Chapter XV: A Star Performance

The _Pom_ was lying between the _Grampus_ and the _Salvadore_. When Matt, Dick, and Carl showed themselves there were loud cheers from Glennie and Speake. Pons, on the bridge of the war ship, could be seen jumping up and down like a pea on a hot griddle, waving his hands and yelling. The war ship was too far away for the boys to hear what Pons said.

"I'd about given you fellows up!" exclaimed Glennie. "When that confounded tow line parted, my hopes parted with it. We saw you sink and throw the Japs into the water, and we were sure you'd gone down to stay."

"The Japs got ashore, did they?" asked Matt.

"Every last one of them."

"Well, Glennie, come along here and take us off. I want to go to the war ship and make a report to Captain Sandoval."

Glennie brought the _Grampus_ close to the French boat, and the three boys transferred themselves to their own craft.

"I vouldn't trade vone oof der _Grampuses_ for a tozen of der _Poms_," asserted Carl, as they were borne away in the direction of the _Salvadore_.

"I don't know how seven Japs ever stowed themselves away inside the _Pom_," muttered Dick. "They must have been packed in there like sardines."

"They managed to do a pretty fair amount of work, too," said Matt. "Not the least of it was lassoing me and pulling me into the water."

As the _Grampus_ approached the war ship, Captain Sandoval leaned from the bridge with his megaphone.

"Motor Matt, king of the motor boys!" he shouted. "Ah, ha, _amigo_, you are as full of surprises as the egg is of meat."

Captain Pons failed to join Captain Sandoval in his amiable sentiment. Pons shook his fist.

"R-r-rascal!" he shouted. "He is mos' contemptible!"

"Throw over your sea ladder, captain," called Matt; "I want to come aboard and talk with you."

"_Gracias!_" cried Sandoval. "I am delighted, _amigo_."

A few minutes later Matt was in the captain's cabin. He had been there once before, but not under circumstances that were very pleasant. On the previous occasion, Captain Sandoval had been hostile and full of unjust suspicions. Now he was more than friendly, and it was Captain Pons who was hostile.

"You heard how those rascally Japs gave me the slip, _amigo_?" asked Sandoval. "Ah, ah, what a wretched piece of business! It was in a fog, and one could not see his hand in front of his face. Thus they escaped. _Ay de mi_, it was a blow! I came north looking for the rascals, and I reached Lota last night and found Pons. He told me of the troubles he has been having with the Japs, and since it was my duty to aid him in recovering the _Pom_, why, I took him aboard and we started north. The British vessel Sovereign gave us a tip, and we followed it to this bay. First, we saw the _Grampus_; then, all so suddenly, up out of the ocean came the _Pom_! I trained my guns on her to fire in case the Japs proved unreasonable. Presently, behold, the hatch of the _Pom_ opens and you appear. Wonderful! I can hardly believe my eyes because of the so great surprise!"

"Ah, my captain," broke in Pons, "zis Matt is ze r-ruf-fian, ze villain. He say he no haf ze time to bozzer wiz my little boat, zat he not go hunt for her; now, by gar, we see heem on her deck. He play ze trick wiz me. He do w'at he say he not do. He try steal ze boat, _oui_, zat is w'at he do. I demand of heem ze satisfaction!"

The captain's eyes became very fierce and he threw back his shoulders and slapped his chest.

"Ah, my captain," said Sandoval, "don't make a mistake. I know Motor Matt, and he is a gentleman. I have given him my hand, my captain, and Captain Sandoval never gives his hand to a scoundrel."

Captain Pons arose with much dignity and bowed to Captain Sandoval.

"_Merci, monsieur!_" he murmured. "Nevair vill I say ze derogatory word to youar honor, but ze actions of zis Motor Matt, w'at you call, is mos' contemptible. Let heem spik, let heem explain if he can."

"_Amigo_," said Captain Sandoval, "you will explain, for my sake, to my honorable friend, Captain Pons?"

"That's what I came here to do," answered Matt. "I and my friends have saved the _Pom_ for Captain Pons, and this is the reward he gives us."

Captain Pons got up and bowed again to Captain Sandoval. Not to be outdone in courtesy, Captain Sandoval arose and bowed to Captain Pons.

"If I do heem ze wrong," said Captain Pons gravely, "zen I make ze _amende_. Until he explains, I have ze right to call him mos' contemptible."

"You have the right," agreed Captain Sandoval.

Then they bowed again and sat down.

