"Pardon me," she said, "but were I you, I should watch this man Benson—especially when he is in charge." I asked her what she meant, thinking I could see the influence of von Schoenvorts raising a suspicion against one of my most trusted men.
"If you will note the boat's course a half-hour after Benson goes on duty," she said, "you will know what I mean, and you will understand why he prefers a night watch. Possibly, too, you will understand some other things that have taken place aboard."
Then she went back to her room, thus ending the conversation. I waited until half an hour after Benson had gone on duty, and then I went on deck, passing through the conning-tower where Benson sat, and looking at the compass. It showed that our course was north by west—that is, one point west of north, which was, for our assumed position, about right. I was greatly relieved to find that nothing was wrong, for the girl's words had caused me considerable apprehension1. I was about to return to my room when a thought occurred to me that again caused me to change my mind—and, incidentally, came near proving my death-warrant.
When I had left the conning-tower little more than a half-hour since, the sea had been breaking over the port bow, and it seemed to me quite improbable that in so short a time an equally heavy sea could be deluging2 us from the opposite side of the ship—winds may change quickly, but not a long, heavy sea. There was only one other solution—since I left the tower, our course had been altered some eight points. Turning quickly, I climbed out upon the conning-tower. A single glance at the heavens confirmed my suspicions; the constellations3 which should have been dead ahead were directly starboard. We were sailing due west.
Just for an instant longer I stood there to check up my calculations—I wanted to be quite sure before I accused Benson of perfidy4, and about the only thing I came near making quite sure of was death. I cannot see even now how I escaped it. I was standing5 on the edge of the conning-tower, when a heavy palm suddenly struck me between the shoulders and hurled6 me forward into space. The drop to the triangular7 deck forward of the conning-tower might easily have broken a leg for me, or I might have slipped off onto the deck and rolled overboard; but fate was upon my side, as I was only slightly bruised8. As I came to my feet, I heard the conning-tower cover slam. There is a ladder which leads from the deck to the top of the tower. Up this I scrambled10, as fast as I could go; but Benson had the cover tight before I reached it.
I stood there a moment in dumb consternation11. What did the fellow intend? What was going on below? If Benson was a traitor12, how could I know that there were not other traitors13 among us? I cursed myself for my folly14 in going out upon the deck, and then this thought suggested another—a hideous15 one: who was it that had really been responsible for my being here?
Thinking to attract attention from inside the craft, I again ran down the ladder and onto the small deck only to find that the steel covers of the conning-tower windows were shut, and then I leaned with my back against the tower and cursed myself for a gullible16 idiot.
I glanced at the bow. The sea seemed to be getting heavier, for every wave now washed completely over the lower deck. I watched them for a moment, and then a sudden chill pervaded17 my entire being. It was not the chill of wet clothing, or the dashing spray which drenched18 my face; no, it was the chill of the hand of death upon my heart. In an instant I had turned the last corner of life's highway and was looking God Almighty19 in the face—the U-33 was being slowly submerged!
It would be difficult, even impossible, to set down in writing my sensations at that moment. All I can particularly recall is that I laughed, though neither from a spirit of bravado21 nor from hysteria. And I wanted to smoke. Lord! how I did want to smoke; but that was out of the question.
I watched the water rise until the little deck I stood on was awash, and then I clambered once more to the top of the conning-tower. From the very slow submergence of the boat I knew that Benson was doing the entire trick alone—that he was merely permitting the diving-tanks to fill and that the diving-rudders were not in use. The throbbing22 of the engines ceased, and in its stead came the steady vibration23 of the electric motors. The water was halfway24 up the conning-tower! I had perhaps five minutes longer on the deck. I tried to decide what I should do after I was washed away. Should I swim until exhaustion25 claimed me, or should I give up and end the agony at the first plunge26?
From below came two muffled27 reports. They sounded not unlike shots. Was Benson meeting with resistance? Personally it could mean little to me, for even though my men might overcome the enemy, none would know of my predicament until long after it was too late to succor28 me. The top of the conning-tower was now awash. I clung to the wireless29 mast, while the great waves surged sometimes completely over me.
I knew the end was near and, almost involuntarily, I did that which I had not done since childhood—I prayed. After that I felt better.
I clung and waited, but the water rose no higher.
