Billy Whiskers in France by Frances Trego Montgomery - HTML preview

CHAPTER XV
 BLOWN UP BY A SUBMARINE

YOU will be surprised to learn that the Chums had no trouble whatever in sneaking off the canal boat and secreting themselves on a packet bound for Queenstown that night.

Before boarding the boat Billy said, “This boat is not sailing for America, but we must take any boat we can get on to escape from France where we are so well known. If we don’t, we will be captured and sent back into the army in no time. When we get to Queenstown, we can ship on another bound for the United States of America, for many boats stop there before crossing the ocean to pick up the last mail from England.”

The boat they were on left the dock at about half past nine, with all lights out, as was necessary to avoid attracting the attention of the submarines that infested those waters. For a wonder the Channel was smooth as glass and as the night was clear, with a big moon shining, anything afloat on the water could be seen for miles.

“Keep your weather eye peeled for submarine periscopes!” said Billy to Stubby and Button as they lay on the forward deck, looking out over the water.

It was after midnight and every one was in bed but the officers of the ship and the sailors on the lookout for submarines when Billy’s sharp eyes saw something that looked like a log of wood standing straight up in the water. Before he could call out, “A periscope!” a black object was seen skipping over the surface of the water and the next thing he knew he was flying up in the air amid a spray of water. When he came down he struck the water about a hundred feet from where he went up and he felt himself going down, down, down toward the bottom of the ocean. But it was too deep for him to strike bottom here, so after going down, down, down, he began to come up, up, up, and when he got to the surface and shook the water out of his eyes, he looked around to see if he could discover Stubby or Button. And oh, joy! there they both were swimming towards him unhurt.

Luckily for them, not one of them had been injured in the least. Just then a big piece of wreckage that would act as a raft floated near them and they all crawled upon it, and were just in time to see what was left of the packet sink beneath the waves. They also saw that two lifeboats were afloat toward which many black heads could be seen swimming. Soon the swimmers reached the boats and climbed into them, and Billy saw they were the Captain and officers of the ship along with some of the sailors and passengers. As soon as they were in the lifeboats, they began picking up the people they saw in the water, and as there were but few passengers aboard all were saved. For a wonder the U-boat did not send another torpedo after them which in all probability they would have done had they not been frightened away by a guard boat coming to the rescue. After it had chased the submarine away, it came back and picked up all the passengers of the lifeboats and steamed away toward Ireland with them as they happened to be very near Queenstown.

Now none of the people had seen or heard the Chums on their raft though Billy baaed, Stubby barked and Button mewed.

“Well, there are two or three things to be thankful for,” said Billy. “First of all, we are alive and unhurt. The next is that the tide is carrying us inshore instead of out to sea, and the wind is blowing that way too. But most important of all is the fact that we are not far from land, and if the tide doesn’t turn and carry us out to sea, we should reach land at the rate we are floating now in about two hours. If we see the tide is turning, we can jump off the raft and swim for shore.”

“You would see some good in every situation, even if your home was burning,” declared Button.

“Well, wouldn’t you?” asked Billy.

“No. I nearly always feel despondent when in bad luck until I get mad and think what is the use. Then I make the best of whatever comes, while patient little Stubby here says nothing but just saws wood, as the saying is.”

Soon after daylight the raft touched the shore, and the Chums lost no time in leaving it, I can tell you. In the distance up the shore they saw a number of fishermen’s cottages. Stubby and Button proposed to walk up to them and see if they could not get something to eat, while Billy waited for them near by and made his breakfast of shamrock, for they were on Irish soil, the native heath of the shamrock.

The fishermen received them kindly, and gave them plenty to eat and drink. Then a quarrel arose as to who should own the dog and cat that had come to them so strangely. At last it was proposed to auction them off. The bidding was in kegs of fish instead of in money, however.

While the excitement of the bidding was going on, Stubby and Button thought it a good time to steal away and join Billy. The last Stubby heard were these words, “I’ll give three kegs of fresh fish for the little dog!”

When they got back to Billy, they hurriedly told him what was up and explained that the men Billy saw waving their arms and shouting were only bidding in the auction and not preparing to fight each other.

