CHAPTER XIX.

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

"It's a jolly fortunate thing that we fell in with the 'Persia,'"

remarked Kenwyn, within two hours of parting company with the liner.

"Otherwise it would have been a serious matter with those Dutchmen in the boats."

"You are right," a.s.sented Devoran. "It is going to be dirty weather.

The gla.s.s is falling rapidly."

"It will soon be over," observed Hythe. "'Long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past.' That's how the rhyme goes, doesn't it?"

"And a brute of a business while it lasts," added the second officer.

The three officers were standing on the after deck of the "Aphrodite."

The submarine had again risen to the surface and was plugging away in a southerly direction on her vague quest for the unbeatable "Vorwartz."

Captain Restronguet remained below, absorbed in some abstruse problem.

The sea was smooth, but dark clouds, edged with bright, copper-tinted hues, were rapidly banking up against the westerly breeze, while the rumble of distant thunder was heard at frequent intervals. Even though it was close on midday the sun's light was greatly obscured; while, on the other hand, the far away Sudan coast stood up clearly under the effect of atmospheric refraction.

There was every indication of a sharp yet severe storm.

"Are you going to submerge her, Devoran?" asked the sub.

"Not on my own responsibility," replied the chief officer. "Until the captain gives the order--ah, here he is."

"I cannot understand how the detector is acting," said Captain Restronguet, as he gained the group of officers. "I have most carefully tested the currents and examined the platinum contact breakers. The instrument seems in order, yet it records nothing of the presence of the 'Vorwartz.' It is inexplicable."

"The 'Vorwartz' is doubtless beyond the field of electrical action, sir," remarked Kenwyn.

"So I have been told before," replied Captain Restronguet with asperity.

"All the same that theory will not hold good. We ought to have had an intimation of that craft's presence when she torpedoed the 'Noord Brabant.' How can you explain that?"

"Don't you think, sir, we ought to submerge the ship?" asked Devoran, anxious to change the subject. "The gla.s.s is falling----"

"There is plenty of time," declared the captain, who was evidently not in his usual easy-going humour. "It certainly looks threatening, but at this moment the sea is as calm as gla.s.s. Look at those sharks, Devoran.

Vicious looking brutes, aren't they? Suppose we give the men an opportunity at rifle practice."

The captain strolled off to watch the antics of the tigers of the deep, for four ferocious-looking sharks had been persistently following the "Aphrodite" as if antic.i.p.ating a catastrophe.

The chief officer, although he would much rather have preferred to make all snug and dive to a depth of seven or eight fathoms, was not a man to quibble. He made his way to the hatch-way, to call up the small-arms party. Kenwyn stood a few paces from his superior, while Hythe, unwilling to say anything that might lead to his being snubbed, remained by the after conning-tower.

Suddenly the semi-gloom was rent by a vivid flash of lightning, that played upon the metal deck and upon the placid surface of the ominous sea. A deafening peal of thunder succeeded the flash. For a moment the sub was dazzled by the glare. When he looked aft, Kenwyn was lying on the deck, a portion of the stanchions and rails were shattered, and Captain Restronguet nowhere to be seen.

Raising a shout of "Man Overboard!" Hythe took a running dive and plunged into the sea. He struck the water heavily, for the "Aphrodite"

was moving at a good speed. He might very well have broken his back but for the velocity with which he executed his dive. Not till he rose to the surface did he give one thought to the dreaded sharks: it was then too late to count the risk.

Fortunately the monsters, frightened by the flash of lightning, had for the time being disappeared. Hythe struck out to the spot where the bubbles indicated the captain's position, for, winded by the shock, the unfortunate man was sinking never to rise again.

Guided by the bubbles the sub dived. Eight powerful strokes he made ere he perceived Captain Restronguet's form slowly settling towards the bottom of the sea. Four more and his left hand grasped the unconscious man by his collar.

Striking out with his right, and his unimpeded legs, Hythe rose towards the surface. He had been almost winded by his plunge overboard, and had had no opportunity to recover his breath. His lungs felt as if they were on the point of bursting; his temples throbbed. It seemed ages before his head appeared above the surface, and he was able to take a deep draught of the sultry air. Turning on his back he kept himself afloat, at the same time supporting the unconscious captain.