Instead it receded30. Now the top of the conning-tower received only the crests31 of the higher waves; now the little triangular deck below became visible! What had occurred within? Did Benson believe me already gone, and was he emerging because of that belief, or had he and his forces been vanquished32? The suspense33 was more wearing than that which I had endured while waiting for dissolution. Presently the main deck came into view, and then the conning-tower opened behind me, and I turned to look into the anxious face of Bradley. An expression of relief overspread his features.
"Thank God, man!" was all he said as he reached forth35 and dragged me into the tower. I was cold and numb37 and rather all in. Another few minutes would have done for me, I am sure, but the warmth of the interior helped to revive me, aided and abetted38 by some brandy which Bradley poured down my throat, from which it nearly removed the membrane39. That brandy would have revived a corpse40.
When I got down into the centrale, I saw the Germans lined up on one side with a couple of my men with pistols standing over them. Von Schoenvorts was among them. On the floor lay Benson, moaning, and beyond him stood the girl, a revolver in one hand. I looked about, bewildered.
"What has happened down here?" I asked. "Tell me!"
Bradley replied. "You see the result, sir," he said. "It might have been a very different result but for Miss La Rue41. We were all asleep. Benson had relieved the guard early in the evening; there was no one to watch him—no one but Miss La Rue. She felt the submergence of the boat and came out of her room to investigate. She was just in time to see Benson at the diving rudders. When he saw her, he raised his pistol and fired point-blank at her, but he missed and she fired—and didn't miss. The two shots awakened42 everyone, and as our men were armed, the result was inevitable43 as you see it; but it would have been very different had it not been for Miss La Rue. It was she who closed the diving-tank sea-cocks and roused Olson and me, and had the pumps started to empty them."
And there I had been thinking that through her machinations I had been lured44 to the deck and to my death! I could have gone on my knees to her and begged her forgiveness—or at least I could have, had I not been Anglo-Saxon. As it was, I could only remove my soggy cap and bow and mumble45 my appreciation46. She made no reply—only turned and walked very rapidly toward her room. Could I have heard aright? Was it really a sob47 that came floating back to me through the narrow aisle48 of the U-33?
Benson died that night. He remained defiant49 almost to the last; but just before he went out, he motioned to me, and I leaned over to catch the faintly whispered words.
"I did it alone," he said. "I did it because I hate you—I hate all your kind. I was kicked out of your shipyard at Santa Monica. I was locked out of California. I am an I. W. W. I became a German agent—not because I love them, for I hate them too—but because I wanted to injure Americans, whom I hated more. I threw the wireless apparatus50 overboard. I destroyed the chronometer51 and the sextant. I devised a scheme for varying the compass to suit my wishes. I told Wilson that I had seen the girl talking with von Schoenvorts, and I made the poor egg think he had seen her doing the same thing. I am sorry—sorry that my plans failed. I hate you."
He didn't die for a half-hour after that; nor did he speak again—aloud; but just a few seconds before he went to meet his Maker52, his lips moved in a faint whisper; and as I leaned closer to catch his words, what do you suppose I heard? "Now—I—lay me—down—to—sleep" That was all; Benson was dead. We threw his body overboard.
The wind of that night brought on some pretty rough weather with a lot of black clouds which persisted for several days. We didn't know what course we had been holding, and there was no way of finding out, as we could no longer trust the compass, not knowing what Benson had done to it. The long and the short of it was that we cruised about aimlessly until the sun came out again. I'll never forget that day or its surprises. We reckoned, or rather guessed, that we were somewhere off the coast of Peru. The wind, which had been blowing fitfully from the east, suddenly veered53 around into the south, and presently we felt a sudden chill.
"Peru!" snorted Olson. "When were yez after smellin' iceber-rgs off Peru?"
Icebergs54! "Icebergs, nothin'!" exclaimed one of the Englishmen. "Why, man, they don't come north of fourteen here in these waters."
"Then," replied Olson, "ye're sout' of fourteen, me b'y."
We thought he was crazy; but he wasn't, for that afternoon we sighted a great berg south of us, and we'd been running north, we thought, for days. I can tell you we were a discouraged lot; but we got a faint thrill of hope early the next morning when the lookout55 bawled56 down the open hatch: "Land! Land northwest by west!"
I think we were all sick for the sight of land. I know that I was; but my interest was quickly dissipated by the sudden illness of three of the Germans. Almost simultaneously57 they commenced vomiting58. They couldn't suggest any explanation for it. I asked them what they had eaten, and found they had eaten nothing other than the food cooked for all of us. "Have you drunk anything?" I asked, for I knew that there was liquor aboard, and medicines in the same locker59.
