Glancing up, I saw that the tower was empty, and I lost no time in clambering
up, looking about me. About a hundred yards off lay a small, swift
cruiser-raider, and above her floated the German man-of-war’s flag. A boat had
just been lowered, and I could see it moving toward us filled with officers and
men. The cruiser lay dead ahead. “My,” I thought, “what a wonderful targ—” I
stopped even thinking, so surprised and shocked was I by the boldness of my
imagery. The girl was just below me. I looked down on her wistfully. Could I
trust her? Why had she released me at this moment? I must! I must! There was no
other way. I dropped back below. “Ask Olson to step down here, please,” I
requested; “and don’t let anyone see you ask him.”
She looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face for the barest fraction
of a second, and then she turned and went up the ladder. A moment later Olson
returned, and the girl followed him. “Quick!” I whispered to the big Irishman,
and made for the bow compartment where the torpedo-tubes are built into the
boat; here, too, were the torpedoes. The girl accompanied us, and when she saw
the thing I had in mind, she stepped forward and lent a hand to the swinging of
the great cylinder of death and destruction into the mouth of its tube. With
oil and main strength we shoved the torpedo home and shut the tube; then I ran
back to the conning-tower, praying in my heart of hearts that the _U_-33
had not swung her bow away from the prey. No, thank God!
Never could aim have been truer. I signaled back to Olson: “Let ’er go!” The
_U_-33 trembled from stem to stern as the torpedo shot from its tube. I
saw the white wake leap from her bow straight toward the enemy cruiser. A
chorus of hoarse yells arose from the deck of our own craft: I saw the officers
stand suddenly erect in the boat that was approaching us, and I heard loud
cries and curses from the raider. Then I turned my attention to my own
business. Most of the men on the submarine’s deck were standing in paralyzed
fascination, staring at the torpedo. Bradley happened to be looking toward the
conning-tower and saw me. I sprang on deck and ran toward him. “Quick!” I
whispered. “While they are stunned, we must overcome them.”
A German was standing near Bradley—just in front of him. The Englishman struck
the fellow a frantic blow upon the neck and at the same time snatched his
pistol from its holster. Von Schoenvorts had recovered from his first surprise
quickly and had turned toward the main hatch to investigate. I covered him with
my revolver, and at the same instant the torpedo struck the raider, the
terrific explosion drowning the German’s command to his men.
Bradley was now running from one to another of our men, and though some of the
Germans saw and heard him, they seemed too stunned for action.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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