It seemed as if every moment would be the last for the small boats, but not a man showed the least trace of excitement, either in face or voice.

"Anchor's giving way, sir."

"Stand by the oars. Hold your bow to the wind. Keep them up, lads. And not a signalman on board to tell the ship we are in trouble!" the officer muttered to himself.

Off on the battleship, however, a dozen gla.s.ses were leveled in their direction and as many keen eyes were gazing toward them over the troubled sea.

"Small boat appears to be in trouble, sir," called the quartermaster, who, standing on the quarter-deck of the battleship, was bracing his gla.s.s against a stanchion. The ship's lookouts had failed to catch Dan Davis's quick signal of "accident."

"Have they asked for a.s.sistance?" questioned the executive officer.

"No, sir. I have seen no signals in some time."

"Not since the diver went overboard?"

"Not since they made signal that the mine had been located."

"What do you think about it, Coates?" asked the captain, peering through his own gla.s.ses, now and then catching a glimpse of the boats through the mist of white spray that enveloped them.

"Two men missing from the wherry, sir," called the quartermaster, with no trace of excitement.

"Steamer number one!" roared Lieutenant Commander Coates, the executive officer.

"Aye, aye, sir," came the answer, borne faintly on the gale.

"Cast off and proceed full speed to the a.s.sistance of boats on the mine field."

The steamer's crew needed no urging to leap to their work. Some of their comrades were in distress. Lines were cast off, boat hooks were quickly thrust against the side of the ship to prevent the little steamer from being dashed to pieces against it.

"All clear!"

With a shrill blast of her whistle steamer number one rounded the ship's bow in a cloud of blinding spray and headed for the mine field. The officer in charge had been given the number of the mine, and the bearings, as he started away, so that by the aid of the compa.s.s he was enabled to direct a straight course to the scene of the trouble.

It seemed as if the staunch little steamer must turn over as she plunged along through the seas that were smiting her with increased force every moment.

In the meantime the men in the little boats on the mine field, were fighting desperately to keep their craft near the spot where two men had gone down to battle for the life of a third down under the sea.

The Battleship Boys were splendid swimmers else they never would have been able to wriggle their way through the water to the bottom. Dan was somewhat hampered too, by the coil of line that he had instinctively gathered in his hand as he prepared to leap from the boat.

By rare good luck, his hands gripped the helmet of Kester, who lay on his back drifting slowly along, the weight at his feet holding him down not far from the sea bottom.

Dan made a desperate effort to pa.s.s the line about the drowning man. By this time, however, it seemed as if the boy's breath would burst from him. He could hold it only a second or so longer.

At that instant a new form hovered close to him. It was the red-haired Sam. With quick instinct Dan thrust the rope into the hands of his companion, and struck out for the surface.

Those in the boats made him out the instant his head was poked above the water. The boats were close by.

"There he is!" yelled a voice. "Wait; we'll cast a rope."

Dan shook his head, once more plunging under, swimming for the bottom with long, powerful strokes.

He had great difficulty this time in finding the spot he was in search of, for in his rise to the surface he had been carried some twenty feet from the place where Kester lay.

He reached it at last. Sam had gotten the rope about the neck of the diver but was too much exhausted to make a hitch.

Dan pushed him toward the surface. Working desperately Davis at last succeeded in completing the work that Sam had well-nigh finished.

The boy's mind was working with lightning-like rapidity. He knew that he could not hope to get the drowning man to the surface by his own efforts. There was only one way that this could possibly be accomplished. That was to get to the surface himself and try to draw Kester up. Dan did not know whether the rope would reach that distance or not.

"I must do it!" he thought.

Grasping the end of the rope he dashed upward for the surface. On the way he met a figure coming down. It was Sam. Dan grabbed him and by a series of quick pinches managed to convey the word that the red-headed boy was to return to the surface.

Sam wriggled about and struck out for the upper air.

Hickey's red head appeared in a swirl of water and spray. He shook his head, gasping for breath, nearly drowning himself in the effort to get even a little fresh air into his lungs.

An instant later Dan leaped to the surface.

Dan gave a wig-wag signal with one hand, meaning "help."

By this time the small boats had drifted too far away to be able to reach them quickly.

But steamer number one had reached the scene. She gave a short, sharp blast of her whistle to show that those aboard had seen and understood the situation.

"Is he lost?" gasped Sam.

"N-n-no. I've got him at the end of the rope. Help me quick. He must be dead by this time. There comes the steamer. Oh, why don't they hurry?"

"Where is the rope?"

"Here! Help me with it. I'm getting tired."

Dan was holding to the rope with all his strength, trying to retain his hold of it and at the same time keep himself from sinking. Some invisible power seemed to be pulling him downward.

The ensign and his oarsman had gotten aboard the steamer, trailing their wherry behind it. The ensign was standing in the bow with a rope in his hand.

As the steamer, lifting on a great swell, dropped down within reaching distance he made a cast. Dan reached for the rope and missed it.

"Lay alongside, sir," commanded Dan, with a feeble effort at saluting with his injured hand.

"Can't do it. We will run you down in this sea. Look out for the next cast."

"You'll have to hurry, sir. We've got a drowning man under the water here, sir. Lay over, no matter if you do run us down. Quick!"

A sudden, but quickly suppressed exclamation escaped the ensign.

"Take hold; I'm going to let go," gasped Dan.