"Only water," moaned one of them. "We all drank water together this morning. We opened a new tank. Maybe it was the water."
I started an investigation60 which revealed a terrifying condition—some one, probably Benson, had poisoned all the running water on the ship. It would have been worse, though, had land not been in sight. The sight of land filled us with renewed hope.
Our course had been altered, and we were rapidly approaching what appeared to be a precipitous headland. Cliffs, seemingly rising perpendicularly61 out of the sea, faded away into the mist upon either hand as we approached. The land before us might have been a continent, so mighty20 appeared the shoreline; yet we knew that we must be thousands of miles from the nearest western land-mass—New Zealand or Australia.
We took our bearings with our crude and inaccurate63 instruments; we searched the chart; we cudgeled our brains; and at last it was Bradley who suggested a solution. He was in the tower and watching the compass, to which he called my attention. The needle was pointing straight toward the land. Bradley swung the helm hard to starboard. I could feel the U-33 respond, and yet the arrow still clung straight and sure toward the distant cliffs.
"What do you make of it?" I asked him.
"Did you ever hear of Caproni?" he asked.
"An early Italian navigator?" I returned.
"Yes; he followed Cook about 1721. He is scarcely mentioned even by contemporaneous historians—probably because he got into political difficulties on his return to Italy. It was the fashion to scoff64 at his claims, but I recall reading one of his works—his only one, I believe—in which he described a new continent in the south seas, a continent made up of 'some strange metal' which attracted the compass; a rockbound, inhospitable coast, without beach or harbor, which extended for hundreds of miles. He could make no landing; nor in the several days he cruised about it did he see sign of life. He called it Caprona and sailed away. I believe, sir, that we are looking upon the coast of Caprona, uncharted and forgotten for two hundred years."
"If you are right, it might account for much of the deviation65 of the compass during the past two days," I suggested. "Caprona has been luring66 us upon her deadly rocks. Well, we'll accept her challenge. We'll land upon Caprona. Along that long front there must be a vulnerable spot. We will find it, Bradley, for we must find it. We must find water on Caprona, or we must die."
And so we approached the coast upon which no living eyes had ever rested. Straight from the ocean's depths rose towering cliffs, shot with brown and blues67 and greens—withered moss68 and lichen69 and the verdigris70 of copper71, and everywhere the rusty72 ocher of iron pyrites. The cliff-tops, though ragged36, were of such uniform height as to suggest the boundaries of a great plateau, and now and again we caught glimpses of verdure topping the rocky escarpment, as though bush or jungle-land had pushed outward from a lush vegetation farther inland to signal to an unseeing world that Caprona lived and joyed in life beyond her austere73 and repellent coast.
But metaphor74, however poetic75, never slaked76 a dry throat. To enjoy Caprona's romantic suggestions we must have water, and so we came in close, always sounding, and skirted the shore. As close in as we dared cruise, we found fathomless77 depths, and always the same undented coastline of bald cliffs. As darkness threatened, we drew away and lay well off the coast all night. We had not as yet really commenced to suffer for lack of water; but I knew that it would not be long before we did, and so at the first streak78 of dawn I moved in again and once more took up the hopeless survey of the forbidding coast.
Toward noon we discovered a beach, the first we had seen. It was a narrow strip of sand at the base of a part of the cliff that seemed lower than any we had before scanned. At its foot, half buried in the sand, lay great boulders79, mute evidence that in a bygone age some mighty natural force had crumpled80 Caprona's barrier at this point. It was Bradley who first called our attention to a strange object lying among the boulders above the surf.
"Looks like a man," he said, and passed his glasses to me.
I looked long and carefully and could have sworn that the thing I saw was the sprawled81 figure of a human being. Miss La Rue was on deck with us. I turned and asked her to go below. Without a word she did as I bade. Then I stripped, and as I did so, Nobs looked questioningly at me. He had been wont82 at home to enter the surf with me, and evidently he had not forgotten it.
"What are you going to do, sir?" asked Olson.
"I'm going to see what that thing is on shore," I replied. "If it's a man, it may mean that Caprona is inhabited, or it may merely mean that some poor devils were shipwrecked here. I ought to be able to tell from the clothing which is more near the truth.
"Here you are, sir," cried one of the men.
It was a long slim blade he offered—one that I could carry between my teeth—and so I accepted it gladly.
