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diff --git a/old/50260-0.txt b/old/50260-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c1b47f8..0000000 --- a/old/50260-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6808 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Motor Rangers' Wireless Station, by Marvin West - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Motor Rangers' Wireless Station - -Author: Marvin West - -Illustrator: Charles Wrenn - -Release Date: October 20, 2015 [EBook #50260] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTOR RANGERS' WIRELESS STATION *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rick Morris and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -[Illustration: There was a sudden flash of flame and the roar of an -explosion.—_Page_ 52.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE - MOTOR RANGERS’ - WIRELESS STATION - - - BY - MARVIN WEST - - AUTHOR OF “THE MOTOR RANGERS’ LOST MINE,” “THE MOTOR - RANGERS THROUGH THE SIERRAS,” “THE MOTOR - RANGERS ON BLUE WATER,” “THE MOTOR - RANGERS’ CLOUD CRUISER,” ETC., ETC. - - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - CHARLES L. WRENN_ - - - NEW YORK - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Copyright, 1913 - BY - HURST & COMPANY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. THE WIRELESS ISLAND 5 - II. A PASSENGER FOR THE SHORE 15 - III. IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM 28 - IV. WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED 36 - V. NAT TO THE RESCUE 48 - VI. SAVED FROM THE SEA 56 - VII. ON “WIRELESS ISLAND” 65 - VIII. AN AERIAL APPEAL 78 - IX. A STERN CHASE 91 - X. MORE BAD LUCK 100 - XI. “THERE’S MANY A SLIP” 108 - XII. THE SMUGGLER AT BAY 117 - XIII. TRAPPED! 125 - XIV. NAT A PRISONER 134 - XV. UNDER THE EARTH 145 - XVI. DRIFTING THROUGH THE NIGHT 153 - XVII. ABOARD THE LIGHTSHIP 164 - XVIII. JOE RECEIVES VISITORS 176 - XIX. AND ALSO GETS A SURPRISE 187 - XX. HANK EXPLAINS 201 - XXI. IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS 213 - XXII. AN UNEXPECTED STUDENT 221 - XXIII. A CALL FROM THE SHORE 229 - XXIV. WHAT JOE DID 239 - XXV. LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT 247 - XXVI. DING-DONG’S CLUE 256 - XXVII. A LONELY TRAIL 265 - XXVIII. AT THE OLD MISSION 276 - XXIX. CORNERED AT LAST 291 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE MOTOR RANGERS’ - WIRELESS STATION - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE WIRELESS ISLAND. - - -The drowsy calm of a balmy afternoon at the Motor Rangers’ wireless camp -on Goat Island was abruptly shattered by a raucous, insistent clangor -from the alarm-bell of the wireless outfit. Nat Trevor, Joe Hartley and -Ding-dong Bell, who had been pretending to read but were in reality -dozing on the porch of a small portable wood and canvas house, -galvanized into the full tide of life and activity usually theirs. - -“Something doing at last!” cried Nat. “It began to look as if there -wouldn’t be much for us on the island but a fine vacation, lots of -sea-breeze and coats of tan like old russet shoes.” - -“I ter-told you there’d be ser-ser-something coming over the -a-a-a-a-aerials before long,” sputtered Ding-dong Bell triumphantly, -athrill with excitement. - -“What do you suppose it is?” queried Joe Hartley, his red, good-natured -face aglow. - -“Don’t go up in the air, Joe,” cautioned Nat, “it’s probably nothing -more thrilling than a weather report from one of the chain of coast -stations to another.” - -“Get busy, Ding-dong, and find out,” urged Joe Hartley; “let’s see what -sort of a message you can corral out of the air.” - -But young Bell was already plodding across the sand toward a small -timber structure about fifty yards distant from the Motor Rangers’ camp. -Above the shack stretched, between two lofty poles, the antennæ of the -wireless station. Against these the electric waves from out of space -were beating and sounding the wireless “alarm-clock,” an invention of -Ding-dong’s of which he was not a little proud. - -Ding-dong had become inoculated with the wireless fever as a result of -the trip east which the Motor Rangers had taken following their stirring -adventures in the Bolivian Andes in Professor Grigg’s air-ship—which -experiences were related in the fourth volume of this series, The Motor -Rangers’ Cloud Cruiser. On their return to California—where all three -boys lived, in the coast resort of Santa Barbara—nothing would suit -Ding-dong but that they take a vacation on Goat Island and set up a -wireless plant for experimental purposes. - -“I want to try it and away from home where a bunch of fellows won’t be -hanging about and joking me if I make a fizzle,” he explained. - -As the lads while in the east had done a lot of business, some of it -connected with Nat’s gold mine in Lower California and some with -interests of Professor Griggs, they decided that they were entitled to -at least a short period of inactivity, and Ding-dong’s idea was hailed -as a good one. Goat Island, a rugged, isolated spot of land shaped like -a splash of gravy on a plate, was selected as an ideal camping place. -The wireless appliances, shipped from San Francisco, were conveyed to -the island on board the Rangers’ sturdy cabin cruiser _Nomad_, and three -busy, happy weeks had been devoted to putting it in working order. Since -the day that it had been declared “O. K.” by Ding-dong, the lads had -been crazy for the “wireless alarm” to ring in, and when it failed to do -so Ding-dong came in for a lot of good-natured joshing. - -For some further account of the three chums, we must refer our readers -to the first volume of this series, The Motor Rangers’ Lost Mine. This -related how Nat, the son of a poor widow, unexpectedly came into his own -and from an employé’s position was raised to one of comparative -affluence. For a holiday tour when they returned from Lower California, -where Nat by accident had located his mine, the chums took an eventful -trip through the Sierras. What befell them there, and how they combated -unscrupulous enemies and had lots of jolly fun, was all set forth in the -second volume devoted to their doings, The Motor Rangers Through the -Sierras. Some sapphires found by them on this trip led to a strange -series of incidents and adventures attendant on their efforts to restore -them to their rightful owner. The precious stones were stolen, -recovered, and lost again, only to be delivered safely at last. These -exciting times, passed by the lads on their cruiser, the _Nomad_, which -took them half across the Pacific, were described in the third volume of -the young rangers’ doings, The Motor Rangers on Blue Water. Their voyage -in Professor Grigg’s wonderful air-ship, the _Discoverer_, has been -already referred to. With this necessarily brief introduction to the -young campers, let us return to Goat Island. - -Directly Ding-dong reached the hut housing the apparatus, he flung -himself down before the instruments and hastily jammed the head-piece, -with its double “watch-case” receivers, over his ears. He picked up a -pencil and placing it conveniently above a pad of paper that was always -kept affixed to the table holding the sending and receiving appliances, -he began to send a storm of dots and dashes winging out in reply to the -wireless impulse that had set the gong sounding. - -“_This is Goat Island!_” he banged out on the key, while the spark -leaped and writhed in a “serpent” of steel-blue flame between the -sparking points. It whined and squealed like an animal in pain as -Ding-dong’s trembling fingers alternately depressed and released the -“brass.” - -“_Goat Island! Goat Island! Goat Island!_” he repeated monotonously, and -then switched the current from the sending to the receiving instruments. - -Against his ears came a tiny pattering so faint as to be hardly -distinguishable. Yet the boy knew that the instruments must be “in -tune,” or nearly so, with whatever station was sending wireless waves -through space, else the “alarm” would not have been sprung. - -He adjusted his instruments to take a longer “wave” than he had been -using. Instantly the breaking of the “wireless surf” against the antennæ -above the receiving shed became plainer. - -“_This is the steamer_ Iroquois, _San Francisco, to Central American -ports_,” was what Ding-dong’s pencil rapidly transcribed on the pad, -while the others leaned breathlessly over his shoulder and watched the -flying lead. “_A passenger is dangerously hurt. We need assistance at -once_.” - -The young operator thrilled. The first message that had come to the -island was an urgent one. - -“_Where are you?_” he flashed back. - -“_Thirty miles off the coast. Who are you?_” came back the reply. - -“_Thirty miles off where?_” whanged out Ding-dong’s key, while he -grumbled at the indefiniteness of the operator on the steamer. - -“_Off Santa Barbara. Who are you and can you send out a boat to take our -injured passenger ashore? Hospital attention is necessary._” - -“_Wait a minute_,” spelled out the young Motor Ranger’s key. - -He turned to the others. - -“You see what I’ve got,” he said indicating the pad and speaking -perfectly plainly in his excitement; “what are we going to do about it?” - -The lads exchanged glances. It was evident as their eyes met what was in -each one’s mind. The _Nomad_ lay snugly anchored in a cove on the -shoreward side of the island. A run of thirty miles out to sea was -nothing for the speedy, sturdy gasolene craft, and the call that had -come winging through the air from the steamer was an appeal for aid that -none of them felt like refusing to heed. It was clear that the case was -urgent. A life, even, might be at stake. Each lad felt that a -responsibility had been suddenly laid at their door that they could not -afford to shirk. - -“Well?” queried Ding-dong. - -“_Well?_” reiterated Joe Hartley as they turned by common consent to Nat -Trevor, the accepted leader of the Motor Rangers at all times. - -“You’d better tell the man on that ship that we’ll be alongside within -two hours,” said Nat quietly; and that was all; Ding-dong, without -comment, swung around to his key again. Like Joe, he had known what -Nat’s decision would be almost before he gave it. Nat was not the lad to -turn down an appeal like the one sent out from the _Iroquois_. The sea -was smooth, the weather fair, but even had it been blowing half a gale -it is doubtful if Nat would have hesitated a jiffy under the -circumstances to perform what he adjudged to be a duty. - -Ding-dong speedily raised the _Iroquois_. - -“_We’ll take your injured man ashore_,” he flashed out. “_Lay to where -you are and we’ll pick you up without trouble. Expect us in about two -hours_.” - -“_Bully for you, Goat Island_,” came the rejoinder, which Ding-dong -hardly waited to hear before he disconnected his instruments and -“grounded” them. - -“Now for the _Nomad_,” cried Nat. “Hooray, boys! It’s good to have -something come along to relieve the monotony.” - -“Di-di-didn’t I ter-ter-tell you so!” puffed Ding-dong triumphantly, as -the three lads set out at top speed for their hut to obtain some -necessary clothing and a few provisions for their run to the vessel that -had sent out the wireless appeal for help. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - A PASSENGER FOR THE SHORE. - - -“All right below, Ding-dong?” hailed Nat, as he took his place on the -little bridge of the _Nomad_ with Joe by his side. The anchor was up, -and astern towed the dinghy, which had been hastily shoved off the beach -when the boys embarked. - -Through the speaking tube came up the young engineer’s answer, “All -ready when you are, captain.” - -Nat jerked the engine room bell twice. A tremor ran through the sturdy -sixty-foot craft. Her fifty-horse-power, eight-cylindered motor began to -revolve, and with a “bone in her teeth” she ran swiftly out of the cove, -headed around the southernmost point of the island and was steered by -Nat due westward to intercept the steamer that had flashed the urgent -wireless. - -As the long Pacific swell was encountered, the _Nomad_ rose to it like a -race-horse that after long idleness feels the track under his hoofs once -more. Her sharp bow cut the water like a knife, but from time to time, -as an extra heavy roller was encountered, she flung the water back over -her forward parts in a shower of glistening, prismatic spray. It was a -day and an errand to thrill the most phlegmatic person that ever lived, -and, as we know, the Motor Rangers were assuredly not in this category. -Their blood glowed as their fast craft rushed onward on her errand of -mercy at fifteen miles, or better, an hour. - -Nat, his cheeks glowing and his eyes shining, held the wheel in a firm -grip, his crisp black hair waved in the breeze and his very poise showed -that he was in his element. Joe, clutching the rail beside him, was -possessed of an equal fervor of excitement. The Motor Rangers all felt -that they were on the threshold of an adventure; but into what devious -paths and perils that wireless message for aid was to lead them, not one -of them guessed. Yet even had they been able to see into the future and -its dangers and difficulties, it is almost certain that they would have -voted unanimously to “keep on going.” - -“What a fine little craft she is,” declared Nat, as the _Nomad_ sped -along. - -“She’s a beauty,” fervently agreed Joe, with equal enthusiasm; “and what -we’ve been through on board her, Nat!” - -“I should say so. Remember the Magnetic Islands, and the Boiling Sea, -and the time you were lost overboard?” - -Chatting thus of the many adventures and perils successfully met that -their conversation recalled to their minds, the two young Motor Rangers -on the bridge of the speeding motor craft kept a bright lookout for some -sign of the vessel that had sent the wireless appeal into space. - -Nat was the first to catch sight of a smudge of smoke on the horizon. -“That must be the steamer! There, dead ahead!” - -“Reckon you’re right, Nat,” agreed Joe. “The smoke seems stationary, -too. That’s the _Iroquois_ beyond a doubt.” - -Nat sent a signal below, to apply every ounce of speed that the engines -were capable of giving. The _Nomad_, going at a fast clip before, fairly -began to rush ahead. In a few minutes they could see the masts of the -steamer, and her black hull and yellow funnel rapidly arose above the -horizon as they neared her. - -At close range the Motor Rangers could see that the white upper works -were lined with passengers, all gazing curiously at the speedy _Nomad_ -as she came on. As they ranged in alongside, the gangway was lowered and -Nat was hailed from the bridge by a stalwart, bearded man in uniform. - -“Motor boat, ahoy!” he cried, placing his hands funnel-wise to his -mouth, “did you come off in response to our wireless?” - -“We did, sir,” was Nat’s rejoinder. “What is the trouble?” - -“A job with a good lot of money in it for you fellows,” was the -response. “Range in alongside the gangway and Dr. Adams, the ship’s -surgeon, will explain to you what has happened.” - -Nat maneuvered the _Nomad_ up to the lower platform of the gangway and -Joe nimbly sprang off and made the little craft fast. She looked as tiny -as a rowboat lying alongside the big black steamer, whose steel sides -towered above her like the walls of a lofty building. - -The vessel’s surgeon, a spectacled, solemn-looking young man, came down -the gangway stairs. - -“This is a matter requiring the utmost haste,” he said; “the man who has -been injured must be taken to a shore hospital at once.” - -“We’ll take the job. That’s what we came out here for,” rejoined Nat -briskly. “Who is your man and how was he hurt?” - -“His name is Jonas Jenkins of San Francisco. As I understand it, he is a -wealthy man with big interests in Mexico. He booked passage for -Mazatlan. Early to-day he was found at the foot of a stairway with what -I fear is a fracture of the skull.” - -“It was an accident?” asked Nat, for somehow there was something in the -voice of the ship’s doctor which appeared to indicate that he was not -altogether satisfied that Jonas Jenkins’ injury was unavoidable. - -The doctor hesitated a minute before replying. Then he spoke in a low -voice: - -“I have no right to express any opinion about the matter,” he said, “but -certain things about the case impressed me as being curious.” - -“For instance?” - -The question was Nat’s. - -“The fact that Mr. Jenkins’ coat was cut and torn as if some one had -ripped it up to obtain from it something of value or importance.” - -“You mean that you think Mr. Jenkins was pushed down the flight of -stairs and met his injury in that way?” - -“That’s my theory, but I have nothing but the tear in the coat to base -it on.” - -The surgeon was interrupted at this point by the appearance at the top -of the gangway of a singular-looking individual. He was tall, skinny as -an ostrich and had a peculiar piercing expression of countenance. His -rather swarthy features were obscured on the lower part of his face by a -bristly black beard. - -“Are these young men going to take Mr. Jenkins ashore?” he asked in a -dictatorial sort of tone. - -“That is our intention,” was Nat’s rejoinder. - -“Where are you going to land him?” - -The words were ripped out more like an order than a civil inquiry. Nat -felt a vague resentment. Evidently the black-bearded man looked upon the -Motor Rangers as boys who could be ordered about at will. - -“We are going to run into Santa Barbara as fast as our boat will take us -there,” was Nat’s reply. - -“I want to go ashore with you,” declared the stranger. “I received word -early to-day by wireless that makes it imperative that I should return -to San Francisco at once. Land me at Santa Barbara and name your own -price.” - -“This isn’t a passenger boat,” shot out Joe. - -“We only came out here as an accommodation and as an act of humanity,” -supplemented Nat. His intuitive feeling of dislike for the dictatorial -stranger was growing every minute. - -Perhaps the other noticed this, for he descended the gangway and took -his place beside the ship’s doctor on the lower platform of the gangway. - -“You must pardon me if my tone was abrupt,” he said in conciliatory -tones; “the fact of the matter is, that I must return as soon as -possible to San Francisco for many reasons, and this ship does not stop -till she reaches Mazatlan. It was my eagerness that made me sound -abrupt.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” rejoined Nat, liking the cringing tone of the -man even less than he had his former manner, “I guess we can put you -ashore.” - -The man reached into his pocket and produced a wallet. He drew several -bills from it. - -“And here’s something to pay for my passage,” he said eagerly. - -“Never mind that,” said Nat, waving the proffered money aside. “As I -told you, we are not running a passenger boat. If we land you in Santa -Barbara it will be simply as an accommodation.” - -“And one for which I will be grateful,” was the reply. “I’ll have a -steward put my baggage on board your boat at once. I may be of aid to -you in caring for Mr. Jenkins, too, for I am a physician.” - -“Yes, this is Dr. Sartorius of San Francisco,” rejoined Dr. Adams, as -the other ascended the gang plank with long, swift strides and was heard -above giving orders for the transfer of his belongings. - -“You know him, then?” asked Nat of the ship’s doctor. - -“Well, that is, he is registered with the purser under that name,” was -the reply, “and I have had some conversation on medical subjects with -him. As a matter of fact, I think it is an excellent thing that he -wishes to go ashore, for Mr. Jenkins is in a serious way and really -needs the constant watching of a physician.” - -“In that case, I am glad things have come out as they have,” rejoined -Nat. “Joe, will you go below and fix up the cabin for the injured man’s -use, and then, doctor, if you will have him brought on board I’ll be -getting under way again.” - -Dr. Adams reascended the gangway and in a few minutes two sailors -appeared carrying between them a limp form. The head was heavily -bandaged, rendering a good look at the man’s features impossible. But -Nat judged that he was of powerful build and past middle age. He -descended into the cabin with Dr. Adams, and under the surgeon’s -directions Mr. Jenkins was made as comfortable as possible. His baggage, -as well as that of Dr. Sartorius, was brought below, and then everything -was ready for a start. - -Dr. Sartorius bent over the injured man and appeared really to take a -deep and intelligent interest in the case. The ship’s doctor indorsed -one or two suggestions that he made and the boys, for Ding-dong had -joined the party, began to think that they might have been mistaken in -their first estimate of the doctor’s character. - -“After all,” Nat thought, “clever men are often eccentric, and this -black-whiskered doctor may be just crusty and unattractive without -realizing it.” - -When everything had been settled, Nat and Joe made their way to the -bridge and bade farewell to the doctor. The two sailors who had carried -Mr. Jenkins on board cast off the _Nomad’s_ lines, and the steamer’s -siren gave a deep booming note of thanks for their act. - -“You’d better lose no time in getting ashore,” hailed the captain, after -he had thanked the boys for their timely aid. - -“We shan’t, you may depend on that,” cheerily called back Nat, as the -_Nomad’s_ engines began to revolve and the big _Iroquois_ commenced to -churn the water. - -“We’re in for a sharp blow of wind, or I’m mistaken,” came booming -toward them through the captain’s megaphone, for the two craft were by -this time some little distance apart. - -Nat looked seaward. Dark, streaky clouds were beginning to overcast the -sky. The sea had turned dull and leaden, while a hazy sort of veil -obscured the sun. He turned to Joe. - -“Hustle below and tell Ding-dong to get all he can out of the engines, -and then see that all is snug in the cabin.” - -“You think we’re in for a blow?” - -“I certainly do; and I’m afraid that it’s going to hit us before we can -get ashore. It is going to be a hummer, too, from the looks of things, -right out of the nor’west.” - -“But we’re all right?” - -“Oh, sure! The _Nomad_ can stand up where a bigger craft might get into -trouble.” - -Nat’s tone was confident, but as Joe dived below on his errand he -glanced behind him at the purplish-black clouds that were racing across -the sky toward them. The sea began to rise and there was an odd sort of -moaning sound in the air, like the throbbing of the bass string of a -titanic viol. - -“This is going to be a rip snorter,” he said in an undertone. “I’ll bet -the bottom’s tumbled out of the barometer.” