CHAPTER XXVI.
PRISONERS ON THE HOLLAND XI.
"Prisoners!"
Such was the single word which burst from Oscar's lips as he tried to sit up on his couch.
He almost thought he was dreaming, but when he tried to raise his arm and found it tied fast to his resting place, he fully realized the direful situation.
"And who are you?" he went on slowly.
"Captain Roquez, but not at your service," returned the Spaniard, with a baneful glance. "The Americanos defeated my country in Cuba, years ago, but they shall never defeat me again. On the contrary, I shall have a splendid revenge upon all the Yankee navy—now I am master of the new Holland.
"Oscar, this is an outrage," put in Andy, after finding himself also bound. He turned to Roquez. "What have you done with the engineer and the others?"
"All prisoners, excepting one man, who slept at the door of the ammunition room."
"That was Marney, the air man. What of him?"
"He tried to resist, and he is now at the bottom of the sea."
"You killed him?"
Captain Roquez nodded, coldly.
"And I will kill every one of you if you try to resist me," he added grimly.
"How do you expect to run this boat?" questioned Oscar, curiously. "Do you not know that it takes a well-drilled expert to do the trick?"
"Humph! We are prepared!" said the Spaniard. "Rest assured that I knew what I was doing when I planned to capture the new Holland."
"Well, I'll wager a dollar you can't run the boat," said Oscar, decidedly.
"Then if we cannot we will force you and your men to run it for us."
"I'll see you hanged first!"
"And so will I!" added Andy, promptly.
"Ho! Do not speak so, or I will run you through with this!" cried the Spaniard, and flourished a long dagger in their faces.
A moment later Captain Roquez went away, leaving Oscar and Andy in charge of one of the Spanish sailors, Canelli, by name.
Canelli could not speak English, so to converse with him was out of the question.
"Oscar, this looks as if we were in a pickle," came from the lieutenant, with something of a groan.
"That's true, Andy. How are your bonds."
"As tight as a drum. And yours?"
"Ready to cut the wrists and ankles off me."
"They know how to tie knots, don't they?"
"They do."
"I wonder how they intend to run the Holland? I don't see how they can manage our intricate machinery," went on Andy, musingly.
"They can't run her unless they have an expert machinist aboard, and even then he'll have to know something of submarine boats. If any ordinary fellow tackles George Dross' job, he'll run us to the bottom or blow us up."
Canelli now came forward and clapped his hand on each of their mouths, at the same time showing them his knife, upon the blade of which was a quantity of dried blood.
This was a warning to keep silent, and as the Spaniard looked like a wicked wretch, capable of doing almost anything, they stopped conversing.
Half an hour went by and all remained silent on board.
The trap-door was still open, but now of a sudden they heard the well-known click-click as the trap closed.
"Found out how to shut her up, anyway," murmured Andy.
Both strained their ears to learn what the next movement of the captors of the Holland would be.
They heard earnest talking in the power room, where George Dross lay, bound to an iron bench.
"Won't tell ye a thing, hang ye!" came presently from the old engineer. "I run this ship for Cap'n Pelham, not for the likes o' you!"
"Good for Dross!" whispered Oscar. "I knew he would stick by us."
"If you won't help us we will kill you!" came in Captain Roquez's voice.
To this George Dross was silent.
Then followed pleading and curses, but all to no effect. Finally Captain Roquez and another man came out into the passageway in front of the apartment in which Oscar and Andy were prisoners.
"Gabretti, you must do your best without their help," said the Spanish captain, earnestly.
"I will, captain," was the answer, in a strong foreign accent. "But it will be taking something of a risk."
"It ought to be all right. You once ran the engines on the old Holland."
"Zat ees true, captain, but ze new Holland is von great improvement on ze old. Ze machinery ees much more—vat you call heem?—complications, eh?"
"I suppose so—these accursed Yankees are forever improving things. But their engineer won't do a thing and so you must do your best. Only don't blow us up as you blew up the old Holland."
"Ha, ha! You make von joke on me, eh? I blow up ze old Holland because ve vant him blow up. I hate ze Americanos. But I not blow up ze new Holland, no, no! I make heem blow up two-seex-ten-a-hundred Yankee ships before I am done."
"Now you are talking," answered Captain Roquez. "But be careful, and if you can't manage her we will force that Yankee engineer to help us out, even if I have to cut off his ears to make him come to terms."
The two passed out of hearing, and presently Canelli was called away, leaving Oscar and his first lieutenant alone.
"Andy, that fellow is Gabretti, the rascal who blew up one of the old Hollands!"
"Right you are, Oscar. He ought to be hung!"
"Rather say, captured. Don't you remember that there is a reward of fifty thousand dollars out for his apprehension?"
"By Jove, that's so! I'd like to obtain that reward."
"He ought to be captured, the sneak! I don't believe he can run our boat."
"He may run her after a fashion. But sooner or later he is bound to get into a tight hole and then he won't know what to do."
Half an hour more dragged by, and the Holland began to sink by jerks, showing that the man who was running the power was new at the business.
She descended a distance of fifty feet and came to a stop.
Then the new engineer began to experiment with the power, and moved the boat backward with a number of other jerks, and then forward slowly and unevenly.
"He's trying hard to get there," muttered Andy.
"He can't run her smoothly enough to do service with," returned Oscar. "Wait, I have an idea!" he added, suddenly.
"What's up now?"
"Perhaps I can get free. The edge of this couch is of iron and rough in one spot, as I well remember. Perhaps I can saw this leather strap apart on the rough edge. Do you think that Spaniard will stay away?"
"Never mind; do what you can."
With caution, and making as little noise as possible, the young captain set at the task of liberating himself.
It was a slow and painful job, and he rubbed the skin on his wrists almost as much as he did his leather bonds.
But the movement was a success, and at last he found his hands free.
He quickly liberated his feet and then set his lieutenant at liberty.
"Now if only we had pistols," said Andy.
"We will take the electric rifles—they make little or no noise," answered Oscar. "And don't forget those swords in the pantry."
Soon both were well armed and ready to fight to the death for liberty.
Hardly had they prepared themselves when they heard footsteps approaching the apartment.
On the instant Oscar reached up and turned off the electric light hanging from the ceiling.
"Get in a corner, Andy, and watch your chance," he whispered. "And mind, they are our deadly enemies and would kill us were they certain they could run this boat without our aid."
There was no time to say more, for a second later the door was opened and Captain Roquez and the sailor, Canelli, entered.