"Keep close in," I directed Bradley, and then I dived over the side and struck out for the narrow beach. There was another splash directly behind me, and turning my head, I saw faithful old Nobs swimming valiantly85 in my wake.
The surf was not heavy, and there was no undertow, so we made shore easily, effecting an equally easy landing. The beach was composed largely of small stones worn smooth by the action of water. There was little sand, though from the deck of the U-33 the beach had appeared to be all sand, and I saw no evidences of mollusca or crustacea such as are common to all beaches I have previously86 seen. I attribute this to the fact of the smallness of the beach, the enormous depth of surrounding water and the great distance at which Caprona lies from her nearest neighbor.
As Nobs and I approached the recumbent figure farther up the beach, I was appraised87 by my nose that whether man or not, the thing had once been organic and alive, but that for some time it had been dead. Nobs halted, sniffed88 and growled89. A little later he sat down upon his haunches, raised his muzzle90 to the heavens and bayed forth a most dismal91 howl. I shied a small stone at him and bade him shut up—his uncanny noise made me nervous. When I had come quite close to the thing, I still could not say whether it had been man or beast. The carcass was badly swollen92 and partly decomposed93. There was no sign of clothing upon or about it. A fine, brownish hair covered the chest and abdomen94, and the face, the palms of the hands, the feet, the shoulders and back were practically hairless. The creature must have been about the height of a fair sized man; its features were similar to those of a man; yet had it been a man?
I could not say, for it resembled an ape no more than it did a man. Its large toes protruded95 laterally96 as do those of the semiarboreal peoples of Borneo, the Philippines and other remote regions where low types still persist. The countenance97 might have been that of a cross between Pithecanthropus, the Java ape-man, and a daughter of the Piltdown race of prehistoric98 Sussex. A wooden cudgel lay beside the corpse.
Now this fact set me thinking. There was no wood of any description in sight. There was nothing about the beach to suggest a wrecked83 mariner99. There was absolutely nothing about the body to suggest that it might possibly in life have known a maritime100 experience. It was the body of a low type of man or a high type of beast. In neither instance would it have been of a seafaring race. Therefore I deduced that it was native to Caprona—that it lived inland, and that it had fallen or been hurled from the cliffs above. Such being the case, Caprona was inhabitable, if not inhabited, by man; but how to reach the inhabitable interior! That was the question. A closer view of the cliffs than had been afforded me from the deck of the U-33 only confirmed my conviction that no mortal man could scale those perpendicular62 heights; there was not a finger-hold, not a toe-hold, upon them. I turned away baffled.
Nobs and I met with no sharks upon our return journey to the submarine. My report filled everyone with theories and speculations101, and with renewed hope and determination. They all reasoned along the same lines that I had reasoned—the conclusions were obvious, but not the water. We were now thirstier than ever.
The balance of that day we spent in continuing a minute and fruitless exploration of the monotonous102 coast. There was not another break in the frowning cliffs—not even another minute patch of pebbly103 beach. As the sun fell, so did our spirits. I had tried to make advances to the girl again; but she would have none of me, and so I was not only thirsty but otherwise sad and downhearted. I was glad when the new day broke the hideous spell of a sleepless104 night.
The morning's search brought us no shred105 of hope. Caprona was impregnable—that was the decision of all; yet we kept on. It must have been about two bells of the afternoon watch that Bradley called my attention to the branch of a tree, with leaves upon it, floating on the sea. "It may have been carried down to the ocean by a river," he suggested.
"Yes," I replied, "it may have; it may have tumbled or been thrown off the top of one of these cliffs."
Bradley's face fell. "I thought of that, too," he replied, "but I wanted to believe the other."
"Right you are!" I cried. "We must believe the other until we prove it false. We can't afford to give up heart now, when we need heart most. The branch was carried down by a river, and we are going to find that river." I smote106 my open palm with a clenched107 fist, to emphasize a determination unsupported by hope. "There!" I cried suddenly. "See that, Bradley?" And I pointed108 at a spot closer to shore. "See that, man!" Some flowers and grasses and another leafy branch floated toward us. We both scanned the water and the coastline. Bradley evidently discovered something, or at least thought that he had. He called down for a bucket and a rope, and when they were passed up to him, he lowered the former into the sea and drew it in filled with water. Of this he took a taste, and straightening up, looked into my eyes with an expression of elation—as much as to say "I told you so!"
"This water is warm," he announced, "and fresh!"
