Air Stories — page 94: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AIR STORIES The submarine started to glide ahead, and two men, one an officer, jumped from the conning-tower to the forward gun. It was at that moment that Billy’s Lewis gun started to spit. ‘*Phut-Phut! Phut!!’’ it snapped, and the two submarine men dropped near the gun. Symes quickly noted that the submarine’s conning-tower was now deserted, also that her nose was slightly down. He gave his engines a burst and taxied closer. He did not know why— it was useless to try and ram her, he was bound to come off second best—but he taxied closer till he was practically touching the deserted superstructure of the now diving submarine. | ‘“Go on,’’ shouted Billy. ‘‘ Closer.’’ ‘‘What’s the good ? ’’ Symes pushed the nose of the flying-boat closer. ‘Closer !’’ The excited Canadian was whirling a rope over his head. Round and round it went, then shot out straight for the gun. The lasso neatly fitted over the. muzzle of the wicked- looking 4.1, and as the submarine quietly slid under the water, Billy quickly paid out his long line, securing the end to the forward bollards. ‘‘ Shut your engines off,’’ he shouted to the pilot. ‘‘ Quick—shut your engines on I” | Symes obeyed, and for a moment the big flying-boat swung idly to the breeze. Then there came a sudden shout from one of the crew in the after cockpit. Symes turned aft in time to see his mechanic drag a German officer, who had been washed from the superstructure of the diving submarine, into the after cockpit of the flying-boat. ‘‘He’s only slightly wounded, sir,’’ the mechanic shouted. Next moment the flying-boat jerked suddenly forward as_ the submarine, having taken up the slack of the rope, began to tow the aircraft, like a diving whale towing the harpoon whalers. The Canadian looked worried. ‘‘ Hope she don’t go too fast, or my line’ll break,’’ he shouted. ‘‘She can only do about two knots under water,’’ Symes stated with autho- rity, ‘‘ and she’s hardly doing that now.’’ 186 ‘*No,’? agreed the Canadian, ‘‘ but I think we’d better get some help, all the same. She can’t sink us, I know, but then we can’t sink her either.”’ | ‘‘Umph !’’ agreed Symes. ‘* We'll see a trawler or something presently. Will the rope hold P ”’ ‘‘ Yes,’’? came the reply. ‘‘ That’s if she doesn’t go more than three knots— or tow us under another ship.’’ For a few moments the two men looked at the tow rope, and realised that if it broke their chance would be lost. ‘*She’s easing up.’’ The Canadian pointed in the direction of the submerged submarine. ‘*‘ Dammit, I think she’s stopped.”’ ‘‘Yes,’’ Symes agreed. ‘* She’s stopped, and we’re plumb over her. Drop the anchor over and see if you can hook on to her superstructure.’’ HE anchor went overboard with a splash and the chain was smartly paid out. The breeze became stronger and the huge flying-boat swung and pulled strongly on the tow rope and chain, indicating that the anchor had gripped something. | ‘If she’s stopped,’? Symes stated, ‘she must be on the bottom. A sub- marine can only stop on the surface or on the bottom. At any other depth she must have a small amount of headway to work her hydroplanes.’’ Suddenly, there was a great swirl on the water ; the chain and tow rope jerked ahead. A periscope appeared, and the swirling of the water increased till it became churned into white foam. Then © the long thin grey submarine broke surface. With her surface engines she was already doing eight knots. But no one appeared on her decks. Without waiting for orders, Billy Rowley brought his machine-gun into action and poured a stream of lead into the conning-tower and periscopes. ‘Stop !’’? shouted the pilot. ‘‘ It’s no use wasting ammunition, that conning- tower’s bullet-proof.’’ ‘‘O.K.,’’ came the reply. ‘‘ But she’s steering a funny course. We’re pretty close to the land and she’s steering COmiclooks (C (©