The absence of life-line and air-tube, with their attendant drag upon the diver, was particularly noticeable.

A short halt was made to examine the progress of the work upon the damaged propeller. Already the men had made a fair show with the job, but, as the sub had predicted, every strand had to be carefully cut through and prised up. Under the best conditions it would require another three hours of arduous labour to free the shafting from the obstruction.

At that depth the light was strong enough to see nearly twenty yards ahead, and Hythe was struck with the peculiar formation of the submarine gorge. It was as if human hands had hewn out a deep and narrow pa.s.sage through the solid rock, here and there cutting side tunnels that faded away in the distant gloom. Fantastic marine growths occurred in patches that had to be carefully avoided, for some of the tendrils were armed with crooked spikes, sufficiently strong and sharp to do untold damage to any diver who was incautious enough to get into their toils. At other places fern-like weeds growing to a height of ten feet made the floor of the bay resemble a tropical-forest. Sponges grew in profusion; oyster-sh.e.l.ls, a yard in diameter, were occasionally met with. Once O'Shaunessey's foot narrowly escaped being seized by the gaping jaws of one of these bivalves. A second later and his limb would have been crushed to a pulp.

As the five advanced crabs large and small swarmed sideways across their path to seek shelter amongst the rocks; fish in shoals darted from the unwonted sight of the diving-dresses, although a few, bolder or more stupid than the rest, swam quite close to the submarine pedestrians.

Presently the pa.s.sage bifurcated, both arms shooting off at a very narrow angle. Unhesitatingly Captain Restronguet took the left. All the same Hythe wondered what would happen if they lost their way, for there was nothing whereby he could distinguish one way from another.

Stopping at one of the branch pa.s.sages Captain Restronguet pointed towards it, then switching on his lamp began to clear away through the seaweed that grew to a height of nearly twenty feet. Hythe followed, t.i.t was like pushing aside a j.a.panese curtain, for the flexible tendrils closed behind him.

The belt of weed was comparatively narrow; less than five yards brought the men to a close sandy s.p.a.ce. Here the sub stopped. Right in front of him, and hidden from the natural light by a thick canopy of weeds, were the jagged, barnacle-encrusted timbers of a ship.

She was lying slightly over to starboard, but the list was enough to cause her double tier of guns to fall through the rotting planks. Her bowsprit had been carried away close to the gammoning; of her masts only two shattered stumps remained. Waterlogged cordage and sails trailed dolefully over her sloping deck, while her figurehead--that of a woman holding a rod--was just recognizable in its decay.

At each step, careful though they were, Hythe and his companions kicked up a cloud of iron rust, till the scene of desolation was almost blotted out. Of the ship's guns those that were of iron had almost crumbled into flakes of rust, but the bra.s.s cannon were in almost as good condition as they were when the wreck was a n.o.ble ship. The sub stooped and examined one of the bra.s.s pieces of ordnance. Close to the touch hole were the letters L.R. and the date 1692.

"A Frenchman: time of Louis XIV, by Jove!" said the sub to himself. "I wonder what her name is?"

He was on the point of walking towards the stern of the wreck when Captain Restronguet laid a detaining hand on his shoulder and flashed his light upon the rust-discoloured sand. Hythe instantly drew back.

Almost under his feet yawned a hole full of trailing weeds that looked for all the world like a pit full of loathsome serpents.

Evidently understanding the reason for his companion's curiosity the captain beckoned to Carclew to approach. Then taking the quartermaster's slate he wrote in bold characters "La Sybille, French treasure-ship, sunk in action, 1695."

CHAPTER XIV.

"LA FLAMME."

Holding up his hand Captain Restronguet gave the signal for the party to retrace their footsteps to the main channel. It was about time, for the disturbed sediment from the crumbling wreck had obliterated every object beyond a distance of a yard.

The order of the procession was consequently reversed, Kenwyn leading and the captain bringing up the rear. Half way through the barrier of weed Hythe suddenly became aware that the man immediately in front of him had stopped and was stepping backwards. The next instant the sub was knocked sideways by a tremendous blow. Owing to the resistance of the water his fall was considerably broken, but he found himself lying in a veritable net of tendrils, while above him was some huge moving creature that was lashing out with almost irresistible force. Prudence counselled him to lie still, a sense of duty to his companions urged him to disentangle himself from the clutch of the weeds.