I grabbed the bucket and tasted its contents. The water was very warm, and it was fresh, but there was a most unpleasant taste to it.
"That's it," I exclaimed, "—that's just the taste exactly, though I haven't experienced it since boyhood; but how can water from a flowing stream, taste thus, and what the dickens makes it so warm? It must be at least 70 or 80 Fahrenheit112, possibly higher."
"Yes," agreed Bradley, "I should say higher; but where does it come from?"
"That is easily discovered now that we have found it," I answered. "It can't come from the ocean; so it must come from the land. All that we have to do is follow it, and sooner or later we shall come upon its source."
We were already rather close in; but I ordered the U-33's prow113 turned inshore and we crept slowly along, constantly dipping up the water and tasting it to assure ourselves that we didn't get outside the fresh-water current. There was a very light off-shore wind and scarcely any breakers, so that the approach to the shore was continued without finding bottom; yet though we were already quite close, we saw no indication of any indention in the coast from which even a tiny brooklet114 might issue, and certainly no mouth of a large river such as this must necessarily be to freshen the ocean even two hundred yards from shore. The tide was running out, and this, together with the strong flow of the freshwater current, would have prevented our going against the cliffs even had we not been under power; as it was we had to buck109 the combined forces in order to hold our position at all. We came up to within twenty-five feet of the sheer wall, which loomed115 high above us. There was no break in its forbidding face. As we watched the face of the waters and searched the cliff's high face, Olson suggested that the fresh water might come from a submarine geyser. This, he said, would account for its heat; but even as he spoke116 a bush, covered thickly with leaves and flowers, bubbled to the surface and floated off astern.
"Flowering shrubs117 don't thrive in the subterranean118 caverns119 from which geysers spring," suggested Bradley.
Olson shook his head. "It beats me," he said.
"I've got it!" I exclaimed suddenly. "Look there!" And I pointed at the base of the cliff ahead of us, which the receding120 tide was gradually exposing to our view. They all looked, and all saw what I had seen—the top of a dark opening in the rock, through which water was pouring out into the sea. "It's the subterranean channel of an inland river," I cried. "It flows through a land covered with vegetation—and therefore a land upon which the sun shines. No subterranean caverns produce any order of plant life even remotely resembling what we have seen disgorged by this river. Beyond those cliffs lie fertile lands and fresh water—perhaps, game!"
"Yis, sir," said Olson, "behoind the cliffs! Ye spoke a true word, sir—behoind!"
Bradley laughed—a rather sorry laugh, though. "You might as well call our attention to the fact, sir," he said, "that science has indicated that there is fresh water and vegetation on Mars."
"Not at all," I rejoined. "A U-boat isn't constructed to navigate121 space, but it is designed to travel below the surface of the water."
"You'd be after sailin' into that blank pocket?" asked Olson.
"I would, Olson," I replied. "We haven't one chance for life in a hundred thousand if we don't find food and water upon Caprona. This water coming out of the cliff is not salt; but neither is it fit to drink, though each of us has drunk. It is fair to assume that inland the river is fed by pure streams, that there are fruits and herbs and game. Shall we lie out here and die of thirst and starvation with a land of plenty possibly only a few hundred yards away? We have the means for navigating122 a subterranean river. Are we too cowardly to utilize123 this means?"
"Be afther goin' to it," said Olson.
"I'm willing to see it through," agreed Bradley.
"Then under the bottom, wi' the best o' luck an' give 'em hell!" cried a young fellow who had been in the trenches124.
"To the diving-stations!" I commanded, and in less than a minute the deck was deserted125, the conning-tower covers had slammed to and the U-33 was submerging—possibly for the last time. I know that I had this feeling, and I think that most of the others did.
As we went down, I sat in the tower with the searchlight projecting its seemingly feeble rays ahead. We submerged very slowly and without headway more than sufficient to keep her nose in the right direction, and as we went down, I saw outlined ahead of us the black opening in the great cliff. It was an opening that would have admitted a half-dozen U-boats at one and the same time, roughly cylindrical126 in contour—and dark as the pit of perdition.