All this was highly edifying to Matt, but it did not get him very far along with his explanation.

When he got started, however, he held the floor in spite of disturbing symptoms on the part of Pons to get up and bow. He carried the explanation through to its conclusion, and not failing to put due stress on the dangers he and his friends had undergone in their attempt to get the better of the Sons of the Rising Sun.

The two captains were deeply impressed. For some moments after Matt had finished they sat speechless in their chairs; then, as one man they arose. Together they bowed to Matt.

"_Ay de mi_," breathed Captain Sandoval, "did you ever hear of anything so wonderful?"

"Mos' r-r-remarkable!" exclaimed Captain Pons.

Then they bent to each other. After that Captain Sandoval sat down, but Captain Pons stepped over to Matt and embraced him; then, before Matt could defend himself, Captain Pons kissed him on the cheek.

"_Mon ami!_" said he; "my friend, I mak' ze apologee. I ask zat you forgeeve ze talk about you as ze mos' contemptible. It is I, me, zat is mos' contemptible----"

"No, no, my captain," protested Captain Sandoval, putting up his hand, "you shall not so greatly injure yourself."

"I r-r-repeat," thundered Captain Pons, thumping his chest fiercely, "I made ze mistake, and I, myself, am mos' contemptible."

Captain Sandoval sighed and looked depressed.

"Zis brav' young man," proceeded Captain Pons, "save ze _Pom_ for me. I sank heem, as one gentleman sank anozzer. Zere, ze debt is cancel. All zat remain is for me to hol' him in mos' tender memory."

"The six Japanese are on the island, Captain Sandoval," said Matt, who was beginning to get a little bit tired of Pons and his mushy nonsense. "Will you send a party ashore to capture them?"

"At once," was the answer.

"And, by the way, Captain Pons," went on Matt, "didn't you say there were only five Japs in the crew that stole the _Pom_."

"Fife, _oui_. I count zem and I know."

"Well, that one we captured under the wharf, at Lota, comes out of the five, and would leave four."

"_Oui_, wan from fife is four."

"Then, captain, how do you account for the fact that there were six on the _Pom_ when she reached this bay?"

"Do you say I spik untruths?" flared the captain, displaying a tendency to renew his quarrel with Matt.

"Not at all, not for the world," answered Matt, with an inward laugh, "but I am puzzled. One from five, in this case, seems to have left six."

"I know nozzing, sare," said Captain Pons. "If zere was seex w'en zere should only haf been fife, zat is zeir business."

"Then we'll let it stand that way," said Matt.

"I am mos' agreeable," returned Captain Pons. "Presently, my captain," he went on, to Sandoval, "I go aboard ze _Pom_ wiz ze crew you gif me, an' we take ze boat to Valparaiso. Is it not so?"

"Yes, my captain," replied Sandoval. "I will lend you the crew and will convoy you to Valparaiso."

"You are mos' kind."

This was enough for Matt. He excused himself, shook hands with Sandoval, and hurried away.

As soon as he was safely in the periscope room of the _Grampus_, he threw himself down on the locker and laughed until he was sore.

"Get me the rest of my clothes, somebody," said he, "and then start the _Grampus_ northward again."

"Where's our next port of call, old ship?" queried Dick, while Matt was getting into the garments he had taken off just before swimming ashore in the cove.

"Callao," answered Matt. "Then Panama, Acapulco, San Diego--and Frisco."

"Dot lisdens like home!" rumbled Carl.

"In two weeks," cried Glennie, "we'll be at Mare Island, and the cruise will be finished. It's all plain sailing from this on. The Sons of the Rising Sun will have all they can do to take care of themselves, let alone try to make any more trouble for us."

"We're done with them, and there are no ifs or ands about it this time," said Matt. "I'll admit, when I learned they had made off with that French submarine, that I thought they were equipped to accomplish something against us; but we cleared that difficulty in one-two order when we got started."

"It might have been a lot worse, mates," observed Dick, "and there were several times when I thought we were done, done as brown as a kippered herring; but we pulled through--mainly because Matt had his shoulder to the wheel and gave us the right sort of a boost over the hard places."

"As much credit should fall to the rest of you as to me," spoke up Matt. "Take the wheel, Glennie. Full speed ahead, Gaines," he added, through the motor-room tube.

The cylinders never hummed a cheerier tune than they did when they started the _Grampus_ once more on her journey northward, and no boat, surface or submarine, ever carried a happier crew.