The "Aphrodite" had already lost way and was going astern; in a few minutes a dark, triangular object cleaving the leaden-coloured water attracted the sub's attention. His whole senses momentarily deserted him. He realized that a shark was approaching.

His first instinct was to abandon the unconscious man and strike out madly towards the submarine; but in a moment the temptation pa.s.sed.

Lashing out with his legs Hythe churned up a column of water. The shark stopped, wheeled and retreated a few yards.

Another of these dreaded fish came up, and the pair, regaining confidence, began to approach, swarming towards the two men in ever-narrowing circles.

Hythe could hear the monsters snapping their triple lines of teeth in antic.i.p.ation of a meal. He kicked the more, shouting at the top of his voice in the hope that the sharks would delay close investigation until it was too late for them to consummate their intentions.

The sub had heard tales of how native divers in the Pacific, knife in hand, boldly attacked the tigers of the deep. The recollection gave him but cold comfort. True he had a knife, but he lacked the marvellous aquatic agility of the j.a.panese and South Sea Islanders. Moreover, directly he released his hold his unfortunate captain would sink. He vaguely argued that it was but another instance of where theory does not always go hand in hand with practice.

With a sudden rush one of the sharks dashed straight towards the horrified man. The brute turned on its back in order to deliver a terrific bite. Then, apparently seized with a sudden panic, it brought its huge jaws together with a sickening snap and darted off. It was a narrow shave; so narrow that on turning the shark had rasped Hythe's hand with his rough skin.

Finding that nothing happened to hurt it, the shark returned to the charge; as it turned on its back the sub could see right into his capacious mouth. He gazed horror-stricken, too terrified even to kick out or utter a sound. Even as he looked the brute's head was literally shattered, dyeing the water with blood, while the sharp report of a rifle rang in Hythe's ears.

The coils of a rope hurtling through the air fell within his reach. He grasped the means of safety, yet was too exhausted to do more. Another shot, and yet another, rang out; then O'Shaunessey, leaping overboard with a bowline, pa.s.sed the loop over his officer's shoulders.

"All right, sorr," exclaimed the Irishman cheerily. "Do you let go.

I'll see to the cap'n, sure I will."

Pale and breathless Hythe was hauled upon the deck of the "Aphrodite."

Captain Restronguet was also drawn into safety, and O'Shaunessey, without any attempt at haste, swarmed up the rope hand over hand.

Devoran and Kenwyn, handing their still smoking rifles to a seaman, hastened to where Captain Restronguet was lying.

"Is he dead?" asked the second officer.

"I am afraid so," replied Devoran gravely, then as the first blast of the approaching storm thrashed the hitherto placid water into sheets of foam he added:--

"Take them below. Secure the hatches. All ready, Mr. Kenwyn."

Gliding serenely deep beneath the surface the "Aphrodite" pursued her way, regardless of the storm that was now raging fiercely overhead.

Flash after flash of vivid lightning played upon the angry water, the glare being plainly visible through the gla.s.s scuttles of the conning-towers, while the deep roar of the thunder literally shook the heavy metal structure of the submarine.

Gathered around the still unconscious form of the captain were Hythe, Devoran, Polglaze, and Mylor the second quartermaster, while without the cabin, anxiously awaiting the latest news of their leader, were all the crew who were not actually on duty.

Kenwyn was at his post in the after conning-tower, Lancarrow in the fore conning-tower was entrusted with keeping the "Aphrodite" on her course, while Carclew was stationed at the electric detector in order to catch the first intimation of the return of the "Vorwartz" to within the range of that instrument's action.

As soon as Captain Restronguet had been undressed the effect of the lightning stroke was apparent. From the nape of his neck to the lower rib was tattooed the image of part of the chain rails and the head of the stanchion. Whether the damage was merely superficial or whether the spine had been affected was still a matter of conjecture. His face was pale and pinched, his wide-open eyes dull, his pulse almost imperceptible. Only by holding a gla.s.s close to his mouth was Devoran able to p.r.o.nounce that his chief was still alive, for there was absolutely no signs of respiration and circulation.

By careful treatment, and by giving the patient small doses of stimulants, the anxious men succeeded in bringing back the colour to Captain Restronguet's wan cheeks. The pupils of his eyes began to dilate, but although he looked at those who stood around him he gave no signs of recognition.

"You did not rescue a dead man, Hythe," remarked Devoran in a low tone.