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM. - - -“Phew! Hold tight, Joe; here she comes!” - -Under the dark canopy of lowering clouds the leaden sea about the -_Nomad_ began to smoke and whip up till the white horses champed and -careered, tossing their heads heavenward under the terrific onslaught of -the wind. - -“Some storm, Nat,” gasped Joe, clutching the rail tightly with both -hands as the _Nomad_ began to pitch and toss like a bucking bronco. - -“About as bad a blow as we’ve had on this coast in a long time,” agreed -Nat, raising his voice to be heard above the shrieking tumult of wind -and sea. - -“I’ll go below and get the oilskins, Nat,” volunteered Joe. - -“You’d better; this will get worse before it’s better.” - -Grabbing at any hand-hold to prevent himself being thrown violently on -his back, Joe made his way below once more. - -“Goodness, this is fierce,” he muttered, as he went down the -companionway and entered the cabin. Ding-dong had switched on the -current from the dynamo in the engine-room and the place was flooded -with light. - -The injured man lay on the lounge where he had been placed and was -breathing heavily. At the table sat Dr. Sartorius. He was bending over a -bundle of papers and perusing them so intently that, above all the -disturbance of the elements without, he did not hear Joe enter the -cabin. He looked up as the boy’s shadow fell across the papers. Startled -by some emotion for which Joe could not account, he jumped to his feet, -at the same time thrusting the papers into an inner pocket. - -“What do you want?” he breathed angrily, glaring at the boy with fury in -his dark eyes. - -“Why, I came below for the oilskins. What’s the matter, did I startle -you?” asked Joe, regarding the man curiously. On his face was an odd -blend of alarm and ferocity. - -“Yes,—that is, no. I am very nervous. You must forgive me. I—there is -bad weather outside?” he broke off abruptly. - -“It’s blowing pretty hard,” Joe informed him, while he still noted the -man’s odd manner. - -“It will delay us in reaching shore?” demanded the other, sinking back -into his chair and staring at the heavily breathing form of Mr. Jenkins. - -“I’m afraid so. If the weather gets any worse we shall have to slow -down. It’s too bad, for it is important that we get Mr. Jenkins to the -hospital as quickly as possible. He needs immediate medical aid.” - -Dr. Sartorius ignored this remark. Instead he fixed his queer eyes on -Mr. Jenkins. - -“How much shall we be delayed?” he asked eagerly the next minute. - -“Impossible to say,” rejoined Joe; and then he added, with his -accustomed frank bluntness, “You don’t speak as if you were in any -particular hurry about landing.” - -“It’s Jenkins yonder I’m thinking of,” was the reply in a semi-musing -tone. “He may die if we are delayed, and you say that the storm is a -severe one?” - -“We’ll have to slow down, I guess,” rejoined Joe, and then, as the gong -in the engine-room rang for reduced speed, he nodded his head. “There’s -the slow-up signal now. It must be getting worse. I’ve got to get on -deck.” - -So saying, he rummaged two suits of oilskins out of a locker and -hastened on deck. Spume and smoky spray were flying over the _Nomad_ in -clouds. The craft looked like an eggshell amidst the ranges of watery -hills. Joe slipped into his oilskins and then took the wheel while Nat -donned his foul-weather rig. - -Presently Ding-dong, grimy from his engines, joined them. - -“How is everything running below, Joe?” asked Nat, as the figure of the -young engineer appeared. - -“Fur-fur-fine as a h-h-h-hundred dollar war-watch,” sputtered Ding-dong; -“ber-ber-but I’ve got her slowed down to ten knots. How about the sick -man?” - -“That can’t be helped,” declared Nat. “If I were to make any more speed -in this sea, we’d all be bound for Davy Jones’ locker before many -minutes had passed.” - -“Hum! That is certainly a fact,” assented Joe, as a big green sea rose -ahead of them like a watery hillock and the _Nomad_ drove her flaring -bow into it. The water crashed down about them and thundered on the -deck. - -“There’s a sample copy,” sputtered Joe, dashing the water from his eyes -and giving a grin; but, despite his attempt to make light of the matter, -he grew very sober immediately afterward. Stout craft as the _Nomad_ -was, she was being called upon to face about as bad a specimen of -weather as the Motor Rangers had ever encountered. What made matters -worse, they had a badly—perhaps mortally—injured man on their hands. -Delay in reaching harbor might result fatally. They all began to look -worried. - -Ding-dong dared to spend no more time on deck away from his engines. If -anything happened to the motor, things would be serious indeed. He dived -below and oiled the laboring motor most assiduously. Every now and then -the propeller of the storm-tossed _Nomad_ would lift out of the water, -and then the engine raced till Ding-dong feared it would actually rack -itself to pieces. But there was no help for it; they must keep on now at -whatever cost. - -For an hour or more the wind continued to blow a screaming gale, and -then it suddenly increased in fury to such a degree that Nat and Joe, -who were taking turns relieving each other at the wheel, could feel it -pressing and tearing against them like some solid thing. Their voices -were blown back down their throats when they tried to talk. Their -garments were blown out stiff as boiler iron. - -“How much longer can we stand this——” Joe was beginning, shouting the -words into Nat’s ears, when suddenly there was a jarring quiver -throughout the fabric of the motor craft and the familiar vibration of -the engines ceased. Simultaneously the _Nomad_ was lifted on the back of -a giant comber and hurled into a valley of green water, from which it -seemed impossible that she could ever climb again. But valiantly she -made the ascent in safety, only to go reeling and wallowing down the -other side in a condition of terrifying helplessness. - -“Get below and see what’s happened,” bawled Nat at Joe. - -The other hastened off on his errand, clinging with might and main to -whatever projection offered. He had just reached the engine room when he -saw something that made him utter a cry of astonishment. - -Slipping from behind a door which communicated with the cabin beyond was -Dr. Sartorius. In his hand he had a monkey wrench. As for Ding-dong -Bell, he was nowhere to be seen. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. - - -Joe Hartley’s mind, while not as active as Nat’s, worked quickly, and he -sensed instantly a connection between the presence in the engine room of -Sartorius and the stoppage of the motor. And this, although he could not -imagine what possible purpose the man could have in such actions. -Sartorius had tiptoed back into the cabin, where lay Mr. Jenkins, -without casting a glance behind him. Joe crept forward with the same -caution till he gained a point of vantage from which he could see into -the lighted cabin. - -Lounging back in a swivel chair with a magazine in his hand and a cigar -in his mouth was the black-bearded doctor. On his face was a look of -content and repose. Apparently he was utterly oblivious to the wild -tossing of the _Nomad_ in the rough sea, and had not Joe been certain -that it was their more or less unwelcome guest whom he had seen sneak -out of the engine room, he would have been inclined to doubt his own -eyesight. - -Ding-dong’s sudden reappearance chased these thoughts swiftly out of his -mind. - -“Where on earth have you been?” he demanded, staring open-mouthed at -Ding-dong as if he had been a ghost. - -“Wer-wer-what’s happened to the engines?” sputtered Ding-dong anxiously. - -Joe drew him aside. - -“I came down here the instant they stopped,” he said. “I caught our -black-whiskered friend sneaking out of the engine room into the cabin -with a monkey wrench in his hand. I’m sure he tampered with the engine.” - -“Phew! That’s rer-er-right in line with what I went on deck to tell Nat -about.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Just this. Happening to pe-pe-peek into the c-c-c-cabin a while back, I -sus-sus-saw Wer-Wer-Whiskers kneeling in front of one of -Jer-Jer-Jenkins’ trunks. He couldn’t get it open, and then I saw him -tip-toe over to Jer-Jenkins and start to go through his pockets. I -ber-ber-beat it up on deck to tell Nat.” - -“Then you must have been going up the port companionway while I was -coming down the starboard, and that’s how we missed running into each -other.” - -“Ther-ther-that’s about it.” - -“What did Nat say?” - -“To ger-ger-get the engines going and not mind anything else just now.” - -“That’s right; we’re in a bad fix. I’ll stay down here and help you go -over the motor. I can be of more use down here than up on deck.” - -While the _Nomad_ took sickening swings and plunges, at times rolling -over on her beam ends, the two lads went over the motor painstakingly. -It was no light task in that turmoil and fury of wind and wave. Every -once in a while, when the little craft took an exceptionally bad plunge, -they exchanged glances which plainly said: - -“Are we going to get out of this alive?” - -Once in a while Joe stole away to take a look at the doctor, whom he -suspected of tampering with the motor. Each time he discovered no -difference in the man’s strange repose. He might have been taking his -ease on a Pullman drawing-room car instead of being on board a craft -with which the elements were playing battledore and shuttlecock, for all -the signs he showed of uneasiness. Joe did notice, though, that from -time to time he cast glances from the magazine in which he appeared so -much interested toward the lounge on which lay extended Mr. Jenkins’ -senseless form. - -It was on his return from one of these excursions that Joe was hailed by -Ding-dong in an excited voice. Above the racket of the storm and the -shouting of the voice of the wind there was not much danger of their -being heard in the cabin. - -“Lul-lul-look here, Joe; the pur-pur-precious rascal!” - -The young engineer pointed to the carburetor of the two forward -cylinders. - -“What’s the matter with them?” - -“The auk-auk-auk-auxiliary air valves have been tampered with, that’s -what, and lul-lul-look on the stern cylinders; the spark plugs have been -tightened on till the porcelain cracked. No wonder she went out of -business.” - -“Crackers! The fellow who did that was no greenhorn round an engine.” - -“Well, I gug-guess not. Just watch me get busy. We’ll attend to his -nu-nu-nibs later on.” - -Joe got fresh spark plugs from the locker where the extra parts were -kept, and, while Ding-dong fitted them, he started adjusting the -carburetor which had been so skillfully tampered with. They were in the -midst of this work when the tall form of Dr. Sartorius appeared in the -doorway between the cabin and the engine room. - -“What is the matter? What has happened?” he asked, as if noticing for -the first time the stoppage of the engines. - -“The motor stopped, that’s all,” spoke up Joe sarcastically. - -“Dear me, in this storm that might have been serious,” said the doctor, -holding on to the casement of the doorway to steady himself. - -“I guess the fellow that did it didn’t know that we might all have gone -to the bottom, or maybe he’d have thought a second time,” sputtered Joe, -red-hot with indignation and not caring a snap if he showed it. He -stared straight at the other as he spoke, and he could have sworn that -under his steady, accusing gaze the doctor paled and averted his eyes. - -“But you have it fixed now?” inquired the doctor after a second, -ignoring Joe’s peppery remark. - -“Oh, yes, we’ve got it fixed all right, and we’ll take precious good -care it doesn’t get out of order again for _any_ cause,” exploded Joe; -“and another thing, doctor, we boys regard this engine room as private -property. Will you please retire to the cabin?” - -With a shrug of his shoulders, the doctor turned, and Joe shut and -locked the door behind him. - -“We’ll have no more meddling on board here,” he muttered. - -In a few minutes Ding-dong announced that all was ready to try the motor -once more. Joe switched on the electric self-starting appliance and the -cylinders began to cough and chug welcomely. But it took some time -longer to get them properly adjusted. At last the task was completed, -however, and once more the _Nomad_ was able to battle for life. No -longer a helpless plaything of the giant rollers, she fought them -gallantly, with her heart beating strong and true again. - -Joe brewed coffee and got cold meat and bread from a locker, and the -boys took turns relieving each other at wheel and engine. In the driving -spume and under the dark clouds that went whistling by above their heads -it was impossible to see more than a few yards before them. They had not -the slightest idea how far they might be off the coast. - -In the middle of all this anxiety and turmoil, Joe got the fright of his -life. He was on the bridge, holding the _Nomad_ to her course as well as -he could—considering the drift she had made when the motor was -idle—when, out of the storm, terror, real and thrilling, swept down upon -him. Above the crest of a big wave there suddenly appeared the wallowing -hull of another motor boat! She was smaller than the _Nomad_ and was -making dangerously bad weather of it. - -Joe had hardly time to see the other craft before she was flung toward -the _Nomad_ like a stone out of a catapult. Joe spun the spokes of the -_Nomad’s_ wheel furiously, but with her rudder clear out of the water -half the time the motor craft did not respond as obediently to her wheel -as usual. - -“Look out! You’ll run us down!” bawled Joe to a figure he saw crouching -behind the cabin of the other boat. - -“Our engine’s broken down!” came the answer, flung toward the young -helmsman by the wind. “Help us!” - -Above the bulwarks of the other boat, as the two small craft swept by in -the storm rack within a few inches of each other, appeared two other -heads. Joe caught their shouts for aid and frantically rang the signal -bell to summon the others on deck. Nat and Ding-dong came tumbling up to -ascertain what fresh accident had happened. They arrived just in time to -see the other motor boat, a white-painted, dainty-looking craft, swept -onward amid the towering seas. - -“They’ve broken down—need help—what can we do?” bawled Joe into Nat’s -ear. - -The leader of the Motor Rangers looked troubled. The other craft was by -this time wind-driven some distance from them. To try to overtake her -would be a most risky maneuver. Nat saw in his first glance at the other -boat that she was not fitted at all for outside work. She was evidently -a mere pleasure craft which had probably been overtaken unexpectedly by -the northwester before she had had time to make port. - -It was a trying dilemma that faced those on the _Nomad_. Below, they had -what was in all probability a dying man. At any rate, his life depended -upon the speed with which they could make port. On the other hand, three -human beings equally doomed to destruction, if help did not speedily -reach them, had just been driven by, the helpless victims of the storm. - -Nat and his chums found themselves facing a question which comes to few -men, and assuredly to still fewer lads of their ages. As usual, the -others looked to Nat for a decision. But it was longer than usual in -coming. Young Trevor felt to the full the heavy responsibility that lay -upon him in this crisis. If he took after the storm-wracked pleasure -craft with its human cargo, he was running a grave risk of losing all -their lives without saving the others. On the other hand, the appeal for -help from the powerless victims of the storm had struck a chord in Nat’s -heart which was never unresponsive. In the course of their adventurous -careers the Motor Rangers had aided and benefited many a human being, -but never before had they encountered any in such urgent need of succor -as those who had just flung their prayer for aid broadcast on the wings -of the wind. - -“Well, what’s the decision?” shouted Joe, as the three lads stood side -by side on the wildly swaying bridge. - -“To put her about. We’ll go after them,” was Nat’s response, as with -firm hands on the wheel he swung the _Nomad_ full into the teeth of the -gale. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - NAT TO THE RESCUE. - - -There followed moments of the most intense and thrilling anxiety. Clouds -of salt water broke thunderously over the plucky little _Nomad_ as she -battled her way on the path of rescue. Her framework quivered and -groaned, and she was flung upward on mountains of water and dashed into -liquid abysses till the boys’ heads began to swim. But still Nat, with -cool, steady eyes, gazing straight ahead through all the wildly flying -smother, held her toward the spot where an occasional high-leaping wave -surged and showed the little craft that they were following. Down below -Ding-dong had returned to his engines and was urging them to their best -efforts. - -Bit by bit they overhauled the other motor boat, but it was killing -work. Time and again it seemed that they would have to give it up, but -each time the _Nomad_ drove on, and at last they were close to the other -boat. She was a pitiful sight. From the water-logged way in which she -behaved, it was clear that she was half full of water and utterly unable -to keep up the fight any longer. - -Nat crept up to windward of her and then shouted that he would stand by. -The wind hurled away any reply that might have come, but Nat was pretty -sure that the men on the other boat could hear him, which was all that -he wanted. - -“We dare come no closer,” he bellowed, “but we’ll chuck you a life-ring -on the end of a rope. Jump overboard and grab it, and we’ll haul you -aboard!” - -A wave of the arm from one of the three figures crouched under the -bulwarks of the other boat for protection against the breaking seas -showed him that his message had been heard and understood. On the bridge -rail of the _Nomad_ were three life-rings, with plenty of light, strong -rope attached. Nat ordered all three of these cut loose and flung toward -the other boat. - -Joe worked like a beaver getting them loose and chucking them out toward -the storm-battered crew. They were heavy, but the wind helped in -propelling them, and they drifted down in the right direction. - -“Now!” yelled Nat, as the first of them came close alongside the -distressed launch. Without hesitation, except to shake his comrades’ -hands, one of the men mounted the bulwarks and dropped into the boiling -sea. - -He fought for a few seconds and finally succeeded in reaching the -bobbing, dancing life-ring. The way in which he got into it, by pressing -on one edge and then tipping it till it encircled his head, showed that -he was familiar with the trick of getting into a life-ring so as to make -it most efficient. - -Joe began hauling in with might and main. Nat, one hand on the wheel, -helped him. Slowly but surely in the teeth of the storm they drew the -rescued man toward them. When he was alongside and in the comparatively -smooth water of the _Nomad’s_ lee, Joe sent the bridge “Jacob’s ladder” -snaking down; and in a few seconds more the man, a stalwart-looking -young fellow in a blue sweater and rough serge trousers, stood dripping -beside them. There was no time to ask questions, for by this time -another of the distressed party had plunged into the sea. Like his -predecessor, he, too, grasped a life-ring, and, with the added strength -of the rescued sailor (for such appeared to be the rank of the first man -saved), the boys made good time getting him on board. - -“For heaven’s sake,” he panted, as he was hauled to safety on the -_Nomad’s_ bridge, “lose no time in getting Doc Chalmers off. Nate,” he -added excitedly, turning to the roughly dressed young fellow, “the -gasolene tank is leaking. The whole boat reeks of the stuff.” - -“Good land o’ Goshen, and that lantern in the cabin be alight!” cried -the other, an expression of alarm coming over his sunburned, -weather-beaten face. - -“Look, he’s on the rail now!” cried Joe, as the third figure, the one of -the man still remaining on the launch, was seen to mount the coamings. - -There was a sudden flash of flame and the roar of an explosion. Flames -shot up from the launch and the lead-colored waters grew crimson under -the angry glare. - -“The doctor! Nate, do you see the doctor?” asked the other survivor of -the sailor. - -“No, sir, Mr. Anderson! Land o’ Beulah, I don’t!” wailed the other. - -“There he is! Look! Off there!” cried Joe suddenly. - -He pointed to a black speck, the head of a human being, in the midst of -the blood-red waves. - -“He’s missed the life-ring!” groaned the man who had been addressed by -the sailor as Mr. Anderson. - -“Is he a good swimmer?” demanded Nat anxiously. - -“No, he can only handle himself in the water a little,” was the reply. - -They all gazed as if fascinated at the struggle on the flame-lit waters -surrounding the blazing launch. The face of the castaway was toward them -now and they could see his agonized features as he struggled amidst the -surges. - -“Joe, take the wheel. One of you throw another life-ring after me!” came -suddenly in Nat’s voice. “Bear down after me, Joe, and look lively to -chuck the second ring if I miss the first!” - -Before they could lay hands on him or utter one word of remonstrance, -Nat was overboard. On the bridge lay his oilskins, shoes and outer -garments. While they had been gazing, horror-stricken, at the struggle -for life going on apparently beyond the power of human aid, Nat had -acted. But it was a chance so desperate as to seem suicidal. - -“Nat! Nat! Come back!” shouted Joe, but it was too late. Nat was already -struggling in the towering seas, fighting his way toward the hapless -man. The next instant Joe flew to the wheel. In the moment that it had -been neglected the _Nomad_ had yawed badly. He signaled Ding-dong to -come ahead slowly, and as well as he was able he kept after Nat, in a -tremble of fear lest by over-eagerness he might run him down. - -“Stand by with those life-rings!” he ordered curtly to the two men -already rescued, who did not appear to be so much the worse for their -immersion. The sailor and the man addressed as Anderson each picked up a -life-ring, and, leaning over the starboard rail, eagerly scanned the -water for the moment when they were to fling them out. - -“Whatever made Nat take such a mad chance?” groaned Joe to himself as he -steadied the _Nomad_ as best he could. “But it was like him, though,” he -added, with a quick glow of admiration for his young leader. “He’s the -stuff real heroes are made of, is Nat.” - -Suddenly the man who had been battling for life in the glare of the -burning launch was seen to throw up his hands, and, with a wild cry of -despair on his lips, which was echoed by his friends on the _Nomad_, he -vanished. - -“Good heavens!” cried Joe in an agonized voice. “Has Nat sacrificed his -life in vain?” - -He scanned the waters for a glimpse of his chum, but not a sign of the -plucky young leader of the Motor Rangers rewarded him. - -Like the man he had set out to save, Nat Trevor, too, was apparently -engulfed by the seething waters. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - SAVED FROM THE SEA. - - -Joe, till the last day of his life, never forgot the ensuing period of -time. It appeared to be years that he stood there amidst the pandemonium -of the storm, with his nerves on blade edge and his heart beating -suffocatingly with anxiety. The _Nomad_ struggled and plunged like a -wild horse, and it required all his muscular strength to hold her within -control. - -A sudden shout from Nate caused him to look up hopingly. - -“There! There they both are!” yelled the sailor excitedly. - -The next instant Joe, too, saw them. Right ahead of the _Nomad_ was Nat, -apparently buoying up the limp form of Dr. Chalmers on the life-ring -which the latter had missed, but which a lucky accident had brought -within Nat’s grasp at the very instant almost that Dr. Chalmers sank. -Nat had seen that the only chance of saving him was to dive swiftly -after him and trust to luck. He had done so, and on coming to the -surface had managed to grasp the life-ring. All this, however, they did -not know till afterward. - -From the bridge of the _Nomad_ the two spare life-rings were flung with -right good will, and Nat encased himself in one of the hooplike devices. -But it was not till he and his dripping companion were hauled to the -_Nomad_ and were safe on board that they realized how great the strain -on muscle and nerve had been. Nat swayed and would have reeled against -the rail but for the young sailor from the boat, who caught him. As for -the man Nat had saved, he lay exhausted on the bridge while his friend -bent over him. - -Luckily, Nat’s youthful, strong frame was as elastic as a chilled steel -spring, and, after boiling hot coffee had been poured into him till he -laughingly protested that he was “a regular three-alarm fire,” he was -almost as spry and active as usual. Dr. Chalmers, a man of middle age, -did not rally from his immersion so quickly, however. He had swallowed -quantities of salt water and had had a narrow escape of being overcome -altogether. - -Ding-dong was summoned from his engines to look after the rescued ones -as soon as Nat was ready to “trick” Joe at the wheel, and the latter, in -his turn, relieved Ding-dong. Dr. Sartorius held aloof while the -stuttering boy explained to his interested auditors the day’s adventures -and learned how they came to be in such a fix. Dr. Chalmers, who, it -appeared, was an Eastern physician of note spending a short vacation at -Santa Barbara, had gone out fishing earlier that afternoon in Nate -Spencer’s boat, the _Albicore_. His friend, Rufus Anderson, an engineer -connected with the Government, had accompanied him. Time passed so -pleasantly, with the fish biting their heads off, that all thought of -time and distance from shore had been lost. It was not till the sun was -obscured that any of the party gave heed to the weather, and then it was -too late. - -“We owe our lives to you boys,” declared the doctor gratefully, “and we -can never repay you for what you have done.” - -Rufus Anderson warmly echoed the doctor’s praise, and Nate, the sailor, -shyly seconded the gratitude. Dr. Chalmers had already agreed to help -Nate purchase another boat in place of the _Albicore_, and so the -fisherman felt happier than he might have done at the thought of his -trim craft lying a blackened shell in the Pacific. - -The doctor expressed great interest in Mr. Jenkins’ case, and, after -examining him, declared that in his opinion the surgeon of the -_Iroquois_ had exaggerated the nature of his injuries. In his -estimation, he said, Mr. Jenkins would pull through all right. Ding-dong -stole a look at Dr. Sartorius as his brother physician announced this -opinion, and detected an expression of hawklike eagerness on the -black-bearded man’s features. He showed an interest beyond that of a -perfect stranger in Dr. Chalmers’ opinion. - -“Then he will not die, after all?” he asked in his raspy voice, coming -forward to the other physician’s side. - -Dr. Chalmers turned and scrutinized him quickly. - -“Dr. Sartorius,” explained the other, introducing himself. “I have a -professional interest in the case. You think this man will live?” - -“I do, unquestionably,” was the reply of Dr. Chalmers. Ding-dong saw his -eyebrows lift in astonishment at the other’s tone. It was plain that he -liked the black-bearded man no better than did the boys. - -When Ding-dong, shortly afterward, poked his head above the companionway -for a breath of air, he found that the storm was rapidly abating. In -fact in the cabin it had been apparent that the movements of the _Nomad_ -were becoming less and less erratic and violent. He told Nat of what had -occurred below, and Nat, after a moment’s thought, replied: - -“There’s something about all this that I can’t fathom, Ding-dong. In -fact, things have been moving so swiftly since we left the _Iroquois_ -that I haven’t had time to think. Of two things I’m pretty sure, though, -and one of them is that Dr. Sartorius came aboard us because he didn’t -want Mr. Jenkins out of his sight; and the other is that he had a good -reason for wanting to delay the _Nomad’s_ reaching port when he tampered -with the engines.” - -“Y-y-y-y-you think he der-der-did it, then?” asked Ding-dong. - -“Who else could have? I didn’t, you didn’t, and Joe didn’t. The injured -man certainly didn’t; and, besides that, didn’t Joe see his Whiskers -coming out of the engine room with a monkey wrench? What was he doing in -there at all if he hadn’t been tinkering with the motor?” - -“Ther-ther-that’s so,” assented the other. “It’s all like a -Cher-cher-Chinese puzzle. What are you going to do about it, Nat?” - -“If suspicions were legal evidence, I’d hand this fellow over to the -authorities as soon as we landed; but I can’t do that very well. They -would only laugh at us. Recollect, we’ve got nothing tangible to bring -against the man——Hullo, Joe, what’s up now?” - -Nat turned quickly as Joe came on deck. His face was troubled. - -“The engines are acting awfully queerly again,” he said seriously; “I -can’t make out what ails them. Everything appears to be all right, but -still they’re not running as they ought.” - -“Guess you’d better skip below and look at them, Ding-dong,” said Nat. -“No offence meant, Joe, but Ding-dong is the mechanical crank of this -outfit.” - -Joe and Ding-dong were below some time, during which period the black -squall about blew itself out, leaving only a heavy, blind swell to tell -of its passing. - -When the two lads came on deck again Nat saw at once that they had bad -news. - -“We’re pretty nearly out of gasolene, Nat,” announced Joe ruefully; -“none of us thought to look at the main tank before we started out, and -now we’ve only a few gallons left. We’ve pumped that into the auxiliary, -and I guess we can limp along a few knots on it.” - -“Great mackerel! That’s nice!” exclaimed Nat, shoving back his cap and -scratching his curly forelock, a way he had when perplexed. “This is -sure our day for troubles,” he added with a grin. - -“Well, gee-whillakers, I don’t see what else can happen right off,” -declared Joe. - -“Unless we bub-bub-blow up,” said Ding-dong ominously. - -“Shucks, we haven’t gasolene enough even for that!” - -“And there’s none nearer than the island,” put in Nat. “Tell you what, -boys, it’s tough on Mr. Jenkins, but there’s no help for it. We’ll have -to try and reach the island and then see what is best to be done.” - -“Well, there’s one good thing—we have a reputable physician on board now -instead of that old Sartorius.” - -“Gug-gug-glory! I dur-dur-don’t believe he’s a dur-dur-doctor at all,” -snorted Ding-dong. - -“Unless he’s a horse doctor,” quoth Joe, “and then any self-respecting -steed would kick those whiskers off him.” - -“All of which doesn’t help us in solving our problem,” struck in Nat. -“We’re a good long distance from the island, but at that it’s nearer -than any other place where we could get gas, by my calculations. Can we -make it on what we’ve got in the tank?” - -“We’ve gug-gug-got to,” rejoined the _Nomad’s_ engineer with conviction. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - ON “WIRELESS ISLAND.” - - -The rugged outlines of Goat Island loomed over the _Nomad’s_ bow an hour -or more after the conversation just recorded. But the pace of the -stalwart craft was pitifully slow compared to her usual rapid mode of -progression. The entire ship’s company, some of them recruited under -such strange circumstances, were on deck, with the exception, of course, -of Mr. Jenkins and Dr. Sartorius. The latter had elected to remain -below, but you may be sure that he was closely watched. - -It was growing rapidly dusk. Nat noted with increasing uneasiness the -slow gait of the _Nomad_ and the still considerable distance to be -covered by her before she reached her haven. - -“I’ll tell you,” he said to Joe, who stood beside him, “we’ll put a -wireless plant on the _Nomad_, and then in future if we get stuck we can -at least flash word of our plight and get aid from some source or -other.” - -“That’s a good idea,” agreed Joe; “if only we had such a plant on board -now we could send out a message for the gasolene boat that supplies the -fishing fleet and be all right in a jiffy.” - -But, fortunately for the boys, their troubles for the day at least -appeared now to be over. The _Nomad_ made her cove without further -difficulty, although, as Joe remarked, “there was hardly another turn -left in her.” - -The party landed in the dinghy which had been towed safely by its stout -hawser. Mr. Jenkins, thanks to the care of Dr. Chalmers, showed signs of -rallying, and not long after he had been comfortably bestowed on a cot -in the Motor Rangers’ hut he regained consciousness. Although the boys -were burning to ask questions which would aid in elucidating the -puzzling problem into which they had blundered, they were warned by Dr. -Chalmers not to do so at the time. - -“Let us give him time to collect his thoughts and not pester him by -talking now,” he said. “Since I have heard your stories, I am just as -curious as you are to find out the truth of the matter, and just where -this Dr. Sartorius fits into the puzzle; for I am sure that he is a -factor, and no beneficent one, in the case.” - - * * * * * - -A little later Dr. Chalmers decided that it would not be necessary to -remove the injured man to the mainland that night. In fact, he was -inclined to think that such a course might prove harmful. They all, -therefore, determined to remain on the island all night. The boys were -perfectly willing to adopt this course. They were all dog tired by the -strenuous day which they had passed through, as were, indeed, all of the -party. Dr. Sartorius sat sullenly in one corner of the shanty all the -evening, only speaking in monosyllables, but the boys did not trouble -themselves about him. After a hearty supper, all hands turned in and -slept the sleep of the exhausted till morning. - -The first thing when he awoke Nat looked around for their queer guest. -He was not in the shanty, and, leaving the others still asleep, Nat set -out on a tour of investigation. Somehow he deeply mistrusted and -suspected this black-bearded stranger, and when he found him missing he -at once surmised that all was not well. He bitterly regretted that they -had not openly voiced their suspicions the night before, or at least -kept a watch on the man. But it was too late now. - -Full of apprehension, but of what he did not know, Nat hastened to the -cove. The boat in which they had come ashore was gone, and, worse still, -the _Nomad_ was missing from her moorings! - -“The scoundrel!” cried Nat indignantly. “This is some of his work, I’ll -bet a dollar. Oh, what wouldn’t I give to get my hands on him! But what -are we going to do now? Here we are practically marooned on this island. -Thank goodness we have the wireless; otherwise we’d be in a bad fix. -Nobody comes near this place but fishermen, and they don’t put in -frequent appearances.” - -As he hurried back to the hut, burning with indignation, Nat formed a -theory concerning the disappearance of the small boat and the larger -craft. It was plain that Sartorius wished to get ashore without landing -with the party. Nat believed, in the light of recent events, that the -man had a notion that the boys meant to communicate their suspicions to -the authorities. But how he had succeeded in running the _Nomad_ alone -and single-handed was a mystery which was not solved till later. - -When he burst into the hut, full of the story of the vanishing of the -two boats, Nat found Dr. Chalmers bandaging Mr. Jenkins’ head and -placing fresh dressings upon it. The bandages had been extemporized from -a stock of clean linen the boys had along with them. The group within -the hut was listening eagerly to something that the injured man was -saying; but Nat’s news, which he blurted out as soon as he entered, -quite drew away attention from their wounded guest, whose hurt, it -transpired, was nothing more than a bad scalp wound. - -“Boys, the boats have gone!” was the way Nat announced his news. - -The others stared at him only half understandingly. - -“Gone!” echoed Joe, the first to find his voice. - -“Gug-gug-gone!” sputtered Ding-dong. - -“Do you mean they have been stolen?” demanded Dr. Chalmers. - -“That’s just what I do mean, sir.” And Nat proceeded to impart all that -had occurred, not forgetting, of course, the disappearance of Dr. -Sartorius. - -“Well, this is a nice kettle of fish,” blurted out Joe angrily. “Oh, but -weren’t we the chumps to take that fellow on board! I wish we’d left him -to continue his way to Mexico, and let it go at that!” - -“Too late now to cry over spilt milk,” declared Nat. He was going to say -more when Mr. Jenkins, who had been listening to their talk, -interrupted. - -“Did I hear you mention the name of Sartorius?” he inquired in a feeble -voice, although one that vibrated with a keen interest. - -“Yes,” said Nat, and rapidly told how they came to include the name of -the black-bearded man in their conversation. - -“And he was here and is gone?” demanded Mr. Jenkins so excitedly that -Dr. Chalmers had to beg him to calm himself. - -The others stared at Mr. Jenkins. His hands clenched and unclenched. - -“Oh, the precious scoundrel!” he choked out; and then added quickly, -“Look in my coat and see if you can find some papers, a thick bundle -held together with an india rubber band!” - -Then, and not till then, did the Motor Rangers recall what the ship’s -doctor had told them about a slashed coat. In the rush of events -following the start of the return run, this fact had completely slipped -their minds. A glance at the coat showed a slash over the breast pocket. -Inside there were no such papers as the injured man described. The -pocket was empty, in fact. - -Mr. Jenkins groaned when he heard this. - -“Oh, why didn’t I recover consciousness sooner?” he exclaimed, lying -back weakly. “That rascal has taken the result of years of work and -thought with him. I am ruined!” - -Dr. Chalmers happened to have with him, in a sort of pocket emergency -case, some soothing tablets. He crushed one of these in a tin cup of -water and gave it to Mr. Jenkins. In a few seconds he spoke to him in a -quiet tone: - -“Suppose you tell us what you know about this man Sartorius, and how you -came to be on the same ship, and also how you met with your accident—if -it was an accident.” - -“It was not an accident,” rejoined Mr. Jenkins emphatically, “the man -Sartorius—who is not a doctor, but only styles himself such—came behind -me on the companionway and shoved me so suddenly that I lost my balance -and fell headlong. I turned in time to see him, but not to save myself. -I had been on guard against attack, but not against such an attack as -that. Then, having rendered me unconscious by the fall, he robbed me of -the papers I have mentioned, for which he had tracked me across the -continent.” - -“Did you know that he was on board the _Iroquois_?” asked Nat, while the -others formed an interested circle. - -“Not till the ship had sailed. Then I encountered him suddenly in a -passageway. From that moment I was on my guard, but, as you know, I did -not succeed in warding off the attack I apprehended. In fact, I never -dreamed that it would come in that way.” - -“What were these papers he was so anxious to get hold of?” asked the -doctor; and then, as the other hesitated, “You may speak with -confidence. I am sure that no one here will disclose anything -confidential you may tell us.” - -Mr. Jenkins scanned all their faces eagerly. It seemed as if he wanted -to satisfy himself that what the doctor had said was right, that he -could rely on them to retain his secret. - -“Gentlemen,” he said in low tones, “those papers were the plans of an -invention which I had just brought to perfection after years of labor -and research. You have heard, of course, of the reward offered by the -Government to the man who could perfect a dirigible torpedo? That is to -say, a torpedo that would be under the control of the operator who sent -it on its death mission, from the moment it left the side of the ship -that launched it to the instant that it exploded.” - -The boys nodded. They all read several scientific papers and magazines -and had, of course, heard of the reward that Mr. Jenkins mentioned. - -“Well, I had invented and perfected such a projectile,” continued Mr. -Jenkins, his eyes glowing like two coals in his pale cheeks as he -talked. - -“What, you had invented a torpedo which could be governed from a ship’s -side and absolutely controlled by the operator?” Nat could not help -asking. The thing seemed fantastic, improbable; he even thought that -possibly the man’s mind might be wandering. But before Mr. Jenkins could -reply, Dr. Chalmers struck in with an exclamation. - -“Pardon me, but you are not the Professor Jonas Jenkins, late instructor -of physics and chemistry at Columbia University, New York City, who -withdrew from the faculty to perfect some experimental work, the nature -of which was kept a profound secret?” - -“I am,” was the quiet reply, “and that experimental work was identical -with the plans and papers of which I have just been robbed.” - -“Namely, a dirigible torpedo wholly under control at all times?” - -“Yes, sir. My torpedo was governed by a principle entirely novel in such -lines. Torpedoes have been experimented with which have been governed by -wires, at best a clumsy and inefficient device. My torpedo was -controlled by a new principle entirely—namely, by wireless!” - -“Ber-ber-ber-by wer-wer-wer-wireless!” sputtered Ding-dong eagerly. - -“Just so. You understand wireless?” inquired Professor Jenkins. - -“A lul-lul-little bub-bub-bit,” stammered Ding-dong. - -“We’ve got a plant here, which Ding-dong—William Bell, I mean—erected,” -struck in Nat. - -“A wireless here on this island?” - -The question came from the injured man in anxious, almost quavering -tones. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Then we’ve a chance to head off that rascal yet!” - -Mr. Jenkins raised himself on his cot. - -“Can’t you send out a message to all coast stations to alarm the -authorities to be on the lookout for the man when he lands? He can -hardly escape notice in that boat.” - -“Jumping ginger snaps! The very thing!” cried Nat. “What a fine lot of -dummies we were not to think of that before; but I guess losing the -boats turned us all topsy-turvy. Get busy, Ding-dong!” - -But Ding-dong was already at his instruments. He flashed on his sending -current and presently the whine and crackle of the urgent message “_To -All Stations_” was audible even in the living hut through the open door -of the wireless shed. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - AN AERIAL APPEAL. - - -While Ding-dong was sending his wireless appeal flashing and crackling -into the ether, Dr. Chalmers turned to Professor Jenkins again. - -“You have not yet told us what connection this man Sartorius has with -the case?” he hinted. - -“Sartorius is no more his name than it is mine,” was the rejoinder. “His -right name is Miles Minory, and he was dismissed from the University -shortly before I left for being engaged in some shady financial -transactions. He had worked as my assistant once, and in some way -learned of my secret researches. Of a singularly acute mind, he -perceived at once the financial possibilities of the device. After -approaching some capitalists, he came to me with a proposition to sell -out, he, of course, to get a large reward from the capitalists for -persuading me to do so. I refused, and told him that I would market my -wireless torpedo, when completed, in my own way. Not long after, my -rooms were broken into in my absence and my papers tampered with; but, -luckily, long before this I had removed the important ones to a place of -safety, knowing Minory’s character and that he was likely to adopt -crooked methods when others failed to gain his end. - -“From time to time I became unpleasantly aware that I was being watched. -The secret surveillance got on my nerves, but I persisted with my work -until I perfected it. I carried out my last experiments in a remote -coast town on the north shore of Long Island. One night I was attacked -on my way from my experiment station to my home. Minory did not appear -in this outrage, but I knew he instigated it. As in his other efforts to -obtain my papers, he failed in this also. - -“But it decided me that the vicinity of New York was too dangerous a -place for me to carry on my work. I was not sure even that my life was -safe if I persisted in holding out against the ring that wanted to seize -my invention. In this dilemma I turned to a friend who owns a small -ranch in Mexico, not far from Mazatlan. He offered me freely the use of -this secluded spot for as long a time as I wished to use it, and I -jumped at the offer. Without loss of time I booked passage for San -Francisco through a third party, in order to throw my enemies off my -trail. When I embarked on the _Iroquois_ it was with a light heart, but, -as I told you, I was not long left undisturbed in my fancied security. -Although that beard Minory wears is as false as the name he traveled -under, I knew him even in the disguise he had adopted. I was on guard, -but—well, the rest you know.” - -During the recital of this remarkable story they had listened without a -word of interruption. Now, however, everyone had questions to ask, all -of which Mr. Jenkins readily answered. We shall not detail the -conversation here, as Professor Jenkins’ narrative as already set down -appears fully to cover it. In the midst of the talk, and while Joe was -fixing up the best breakfast he could on the hut stove, Ding-dong, his -face red with excitement, came running in. - -“I’ve sent out a full description of the m-m-man and the two b-b-boats -to all coast stations within reach,” he exclaimed. “But tell me one -thing, professor, could this Sus-ar-Sartorius run a mum-mum-motor boat?” - -“I don’t know,” was the rejoinder, “but one thing I can tell you, he is -a slick enough customer to be able to do almost anything.” - -“From the way he fixed that carburetor and those plugs it certainly -appears that way,” commented Joe, looking up from the frying pan; “why -do you suppose he wanted to delay the _Nomad_, anyhow?” - -“To mum-mum-make a further sus-sus-search through the Professor’s -trunks, I guess,” was Ding-dong’s reply. - -“What! He was looking in my trunks?” cried Mr. Jenkins. - -“Yes, sir; Ding-dong caught him at it,” put in Joe. - -“The cunning scoundrel! He is cleverer than even I thought,” cried the -professor. “In one of my trunks was a working model of the wireless -torpedo. If he secured that it would be of invaluable aid to whoever had -the plans. In fact, without it as a key they would have some difficulty -in following out my calculations and designs.” - -“So that was the reason he was so anxious to come ashore with us!” cried -Nat, a light breaking in on him; for it would have appeared more -reasonable to suppose that, having rifled the professor of his papers, -the thief would desire to keep on the high seas. “I see it all now. He -knew that your trunks would be shipped ashore with you, Professor, and -in some way he also knew that they held what he hadn’t yet obtained, the -working model. He must have calculated that on the way between the -_Iroquois_ and the shore he would have time to ransack your baggage and -get hold of it.” - -“And his desire to lay hands on it gave him nerve enough to tamper with -the engine and endanger his own life as well as ours in that gale,” -supplemented Joe. - -“It is all as clear as day now,” cried Nat; and then in a chagrined -voice he muttered, “What a pack of boneheads we’ve been! Just think, we -had him right in our power and he’s slipped through our fingers like so -much water!” - -“Never mind,” consoled Dr. Chalmers, “you couldn’t very well have acted -on what knowledge you had up to the time that Professor Jenkins -recovered consciousness. I think, in fact, that——Hark!” - -It was Ding-dong’s “wireless alarm” clanging out the call for Goat -Island. - -“On the jump! Run like a jack-rabbit now, Ding!” cried Nat excitedly. -“This may be news of the rascal!” - -But it was not; however, it was news of a still more astonishing nature, -and, so far as the boys were concerned, almost as gratifying, dearly as -they would have loved to catch Sartorius—or Minory, as we must now call -him. Nat and Joe, who had followed Ding-dong to the wireless shed, bent -over him while he answered the call and then switched to his receiving -instruments. - -“It’s the fishing steamer, _Hattie and Jane_,” he explained hastily. -“You know, Capt. Eli Thompson’s boat, the one that collects fish from -the fleet. She carries wireless so that she can get quotations and -instructions from her owners even at sea.” - -He broke off, and as the dots and dashes began to beat into his ears -from the _Hattie and_ _Jane_, he wrote swiftly with nervous, flying -fingers. - -As they bent over him with open mouths and wide eyes, Nat and Joe burst -into a joyous “whoop!” of delight as they read the message Joe’s pencil -transcribed on the pad. - -“_Your motor boat_, Nomad, _found drifting. No one on board. Are you all -right?—Thompson_, S. S. Hattie and Jane.” - -“Gee! I’ll bet the captain thought we were all murdered or something!” -cried Joe, gripping Nat’s shoulder, while Ding-dong sent back a -reassuring message. - -“Hush!” cried Nat. “Here’s more coming.” - -“_Hawser has been cut. How can you explain?_” - -“The hawser cut?” shouted Nat. “Cracky! I see it all now. That fellow -couldn’t run the _Nomad_ himself and means to row ashore. He figured, -though, that we might swim out to her and start in pursuit, so he cut -the mooring rope and set her adrift.” - -“Oh, for five minutes alone with him!” panted Joe. - -“What’ll I say?” asked Ding-dong, half turning. - -“Say that we will explain when we see him. Ask him if he will bring the -_Nomad_ to Goat Island. Tell him we are marooned here and will pay him -well for the job.” - -Ding-dong obediently rapped out the message and then switched to the -receiving set again. They saw him give a reassuring nod as he wrote down -on his pad: - -“_Will be at Goat Island within three hours. Catch light, and can spare -the time. Is fifty dollars too much?_” - -“The old rascal!” grinned Nat, too delighted to be angry at this -somewhat steep figure. “He knows he’s got us under his thumb and sees a -chance to make a good wad of salvage. Tell him ‘all right,’ Ding-dong, -there’s nothing else for it.” - -“_Satisfactory. Make all haste you can_,” was flashed back, and then -came “_Good-byes_.” - -As soon as Ding-dong had grounded his instruments and taken off his head -receivers there was a scene of wild jubilation in the wireless hut. The -boys whooped and cheered like Indians and joined in a wild war dance. - -“Whoopee!” yelled Joe, “there may be a chance of catching that old -fake-whiskered cuss, after all. He’s got a good long start, but what -with our wireless warnings and with the long row ahead of him, we have a -fighting chance of overhauling him.” - -“And I reckon he won’t be in a desperate hurry, because he’ll never -figure that we could have such blind luck as to have the _Nomad_ picked -up by about the only wireless craft along the coast that knew her and -her owners and could notify them at once of the recovery,” cried Nat. -“Boys, it’s one chance in a thousand, but it looks as if luck was -beginning to run our way again after all our set-backs.” - -Within a very few minutes those at the living hut were apprised of the -state of affairs. The effect on every one’s spirits was wonderful. Even -Dr. Chalmers and his friend became infected with the excitement of the -chase after a man who had proved himself as consummate a rascal as could -be found on earth. - -But in the midst of the jubilation, Joe propounded a sudden question -that came like a dash of cold water on their hopes. - -“Suppose before he cut the _Nomad_ adrift he rifled the trunks and got -the model?” he exclaimed. - -It was a possibility that, strange to say, in the general excitement, -had not yet occurred to any one of them. - -“In that case, if we don’t find him I am in as bad a fix as ever,” -declared the professor blankly. “With the model it wouldn’t take a -clever fellow like Minory more than a few days to understand the -principles of my invention, rush patent papers to Washington and reap -his reward from the unscrupulous capitalists employing him. You see I -was so afraid of possible leaks that I was waiting till I had every -detail complete before I filed application for a patent. With nobody in -my confidence concerning my work, I have absolutely no proof nor -witnesses that the wireless torpedo is the product of my brain. Minory, -on the other hand, has the backing of almost unlimited money and -influence.” - -“Humph!” grunted Nat, in a low aside to Joe, “we may be euchered after -all, then.” - -“_We!_” rejoined Joe in a rather astonished tone. - -“Yes,” was the sturdy reply. “I like this professor and I hate to see -such a rascal as Minory getting away with a thing to which a man has -devoted the best efforts of his life. We, Joe—I said _we_—are going to -help him in every way in our power.” - -“Bully for you, Nat. I’m with you to a crisp!” cried Joe, while he gave -Nat a slap on the back that almost drove the breath out of the young -leader’s body. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - A STERN CHASE. - - -In the meantime, from station to station, within a radius in which it -was reasonable to suppose the fugitive would land, the wireless was -sending out its waves of alarm. The various stations attached to -life-saving headquarters along the coast took the message and, in turn, -telephoned the local authorities of near-by towns. Ding-dong received -these assurances through the ether and transmitted them to his friends. -Excitement was rife. It looked as if by means of the wireless they had -spread a net that left not a mesh for the fugitive to slip through. - -Nor was this all on which they based their hopes of overhauling him. It -was a long, weary row to the shore, and, as Nat had pointed out, Minory, -deeming himself secure from pursuit, would probably be in no particular -hurry, but conserve his strength. From the bridge of the _Nomad_ such an -object as a rowboat would be conspicuous for a long distance. If only -Captain Thompson hastened his return with the wandering motor craft, -they stood about an even chance of capturing Minory themselves. It was a -situation that thrilled them, and the time dragged wearily till smoke on -the horizon announced the approach of the _Hattie and Jane_. - -She anchored off the island and flashed ashore a message of greeting. -Attached to her stern by a stout hawser was the errant _Nomad_. At sight -of the returned wanderer the boys set up a ringing cheer. Captain -Thompson, a weather-beaten old salt, rowed ashore in the dory that the -_Hattie and Jane_ lowered, and received his reward. He pocketed it with -a grin, as much as to say, “A pretty good morning’s work”; but the boys -did not grudge it to him. The return of the _Nomad_ meant much more to -them than that. - -The dory was loaded up with gasolene, and after two trips between the -shore and the _Nomad_, the latter was ready, with full fuel tanks, “to -receive passengers.” Professor Jenkins, still so weak that he had to be -supported to the boat, was the first to be taken off. Then the boys -closed up the shanty and the wireless station and within half an hour -were under way, with the _Hattie and Jane_ flying a bunting salute in -response to the boys’ string of flags which spelled out to the fishing -steamer “Good luck.” - -“Now, Joe, keep your eyes peeled,” ordered Nat. “I’d give a whole lot to -run that fellow down and land him ourselves. If once he gets ashore, -he’s slippery enough to get clear away.” - -Dr. Chalmers, who had gone below with his patient, and also to make an -examination of the professor’s trunks, came on the bridge at this moment -with a dismal report. - -As they had apprehended, Minory, before cutting the _Nomad_ loose, had -ransacked the trunks. The model was gone, and the doctor feared that to -inform the professor of the loss might cause a serious relapse in his -condition. - -It was agreed, therefore, to reply only vaguely to any questions he -might ask. But fortunately the inventor, completely worn out by -excitement and weakness, sank into a deep sleep almost as soon as he was -laid on the divan below, and they were spared the necessity of evasive -replies to the questions he would have been sure to ask about the safety -of the model. - -It must be confessed that when Nat learned the clever and thorough way -in which Minory had carried out the last part of his desperate plan for -stealing the fruits of the professor’s inventive faculty, his heart -rather sank. Somehow, he did not feel quite so sanguine as he had at -first that they would succeed, either themselves or through their -wide-flung messages, in capturing the fellow. The remarkable ingenuity -he had shown in his attempts on the wireless torpedo in New York, in his -successful espionage of the inventor across the continent, and in his -last coup of getting himself on board the craft on which the man he had -injured was being conveyed ashore all showed an acute intellect, a -depraved sort of genius for carrying out whatever nefarious ends its -possessor had in view. Nat didn’t underrate his antagonist. He knew by -this time that they had a wily and perhaps a desperate foe to fight. - -The sea was as smooth as glass, and, although the sun beat hotly down, -there was yet a refreshing breeze. These factors would aid Minory in his -long row, supplementing the work of his muscles, which, despite his -scrawny form, Nat judged to be wiry and powerful. - -The _Nomad_ was crowded along to every ounce of her speed capacity. -Ding-dong never left his engines a second, but watched them with anxious -solicitude. He was fully aware of how much depended now upon the -performance of the motor. So far it was running sweet and true, with a -humming song that delighted the watchful boy engineer. Oil can in hand, -he doused the bearings and moving parts with lubricant from time to -time, feeling a shaft collar or an eccentric band to detect symptoms of -overheating. - -The distant coast range, faintly blue and luminous, loomed up through -the heat haze before long, but although Nat stationed Joe with the -binoculars to keep active and constant watch for the skiff, nothing -appeared in the field of the powerful glasses to warrant Joe in giving -the alarm. - -Once he saw something black and was on the point of crying out. The next -minute he was glad that he hadn’t. The object proved to be only a -floating log with a solemn line of seagulls bobbing up and down on it as -it rose and fell on the swells. - -“Begins to look bad, Nat,” commented Joe, as the outlines of the rugged, -bare coast range became clearer and still no sign of a boat swam within -the horizon of the glasses. - -“I must admit that it does,” rejoined Nat, “but it’s up to us to keep -hoping against hope.” - -Suddenly a thought came to Joe. - -“See here, Nat, unless that fellow is as skillful a boat handler as he -is a crook he couldn’t land on the bare coast. The surf would be rolling -too high even on a calm day like this to permit him to do so even if he -tried to.” - -“That’s so, Joe; you do have a bright thought once in a while.” - -“Thank you,” grinned Joe; “and now let me go on to say that in my -opinion he’ll make for some cove.” - -“Of which there are none too many hereabouts,” responded Nat. “Let’s -see, which one is the nearest?” - -“Why, Whale Inlet, in the salt meadows beyond Point Conception.” - -“That’s right, but he’d hardly know of that unless he is more familiar -with this coast than it is reasonable to suppose.” - -“But having observed what the conditions were along the beach and -realizing that he couldn’t negotiate the surf, he’d be likely to go -hunting for such an inlet, wouldn’t he?” - -“Sounds reasonable. But the point is just this, why wouldn’t he go -toward Santa Barbara itself?” - -“Why, because, if he’s as shrewd as I think he is, he will have guessed -that we have sent out a wireless alarm for him by this time.” - -“But how does he know we have such an apparatus?” - -“Just this. If for no other reason, he knows we picked up that wireless -from the _Iroquois_, that message that got us into all this pickle.” - -Before Nat could reply, the sailor whom they had rescued with his -employers the night before, and who had been standing with Mr. Anderson -on the bridge, gave an exclamation. - -“I don’t want to give a false alarm, gentlemen, but what’s that object -off there?” - -“Where?” demanded Nat. “Give me the glasses, Joe, quick.” - -Something in the sailor’s voice had made him alert and active in an -instant. - -He applied the glasses to his eyes and gazed through them for a few -seconds. - -“It’s a boat, a rowboat,” he announced after his brief scrutiny. - -“Our boat?” asked Joe almost tremulously. - -“I think so,” was the reply, as the _Nomad’s_ course was altered and she -was headed directly for the distant speck that the sailor’s sharp eyes -had espied. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - MORE BAD LUCK. - - -“Oh, thunderation!” - -It was Ding-dong who uttered the exclamation as a sharp crack sounded in -the engine room and he sprang forward to shut off the motor. An -eccentric band had snapped with a report like a pistol, and the _Nomad_ -was temporarily out of commission. - -Down the speaking tube came an impatient query. - -“What’s up? What’s happened?” - -Ding-dong shouted up a reply. - -“How long will it be before you can fix it?” - -“About fifteen minutes. Luckily I’ve an extra band handy.” - -The stammering boy, as was usual with him in stress of circumstances, -had temporarily overcome his impediment in speech. - -“Bother!” exclaimed Nat in a vexed tone. And there was good reason for -his impatient intonation. Bit by bit the _Nomad_ had been creeping up on -the solitary rowboat. - -Hardly more than a few hundred yards now separated them, and they could -see Minory, with white, anxious face, straining at his oars—as if any -human power could get him beyond reach of the fast motor cruiser! Ahead -of him lay an inlet meandering up among some salt marshes. It was Whale -Creek, so called because a huge whale had once been stranded there. - -Nat knew that at the mouth of Whale Creek lay shoals and quicksands -among which the _Nomad_ could not navigate. If they could not cut off -Minory before he gained the entrance to the creek, his escape appeared -certain, for the _Nomad_ carried no dinghy and Minory had the whip hand -of them in the shallow water. - -“You’d better give up!” Nat had hailed to Minory across the water. “Even -if you get ashore the authorities are already on the lookout for you, -warned by wireless. You don’t stand the chance of a rat in a trap.” - -Minory’s answer had been to stand up in the skiff, holding aloft in one -hand the model and in the other the plans and calculations that had cost -the sleeping inventor below so much effort. - -“If you come any closer, down these go to Davy Jones!” he had yelled -desperately. - -“To do such a thing would be only to increase the sentence you will get -in a court of law!” Mr. Anderson had shouted back indignantly. - -“He’s only bluffing!” Joe had rejoined. - -It was just at this instant that the unlucky disaster in the engine room -had occurred. Joe could have cried with vexation. - -“Of all the luck!” he exclaimed as the _Nomad_ lost way and came to a -standstill, swinging seaward with the outgoing tide. Minory stood up in -his skiff and shook a triumphant fist at them. They turned away from -him, and the next moment something came buzzing and singing past their -ears. - -It was followed by a sharp, cracking report. Then came a yell of defiant -laughter. - -“The rascal’s shooting at us!” exclaimed Nat. - -“Yes; duck quick!” cried Joe, as the revolver was once more leveled. - -“You’ll have to get up early to get ahead of me, you whelps!” was the -insulting cry borne over the waters. - -Nat’s teeth clenched; his cheeks flamed red. He did not often lose his -temper, but the ruffian’s audacity had made him mad clear through. - -Regardless of his danger, he sprang erect and faced the man in the -skiff. - -“We’ll get you yet, Minory!” he shouted. - -For an instant the occupant of the small boat appeared taken aback, and -that for a good reason. Obviously, if they knew his real name, the -professor must have not only discovered his loss, but recovered -sufficiently to tell the whole story. His acute mind reasoned this out -in a jiffy, and it gave him pause. But only for a fraction of time. The -next minute, with a cry, “Take that, you young cub!” another bullet came -singing and whinging through the air. - -“I’ll go below and get the rifle!” cried Joe furiously. “We’ll show him -two can play at this game; we’ll——” - -“Do nothing of the sort,” said Nat calmly; “he can hardly get much of an -aim standing up in that cranky skiff, and if he wants to get away he’ll -do better by taking to his oars than by blazing away at us.” - -“There he goes now,” cried the sailor. “I guess he was so plumb mad -clear through at the quick tracks we made after him that he just -naturally had to blaze away at us.” - -As the man spoke they saw Minory, with another mocking laugh, bend to -his oars once more and row rapidly toward the creek mouth. - -“Once let him get in there and we’ve lost him,” cried Nat despairingly. - -“Better lose him than have any bloodshed,” declared Mr. Anderson. “That -fellow is a desperate man, and wouldn’t hesitate to use firearms to -protect himself from capture.” - -“It looks that way,” commented Joe. “Whee! Look at him row!” - -“Consarn him, I wish he’d bust an oar!” growled out the sailor gloomily. - -“No, all the busting seems to be done on this ship,” was Joe’s dismal -response. - -“Now, Joe, no grumbling,” warned Nat, always optimistic even when things -appeared blackest; “we may get him yet. ‘There’s many a slip——’” - -“‘’Tween the law and the crook,’” growled out Joe, finishing the -quotation for him. - -“Oh, put it the other way round,” advised Nat. - -Just then Ding-dong appeared on deck. - -He held up the broken eccentric ring which he had just detached. - -“Here it is,” he said; “that’s what has crippled us.” - -“Broken?” asked Joe. - -“Yes, snapped clean through.” - -“And it was a new one not long ago!” exclaimed Nat. - -“Yes, and the best made. It beats me how it came to fly off the handle -that way.” - -“Good thing it didn’t wreck the whole engine,” was Joe’s comment. - -“Yes; lucky I was below, or it would have,” rejoined Ding-dong, -stammerless in his excitement. - -“Let me look at that eccentric strap a minute, Ding-dong,” said Nat -quietly, but with a strange ring in his voice. - -Ding-dong, looking rather surprised, handed it over to the young captain -of the _Nomad_. Nat didn’t often have anything much to say about the -machinery. He left that part of the running of the boat to Ding-dong and -Joe, although he was quite conversant with it. - -They watched him while he examined it carefully at the broken ends. - -“It’s a wonder this lasted as long as it did,” he said. - -“Why! It was new and——” - -“Yes, I know, but see these marks on it. What are they?” - -“Cantering cantilevers, the marks of a file!” cried Joe. - -“That is what I thought. That fellow was too slick not to have turned -some trick like that.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - “THERE’S MANY A SLIP.” - - -Ding-dong accomplished his repairs in a shade under the fifteen minutes -he had allowed for the operation. - -“All ready!” he reported up the speaking tube. - -“Come ahead!” cried Nat eagerly. - -The skiff was once more a diminished speck, alarmingly close in to the -shoals that Nat dreaded. Moreover, during the wait, while they had -fretted and fumed, the outsetting tide had carried them further out to -sea. Thus it appeared as if the very forces of nature were allied with -Minory. - -But the boys set up a triumphant shout as once more the bow of the -_Nomad_ began to cleave the water and all fixed their gaze eagerly on -the object of their pursuit. He, for his part, must have been watching -them closely, for Joe observed through the glasses that, as soon as they -began to move once more, he quickened his stroke. - -On and on rushed the _Nomad_, and the water began to grow yellow and -green in patches about her, marking spots where there was shoal water. -Between these patches threaded narrow streaks of blue which showed deep -channels that could be safely traversed. - -The man they were pursuing evidently knew the surface indications of the -water as well as they did, for it was seen that he carefully navigated -the skiff over the shallowest water where the yellow color showed that -sand bars lay close to the surface. As the passages grew more and more -intricate, Joe fairly gasped as Nat kept right on. But Nat showed not -the slightest sign of relinquishing the chase, although all about them -as the tide ran out the bars grew more and more numerous. - -“Say,” Joe ventured to remark presently, “hadn’t we better slow down?” - -“Not yet,” came through Nat’s gritted teeth. Joe saw the well-known -forward thrust of Nat’s jaw that betokened that he was in deadly -earnest, but he made no further comment. - -Every minute, though, he expected to feel the grating jar that would -announce the end of the chase and the grounding of the _Nomad_. So far -everything was going smoothly and they were steadily overhauling the -skiff, although their loss of way by the eccentric breakage and tide -drift had been considerable. - -Things were still in this condition when the skiff entered the mouth of -the creek, and suddenly, after proceeding a few yards, vanished as if -she had sunk. But Nat knew that no such thing had occurred. - -“He’s turned up into a side channel where he knows we won’t stand the -ghost of a chance to nail him,” cried Nat. “Bad luck and more of it.” - -“Nothing to do but to turn back, eh, Nat?” asked Joe, secretly rather -relieved at this termination to the chase. He didn’t want to see the -_Nomad_ aground and helpless till high tide set her afloat again, or, -worse still, till tackles had to be rigged or help sent for to drag her -into deep water. - -“Yes,” sighed Nat, “that’s about it.” - -He was preparing to turn around in a rather larger patch of blue water -than the others which lay amidst the yellow and green “danger signals,” -when Joe tugged at his sleeve excitedly. - -“Nat! Nat! Look there!” - -Coming down the creek was a low, racy-looking motor boat without a -cabin, but with a high, sharp cutwater that indicated that she was built -for speed. - -Nate, the sailor, gave a quick gasp of astonishment. - -“Jee-hos-phat! That’s Israel Harley’s boat! Him as was suspected of -smuggling opium for the Chinese smugglers but was acquitted on his -trial.” - -“I’ve heard of him,” said Nat, “but I didn’t know he lived back in -there.” - -“Yes, Whale Creek, or a tributary of it, runs miles back, right up to -Martinez almost. It’s a cinch for Israel to get that light-draught craft -of his’n back up there. He lives in a sort of shanty town with a lot of -other fishermen, and they say that, although all the crowd are hard and -tough, Israel is the toughest of ’em.” - -“I know he has a bad reputation. He must have made a lot of money, -though, to buy that boat. She’s a beauty, and fast, I’ll bet,” said Nat, -casting admiring glances on the high-bowed motor boat which could be -seen threading the intricacies of Whale Creek as it wound in and out -among the greenish-gray salt meadows. - -“Yes, they say that Iz would do anything for money and wasn’t no ways -partic’lar,” was the response. “I’ve hearn, too, that in old days he and -his gang made a lot of coin by setting false lights on the shore and -then looting the ships that was wrecked on that account. But that’s all -long ago. I guess opium smuggling from South Sea schooners is more in -his line now.” - -“How has he kept out of the clutches of the law so long?” asked Joe. - -“He’s got some sort of political pull,” was the rejoinder, “and besides -that, there ain’t hardly nobody would testify against him, they’re so -all-fired scared of what would happen to them if they did. There’s a -whole clan of Harleys back there at Martinez, and they’re all about as -hard as old Israel, and that’s saying a heap.” - -“Hullo! What’s up now? They’re slowing down!” cried Nat suddenly. - -“So they are, and right by that little side passage that Minory vanished -into.” - -“Maybe he’s in trouble and they’ve stopped to see what’s up,” suggested -Joe. - -“No; look, they’ve stopped! Look there! Minory is rowing up to them and -talking to them. Put the glasses on ’em, Joe, and see what they’re up -to.” - -Joe clapped the binoculars to his eyes. - -“Crickey!” he cried excitedly, “I saw him pass something to old Harley, -and he’s getting on board the black motor boat.” - -“I’ll bet he’s cooked up some fairy story and that old Israel has agreed -to take him some place down the coast, maybe Santa Barbara, and set him -ashore where he can hit a railroad or a steamer,” suggested Mr. -Anderson. - -“That may be so,” was Nat’s thoughtful rejoinder; “from what Joe saw, it -looks as if money had been passed. If he had kept on to Martinez he -would have found himself miles out of civilization. It’s wild country -back there, and I guess he is anxious to hit the railroad or the ocean -right now.” - -The black motor boat got under way again, leaving an abandoned skiff -behind. What story the rascally genius had concocted, of course they did -not know, but Joe could see old Israel, or a man whom he guessed was he, -pointing at the _Nomad_ as if she were the subject of the conversation -on board the fast, rakish craft. - -On she came with a bone in her teeth, and, heading round, threaded her -way rapidly out of the intricate passageway and across the _Nomad’s_ -bow. Nat almost groaned aloud in his chagrin. - -“Can’t we overtake her?” asked Mr. Anderson. - -Nat shook his head despairingly as he watched the black craft cut -smoothly through the water at a rate that he estimated at fully eighteen -knots or over an hour. - -“Not a chance on earth, sir,” he said. - -“There’s not a boat round here can touch her,” declared the sailor with -grim confidence. “I reckon old Israel uses her in his opium smuggling. -He needs a fast boat for that, and maybe some of that political ring -helped him put those speedy engines in her, for they must have cost a -pretty penny.” - -Suddenly one of the figures on the black craft was seen to move toward -the stern. Then came a mocking wave of farewell and a shouted something -that they could not catch. - -Nat set his teeth forcefully. - -“There’s one chance in a thousand that she’ll break down or something,” -he said with grim determination, “and I’m going to follow her as long as -I can.” - -“Good for you, my lad,” exclaimed Mr. Anderson. “The luck’s bound to -turn some time. So far it has favored them—maybe it will be our turn -now.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE SMUGGLER AT BAY. - - -But it didn’t look much as if Mr. Anderson’s words were to be verified. -Dr. Chalmers came on deck, as he had been doing from time to time to -learn what was going on. He was told of the startling turn that affairs -had suddenly taken, and Nat asked him if it was important that Mr. -Jenkins should be set ashore speedily. - -“I think not,” was the reply. “Thanks to your medicine chest, I have the -antiseptics I require for treating the wound, and, so far, he is still -asleep, which is an encouraging sign. Keep on, my boy, and get that -rascal if you can.” - -He went below once more to watch his patient, and the others -concentrated their minds on the chase. Ding-dong came on deck for a -breathing spell and was placed in possession of the facts. - -“If w-w-w-we only had wur-wur-wireless on board, we’d soon stop their -little ger-ger-game,” he groaned. - -“We’ll have it just as soon as possible,” Nat assured him. “All this has -shown me what a useful thing it would be to have an installation made -right on board.” - -The black motor boat zipped through the water like a streak. So fine -were her lines that she left hardly any wake, except a churned up streak -of white that marked where her powerful propellers were biting into the -water and driving her onward at twelve hundred revolutions a minute. - -“The only chance we stand is if she breaks down,” muttered Nat, as he -watched the rapidly receding outlines of the craft. - -“And we stand as good a chance of doing that as she, to judge by past -performances,” grunted Joe. - -“I’m afraid it looks that way, Joe; still, we can only keep on and hope -for the best. We won’t give up the chase now, whatever happens.” - -“That’s the talk,” said Mr. Anderson approvingly; “they must be driving -her cruelly to keep up that pace, and machinery is only machinery and -something may give.” - -“Well, I hope it does soon,” commented Joe, “or she’ll be out of sight.” - -This looked as if it was entirely likely to happen. Diminished to a mere -speck, the speedy craft made the _Nomad_, fast as she was for her -sturdy, sea-going build, look like a stone barge chasing a canoe. - -“If it would come on to blow, there would be a different tale to tell,” -said Nat, “but it’s ‘set fair’ by the look of it and we’ve nothing to -hope from in that quarter.” - -Then what they had feared happened. The fast craft vanished over the -horizon. They were hopelessly outclassed. - -“Beaten to a frazzle,” choked out Joe indignantly, “and by a miserable -opium-smuggling, piratical old thief at that.” - -“We’ll keep right on,” repeated Nat, and he grimly steered the same -course he had been holding when their speedy quarry vanished from view. - -Half an hour later he was to be mighty glad he did. Up over the rim of -the horizon came the form of the fleeing black craft. Clearly, it had -been compelled to slow up from some cause or other. - -“Hurray!” yelled the excitable Joe. “We’ve got a chance now!” - -“Have they broken down?” asked Mr. Anderson anxiously. - -“Looks that way. They wouldn’t slow up after having given us such a -clean pair of heels,” said Nat, his voice aquiver with suppressed -excitement, “but she’s an awful long way off yet, and may get under way -again long before we catch up with her.” - -Joe looked sober again. The chase was pursued in almost total silence. -As they neared her it could be seen that the black craft was moving, but -slowly. - -Nat fairly held his breath as he watched her. What had happened on -board? Through the glasses Joe could see the four men on her -gesticulating excitedly and working over the engine. Presently clouds of -blue smoke and sharp reports like those of a rapid-fire gun burst from -the crippled craft. - -“Just keep on that way fifteen minutes longer and we’ve got you, my -hearties,” exclaimed the sailor. - -“What’s up, do you think?” asked Joe. - -“Carburetor troubles. Too rich a mixture. Look at that smoke; it’s -coming out as black as ink now.” - -Nat said nothing, but his flushed cheeks and trembling hands spoke for -him. It looked for once as if the tortoise had caught up with the hare -in real life. - -“What are your plans if we do catch up with her?” asked Joe in a subdued -tone as they bore down on the black craft. - -“Call on them to give up their passenger. If they don’t, we’ll have to -board her.” - -“But we’ve no guns.” - -“Man alive, we don’t need them.” - -“But they are just as strong a party as we are, and they are probably -armed, and we know that one, at least, doesn’t hesitate to shoot on -provocation.” - -“Well, we’ll pack monkey-wrenches in our hip pockets. If trouble comes -we’ll use them, but I’m thinking that old Israel Harley, from all -accounts, will give up his passenger without trouble. He’s been too -badly singed by the law to want to come near it again.” - -“Maybe there’s something in that,” rejoined Joe resignedly. “I’ll go -below and pick out a few likely-looking wrenches.” - -He turned and went down to the engine-room, where he related to -Ding-dong all that had happened in the last exciting moments. - -In the meantime the _Nomad_ had crept up to the black craft, and those -on the bridge could now see that the hood above the engine was raised -and that an old, rugged-looking man in rough clothes with three younger -men were working over the motor. - -“They’ve broken down, sure enough,” chuckled Nat exultingly as the -_Nomad_ drew nearer. - -“Our turn at last,” chortled Joe, as he came on deck and slipped a -wrench to Nat and another to the sailor. Mr. Anderson said that, in case -of a tussle, he preferred to rely on his fists. - -The old man looked up in apparent surprise as the _Nomad_ came alongside -the thin, sharp motor boat. - -“That’s old Iz,” whispered the sailor to Nat. But Nat hardly heard him, -for he was face to face with the surprise of his life. - -The motor boat was an open one. There was no cabin. All was open except -the engine space, which was forward under the high bow and hooded in. -All was plainly exposed to the view from the _Nomad’s_ bridge, which was -considerably higher than the low, swift craft she had overhauled. - -There was old Israel, there were his three companions, but of Minory -nothing was to be seen. He had vanished as completely as if he had -evaporated into air! - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - TRAPPED! - - -“Wall?” hailed Israel, raising his bushy eyebrows, which overhung his -steely-blue eyes like pent-houses. “Wall? What might you be wanting?” - -“That fellow you took on board in Whale Creek,” snapped out Nat -decisively. - -“What feller?” demanded the old man. “Say, young feller, has ther heat -gone to yer brain?” - -“It’s no use temporizing,” chimed in Mr. Anderson, “we saw you take on a -passenger. We want him for a grave crime.” - -“Do tell!” exclaimed the old man, while the others, whom the sailor -whispered to Nat were the elder Harley’s two sons and his nephew, -suspended their work and gazed up as astonished apparently as old Israel -appeared to be. - -“Wall, you shore must hev sharp eyes in yer head, young feller,” said -one of the old man’s sons, a fellow named Seth Harley, who bore as bad a -reputation as his father. “So you saw us take on a passenger, eh? Wall, -this is the first I hearn on it. Say, Jake, or you, Hank, did you notice -any passenger embarking on this packet?” - -A contemptuous laugh was the only rejoinder and then old man Harley -struck in again in his harsh, rasping voice, like the dragging of a -rough file over metal. - -“’Spect you be the loonies thet hev stuck up thet thar birdcage -contraption on Goat Island, beant yer?” - -“If you mean the wireless station, yes,” responded Nat. - -“Wall, thet accounts fer ther bees in yer bonnet, then,” scoffed old -Israel, while his relatives chuckled in a peculiarly irritating manner; -“an’ anuther thing, lemme tell yer,” the old man went on, “you’d better -be gittin’ ready to quit that thar island, anyhow.” - -“Why is that?” asked Nat, striving to keep his temper, while Joe hopped -about, first on one foot and then on another in his irritation. - -“’Cos we hev a prior claim to it, thet’s why,” retorted the old man, a -sudden fiery gleam coming into his cold eyes. “We don’t want none of you -spies an’ interferers comin’ from the mainland and mixin’ up in our -affairs.” - -“We’ve no intention of mixing up in your affairs,” flung back Nat, with -an emphasis on the last word. “You’ve just as legitimate a right to use -the island as we have and we’ll concede you that, but, as for quitting -it at your orders—well, that’s another story.” - -“See here, Harley,” interpolated Mr. Anderson, “we suspect you of having -on board your boat one Miles Minory. He is wanted for several grave -offences. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble by giving him up. We -know he paid you well to help him escape, but the jig is up and we mean -to have him.” - -The old man stared at him with what appeared to be absolute -bewilderment. - -“Lan’s sake!” he exclaimed, “you’re as loony as the kids are. Do you see -any signs of anyone on this yer craft but me, my two sons and my nevvy -here? We’re on a peaceable run to Santa Barbara ter git terbaccy, and so -forth, and then you overhauls us and springs this line of talk on us. -It’s an insult, that’s what it is! I ain’t harborin’ no criminals. If -there was one on board here, d’ye think I wouldn’t give him up? My -name’s as good as the next man’s, and I ain’t mixin’ up in that sort of -business.” - -“He certainly appears to be telling the truth, and yet it isn’t possible -we could have been deceived,” said Nat to his companions, in sore -bewilderment. - -“Do you think he could have slipped overboard into another boat while we -lost sight of them?” queried Joe. - -Nat shook his head. - -“I hardly see how that is possible,” he said. “In the first place, we -must have sighted a second craft, if there was one, and, in the second -place, there’s nowhere they could land between Whale Creek and Santa -Barbara.” - -“See here, young feller,” hailed old Harley, addressing himself to Nat, -“come aboard if you like and take a look around. If you find anyone here -but me an’ the boys, I’ll make you a present of the boat. I can’t speak -no fairer than that.” - -“What do you think?” asked Nat, turning to his companions. - -“I don’t see what harm there can be in accepting that proposal,” said -Mr. Anderson. “The boat is broken down and if this was a trap they still -couldn’t work you any harm while we are on hand.” - -“Then I’m going to go ahead and take him up,” declared Nat. “There’s a -bare chance that they may have him in some secret hiding place.” - -“Be careful, Nat,” urged Joe. - -“Yes, they’re a bad lot,” supplemented the sailor. - -“They certainly look it,” agreed Nat; “but, as Mr. Anderson says, they -can’t get away from here in their crippled boat, so I don’t see what -harm they can do me.” - -“All right, go ahead then. We’ll watch carefully and see that no harm -comes to you,” said Joe, and Nat swung himself over the side and dropped -lightly into the black motor boat. - -“Go ahead! Look around all you want to,” said old Harley, squinting at -the boy with his odd, twinkling little eyes. - -Nat looked around the interior of the hull. It had lockers on each side, -far too narrow, however, to hide the body of a man. There were cross -seats, too, but these were mere thwarts laid from side to side of the -craft and couldn’t have concealed a ten-year-old child. - -He examined the floor, but no cracks appeared in it which might indicate -a trap-door leading to some place of hiding within the hull. Only the -big space under the raised hull forward that housed the engines remained -unexamined. Nat hardly thought it worth while, but just the same he -decided to make his search thorough. Nevertheless, against his better -judgment and against his certain knowledge that Minory had boarded the -motor craft, he was beginning to believe that, in some extraordinary -way, a mistake must have been made, or else by some inexplicable means -Minory had managed to evade them. - -He examined the engine-space with due care, but could see nothing within -the dark machinery cabin to warrant him in assuming that Minory was -concealed within. - -“Wall, what did I tell yer?” cried old Harley triumphantly, as Nat -looked perplexed and chagrined. “You’re a nice one, you are, to come -accusing a respectable old man who makes an honest livin’ of hidin’ -criminals and avadin’ the law, ain’t you?” - -“I’ll have to accept your statement as true,” said Nat slowly, “but I’m -still convinced that there is some trickery about this affair.” - -“Hark at him!” cried old Harley, throwing his hands high in the air in -apparently righteous indignation. “But say, son,” he went on, placing a -grimy, gnarled hand on Nat’s shoulder, “I don’t bear no malice, not me. -To prove it, I’m going to ask you a favor. You’re summat of a ingine -sharp, I’ve heard tell; will you take a look at our motor an’ see what -ails it? I can’t fix it, no more can the boys here.” - -“Oh, I’ll look it over, if that’s all you want,” said Nat, who, truth to -tell, had rather a hankering to inspect the piece of machinery that -could force a boat through the water at the pace that old Harley’s was -driven. “I won’t guarantee to be able to remedy the trouble, though.” - -“That’s all right, lad; jes look at it, an’ if you can’t fix it I’ll hev -to ask you fellows for a tow into Santa Barbara, I reckon, fer we’re -plumb busted down now.” - -Nothing could have appeared more open and above board than this. Nat, -without hesitation, stooped to crawl in under the whaleback hood that -protected the motor from spray. - -As he stooped he heard a sudden shout from above. - -“Look out, Nat!” - -But it was too late. The boy was felled by a terrific blow from behind. -All the world went red about him and then faded into blackness amidst -which a humming noise like that of a speeding motor rang vibrantly. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - NAT A PRISONER. - - -“Is he coming round, Seth?” - -These words in old Israel’s voice were Nat’s next conscious impression. -They were coupled with the dousing in his face of a bucket of sea water. - -“He’s coming out of it all right, Pop,” was the rejoinder. “Hooky, -though, that was a whaler of a crack you gave him.” - -“Wall, it had to be a hard one. He’s a powerful strong kid and we -couldn’t have afforded to have a tussle with him. He! he! he!” chuckled -the old man, “how plumb flabbergasted those looneys on that _Nomad_ was -when they saw the kid knocked out and us gliding away like sixty!” - -“Yes, that was a slick trick, pretending to break down. We’ve got ’em -whar we want ’em now. They can’t do anything to us fer fear uv causing -trouble fer the kid here.” - -“That’s so,” struck in a third voice, that of old Israel’s other son, -“but jes the same, it ’pears to me like we’ve bitten off more’n we kin -chew this trip.” - -“Sho!” exclaimed the old man scornfully. “Ain’t we a-gittin’ paid fer -it?” - -“Yes, and enough to git us right out of these diggins if they git too -hot to hold us,” chimed in Seth reassuringly. “Ain’t no call to be -narvous.” - -“Of course there isn’t,” struck in another voice, which Nat recognized -as Minory’s. He lay perfectly still, feigning that he was still -unconscious. He wanted to hear all that he could. From what he had -already caught, he realized that a trick had been played on them and -that the motor craft owned by old Harley had not been injured at all; -and that the pretended breakdown was only a deception to get him on -board and divert the hunt from Minory to himself. - -“You’re perfectly safe in this,” Minory went on, addressing old Harley -and the others; “the interests I represent would go to a good deal more -expense than this to get me safely on my way with what I have in my -possession. As for the boy there, you’d best keep him out of the way for -a while. That’ll keep his friends busy chasing around after him instead -of bothering me.” - -“Say, mister, you’re a slick ’un, all right,” declared old Harley in an -admiring tone. “It was a good thing we had that little cubby hole up in -the bow to stow you in, though, or your scheme might hev fallen -through.” - -“Phew! I thought I’d die cooped up in there,” declared Minory. “How did -you ever come to have a secret hiding place on your boat?” - -“Wall, guv’ner, that’s our business,” responded the old man; “but once -in while we have stuff on board that it might be inconvenient for the -Customs officers to find, an’ so we just rigged up that little stowage -fer safe keeping.” - -Nat guessed that the “cubby hole” referred to and in which Minory had -evidently been hidden while he vainly searched the boat for him, was -used in old Israel’s illicit trade for the convenient and safe hiding of -the opium he smuggled. - -“Well, I’ve fallen into the hands of a fine lot of rascals,” he thought -to himself, “but they’ll hardly dare to do more than keep me a prisoner, -and maybe I’ll find some way of getting out before long. I wonder where -we’re headed for? Gracious, how my head aches!” - -“Reckon I’ll douse the kid with some more water,” humanely suggested -Seth; “he don’t appear to be coming around very fast.” - -But Nat saved him this trouble. He opened his eyes and assumed a look as -if he had just come out of a stupor. It wouldn’t do to let the Harleys -know that he had overheard their conversation and was conversant with -the situation. - -“Where am I?” he asked in as bewildered a voice as he could assume. - -“On board the _Rattlesnake_, my hearty,” piped up old Israel. “Reckon -your head aches pretty well, don’t it?” he added with a grin. - -“Sort of,” rejoined Nat, in the easy tone he had decided to assume. He -knew that with the odds against him it would be of no use to struggle, -and by remaining apparently indifferent to the situation he might stand -a chance of bettering it, or at least of gaining some valuable -information. - -“You see what comes of meddling in other people’s affairs,” struck in -Minory meaningly. “You young cub, you! I’d like to——” - -He started toward Nat, who was still recumbent, with the apparent -intention of striking him a vicious blow in the face. But old Israel -interposed. - -“Stop that,” he said gruffly; “the boy’s been man-handled enough -already.” - -“Bah! Not half enough to suit me,” snarled Minory. “If it hadn’t been -for the interference of him and the other whelps, I’d have been safely -away now.” - -“I should think that if you are the honest man you pretend to be, you’d -be ashamed to be associated with such a rascal,” declared Nat -indignantly, addressing old Israel. - -“They’re being well paid for what they’re doing,” scoffed Minory, “and -money will buy almost anybody.” - -“You ought to know,” retorted Nat stingingly, and he saw the rascal -wince under the thrust. - -“Where are you taking me to?” demanded Nat, sitting up and looking about -him. - -They had reached a point of the coast that he knew lay below Santa -Barbara, which they must have passed while he was still unconscious. - -“Plenty of time for that when we get there,” grinned old Israel; “but -you can bet your boots it’ll be a place where you can’t make any trouble -till we get ready to let you.” - -“For the last time, Harley, I’ll give you a chance to set me ashore and -let me bring that rascal to book,” cried Nat. - -Harley’s answer was not unexpected by the boy, who had already formed a -pretty fair estimate of the old reprobate’s character. - -“How much’ll you give?” he demanded. - -“Not a penny of blackmail, you can rest assured of that,” declared Nat -warmly. “If you don’t want to do your duty as honest men, then I’m not -going to pay you to do so.” - -Harley did not reply but went forward and said something to Seth, who -had the wheel. The course of the black motor boat was changed and she -began to head in toward the shore. Nat took advantage of this -opportunity to gaze astern. He hardly expected to see any sign of the -_Nomad_, yet somehow, he was disappointed when he didn’t. - -What was going to be the outcome of it all, he wondered as he rapidly -ran over in his mind the events that had taken place since the afternoon -before, when they had set out to answer that wireless call from the -_Iroquois_. How little had any of them dreamed into what a strange -tangle the wireless was to plunge them when Ding-dong Bell had -enthusiastically enlisted them in “the cause”! For a moment or so Nat -almost wished that they had never engaged in the enterprise, but before -long his naturally buoyant spirits asserted themselves. He recalled the -many seemingly hopeless situations in which he and his chums had been -before during their adventurous careers. With such thoughts came a -conviction that buoyed and strengthened his flagging spirits. Come what -might, he would face it manfully and try to win out against seemingly -desperate odds. - -Although his head still ached with a racking pain, Nat concentrated his -faculties on observing the movements of those on the speedy black motor -boat. It was plain enough now that they were heading in landward, and -Nat noticed with astonishment that their objective point appeared to be -the foot of a blank wall of cliffs, where no sign of a landing place was -visible. But, after running straight toward the land till they were not -more than a quarter of a mile from the forbidding bastion of rocky -escarpments, the motor craft was headed southward again, skirting along -the coast. - -Old Israel stood by Seth in the bow directing him, apparently, in his -steering. It appeared to Nat as if the old man was looking for some -familiar landmark. At last it hove in sight. Nat saw old Israel point to -a lone pine tree on the summit of the cliff. It towered like a signal -vane from the midst of a wind-racked tangle of scrub oak and madrone. -Beneath it, the cliff dropped sheer and precipitous for a hundred and -fifty feet or more. - -Once this bearing had been taken, the motor boat was headed in straight -for the cliff at a smart speed. - -“Looks like he means to run bang into the cliff,” commented Nat to -himself, as, with no abatement of speed the black craft rushed onward -toward the wall of solid rock. - -But, just as it appeared as if Nat’s surmise might be verified, -something occurred which the boy, familiar as he was with the coast, -would never have suspected to be possible. Before them loomed an opening -in the cliff, rising in a horseshoe shape above the sea level. It was -partially screened from seaward by some clumps of trailing bushes, but -was plainly enough to be seen on close inspection. - -“It’s a cave!” exclaimed Nat under his breath. “I’ve heard of such -places along the coast here in the limestone cliffs, but this is the -first one I’ve seen.” - -In spite of his precarious and uncertain position, Nat felt a keen -interest as old Harley’s craft headed straight for the cave mouth. In -another moment it had penetrated the dark entrance and was within the -natural tunnel. There was a click and sputter of blue flame from forward -and a scimitar of brilliant light slashed the curtain of gloom within. -It came from the motor boat’s powerful searchlight. - -“Well, at any rate, this is a novel experience,” thought Nat to himself, -as, moving swiftly, the craft on which he was held prisoner still kept -her headway. It was plain enough that old Harley knew the cave well, and -perhaps in this lay the secret of some of his seemingly miraculous -escapes from officers despatched to look for him. At such times he -vanished mysteriously and did not reappear till public sentiment had -died down and his case had been “fixed” by his political friends. - -Suddenly Harley gave an order: - -“Slow her down, Seth.” - -The end of this strange journey was evidently close at hand. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - UNDER THE EARTH. - - -The boat’s pace decreased and then came another sharp command: - -“Stop her!” - -The light flashed on a sort of platform of rock ahead of them, a natural -dock in this subterranean harbor. The white rays showed numerous bales -and boxes piled all about and also a rough sort of table with tin cups -and dishes on it, and in one corner, blackened with smoke, was a pile of -rocks apparently dedicated to use as a cooking range. - -“Well, of all the odd adventures,” thought Nat to himself as the motor -craft was run alongside the rock shelf, “this is the queerest I’ve -encountered, and all within striking distance of home, too, that’s the -strangest part of it.” - -But he was not given much time for reflection. Old Israel, in a gruff -voice, bade him get out and climb up on the rock platform. There was -nothing to do but to obey and Nat clambered up on the natural dock and -was followed by the others. The searchlight was extinguished and the -place was momentarily plunged into an abysmal darkness. But presently -old Israel produced some matches and lit a large lamp that stood on the -rude table. - -“Better make yourself at home,” he gruffly advised Nat, “you may be here -for quite a while.” - -Nat gave a sigh of resignation. Had it not been for the anxiety he knew -his friends must be feeling about him he could easily have found it in -his heart to rather enjoy this weird adventure. As it was, though, he -felt anxious and worried over what they must be thinking. - -Seth and his brother set about preparing a meal consisting of fried -fish, potatoes and coffee, with flapjacks. When it was ready they were -all summoned to sit down and eat, and Nat took his place with the rest -of them. He had the hearty appetite of energetic, healthy youth, which -even his dilemma had not dulled. - -During the meal old Israel and Minory sat apart conversing in wrangling -tones. Nat judged that there was some hitch over the payment of the -money that had been promised by the latter as the price of the Harleys’ -aid. However, at length everything must have been patched up amiably, -for the two shook hands as though cementing a bargain. Nat caught them -looking at him once or twice, but deemed it wisest not to let them know -that he was aware of this fact. - -After the fish and the rest of the food had been disposed of, Nat was -told that he could do what he liked. Having found an old newspaper, the -boy sat down close to the lamp and began perusing it. But it was dull -work and speedily palled, and he amused himself by exploring the cavern. -The rock shelf extended back about twenty feet and was some forty feet -across the front. It might, in fact, be compared to the stage of a -theater as aptly as anything else, with the rock walls of the cave -forming the proscenium arch. - -Whether it was altogether natural in formation Nat could not, of course, -say, but he recollected having heard that many such caves existed, and -that in the days of the Spanish occupation they were used by the coast -Indians as hiding places from their masters. In one or two places on the -walls of the cavern he thought he saw traces of rough carvings which -appeared to bear out this idea. - -Another thing that he noticed, and one which set a bold plan buzzing in -his head, was a small boat moored to the front of the rock platform not -far from where the black motor boat had been tied. The boy was careful, -however, not to let his eyes dwell too long upon this, as the desperate -scheme he had half formed in his mind might have been killed in the -making had his captors suspected that he had observed it. - -Hour after hour went by; it seemed like an eternity to Nat, and at last -he began to find himself getting sleepy. Finally he could fight off his -drowsiness no longer, and, giving in to it completely, he flung himself -on a pile of old sacking in a corner of the cave and immediately dropped -off into profound slumber. - -How long he slept he had no means of knowing, but when he awakened again -the cave was empty, save for Seth, who sat at the table whiling away the -time by hacking something out of a bit of wood with his knife. At last -Seth began to blink and wink, and apparently in order to keep awake, he -walked over to where Nat lay, seemingly still wrapped in slumber. - -“Humph!” Nat heard him say to himself after a long inspection, “that -younker’s good for twelve hours’ snoozing after that stuff pop gave him -to make him sleep. I reckon there’s no harm if I take forty winks -myself. Anyhow, there’s no chance of his getting away.” - -So saying, he slouched back to the table, and burying his face in his -hands, dropped off into what, to judge by his snores, must have been a -sleep as deep as the one from which Nat had just awakened. Nat waited -for a while to let Seth get well into the land of Nod and then, with his -heart beating like a pneumatic riveter, he arose and crept cautiously -toward the small boat he had observed earlier in the night. - -For one moment the wild idea of taking the motor boat had flashed -through his mind, but he abandoned the idea as it was pretty certain -that either Seth or old Israel had pocketed the switch blade or -otherwise made it impossible to start her without their knowledge. As he -cautiously made his way to the edge of the platform and toward the small -boat, Nat found himself wondering what had become of the others. The -motor boat was still there, so that obviously they could not have used -her in their departure. - -[Illustration: Nat dropped into the small boat and cast her off without -Seth’s stirring.