UNDERCOVER on the TITANIC (book 1)

Part 41 - The Bridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxKZFg7UpWg

'What on earth are you talking about? The Second Officer looked visibly irritated.

I thought, frantically trying to remember something useful from my idle research into the Titanic. Then I remembered Miguel's comment about the radio operator. 'You received a Marconi radio message from a ship warning of icebergs,' I told him. Kozak whispered in my ear, 'It was ze Baltic.'

'The Baltic,' I repeated boldly. The Second Officer was taken aback. 'How could you possibly know about that? Both the R.M.S. Caronia and the S.S. Baltic warned us. We altered course to the south on Captain Smith's orders.'

Kozak added, 'You must stop ze ship, now.'   Second Officer Lightholler looked ready to explode. 'Captain Smith has been ordered to break the Atlantic speed record. If we stop, we will not make it.'

I added with as much confidence as I could muster, 'Your radio operator is too busy to tell you that a nearby ship has stopped for the night because of the icebergs. You are going to hit one of them . . . and sink.'

'You cheeky little blighter,' Lightholler said through his teeth. 'I ordered the lookouts to keep a sharp look out for ice. Also, the Titanic has double hulls and fifteen watertight compartments. I can close all the watertight doors from the bridge if we sustain any damage. That will seal off the compartments so the ship will remain afloat. And,' he concluded forcefully, 'the pumps will take care of any leaks.'

'He won't see the iceberg until it is too late,' I predicted stubbornly. 'There is no moon, the sea is calm so there are no wave breaking on the icebergs.' The wheel officer turned away to hide a smile. The second officer hesitated uncertainly. 'How come you know so much about icebergs?'

I hesitated. I could hardly tell him I looked it up on the Internet after Denny told us about steam engines being used to drive ships. 

Kozak came to my rescue. 'Stop ze ship before it 'its ze iceberg!'

Licia had been uncharacteristically silent. 'Guys! We can't change the future!'

She turned to Second Officer Lightholler, 'We are here by mistake. Ask our uncle what ship he thinks this is.'

Denny didn't wait to be asked. 'This ship is, sir, the Royal Mail Ship Olympic.'

'So, you see,' Licia announced, 'we are supposed to be on the Olympic and we arrived here quite by accident. Please let our uncle go.' Denny looked bewildered. 'We promise not to cause any more trouble,' she added. 'In fact, we will try to be incredibly inconspicuous.'

'I will stop ze ship,' Kozak snapped as he sprang toward the engine room telegraph. He had his hand on the lever before a quick witted officer grabbed him.

But he was saved when a telephone rang. The wheel officer lifted a black cylinder from a hook, put it to his ear and listened before turning to the Second Officer. He was looking at me with a peculiar expression on his face. 'Sir?' the wheel officer said, 'Mast head look-out.'

'Oh, get them out of here. Let them go,' the Second Officer told Smith. 'We have more important work to do. We can find them later if we have any more question. After all, they are not likely to leave the ship.'

As soon as we got him outside the bridge Licia gasped, 'This is not the Olympic, Denny!' 

'It iz ze Titanic,' Kozak added.

Denny sucked on his cigar and blew a cloud of foul-smelling smoke over us.

Licia coughed. 'Ugh. Do you have to smoke that thing? Denny, we've got to get off this ship.' 

 I said. 'It's the Titanic.'

'No, I think it's a Cuban cigar,' Denny mumbled . . . The Titanic. The Titanic. Where have I heard that name before? I told Oppy to locate the Olympic.'

Licia glared at him. 'You made a mistake. The lifeboats have "Titanic" all over them. Anyway, you can ask Charlotte.'

'What are you people talking about?' Charlotte asked. 'Of course, this is the Titanic.'

Denny stared at her in disbelief. 'It's the Olympic. The sister ship.' 

 'The Titanic was on her first voyage when she went down,' I pointed out. 

'We should go back to Silverwood School right away,' Miguel said. 'How do we do that?'

'Oh, that Titanic.' Denny looked stunned for a moment and then he suddenly looked very sober. 'We have to get back to the Orlop deck, forward, near the spiral staircase.'

'I zink I can get you all to safety,' Kozak offered.

'Who the blooming blazes are you?' Denny snarled.

'I am Kozak, an old friend of Ziff's.' 

'We told Uncle Dunc we would meet Triple Oh, on deck,' I told Denny.

'How will that get us to the electric bookcase?' Denny asked.

'He came from Ottawa the same way we did,' I replied carefully.

'Charlotte,' I said, 'we must leave you now. The ship is in danger and I suggest you get Sir Saint Denny and your brother to the boat deck put on all the clothes you can and take life jackets. Make sure you get into one of the lifeboats.'

She stared at me wide eyed. 'How do you know this? Are you a magician?'

'No! I'm sorry. I can't explain. But we must leave now.' 

'Perhaps, we can meet later?' she asked wistfully as we hurried toward the forward staircase.

'I'm sorry but we have to leave you, now, Charlotte,' I said. 'Thanks for helping us.' 

I shook her hand and she waved goodbye. We were half way down the next flight of stairs before Miguel gasped, 'We forgot Pacman.' I raced back, calling Charlotte's name as she walked toward the stateroom. 

She pulled a face as I lifted Pacman out of the basket. He burped sleepily.

'I was hoping I could keep him,' she said.

'Sorry, Charlotte. Thanks again for all your help but I could never part with him.'

I ran back to the others and we raced down the stairs until we reached D Deck. We ran forward until we came to a door with a notice, Crew Only, and hunted around until we found the twin spiral staircases. We clattered dizzily down until they ended on the Tank Top deck in front of the Firemen's Passage where Denny stopped abruptly. We all crashed into him. A warning bell was dinging insistently and a flashing red light indicated that the bulkhead door to boiler room six was slowly descending. Somebody, outlined against the red glow, was jogging along the passage toward us.

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