“But we better scoot out of here before they miss us or we will be captured and tied up.” And for the next half hour the Chums ran straight inland, only stopping long enough to get their breath, then running on some more. They were not followed, however, and at last they slowed down beside the roadside to listen to the passersby, to try to find out what part of Ireland they were in and how far it was to the nearest seaport from which large vessels sailed. Imagine their joy when they found they were only four miles from Queenstown and on the direct road that led there!

It was no trick at all to reach that city and when they arrived they went straight to the wharf to look for a boat to carry them still nearer America.

“Look! Billy, look!” exclaimed Stubby. “There is a big camouflaged troop ship lying at the dock. They can’t fool me with their camouflaged ships; I have seen too many of them.”

For the next few minutes you could not see the Chums for dust as they ran toward the ship. Sure enough, it was just as Stubby said. It was an empty troop ship returning to the United States of America for more soldiers, and had only stopped here for coal and provisions. There not being any troops aboard, it was easy for the Chums to steal on board and hide themselves until the ship was away out to sea before showing themselves.

“I bet you,” said Stubby, “that that old submarine that blew us up was waiting for this troop ship in the hopes of blowing it up and while waiting for it to put to sea, they just blew up the packet we were on to keep their hands in.”

“I shouldn’t wonder in the least,” replied Stubby, “if that was just what they were up to. And perhaps we will be torpedoed again.”

“Well, I will take my chance, won’t you, fellows?” said Billy, “for I am anxious to set foot on American soil once more, and I want it to be the U. S. part of it, not South America or Mexico.”

“Listen!” commanded Button. “I hear the propeller beginning to move.” This so excited Button that he jumped up and ran up and down the big coal pile beside which he had been hiding. This started the coal to rolling so that it nearly buried Stubby and Billy under it, and filled their eyes with coal dust.

“You stupid, stop that!” barked Stubby. “Do you want to bury us alive, or have some one come to see why the coal started rolling?”

“No, of course not, but I am so glad to be on the last lap of our journey home that I had to express myself in action or blow up.”

“I should think you had had enough blow-ups for one while. And you are likely to have another before we reach New York harbor, for which port I hear this ship is bound,” said Billy.

“New York, did you say?” asked Stubby. “Oh, I am so glad we are sailing for New York instead of for Philadelphia, Baltimore or some other port. I always like to return to America by way of New York and have the Goddess of Liberty welcome me home with extended arms.”

The trip across the Atlantic was a fast and pleasant one and the Chums made friends of all on board, just as they always did wherever they were.

They waited until the second day at sea before they showed themselves, and when they came slowly walking up on deck and stood before the Captain as much as to say, “Here we are! You may do with us what you will,” he nearly fell over with surprise and then took pity on them, for they were a sorry, hungry looking trio after having been shut in the coal bunker for a day and a night. He ordered them scrubbed and fed, and when he saw them again he did not recognize them at once, for he thought they were all three black. Now the dust was washed off them, he found only one was black, while one was yellow and the other white.

As he stood looking at them, the sailor who had been ordered to wash them came up and after saluting the Captain said,

“Captain, will you kindly read what is on the medals around their necks? They each have one, but they do not show unless you look for them as they are concealed by their hair. When we went to work on them we found each wore a medal around his neck.”

While the Captain was reading the medal Billy wore, he had a good look at the Captain and was surprised that he had not noticed before that this Captain was the very same one with whom he had crossed when he sailed for France with his regiment. At the same time the Captain recognized Billy.

“Well, well, Billy, old boy, how are you? But no need to ask, for you are looking fine. And the only thing different I see about you is that you have lost the end of your tail. Blown off by a bomb, I bet! But where did you pick up your two friends? Wait; I will read what their medals say and perhaps that will throw some light on who they are. Lieutenant, come here!” called the Captain to a second lieutenant who was passing. “Just read these medals and see whom we have with us.”

“Holy Moses!” exclaimed the lieutenant. “This is a find! Didn’t you know that there is a reward of one thousand dollars offered for each of these animals by the regiments they belong to?”

“Jumping ginger! You don’t mean it?” exclaimed the Captain. “They must have gotten homesick and run away.”

“You have said it!” baaed Billy, “and there is no place like home when that home is in the United States of America.”

THE END