Armstrong and the Mexican Mystery by H. W. Crocker

Author:H. W. Crocker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regnery Fiction
Published: 2022-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

We were gathered on deck. The wolf boy’s corpse, tightly wrapped in a sheet, was on a stretcher held by two seminarians. Father Gonçalves intoned these words, “Lord God, by the power of your word you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas, you made the raging waters of the flood subside, and calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. As we commit the body of this boy to the deep, grant him peace and tranquility until that day when he—if he may be so blessed, for we know not his heart—and all who believe in you will be raised to the glory of new life promised in the waters of baptism, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

The seminarians turned so that the stretcher became a slide, and the corpse splashed into the ocean. Almost simultaneously, a seminarian standing in the conning tower, eyeglass raised, shouted, “Hostile ship off the starboard beam! She is running out cannon! It is La Mariée de la Mer!”

“That can’t be possible,” I said. “Your submarine blasted her.”

“But did not sink her,” said Father Gonçalves. “That may prove a mistake. They obviously repaired her quickly, and put her in pursuit. She is still well out of range, but she is fast. We must go below.” To the seminarians he said, “Take her down, then full speed ahead.”

“Aye-aye, Father.”

We clambered below into the submarine’s study. The ladies took seats on a divan. Father Gonçalves said, “We are in no immediate danger. She has speed, but we have stealth. If it becomes a battle of cannons, we have armor, and she does not. Consuela and Mrs. Armstrong, you may have noticed steel railings in your room. If the enemy engages us, hang onto those railings, for the boat will rock like a cradle.”

“And the rest of us?” I said.

“My seminarians have their battle stations. Generalissimo Armstrong, Generalissimo Bierce, Colonel Callahan, Scout William Jack Crow—you are now Marines. Be prepared to board their ship—or defend ours—as necessary.”

“Welcome to the Marines,” I said to Callahan.

Callahan checked the chambers of his revolver. “I reckon so.”

“I will keep watch on the enemy,” said Father Gonçalves, “through this periscope device. Generalissimo Bierce, Colonel Callahan, and Scout William Jack Crow, if you would attend to me, we can discuss tactics. Generalissimo Armstrong, you may want to interview the Count von Pippernickel while the opportunity exists. Once we are in action, anything could happen.”

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