As I gave the command which sent the U-33 slowly ahead, I could not but feel a certain uncanny presentiment127 of evil. Where were we going? What lay at the end of this great sewer128? Had we bidden farewell forever to the sunlight and life, or were there before us dangers even greater than those which we now faced? I tried to keep my mind from vain imagining by calling everything which I observed to the eager ears below. I was the eyes of the whole company, and I did my best not to fail them. We had advanced a hundred yards, perhaps, when our first danger confronted us. Just ahead was a sharp right-angle turn in the tunnel. I could see the river's flotsam hurtling against the rocky wall upon the left as it was driven on by the mighty current, and I feared for the safety of the U-33 in making so sharp a turn under such adverse129 conditions; but there was nothing for it but to try. I didn't warn my fellows of the danger—it could have but caused them useless apprehension, for if we were to be smashed against the rocky wall, no power on earth could avert130 the quick end that would come to us. I gave the command full speed ahead and went charging toward the menace. I was forced to approach the dangerous left-hand wall in order to make the turn, and I depended upon the power of the motors to carry us through the surging waters in safety. Well, we made it; but it was a narrow squeak131. As we swung around, the full force of the current caught us and drove the stern against the rocks; there was a thud which sent a tremor132 through the whole craft, and then a moment of nasty grinding as the steel hull133 scraped the rock wall. I expected momentarily the inrush of waters that would seal our doom134; but presently from below came the welcome word that all was well.
In another fifty yards there was a second turn, this time toward the left! but it was more of a gentle curve, and we took it without trouble. After that it was plain sailing, though as far as I could know, there might be most anything ahead of us, and my nerves strained to the snapping-point every instant. After the second turn the channel ran comparatively straight for between one hundred and fifty and two hundred yards. The waters grew suddenly lighter135, and my spirits rose accordingly. I shouted down to those below that I saw daylight ahead, and a great shout of thanksgiving reverberated136 through the ship. A moment later we emerged into sunlit water, and immediately I raised the periscope137 and looked about me upon the strangest landscape I had ever seen.
We were in the middle of a broad and now sluggish138 river the banks of which were lined by giant, arboraceous ferns, raising their mighty fronds139 fifty, one hundred, two hundred feet into the quiet air. Close by us something rose to the surface of the river and dashed at the periscope. I had a vision of wide, distended140 jaws141, and then all was blotted142 out. A shiver ran down into the tower as the thing closed upon the periscope. A moment later it was gone, and I could see again. Above the trees there soared into my vision a huge thing on batlike wings—a creature large as a large whale, but fashioned more after the order of a lizard143. Then again something charged the periscope and blotted out the mirror. I will confess that I was almost gasping144 for breath as I gave the commands to emerge. Into what sort of strange land had fate guided us?
The instant the deck was awash, I opened the conning-tower hatch and stepped out. In another minute the deck-hatch lifted, and those who were not on duty below streamed up the ladder, Olson bringing Nobs under one arm. For several minutes no one spoke; I think they must each have been as overcome by awe145 as was I. All about us was a flora146 and fauna147 as strange and wonderful to us as might have been those upon a distant planet had we suddenly been miraculously148 transported through ether to an unknown world. Even the grass upon the nearer bank was unearthly—lush and high it grew, and each blade bore upon its tip a brilliant flower—violet or yellow or carmine149 or blue—making as gorgeous a sward as human imagination might conceive. But the life! It teemed150. The tall, fernlike trees were alive with monkeys, snakes, and lizards151. Huge insects hummed and buzzed hither and thither152. Mighty forms could be seen moving upon the ground in the thick forest, while the bosom153 of the river wriggled154 with living things, and above flapped the wings of gigantic creatures such as we are taught have been extinct throughout countless155 ages.
"Look!" cried Olson. "Would you look at the giraffe comin' up out o' the bottom of the say?" We looked in the direction he pointed and saw a long, glossy156 neck surmounted157 by a small head rising above the surface of the river. Presently the back of the creature was exposed, brown and glossy as the water dripped from it. It turned its eyes upon us, opened its lizard-like mouth, emitted a shrill158 hiss159 and came for us. The thing must have been sixteen or eighteen feet in length and closely resembled pictures I had seen of restored plesiosaurs of the lower Jurassic. It charged us as savagely160 as a mad bull, and one would have thought it intended to destroy and devour161 the mighty U-boat, as I verily believe it did intend.
