious. -Usually the inflammation subsides in about three days, followed by -desquamation. - - - - -LATEST ISSUES - - -MOTOR STORIES - -The latest and best five-cent weekly. We won't say how interesting it -is. See for yourself. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. -Price, 5 cents.= - - 6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On The High Gear. - - 7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto. - - 8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward. - - 9--Motor Matt's Air-Ship; or, The Rival Inventors. - - 10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot. - - 11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady. - - 12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Castaway in the Bahamas. - - 13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest. - - 14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the _Hawk_. - - 15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the _Grampus_. - - 16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters. - - 17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos. - - 18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon. - - 19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn. - - 20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys. - - -TIP TOP WEEKLY - -The most popular publication for boys. The adventures of Frank and Dick -Merriwell can be had only in this weekly. =High art colored covers. -Thirty-two pages. Price, 5 cents.= - - 681--Frank Merriwell's Patience; or, The Making of a Pitcher. - - 682--Frank Merriwell's Pupil; or, The Boy with the Wizard Wing. - - 683--Frank Merriwell's Fighters; or, The Decisive Battle with - Blackstone. - - 684--Dick Merriwell at the "Meet"; or, Honors Worth Winning. - - 685--Dick Merriwell's Protest; or, The Man Who Would Not Play Clean. - - 686--Dick Merriwell In The Marathon; or, The Sensation of the Great - Run. - - 687--Dick Merriwell's Colors; or, All For the Blue. - - 688--Dick Merriwell, Driver; or, The Race for the Daremore Cup. - - 689--Dick Merriwell on the Deep; or, The Cruise of the _Yale_. - - 690--Dick Merriwell in the North Woods; or, The Timber Thieves of the - Floodwood. - - 691--Dick Merriwell's Dandies; or, A Surprise for the Cowboy Nine. - - 692--Dick Merriwell's "Skyscooter"; or, Professor Pagan and the - "Princess." - - 693--Dick Merriwell in the Elk Mountains; or, The Search for "Dead - Injun" Mine. - - -NICK CARTER WEEKLY - -The best detective stories on earth. Nick Carter's exploits are read -the world over. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, -5 cents.= - - 642--The Detective's Disappearance; or, Nick Carter is Saved by - Adelina. - - 643--The Midnight Marauders; or, Nick Carter's Telephone Mystery. - - 644--The Child of the Jungle; or, Nick Carter's Ingenious Ruse. - - 645--Nick Carter's Satanic Enemy; or, The Case of an Easy Mark. - - 646--Three Times Stolen; or, Nick Carter's Strange Clue. - - 647--The Great Diamond Syndicate; or, Nick Carter's Cleverest Foes. - - 648--The House of the Yellow Door; or, Nick Carter in the Old French - Quarter. - - 649--The Triangle Clue; or, Nick Carter's Greenwich Village Case. - - 650--The Hollingsworth Puzzle; or, Nick Carter Three Times Baffled. - - 651--The Affair of the Missing Bonds; or, Nick Carter in the Harness. - - 652--The Green Box Clue; or, Nick Carter's Good Friend. - - 653--The Taxicab Mystery; or, Nick Carter Closes a Deal. - - 654--The Mystery of a Hotel Room; or, Nick Carter's Best Work. - - 655--Tragedy of the Well; or, Nick Carter Under Suspicion. - - - - -_For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt -of price, 5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_ - -STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - -=IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS= of our Weeklies and cannot procure them -from your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct. -Fill out the following Order Blank and send it to us with the price -of the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail. -=POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.= - - ________________________ _190_ - - _STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City._ - - _Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find_ ___________________________ - _cents for which send me_: - - TIP TOP WEEKLY, Nos. ________________________________ - - NICK CARTER WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - DIAMOND DICK WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - BUFFALO BILL STORIES, " ________________________________ - - BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY, " ________________________________ - - MOTOR STORIES, " ________________________________ - - _Name_ ________________ _Street_ ________________ - - _City_ ________________ _State_ ________________ - - - - -A GREAT SUCCESS!! - -MOTOR STORIES - - -Every boy who reads one of the splendid adventures of Motor Matt, which -are making their appearance in this weekly, is at once surprised and -delighted. Surprised at the generous quantity of reading matter that we -are giving for five cents; delighted with the fascinating interest of -the stories, second only to those published in the Tip Top Weekly. - -Matt has positive mechanical genius, and while his adventures are -unusual, they are, however, drawn so true to life that the reader can -clearly see how it is possible for the ordinary boy to experience them. - - -_HERE ARE THE TITLES NOW READY AND THOSE TO BE PUBLISHED_: - - 1--Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel. - - 2--Motor Matt's Daring; or, True to His Friends. - - 3--Motor Matt's Century Run; or, The Governor's Courier. - - 4--Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the "Comet." - - 5--Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot. - - 6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On the High Gear. - - 7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto. - - 8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward. - - 9--Motor Matt's Air Ship; or, The Rival Inventors. - - 10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot. - - 11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady. - - 12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Cast Away in the Bahamas. - - 13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest. - - 14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the "Hawk." - - 15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the "Grampus." - - 16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters. - -To be Published on June 14th. - - 17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos. - -To be Published on June 21st. - - 18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon. - -To be Published on June 28th. - - 19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn. - -To be Published on July 5th. - - 20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys. - - -PRICE, FIVE CENTS - -At all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt -of the price. - - STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_, NEW YORK - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - -Added table of contents. - -For this text edition, oe ligatures have been expanded to oe; the HTML -edition retains the ligatures. - -Italics are represented with _underscores_, bold with =equal signs=. - -Page 5, corrected typo "odder" in "oder somet'ing like dot!" - -Page 7, added tilde to "Madam Cousiņo" for consistency. - -Page 9, corrected typo _Gampus_ in "started south to meet the -_Grampus_." Retained unusual spelling of "possesion" on the assumption -that it is intentional. - -Page 12, corrected typo "Wihtehead" ("Whitehead began its peculiar -performance"). - -Page 14, corrected typo "Glennine" ("'Jupiter!' exclaimed Glennie."). - -Page 22, corrected typo "baot" ("bore him off the boat"). Removed -unnecessary quote after "six yellow men?" at end of page. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Motor Matt Makes Good, by Stanley R. 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