FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   >>  
also two sailors. A cadet midshipman commanded them. "Mr. Somers," reported the cadet midshipman, "I am not intended to displace you from the command of this boat. I am here only with definite instructions in case you succeed in overhauling that white sloop." "What--" began Eph. Then he paused, with a half-grin. "Really," he added, "I ought to know better than to quiz you about your instructions from your superior officer." "Yes, sir," assented the midshipman, simply. Eph turned on the current to the search-light, swinging the ray about the bay. Then, too impatient to sit in the conning tower, the submarine boy took his place by the deck wheel. "Will your seamen cast loose from the moorings?" Somers asked. "Yes, sir," replied the midshipman. "If there's anything wrong, good luck to you," sounded the cool voice of Lieutenant Commander Mayhew, from the gunboat's rail. "Thank you, sir." No sooner had the moorings been cast loose from than Eph sounded the slow speed ahead bell. Within sixty seconds the propellers of the "Farnum" were doing a ten-knot stunt, which was soon increased to fourteen. One of the seamen now stood, by to swing the searchlight under Eph's orders. By the time that the submarine reached the mouth of the bay the light faintly picked up a spread of white sail, off to the East. "That's the knockabout," cried Eph, excitedly. "Now, see here, keep that ray right across the boat as soon as we get half a mile nearer." "It'll show the boat that you're chasing 'em, sir," advised the midshipman. "I know it," admitted Eph. "But it will also keep the rascals from dumping my friends overboard without our catching 'em at it." "What do you think the men in charge of that boat are, sir--pirates?" "They're mighty close to it, if they've shanghaied Mr. Benson and Mr. Hastings and put to sea with 'em," rejoined Eph. Then he rang for more speed. Down below, Williamson almost instantly responded. The "Farnum" now fairly leaped through the water. "Turn the light on the knockabout, now, and keep it there," directed the submarine boy. There was a seven-knot breeze blowing. At the speed at which the submarine boat was traveling the distance was soon covered. And now the searchlight revealed two men in the standing-room of the sloop, one of whom, a bearded man, was looking backward over his wake much of the time. "Can one of the marines fire a shot to stop those fellows?"
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   >>  



Top keywords:

midshipman

 

submarine

 

moorings

 
knockabout
 
Farnum
 

searchlight

 
sounded
 

seamen

 

instructions

 

Somers


charge
 

dumping

 

friends

 

fellows

 

bearded

 
catching
 

overboard

 

nearer

 

marines

 
admitted

pirates

 
backward
 

advised

 

chasing

 

rascals

 

responded

 

fairly

 
leaped
 

standing

 

revealed


instantly

 

covered

 

breeze

 

traveling

 

blowing

 

directed

 

distance

 

Williamson

 

shanghaied

 

Benson


Hastings

 

mighty

 

rejoined

 

search

 

swinging

 

impatient

 
current
 

turned

 

superior

 

officer