We were moving slowly up the river as the creature bore down upon us with distended jaws. The long neck was far outstretched, and the four flippers with which it swam were working with powerful strokes, carrying it forward at a rapid pace. When it reached the craft's side, the jaws closed upon one of the stanchions of the deck rail and tore it from its socket163 as though it had been a toothpick stuck in putty. At this exhibition of titanic164 strength I think we all simultaneously stepped backward, and Bradley drew his revolver and fired. The bullet struck the thing in the neck, just above its body; but instead of disabling it, merely increased its rage. Its hissing165 rose to a shrill scream as it raised half its body out of water onto the sloping sides of the hull of the U-33 and endeavored to scramble9 upon the deck to devour us. A dozen shots rang out as we who were armed drew our pistols and fired at the thing; but though struck several times, it showed no signs of succumbing166 and only floundered farther aboard the submarine.
I had noticed that the girl had come on deck and was standing not far behind me, and when I saw the danger to which we were all exposed, I turned and forced her toward the hatch. We had not spoken for some days, and we did not speak now; but she gave me a disdainful look, which was quite as eloquent167 as words, and broke loose from my grasp. I saw I could do nothing with her unless I exerted force, and so I turned with my back toward her that I might be in a position to shield her from the strange reptile168 should it really succeed in reaching the deck; and as I did so I saw the thing raise one flipper162 over the rail, dart169 its head forward and with the quickness of lightning seize upon one of the boches. I ran forward, discharging my pistol into the creature's body in an effort to force it to relinquish170 its prey171; but I might as profitably have shot at the sun.
Shrieking172 and screaming, the German was dragged from the deck, and the moment the reptile was clear of the boat, it dived beneath the surface of the water with its terrified prey. I think we were all more or less shaken by the frightfulness173 of the tragedy—until Olson remarked that the balance of power now rested where it belonged. Following the death of Benson we had been nine and nine—nine Germans and nine "Allies," as we called ourselves, now there were but eight Germans. We never counted the girl on either side, I suppose because she was a girl, though we knew well enough now that she was ours.
And so Olson's remark helped to clear the atmosphere for the Allies at least, and then our attention was once more directed toward the river, for around us there had sprung up a perfect bedlam174 of screams and hisses175 and a seething176 caldron of hideous reptiles177, devoid178 of fear and filled only with hunger and with rage. They clambered, squirmed and wriggled to the deck, forcing us steadily179 backward, though we emptied our pistols into them. There were all sorts and conditions of horrible things—huge, hideous, grotesque180, monstrous—a veritable Mesozoic nightmare. I saw that the girl was gotten below as quickly as possible, and she took Nobs with her—poor Nobs had nearly barked his head off; and I think, too, that for the first time since his littlest puppyhood he had known fear; nor can I blame him. After the girl I sent Bradley and most of the Allies and then the Germans who were on deck—von Schoenvorts being still in irons below.
The creatures were approaching perilously181 close before I dropped through the hatchway and slammed down the cover. Then I went into the tower and ordered full speed ahead, hoping to distance the fearsome things; but it was useless. Not only could any of them easily outdistance the U-33, but the further upstream we progressed the greater the number of our besiegers, until fearful of navigating a strange river at high speed, I gave orders to reduce and moved slowly and majestically182 through the plunging183, hissing mass. I was mighty glad that our entrance into the interior of Caprona had been inside a submarine rather than in any other form of vessel184. I could readily understand how it might have been that Caprona had been invaded in the past by venturesome navigators without word of it ever reaching the outside world, for I can assure you that only by submarine could man pass up that great sluggish river, alive.
We proceeded up the river for some forty miles before darkness overtook us. I was afraid to submerge and lie on the bottom overnight for fear that the mud might be deep enough to hold us, and as we could not hold with the anchor, I ran in close to shore, and in a brief interim185 of attack from the reptiles we made fast to a large tree. We also dipped up some of the river water and found it, though quite warm, a little sweeter than before. We had food enough, and with the water we were all quite refreshed; but we missed fresh meat. It had been weeks, now, since we had tasted it, and the sight of the reptiles gave me an idea—that a steak or two from one of them might not be bad eating. So I went on deck with a rifle, twenty of which were aboard the U-33. At sight of me a huge thing charged and climbed to the deck. I retreated to the top of the conning-tower, and when it had raised its mighty bulk to the level of the little deck on which I stood, I let it have a bullet right between the eyes.
The thing stopped then and looked at me a moment as much as to say: "Why this thing has a stinger! I must be careful." And then it reached out its long neck and opened its mighty jaws and grabbed for me; but I wasn't there. I had tumbled backward into the tower, and I mighty near killed myself doing it. When I glanced up, that little head on the end of its long neck was coming straight down on top of me, and once more I tumbled into greater safety, sprawling186 upon the floor of the centrale.
