Realizing the danger Hythe fastened round his own waist the rope that Polglaze had cast off, and bidding Kenwyn and Devoran to open the hatch, he dashed to the aid of the rescuer and rescued.

Another wave flung him back just as he was on the point of gripping Lancarrow round the chest. The rush of water swept all three against the conning-tower. The slack of the life-lines were hauled in, and the receding water left them close to the hatchway.

"I've got him," spluttered the sub, as he laid hold of the unconscious Italian. "You look after yourself, Lancarrow."

With a heave Hythe lifted the _padrone_ within reach of those within the conning-tower, the Cornishman followed, and by a display of remarkable yet undignified agility the sub succeeded in gaining safety ere a tremendous breaker hurled itself in vain against the ma.s.sive metal plating.

The "Aphrodite" was quickly submerged to a depth of nine fathoms and driven ahead at a modest seven knots, while steps were taken to restore the rescued man and boy to life. It did not take long for the latter to open his eyes, but in the case of the old man three hours of unremitting toil failed to give any sign of success. More than once Hythe shook his head doubtfully, but Captain Restronguet had no intention of admitting defeat. As fast as one of the operators showed signs of fatigue another took his place in their efforts to restore the action of breathing.

After exactly three hours and ten minutes' steady work the old Italian showed signs of respiration.

"We've managed it," exclaimed Kenwyn joyfully, in the tone of a man who has fought a hard struggle and has won the victory.

"Avast there!" ordered the captain to Gwennap who was still pressing and relaxing the pressure on the patient's body. "Watch him carefully."

But in less than a minute the natural breathing ceased, and the efforts to restore respiration had to be renewed. It was not until half an hour later that the _padrone_ was able to be put to bed and allowed to sleep, Kenwyn and Hythe volunteering to stand by and keep a watch over the patient.

It was now daylight. The fury of the waves had abated, and only a long sullen roll served as a reminder of the terrific agitation of the sea a few hours previously.

Captain Restronguet, therefore, decided to bring the "Aphrodite" to the surface, so that the loss of time during the period when the submarine was in the zone of the volcanic disturbance could be made good.

"The deck looks different to me, sir," remarked the quartermaster when Captain Restronguet entered the conning-tower. "I've noticed it ever since it grew light."

"How do you mean different?" asked the captain going towards one of the scuttles. A moment later he shouted to the chief officer.

"Hurry up and open the fore-hatch, Mr. Devoran, if you please. We're in for a run of bad luck, it seems."

Well might Captain Restronguet exclaim thus, for instead of the protective garb of light absorbing metal the submarine from stem to stern and from the top of the conning-tower to the keel was as black as a lump of coal.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE RESCUED ITALIANS.

As soon as the fore-hatch cover had been unshipped Captain Restronguet, accompanied by Devoran and Kenwyn, hastened on deck. Hythe, hearing the captain's exclamation, hurried after him.

The sky was now perfectly clear, the motion of the sea had almost subsided. But instead of the stinging, ozone-laden breeze a faint odour resembling that of rotten eggs seemed to pervade the air.

"H'm," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Captain Restronguet. "In spite of my faith in the high qualities of restronium the metal has played me false!"

"How so, sir?" asked the chief officer.

"It is not proof against the action of sulphur. Even now the air reeks of sulphur, and it was a sea highly charged with sulphur that the 'Aphrodite' pa.s.sed through when she was in the immediate vicinity of the submarine volcano. Thus the silver in the alloy has been affected, and in place of a light-absorbing metal we have a dead-black surface."

"It is a serious look-out, sir," observed the sub.

"Serious. Serious isn't the word for it. We have lost a great factor in our means of offence and defence. We are no longer practically invisible."

"Can the defect be remedied?"

"Only by subjecting the plating to a fresh treatment, and that can only be done at our base in Sumatra. But be that as it may I mean to continue my search for the 'Vorwartz'. Possibly the margin of superiority lies with her, but, without boasting, I venture to a.s.sert that John Restronguet will prove a match for Karl von Harburg. I hope the wifeless is intact, Kenwyn?"

"It is, sir," replied the second officer. "We have just tapped a message from the P. & O. liner, 'Coghlania,' seventy miles south of Brindisi."

"Anything of importance?"

"No, sir; merely on a matter of ordinary routine."