He chose the latter course, and contriving to free himself from the serpent-like tendrils he regained his feet, this time on the right side of the barrier of weeds.

It was a fearsome sight that met his gaze. Lying at full length upon the sand, and with his hands held in front of his helmet to protect the gla.s.s plate, was one of the divers whom the sub recognized as Kenwyn.

Over him, and ready to spring upon another victim, was an enormous conger, more than eight feet in length and as thick round as a man's thigh.

Standing ready to lunge with his crowbar was Captain Restronguet, while with axes held ready in a position of attack were Carnon and O'Shaunessey.

Recovering his steel bar Hythe, though giddy with the effect of his fall, ranged alongside his friends.

The eel darted forwards. Captain Restronguet delivered a thrust and missed.

The next moment he, too, was capsized while the conger, darting over his body, retreated to the shelter of a hole in the rocks.

The captain was on his feet in an instant, while Kenwyn was a.s.sisted to rise. As no bubbles came from his dress it was evident that the attack had not seriously injured his diving-gear. Had the conger used its teeth instead of his tail the flexible metal fabric would have been bitten through as easily as if made of paper.

Kenwyn, however, walked unsteadily. The attack had not left him uninjured, but by a gesture he showed that he was quite able to continue the submarine excursion.

Once again the march was resumed, but ere they had gone another five paces O'Shaunessey happened to turn and look in the direction of the eel's retreat. He had just time to warn his comrades, for the conger, viewing the departing invaders as a sign of defeat, was preparing to renew the attack.

Like an arrow the snake-like monster darted forward! This time Captain Restronguet succeeded in thrusting his crowbar down the conger's throat, and by an almost superhuman effort pinned it to the sandy bed. Right and left the brute writhed its powerful tail. To withdraw the crowbar would be imprudent, to keep it there was obviously beyond the captain's strength in spite of his muscular powers.

Marking his opportunity Hythe planted his crowbar fairly through the eel's back. To any creature but a member of the fish tribe such a blow would have proved instantly fatal, but the conger only fought the more, till O'Shaunessey and Carnon cut its body into four pieces with their axes. Even then the severed portions continued to writhe. But the victory had been won, and once again Captain Restronguet led the way towards the lost submarine.

Half an hour's steady walking--the pace being about two miles an hour--brought the explorers to the ledge on which the ill-fated "La Flamme" lay. Bending his knees Captain Restronguet gave a rapid upward spring that took him nearly ten feet from the level of the channel, and sufficient for his outstretched hand to obtain a grip upon the edge of the rocky shelf. The sub, the quartermaster, O'Shaunessey, and lastly Kenwyn followed and gained the upper part of the rock, the only accident being that O'Shaunessey incautiously grasped the bracket of the sunken vessel's propeller shafting, with the result that his bare hands were badly lacerated by the knife-like edges of the barnacles.

To all outward appearance "La Flamme" was intact, but by removing the coating of molluscs and seaweed Captain Restronguet was able to point out a fracture about two feet from the bows.

Carclew and the Irishman next attacked the hatch abaft the conning-tower. Constructed to resist enormous pressure from without it was nevertheless comparatively easy to wrench up the steel covering that was held only in position by a gun-metal securing-bolt. The hatch was swung back and the cavity, within which the tragedy of two years'

standing had hitherto been carefully guarded, lay open to inspection.

But somehow even those strong-minded men--nerved to face hourly dangers beneath the surface of the fickle sea--hesitated. They stood around the open hatchway, looking at the repellent aperture, and at each other, till overcoming his repugnance the captain switched on his electric lamp, turned his face to the rusted steel ladder and descended.

Although now thoroughly loathing the task he had taken in hand Hythe felt compelled to follow. Not so the others: they remained on the slippery, weed-garbed deck.

The sub had steeled himself to see a gruesome sight, but his antic.i.p.ations were excelled. In the pale light of the electric lamps he saw a scene so ghastly that his cast-iron nerve wellnigh broke down.

Every portion of the metal work of the interior bore traces of the corrosive action of the sulphuric acid, which escaping from the batteries had spread from end to end of the doomed craft. Luckily for the two adventurers the acid had long since exhausted its energies, otherwise their metallic dresses would have been eaten through by the powerful corrosive.