Olson was looking up, and seeing what was poking187 about in the tower, ran for an ax; nor did he hesitate a moment when he returned with one, but sprang up the ladder and commenced chopping away at that hideous face. The thing didn't have sufficient brainpan to entertain more than a single idea at once. Though chopped and hacked188, and with a bullethole between its eyes, it still persisted madly in its attempt to get inside the tower and devour Olson, though its body was many times the diameter of the hatch; nor did it cease its efforts until after Olson had succeeded in decapitating it. Then the two men went on deck through the main hatch, and while one kept watch, the other cut a hind34 quarter off Plesiosaurus Olsoni, as Bradley dubbed189 the thing. Meantime Olson cut off the long neck, saying that it would make fine soup. By the time we had cleared away the blood and refuse in the tower, the cook had juicy steaks and a steaming broth190 upon the electric stove, and the aroma191 arising from P. Olsoni filled us all with a hitherto unfelt admiration192 for him and all his kind.
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1
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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deluging
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| v.使淹没( deluge的现在分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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perfidy
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| n.背信弃义，不忠贞 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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triangular
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| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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14
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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15
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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gullible
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| adj.易受骗的；轻信的 | |
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17
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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19
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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22
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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23
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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24
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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25
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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26
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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28
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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29
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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30
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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31
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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32
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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33
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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34
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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36
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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37
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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38
abetted
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| v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；怂恿；支持 | |
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39
membrane
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| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
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40
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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41
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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42
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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43
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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44
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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45
mumble
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| n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝 | |
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46
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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47
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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48
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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49
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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50
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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51
chronometer
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| n.精密的计时器 | |
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52
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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53
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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54
icebergs
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| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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55
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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56
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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57
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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58
vomiting
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| 吐 | |
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59
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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60
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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61
perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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63
inaccurate
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| adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的 | |
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64
scoff
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| n.嘲笑，笑柄，愚弄；v.嘲笑，嘲弄，愚弄，狼吞虎咽 | |
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65
deviation
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| n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题 | |
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66
luring
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式） | |
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67
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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68
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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69
lichen
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| n.地衣, 青苔 | |
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70
verdigris
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| n.铜锈；铜绿 | |
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71
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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72
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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73
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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74
metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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75
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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76
slaked
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| v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
fathomless
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| a.深不可测的 | |
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78
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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79
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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80
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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81
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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82
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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83
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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84
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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85
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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86
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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87
appraised
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| v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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88
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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89
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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90
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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91
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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92
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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93
decomposed
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| 已分解的，已腐烂的 | |
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abdomen
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| n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
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95
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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96
laterally
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| ad.横向地；侧面地；旁边地 | |
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97
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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100
maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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102
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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103
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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104
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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105
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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106
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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107
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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109
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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110
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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111
tadpoles
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| n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 ) | |
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112
Fahrenheit
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| n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的) | |
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113
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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114
brooklet
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| n. 细流, 小河 | |
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115
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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116
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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117
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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118
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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119
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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120
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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121
navigate
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| v.航行，飞行；导航，领航 | |
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122
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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123
utilize
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| vt.使用，利用 | |
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124
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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125
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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126
cylindrical
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| adj.圆筒形的 | |
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127
presentiment
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| n.预感，预觉 | |
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128
sewer
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| n.排水沟，下水道 | |
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129
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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130
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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131
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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132
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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133
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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134
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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135
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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136
reverberated
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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137
periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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138
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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139
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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140
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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142
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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143
lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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144
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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145
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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146
flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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147
fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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148
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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149
carmine
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| n.深红色，洋红色 | |
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150
teemed
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| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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151
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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152
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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153
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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154
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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155
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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156
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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157
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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158
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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159
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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160
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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161
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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162
flipper
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| n. 鳍状肢，潜水用橡皮制鳍状肢 | |
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163
socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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164
titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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165
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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166
succumbing
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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167
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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168
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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169
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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170
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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171
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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172
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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173
frightfulness
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| 可怕； 丑恶； 讨厌； 恐怖政策 | |
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174
bedlam
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| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
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175
hisses
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| 嘶嘶声( hiss的名词复数 ) | |
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176
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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177
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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178
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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179
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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180
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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181
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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182
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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183
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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184
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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185
interim
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| adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间 | |
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186
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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187
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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188
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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189
dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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190
broth
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| n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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191
aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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192
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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