"Very good, Mr. Kenwyn. By the by, you might let me know the state of your acc.u.mulators. Have we sufficient power to take us to the aegean?"

"I'll ascertain, sir," replied the second officer.

Before noon the man and boy rescued from the fishing-boat had recovered sufficiently to sit up. Their story was a thrilling one. Hythe's knowledge of Italian enabled him to follow the patois without much difficulty. They had, in company with seven other craft, put out of Porto Empedocle, on the south coast of Sicily. It was a fine night with a light off-sh.o.r.e breeze, the weather being fair. Thus tempted they ventured farther from land than they were accustomed to. Shortly after midnight a strange phenomenon was observed. The stars were shining through a blood-red haze, while a strong sulphurous odour was noticed.

The superst.i.tious fishermen, frightened more by omens than by bad weather, prepared to return homewards, but the wind died completely away. At two in the morning a strong nor'easterly breeze sprang up, which soon developed into a cyclonic gale. Hastily reducing their canvas the fishing fleet drove at the mercy of wind and wave, till after ten minutes of great peril they found themselves once more becalmed in an agitated sea. Once more sail was hoisted, in antic.i.p.ation of a favouring breeze.

Suddenly the water seemed to be rent in twain. A deep trough appeared less than a hundred yards from the sternmost boat, and horror-stricken the terrified Italians found that their frail vessels were being sucked into the abyss. Then the cavity in the sea closed and instead a column of water, stones, mud, steam, and smoke was thrown up with tremendous force. The starlight gave place to inky blackness, and the next thing the _padrone_ of the "Favarganna"--that being the name of the craft belonging to the rescued man--realized that the doomed vessel was on her beam ends. She righted, though half filled with water. The old man had barely time to lash his grandson and himself to the rudder head, ere a huge wave swept the boat from stem to stern and down in the depths she plunged.

Nor was old Beppo's awe any the less when he heard from Hythe of the manner of his almost miraculous escape. Devoutly crossing himself the Italian burst into a torrent of thanks to his preservers, and finished up by asking where they thought of landing him?

"I had thought of that," said Captain Restronguet when the sub interpreted the _padrone's_ request. "Since there is now no real necessity for concealment, I think we might hail the first vessel we come across that is proceeding to Messina--if Messina still stands after the eruption."

An opportunity presented itself late in the afternoon. The "Aphrodite"

was about two hundred miles S.S.E. of Cape Pa.s.saro, and running on the surface, when a tramp steamer hove in sight steering N.W. "We'll stop that fellow, Devoran," exclaimed the captain. "What does she look like?"

"I cannot make out, sir, she flies no ensign," replied the chief officer, after a lengthy survey through his telescope.

Still unperceived by the oncoming vessel the "Aphrodite" stood out in order to intercept her. At a request from Captain Restronguet two of the seamen shipped a light mast abaft the fore-conning-tower, and on this was hoisted the International Code signal--flags indicating "I wish to communicate--heave to."

As soon as the signal was observed the tramp's helm was ported as if she meditated flight, but ordering full speed ahead Captain Restronguet soon made it evident that the "Aphrodite" could go two knots to the steamer's one. The tramp's engines were set at half-speed astern and simultaneously the affirmative pendant fluttered from her stumpy foremast, while the Greek mercantile flag was hoisted on her ensign-staff.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "CAPTAIN RESTRONGUET SOON MADE IT EVIDENT THAT THE APHRODITE. COULD GO TWO KNOTS TO THE STEAMER'S ONE."]

"The 'Eleusis' of the Piraeus," announced Captain Restronguet, who was able to decipher with ease the modern Greek characters on her stern.

Gracefully the "Aphrodite" was brought to a stand-still within fifty yards of the Greek tramp, over whose red-leaded bulwarks appeared the heads of about twenty nondescripts who formed her crew.

"'Eleusis' ahoy!" hailed Captain Restronguet in stentorian tones.

"What ship's dat?" asked the Grecian master, who spoke English by reason of several years' service in the British Mercantile Marine.

"Submarine 'Aphrodite,'" replied her captain.

Evidently the fame of Captain Restronguet had already reached the ears of the master of the "Eleusis," for he gave a dramatic gesture of surprise.

"What want, eh? Me peaceful."