Almost the first compartment Hythe examined was the air-lock--that vaunted contrivance by which it was stoutly a.s.serted that the crew of a disabled and waterlogged submarine could escape. Here were the skeletons of two men both overpowered in the act of attempting to draw the life-saving helmets over their heads. By the contortions of their bones it was fairly evident that they had struggled hard. Of the fifteen helmets only three had been removed from their places; twelve of the crew had been unable even to reach the place where safety had been promised, but where the promise had utterly failed.

Lying across the crank case of one of the motors was another body, blackened by sea water and petrol. Apparently this was one of the mechanicians who had by the impact been thrown across the powerful machinery, for his vertebra had been completely fractured. Grasped in the grisly hand was an oil-can. The poor fellow had literally died at his post. A clock on the motor-room bulkhead had stopped at a quarter to five.

Aft, the scene was even more horrible. Huddled together, some locked in each other's arms, others still in the act of vainly trying to raise themselves from their steel tomb, were nine corpses. Apparently as "La Flamme" sank she plunged bows foremost. These men had contrived to make their way aft, where the imprisoned air, compressed to several atmospheres, had been sufficient to prolong life for several minutes--literally periods of physical and mental torture.

Captain Restronguet flashed his lamp upon that awful group, then swiftly turning made his way down the steeply sloping deck, and gained the base of the ladder leading to the conning-tower. Here he waited for the sub to rejoin him, and again the pair hung back.

Hythe was visibly trembling. Within his diving dress the perspiration poured from him. This was the sort of danger that he had courted day after day with comparative equanimity.

Captain Restronguet flashed his lamp upwards. The rays revealed a pair of men's sea-boots jammed against an open steel grating. These boots were not empty--in them were the bones of a human leg. The rest of the poor creature lay huddled against the binnacle. By the tarnished uniform it was evident that the victim was either the lieutenant or the sous-lieutenant of the ill-fated craft.

As Hythe gained the upper platform a crab glided away from the heap of clothing--then another, and yet another. Overcoming his repugnance the sub grasped the end of a gold chain and pulled a watch from the unfortunate officer's pocket. It had stopped at seven o'clock. Allowing that both the motor-room clock and this timepiece were accurate until stopped by the water, one hour and three quarters had elapsed ere the air confined in the conning-tower had failed to support life. One hour and three quarters, imprisoned in a steel tomb without the faintest hope of rescue--this is but one of the risks men run in the race for sea supremacy!

In the upper story of the conning-tower they found yet another corpse--also an officer. He was untouched by water, for even after the lapse of time since the disaster there was still a considerable amount of air trapped in the steel citadel. He had found time to write, even in that awful impenetrable darkness, for across the open chart, written in lines that frequently overlapped each other, was the commencement of a fairly coherent report of the disaster.

After that the poor victim had been seized with a form of frenzy, for he had endeavoured to open the manhole in the conning-tower--failing that in his despair had tried to end his misery by shooting himself with his revolver, for the weapon, with all chambers empty, lay on the grating beside him. Even a swift and merciful death had been denied him, for in the darkness he had been unable to find the cartridges.

Hythe turned and descended the ladder as fast as he could. Captain Restronguet took the chart on which the course and the fragment of the report had been pencilled out and also the officer's rough log-book, and followed his companion. But the captain's investigations were not yet complete.

He made his way for'ard to where the two bow torpedo tubes were placed.

This part of the submarine was deserted, save for a shoal of small fish of the sardine tribe. Their mode of entry was now apparent, for besides the rent in the plating, gaps the width of a man's finger were visible in the seams. The huge metal cylinder, which for dead-weight far exceeded a vessel of the same dimensions, had been hurled by the continued power of the twin propellers, and the irresistible force of the mountainous waves, at a tremendous pace upon the solid rocks--and the shock had not been sufficient to stun the unfortunate victims who formed the crew.

The two explorers having performed their duty, hastened to the open hatch. There with a common impulse they both stood stiffly erect and saluted. It was a tribute from men who had faced perils under the sea and who yet survived to those who, similarly situated, had sealed their devotion to duty with their lives.

"Well, Mr. Hythe, what did you think of that ghastly spectacle?" asked Captain Restronguet after their return to the "Aphrodite."