—_Page_ 151.] - -“There must be some other way out of the cave,” thought Nat. “Don’t I -wish I knew where it is? But with luck this way will prove just as well, -provided Seth doesn’t take it into his head and wake up.” - -Nat dropped into the small boat and cast her off without Seth’s -stirring. - -The tide must have been setting out, for the boat at once drifted away -from the platform toward the mouth of the cavern. The boy had drifted -some distance before he thought it safe to take to the oars. Right there -and then he made a startling discovery. Small wonder the boat had been -left unguarded. There were no oars in it! - -“Great Scotland!” exclaimed Nat in a voice of consternation, “this is -worse and then some! However, I’m in for it now and must make the best -of it, but, in case Seth wakes and takes after me with the motor boat, -I’m a goner, sure.” - -Drifting along on the outsetting tide, the boat rapidly got beyond the -glow diffused by the lamp beneath which Seth was sleeping, and glided -with its helpless occupant into the pitchy darkness of the sea cavern. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - DRIFTING THROUGH THE NIGHT. - - -“Talk about crossing the Styx! I’ll bet it had nothing on this business -of bumping along blindly in an oarless boat in a dark cave,” thought Nat -as, sitting in the bottom of the small craft and using the seat for a -back rest, he reviewed the situation. - -Every minute he dreaded to hear the roaring of the motor boat’s exhaust, -which would tell him that he was being pursued. But nothing of the sort -occurred, and before long he saw the stars shining at the mouth of the -strange subterranean tunnel. - -“Thank goodness, it’s a calm night, anyhow,” he thought, as he observed -the placid, unclouded sky; “if it had come on to blow, or if a big sea -was running, I’d stand a good chance of going to Davy Jones before my -time.” - -The tide ran stronger at the mouth of the cave and in a very few minutes -Nat was out under the stars and drifting seaward, whither he had no -idea. He tore out a grating from the bottom of the boat and tried to use -it as a paddle, but he made no progress with this crude substitute for -an oar and soon gave up the attempt in sheer weariness and disgust. - -“I’ll have to let her drift at her own sweet will,” thought the boy, -“and trust to luck to being picked up. Wow! but I feel sleepy and heavy. -Must be the after effects of that stuff Seth said his amiable parent -gave me to put me to sleep.” - -The boy fought against his drowsiness for some time; but, try as he -would, his eyes simply refused to stay open. The eyelids felt as if they -had been weighted with lead, and ere long the lone passenger of the -drifting boat was sleeping under the stars as peacefully as if in his -cot at home or on the Wireless Island. - -He was awakened by a rough jolt. For a few minutes he had not the least -idea where he was, and when his senses did begin to flow back into his -sleepy brain he was considerably mystified. The boat was bumping against -a huge dark bulk which Nat, in the dimness, at first thought must be a -cliff. He was scrambling to his feet a-tingle with astonishment, when a -gruff voice hailed him from above: - -“Ahoy, there! Who may you be?” - -At the summit of the “cliff” appeared a head. The boy could see it -blackly outlined against the star-sprinkled sky. - -In his astonishment at being accosted Nat could think of nothing to -reply but: “Nat Trevor of Santa Barbara. Who are you, and where am I?” - -“I’m Captain Sim Braithwaite of the Pancake Shoals Lightship, and this -is the Lightship. Now, if you’re tired of boating, you’d better come on -board and explain yourself more explicitly.” - -“The Pancake Shoals Lightship!” gasped Nat blankly. “Why, I’ve drifted -much further than I thought possible.” - -“Drifted!” echoed Captain Sim in a gruff voice. “For the love of Father -Neptune, you don’t mean to say you’re skyhooting around the ocean -without oars at one o’clock in the morning?” - -“That’s just what I do,” responded Nat, with an inward chuckle at the -captain’s evident amazement. - -“Dear land of Beulah, you must be fond of salt water to take such -cruises! A sort of sea-going lunatic, be you now?” - -“I’ll come on board and explain. It’s a long story,” said Nat. - -“All right; the accommodation ladder is just for’ard of where you are. -Hitch yer boat up and come on board. Suffering tom-cats, I thought you -was a whale or something at first! We don’t git many visitors out here, -but you’re the rummest one I ever heard tell on.” - -As he hitched his boat to the foot of the ladder and then began to climb -up the Lightship’s high, steep sides, Nat could hear the captain -mumbling and grumbling good-naturedly to himself. - -“What’s the world coming to?” he was saying over and over. “Sea-going -lun-atics a-wandering round the good Lord’s ocean in boats without oars, -an’ bumping into lightships an—so here you are!” he broke off as Nat -nimbly climbed on board. “Why, you’re nothing but a kid! If this ain’t -the beatingest I ever heard tell of. Well, anyhow, welcome to the -Lightship and then spin us yer yarn, fer I know you have one.” - -“I certainly have,” laughed Nat, “and I’m no lunatic, either, as I hope -to convince you. But you said this was a Lightship. I see the masts and -the big light cages on top, but where are the lights?” - -“Ah, that’s just it, my lad. I was near crazy with worriment when you -come bumping along. Hen Coffin, he’s my partner out here, went ashore -last night on leave. He’s a fine mechanic, Hen is, and if he’d been here -the lights would have been going all right, but, Lord bless you, when -something went wrong with the engine that drives the dynamos I was -helpless as a babe unborn.” - -“Maybe I can help you,” said Nat, sympathizing with the old man’s -distress. “Does a gasolene engine furnish your power?” - -“Yes, consarn the pesky thing’s hide. Thank goodness, there ain’t no -steamers due up or down to-night; nothing but some coasters and steam -schooners, and they know the coast well enough to smell their way out of -trouble. But if some big steamer had come blundering along with a -foreign skipper on the bridge, phew!” And the old man wiped his forehead -on which the perspiration had broken out at the thought of the tragedy -for which the failure of the light might have been responsible. - -“How do you know that no foreign vessels or big steamers are due -to-night?” asked Nat curiously. - -“Why, by the wireless, of course. We gets reports from all up and down -the coast. They’re relayed from one station to another, just as we -notify all stations of the ships that pass here.” - -Nat gave a joyful exclamation. - -“What a bit of luck that I bumped into you!” he exclaimed jubilantly. - -“It will be for me, if you can fix the engine,” said the captain, “but I -don’t see any reason for you holding a service of thanksgiving.” - -“I’ll explain about that later,” said Nat. “Now let’s go below, or -wherever this engine is, and I’ll do my poor best to get it started up -again for you.” - -“Bully for you, my young rooster,” cried the bluff old captain, clapping -the boy on the back. “Come this way. Right down the hatch here. Look out -for the ladder, it’s steep.” - -Descending a steep flight of stairs which the captain referred to as “a -ladder,” Nat found himself in a cozy, well-lighted cabin, the illuminant -being an oil lamp which had been lighted by the captain when the dynamo -failed. There were book shelves, easy-chairs and plenty of minor -comforts all about. Evidently the Lightship men made themselves as -comfortable as possible in their lonely post. - -Nat now saw that his host was a ruddy-faced, stout old seaman, -weather-beaten and bluff. A peculiarity in his gait was now also -explained, for Nat saw that one of his legs was a wooden one. But he had -small time to dwell on these details, for the captain ushered him into a -compartment opening off the “sitting room,” if it can be so called, -which smelled of oil and machinery. - -“Thar she is. Thar’s the ornary, all-fired, cussed critter that won’t -turn a wheel fer old Cap’n Sim,” he said indignantly, holding aloft a -lamp. - -Nat looked the engine over. It was a stationary gasolene affair of about -twenty horse power. Taking the lamp from the captain he examined it -carefully. - -“Why, so far as I can see, a loose nut on the sparker has caused your -trouble,” he said, setting down the lamp, “but we’ll soon make sure.” - -The boy took a wrench from the tool-rack and tightened up the loose -part. Then, throwing the switch, he tested for a spark and found that it -appeared to be all right. With a turn of the flywheel he started the -engine, a welcome “pop” greeting his first effort. In a few seconds he -had the engine whirring steadily away and the dynamo purring as it -resumed work. - -“Glory be!” shouted the skipper, dancing about on his good leg. “Boy, -you’re a genius, that’s what you are. Now, let’s go on deck and start up -the lights again. It’s a wonder my hair hasn’t turned gray from -worriment, but everything’s all right now, thanks to you, my bucko.” - -They soon gained the deck and the captain started to throw on the switch -that connected the lights with the dynamo below. He was in the act of -doing this, when not more than a few yards off he saw gleaming through -the dark, like brilliant jewels, a red and a green light. They were the -side lamps of a large steamer and she was coming straight for the -Lightship! - -“Quick!” shouted Nat, at the top of his voice. “Cap, look! Look, there!” - -“Hallelujah!” exclaimed the captain, “if those lights won’t light, -there’ll be a bad night’s work on Pancake Shoals!” - -With hands that trembled he threw the switch, and the next instant the -captain and Nat set up a simultaneous and joyous shout. From the twin -mast-heads of the Lightship a brilliant glare shone out. - -From the ship came shouts and hasty orders, and they saw her turn and -swing off like some live thing that had been suddenly alarmed. - -“Boy,” said the captain very solemnly, “it was Providence that sent you -here to-night. You’ve done more’n help me. You’ve saved a valuable ship -and maybe some human lives, for no craft that ever went ashore on the -Pancake Shoals sailed the seas again.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - ABOARD THE LIGHTSHIP. - - -“Waal, I want to know!” exclaimed the captain. - -Nat had just explained to him his eagerness about the wireless equipment -of the Lightship. The explanation had followed Nat’s story of how he -came to be adrift in the Harleys’ boat, which story had frequently been -compelled to halt while the captain interjected such remarks as “Great -whales and little fishes!” “Land o’ Goshen!” and “Shiverin’ top-sails!” -When Nat had related the villainy of the Harleys and Minory, the old man -had thumped the table savagely with his fist. - -“I’d like to have had ’em in the foc’sle of my old ship, the _Sarah Jane -Braithwaite_!” he had exploded. “I’d have shown ’em. Keel-hauling would -have been too good for such a bunch of sojers.” - -At the conclusion of his story, Nat had asked to be allowed to utilize -the Lightship’s wireless in trying to raise his friends. - -“Waal, I want to know!” was the skipper’s exclamation, already recorded -above. “Anything you want on this ship is yours, young feller, even down -to my wooden leg, although I wouldn’t wish that on yer. Come ahead, I’ll -show you whar the contraption is. Lord! Lord! these are wonderful days, -when lads who can use wireless and fix busted gas engines come drifting -along, a-bumping into just the folks that needs ’em.” - -The wireless room was on deck, enclosed in a small cabin at the foot of -the forward mast of the Lightship. Nat saw that it contained a set of -the latest and best instruments, and he soon was sending out broadcast -an appeal to locate the _Nomad_. Following this, he tried on a chance to -raise Goat Island. He had not much idea that there would be anybody -there, but he thought it was worth an effort anyway. - -To his amazement when he switched to the receiving apparatus and -adjusted the telephones to his ears, out of space came a reply that -almost made him fall off his chair. It was sent in a hesitating, -unskillful way, very unlike Ding-dong’s expert key-handling, or even -Joe’s. - -“_Who wants Goat Island?_” - -“_I do, Nat Trevor!_” he rejoined. “_Who is this?_” - -“_Nemo_,” came back out of the ether. - -“_Nemo!_ Why, that’s the Latin for ‘nobody’” exclaimed Nat, in an amazed -tone. - -“_Are you Goat Island?_” flashed back Nat. “_Answer at once!_” - -“_This is Goat Island_,” trickled into Nat’s ears in the same awkward, -hesitating fashion; and then came silence. Try as he would, Nat couldn’t -raise it again. - -“Well, this is a wireless mystery for fair,” he muttered to himself, for -the captain had left the wireless room to get some hot coffee and food; -“that wasn’t Ding-dong and it wasn’t Joe; now who on earth was it? Some -beginner, that’s plain, for he couldn’t send worth a cent. But then to -cap the climax, telling me it’s ‘Nemo’! It must be spooks, that’s the -only way I can account for it—wireless spooks.” - -A minute later there came another message. - -“Somebody trying to raise the Lightship,” exclaimed Nat, listening with -all his might. “Maybe this is news of the _Nomad_.” - -“_Nomad put in at Santa Barbara last night_,” was the message coming -from the wireless man at the Santa Barbara station, which handled -commercial messages. “_Have found out that all on board are at Arlington -Hotel. Shall I send message?_” - -“_Yes. Tell them, please, that this is Nat Trevor, well and able. Am -aboard the Lightship at Pancake Shoals. Tell them to come for me as soon -as possible._” - -Nat informed the man that the messages would be paid for at the land end -and bade him good-night. With a light heart, troubled only by the -mystery of the message from Goat Island, he joined the captain below and -told him his good news. - -“Waal, I’m glad you found your friends,” said Captain Sim, “but I’ll be -sorry to lose you, my lad. You’re a boy after my own heart. I don’t know -what I should have done without you.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” said Nat easily. “It just needed a little -monkey-wrench sense, that’s all, and I happened to have given a lot of -attention to that branch of science.” - -The captain had prepared an appetizing meal, to which they both did -ample justice. - -“Now, lad,” said he, when it was completed, “you just turn in and take a -good sleep and I’ll stand watch.” - -As Nat was feeling drowsy again, doubtless owing to the far-reaching -influence of Israel Harley’s opiate, he was nothing loath to accept this -proposition, and turned in and was speedily in the land of dreams. When -the captain awakened him he felt that the last traces of the drug had -vanished, and his senses were as clear as a bell. The sun was high and -the sea smooth and sparkling. Nat had some coffee and rolls and then -joined the captain on deck. He gazed anxiously toward Santa Barbara, -eager to catch the first glimpse of the _Nomad_. - -Near by the Lightship several triangular fins were cruising about. - -“Sharks!” cried Nat, and recalled with a shudder his terrible experience -with these tigers of the sea when he was cast adrift in a sinking boat -in mid-Pacific. - -“So they be. Thar’s lots of them hereabouts,” said the captain, “but -Lor’ bless yer, they’re only little fellows. Very different to the -fellers that attacked me when the _Sarah Jane Braithwaite_ was down -among the Andaman Islands. Like to hear the yarn?” - -“Why, yes,” said Nat, and added with a smile, “I’ve got a yarn of my own -about them, too.” - -“Waal,” began the skipper, exhaling a cloud of blue smoke as he withdrew -his blackened old briar pipe from his mouth, “it was a good many years -ago but I had a wooden pin even at that time, for d’ye see my port main -brace was taken off when a spar fell on me during a typhoon in the -Yaller Sea. - -“But, to get to ther particlar day I’m talking of. We was becalmed among -the Andamans. A dead flat calm with the pitch boiling in the seams, and -there we lay under the broiling sun as ‘idle as a painted ship upon a -painted ocean’, as the poet says. My first mate proposed to me that we -should take a swim. Now, although I’m minus one of my spars, I’m a right -smart swimmer, and I agreed. - -“We had a fine time sporting round thar in the cool water, but suddenly -somebody on deck hollers, ‘Sharks!’ - -“Now that’s a hail you want to act quick on, and you take my -alfired-davy on it that we made good time getting back to the ship’s -side. But just as we reached it, what d’ye suppose?” - -“A shark got you?” demanded Nat. - -“No, he didn’t get me, but he got my wooden leg. Yes, sir, bit it right -off where it was strapped on. Took it off whole and entire. Waal, they -hoisted me on deck and the carpenter rigged up a jury spar for me and I -made out all right, although not so comfortable as I was with my old -one. - -“The next day it was still flat calm, and I was leaning over the rail -whistling for a wind, when what should I see but the most caterwampus -disturbance in the water a short distance away. The thing that was -making it, whatever it was, was coming toward the ship, and it didn’t -take me long to make out that it was a shark. - -“But I never saw a shark act like that before or since. First it would -jump out of the water like a trout and then come sploshing down again -with a thump that sent the spray scattering for yards in all directions. -Then it would roll over and over and snort and plunge and wrastle about -like all possessed. - -“I calls my mate over and points it out to him, and by this time all the -men was leaning over the bulwarks watching the critter. It came nearer -and nearer and I thought I cotched it looking at me with a sort of -reproachful look, if you can imagine a fish looking that way. - -“‘Bill,’ says I to the mate, ‘get a shark line,’ we carried them in -those latitudes, ‘bait it up with a bit of fat pork and we’ll find out -what ails that critter.’ - -“‘Acts to me like it’s got a tummy ache,’ says Bill, as he goes below to -get the tackle, ‘maybe it’s been a-eatin’ of green sea apples.’ - -“Waal, we chucks the line over, an’ afore long the shark bolts the pork -whole and the hook gets embedded in his jaw and we haul him on board. -Waal, sir,” and here the weather-beaten old seaman looked very hard at -his young listener, “would you believe me when I tells you that what had -been making that shark act so scandolus was my wooden leg?” - -“Your wooden leg?” asked Nat seriously. - -“Yes, sir, my wooden leg. You see, that shark was the same as bit off my -port spar, and the blooming thing had wedged itself right across its -gullet. It’s a wonder it hadn’t choked to death. It couldn’t swallow -nothing and that was why it was cutting up such didos.” - -“It couldn’t swallow anything, captain?” asked Nat solemnly. - -“No, sir; not a solitary morsel,” rejoined the captain, wagging his -head. - -“Then how did it take the bait?” asked Nat, fairly bursting into -laughter. But the captain never smiled. - -“I reckon that was one of the inscrutable ways of Providence to help me -get my leg back,” he said. “See here,” he held up the wooden leg for -inspection, “see those marks? Those were made by shark’s teeth—yes, -siree, it was sure a terrible experience.” - -“Well,” chuckled Nat, “I don’t want to doubt your word, captain, but I -guess that yarn is about what the Andaman shark found your leg,—hard to -swallow!” - -The captain looked as if he meant to defend his story, but Nat cut him -short with a joyful cry: - -“Here comes the _Nomad_! Hooray!” - -And the _Nomad_ it was, and a few minutes later there was a reunion of -the Motor Rangers that made the old captain chuckle and stamp his -shark-marked leg and yell: - -“Bully for you, boys! You sure ought to be glad to see yer messmate -again. He’s a boy to be proud of.” - -Not long after, the _Nomad_ with her crew of three, for Dr. Chalmers, -Mr. Anderson and Nate, and Prof. Jenkins had been left ashore—the latter -in a hospital,—headed for Santa Barbara. For some days thereafter, -during which the professor rapidly regained health, they awaited -anxiously for news of Minory, but none came. - -A visit to the cave by the authorities, guided by Nat, resulted in their -finding that “the birds had flown,” doubtless immediately after Nat’s -escape was discovered. They also found a door in the floor which had -been hidden by boxes when Nat was in the cave. This door led to a flight -of steps, which in turn led to a passage, which, on being followed, was -found to open in a rift in the cliffs. To any active person it would -have been an easy matter to gain the top, and this doubtless was the way -Minory escaped. But, although for the present all trace of both the -Harleys and Minory appeared to be lost the boys were destined to hear -from them again and that at no very distant time. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - JOE RECEIVES VISITORS. - - -It was some days later that Joe was sitting alone in the station on -Wireless Island, as the boys had come to re-christen their temporary -abiding place. Nat was ashore helping Ding-dong construct a wireless -plant on his own place, as the Bell boy, whose father was a well-to-do -business man, needed his son to help him in stock-taking, an operation -which would take some time. Ding-dong didn’t much relish the idea of -being cut off from his chums entirely for even that length of time, so -it had been decided to put up a light-powered plant at his place, that -he might be in touch with Nat and Joe whenever he or they desired. - -Nat was not to be back till night-fall when he would bring with him Nate -Spencer, the owner of the destroyed _Albicore_, to help cook and make -himself handy around the place. Nate had not yet bought another boat and -jumped at the chance of spending a short time on the island. - -Joe was reading a book dealing with the wonders of wireless when a -quick, sharp step on the gravel outside the hut aroused his attention. - -“Now, who in the world can that be?” he exclaimed half aloud. - -He rose from his chair to go to the door, but before he reached it two -men blocked the entrance. Both were strangers to him and Joe did not -much care for their looks. - -“Hey, kid, who’s in charge around here?” demanded one of them, a rough, -unshaved customer with a red face and shifty eyes. His companion was -furtive-faced and had little blinky, red-rimmed eyes like a ferret’s. He -suggested a man who was always on the lookout for something. - -“Yes, who’s the boss?” came from this second individual. - -“I am just at present,” rejoined Joe; “what do you want?” - -“We want to send a message,” was the gruff rejoinder, “and dern quick, -too.” - -“We don’t handle any commercial business,” replied Joe; “this is a -private plant.” - -“Oh, we know all about that. That’s just the reason we took the trouble -to get a boat and come here,” was the reply. - -“Yes, our business is private and confidential, and we don’t want no -nosy operator at a public station ashore to know nothing about it,” -supplemented the ferret-eyed man. - -“Where do you want to send the message?” asked Joe, who by no means -liked the situation. The men spoke in a dictatorial, bullying sort of -way and appeared prepared to enforce their wishes by violence if no -other way offered. Joe had no weapon on him, and the only revolver on -the island was in Nat’s trunk. - -In reply to Joe’s question, the red-faced individual pointed seaward. - -“You mean you want to send a message to a ship?” - -“Yes, a message in cipher.” - -Joe shook his head. - -“If it had been some really urgent matter I might have helped you out, -but as it is, I’m afraid I can’t do anything. You’d better try one of -the stations ashore.” - -The red-faced man scowled; but an instant later he assumed what was -meant to be an ingratiating manner. He drew out a wallet and tapped it -meaningly. - -“I’ll make it worth your while,” he said. - -“Sorry, but I can’t do it,” was Joe’s rejoinder. - -“I’ll make it right with you, kid,” urged the other. - -“Nothing doing,” said Joe firmly. “Sorry you’ve had this trip out here -for nothing, but you’ll have to go back again if you want to send a -cipher message to any ship.” - -The ferret-eyed man came close to his companion. - -“Bill, you do it yourself,” he whispered, but not so low that Joe didn’t -hear him. - -“Oh, I’m too rusty. Haven’t tapped a key since I was fired for selling -information on that Wall Street pool.” - -“Oh, you can do it all right enough,” insisted the other. - -“Well, if the kid won’t do it, I guess I’ll have to try,” was the reply, -and the two men started out of the shanty and walked toward the wireless -hut. - -“Hold on there!” cried Joe, springing forward and laying a detaining -hand on one man’s arm. “I can’t allow any interference with the -apparatus yonder.” - -The red-faced man whipped round like a shot. - -“Can’t, eh?” he sneered. “I’d like to see you stop me. Ed, grab him!” - -The ferret-eyed man seized Joe and pinioned his arms before the boy had -a chance to resist. - -“There, that’ll be about all from you, my rooster,” grinned the -red-faced man. “Bring him along, Ed, we may need him.” - -Struggling in the man’s grasp, Joe was dragged to the wireless hut. In -one corner of the structure was a closet with a stout oak door in which -some of the valuable parts of the plant were locked up when the island -was left for any considerable period. The door had a strong padlock and, -having thrust Joe inside, the men banged the door and snapped the -padlock. The door had a small slit in it, which was lucky, or Joe might -have suffocated in the stuffy place. Through this slit he wrathfully -watched the men as they went up to the table on which the apparatus was -adjusted. - -The red-faced man inspected it a bit dubiously. - -“I’m all right pounding brass on the regular key and I know a bit of -wireless, although I hadn’t learned very much when I was canned for that -deal you know about.” - -“Oh, you can work it all right,” his companion assured him. - -He drew out a paper and handed it to the ex-operator. - -“Here’s the cipher code and the message. Now get busy and tap it out and -then we can vamoose.” - -Joe was entirely powerless to aid himself. The door was thick and strong -and there was no possibility of his being able to open it; and, even had -he been able to, it wouldn’t have done any good. His captors were burly, -strong men and looked vicious to a degree, and had he managed to get out -they would assuredly have given him rough treatment. No; there was -nothing for it but to remain quiet and be keenly alert to what was going -forward in the room outside. - -The red-faced man sat down to the key and at first fiddled clumsily with -it. But he soon acquired confidence and then began to flash out his -message. By listening Joe readily learned that he was trying to raise -the steamer _Vesta_ from San Diego for Vancouver, Canada. After a long -interval Joe saw a grin of satisfaction come over the man’s face. - -“He’s raised her,” thought Joe, and he was correct in his conjecture. -Flash-crackle-bang! went the spark, and Joe by close listening heard the -man instruct the operator on the _Vesta_ to deliver a message to a man -named Albert Carter. Then followed a jumble of code words utterly -meaningless to Joe. - -The sender repeated his message and then rose from the table. - -“Well, I’ve done the best I can,” he said, “and I guess it’s all right.” - -“Sure it is. Anyhow, he can’t kick. You’ve done what you could to help -out a pal.” - -“Let’s be getting along, then. I’ve no fancy for sticking around here.” - -“What about him?” - -The ferret-eyed man nodded his head in the direction of the closet where -Joe was confined. - -“Leave him where he is. We want a start, don’t we? Some one will be -along and let him out, I guess.” - -“Well, so long, sonny,” cried the ferret-eyed man with a chuckling laugh -that made Joe’s blood boil, “much obliged for the accommodation.” - -“You’ll get in trouble over this,” roared out Joe furiously, “you see if -you don’t.” - -“Oh, I guess not,” said the man who had sent the message, with a coarse -laugh. “Well, shake a day-day, kid. You might have made some money and -have saved me the bother of showing you that I could work your wireless -without your aid.” - -Joe knew it would be useless to reply, so he bottled up the vials of his -wrath and remained silent. The men left the hut and no doubt made their -way back to their boat in which they had come from the mainland. - -“Well, of all the nerve,” sputtered Joe in his prison. “If that isn’t -the limit! There’s something mighty crooked about all this,” he went on -to himself. “They got word to some one on board that ship bound for -Canada, and the trouble they took to do it shows that there is something -mighty suspicious about the whole affair.” - -He went on thinking—there was nothing else to do,—and racked his brain -to recollect what he could of the message. But this wasn’t much, for of -course the code words were as meaningless as Greek to him. - -“I do wish I could figure out what it was,” he said to himself, “if only -I could and get word to that ship about the manner in which the message -was sent, I might be the means of preventing some grave wrong being done -to somebody; for I am sure those men are no good. You could tell that by -their faces, let alone their actions. Hello!” - -Joe stared through the slit in the door at the entrance to the wireless -hut. It had been suddenly darkened by the figure of a man. - -“Anybody around here?” came a voice. - -“Yes, I’m here,” cried Joe eagerly, for he knew by the voice that it was -neither of the men who had treated him so roughly. - -“Where the dickens are you?” came the natural inquiry. - -“Here in the closet.” - -“Well, what in Sam Hill!——” - -The figure came forward and Joe almost dropped with surprise right there -and then. He had good reason. - -The newcomer was Hank Harley, old Israel’s nephew. It certainly was an -afternoon of surprises for Joe. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - AND ALSO GETS A SURPRISE. - - -“Let me out of here,” cried Joe, rattling the door. - -He felt that his liberty came first and that the time for questioning -Hank would come later. - -“Sure, I’ll let you out,” responded Hank, “but how under the sun did you -get in there?” - -“I was shoved in here and then the door was locked.” - -“Who by?” - -“Let me out first. I’ll tell you that later.” - -“All right. The key is in the padlock. I’ll have you out in a jiffy.” - -Hank’s behavior puzzled Joe. He did not appear to be belligerent or -threatening. On the contrary, he seemed to be only too anxious to do a -good turn to another youth in distress. - -“Well, this beats rooster fighting!” exclaimed Hank, as Joe stepped out -into the room. “You surely couldn’t have locked yourself in there. How -did you happen to get in such a fix?” - -“I’ll tell you all about that later,” said Joe hurriedly; “but I want to -thank you, Hank Harley, for what you’ve done for me. It’s a big favor -and I’m grateful for it.” - -“That’s all right,” murmured Hank rather shamefacedly, “I reckon it was -up to me to do something for you fellows after the other day’s work.” - -Joe looked at him in surprise. What did this new attitude mean? True, -Hank had taken no active part in the kidnapping of Nat, but he had made -no move to prevent it; and yet here he was, apparently seeking their -friendship. But the boy had no time to devote to speculation or -questioning right then. - -His sharp eyes had spied two pieces of paper lying on the floor near the -wireless instruments. He eagerly picked them up and then gave an -exclamation of delight. - -“Why, those fellows have dropped the cipher and the key to it,” he -exclaimed as he scanned the two sheets, “and here’s the message written -out, too. Well, if this isn’t real luck!” - -Knitting his forehead in thought, Joe went painstakingly over the -message. It contained words he recollected having heard the intruding -operator use. Then he took a pencil and with the help of the key managed -to turn the meaningless message into plain English. This is what he -wrote down: - -“Leave _Vesta_ before arrival at Vancouver. San Diego police have wired -to arrest you there.” - -“Phew!” whistled Joe, “so that was the game, eh? No wonder those fellows -didn’t want to send their despatch from a land office! They were warning -a friend, apparently a confederate of theirs in crime. Well, the -rascals! I’ll fix it so that their warning will fall flat.” - -He began sending out calls broadcast for the _Vesta_. It was some time -before he raised her a hundred miles or more to the north of Goat -Island. When he finally got in connection with the steamer, he requested -the operator to transmit a private and confidential message to the -captain. Then he sent word that the man to whom the two confederates had -wirelessed was in all probability a criminal, and that it would be wise -to keep him under surveillance and hand him over to the police at the -first opportunity. When he had done this and received warm thanks for -it, Joe began to try to raise the authorities ashore. He succeeded in -getting a message into Santa Barbara police headquarters, which replied -that they would be on the lookout for the two men who had visited the -island. The information concerning the passenger on the _Vesta_ was -transmitted by the local authorities up the coast as far as Vancouver. - -“Well, that’s a good job done,” sighed the lad contentedly, as he shoved -his chair back and grounded his instruments. “Now then, if only they can -nail those two fellows ashore, the wireless on Goat Island will have -justified its existence for this day at any rate.” - -All this time Hank Harley, a tall, raw-boned youth with big awkward -hands and feet, had been looking on at Joe’s activities with much the -same expression as a small boy gazing at a magician. It was plain that -to Hank the whole thing savored of mystery. He stared at Joe with such -wonderment and admiration that the boy could not help smiling. - -“Were you talking to some one with that thing?” he asked incredulously. - -“I certainly was. I was giving some information to a ship more than a -hundred miles off.” - -“Sho! Go on, now. Was you, honest?” - -“Just as true as I’m sitting here,” replied Joe, but he saw that Hank’s -face bore an expression of disbelief, and doubted if he would be able to -explain to the unsophisticated youth the rather intricate theory of the -wireless. He contented himself, therefore, by replying: - -“I felt just the same way as you do about it, Hank, till I found out for -myself just what wonderful things the wireless could accomplish.” - -Hank, with a look of keen curiosity on his rough features stepped close -to the instruments. He cautiously stretched out his gnarled fingers and -touched the detector. The next instant he gave a howl of pain and -bounded up till his head almost touched the roof of the shanty. - -“Wow! Ow! Ouch!” he yelled at the top of his voice. - -“What on earth is the matter?” demanded Joe, who had not seen Hank’s -movement. - -“Ouch! She bit!” - -“She? Who?” - -“Them things thar,” and Hank pointed to the instruments. - -Joe couldn’t help laughing at Hank’s woebegone and alarmed expression as -the young fisherman rubbed his arm. - -“That wasn’t a bite, Hank, that was an electric shock. I wouldn’t advise -you to tamper with the instruments again. Come here and I’ll show you -how to work the key.” - -“What, me? No, siree bob,” and Hank shook his head with deep conviction. -“Let sleeping dawgs lie, says I. I wouldn’t touch that thar thing ag’in -fer a new fishing boat. Wow, but the sparks flew!” - -“It was lucky for you that we are not operating a high power station,” -declared Joe. “Had we been doing so you might have been knocked out.” - -“Sho! Killed dead?” - -“Maybe. At the big stations the electric forces in the atmosphere are so -strong that visitors cannot bring their watches into the operating room, -unless they want to run the risk of seriously disarranging the -mechanism.” - -Hank looked prepared to believe anything by this time. - -“Say, Joe,” he said, “now that we’ve buried the hatchet, s’pose you tell -me something about how this contraption works.” - -“It’s rather hard to explain in simple language, Hank, and I guess there -are heaps of fellows just like you who’d like to understand the first -principles of wireless without tackling a lot of dry text books, so here -goes.” - -“Let her go,” said Hank, knitting his brows and preparing to assimilate -knowledge with a determined look on his rugged features. - -“Of course you know about the waves of the sea,” began Joe. “Well, the -air, or more properly the ether, is full of just such waves. But they -are not set in motion till a disturbing element answering to a storm or -a wind at sea is set loose among them. For instance, when I depress this -key, I set loose an electric shock that agitates the ether and sends out -waves. These waves may be long or short as I desire, according to the -power of the shock sent out. - -“In 1888 a Professor Hertz began the first attempts to utilize these -waves to send messages through the air. In a crude way he succeeded, and -paved the way for his followers along these lines. Hertz found that heat -and light are all electric waves. The waves that he set in motion from -his apparatus bear his name, Hertzian waves.” - -“Then all the air is full of waves?” asked Hank, looking about him in a -rather scared sort of way, as if he rather expected to be engulfed in -some atmospheric disturbance at any time and was preparing to swim for -his life. - -“That’s it, Hank, you’re catching on fine. But understand, the waves -require some force to agitate them. It’s like a mill pond, the air is, -quite smooth till you chuck a stone into it, and then waves begin -spreading out in all directions.” - -Hank nodded as if he quite understood this homely illustration. - -“Heave ahead,” he said, settling back in his seat. - -“All right,” smiled Joe. “Now you see my detector here,—quite an -elaborate bit of mechanism, isn’t it?” - -“Yep, that’s what bit me,” muttered Hank, rubbing his arm once more at -the recollection. - -“Well, Hertz had to make his detector just out of a circle of wire with -a gap in it. A screw adjustment lengthened or shortened the distance -between the ends of the wire, making the gap larger or smaller. The -waves, as they came in, were registered on this detector in the form of -minute sparks. Is this all clear to you?” - -“Oh, as clear as mud,” was the non-committal reply, with a wave of the -hand. - -“In 1895, Sir Oliver Lodge detected waves from an oscillator over a -distance of forty yards, using a filings tube coherer, a galvanometer -and a cell.” - -“Hey, hey, hard aport there!” cried Hank. “You’re out of soundings, -mate.” - -“Well, that is a little technical, I’ll admit,” smiled Joe. “I’ll try -and get down to plainer language.” - -“Yep, my head ain’t tough enough to take in all that. It’s swimming now -as if you’d chucked a dictionary at it,” growled Hank. “Tell me the -names of them biting jiggers on the table thar, and what they’re -supposed to do.” - -“Very well. This,” touching it, “is the coil or transformer. That -produces the spark that slips up into the aerials, those wires over our -heads, and sends it shooting off into space just like that stone you -might chuck in the pond.” - -“Um-hum, that’s all clear enough. Heave ahead.” - -“Now you see this little appliance? That is the vibrator. By that I can -regulate the length and ‘fatness’ of my spark. Now when I press down the -key like this——” - -S-s-scrack! - -Hank almost jumped from his seat as the green spark whined and leaped -between the terminals. - -“——well, that is a dot. If I make the contact longer, it forms a dash. -Of course you know the Morse alphabet is made up of dots and dashes. For -instance the letter A is .—.” - -To illustrate Joe made the dot-dash sign, at which Hank blinked his -eyes, but resolutely suppressed other symptoms of nervousness. - -“And so on through the alphabet. Each letter has its own combination of -dots and dashes. The only instruments needed in a simple set are the -coil, spark-gap, wireless key and batteries; that is, for a sending set. -Now we come to the receiving part of it. - -“Suppose another operator miles away has been sending out into space the -dot-dash just as I have been doing. If I had my receivers on, that is, -those telephone-like things that I put on my head and over my ears, why -then I’d have heard it, providing my apparatus was tuned to his wave -lengths.” - -“Hold hard! Hold hard! I don’t quite get that.” - -“Simple enough. As I told you, various shocks of current produce various -wave lengths. Well, suppose my receiving apparatus is only adjusted to -receive a wave length of one thousand feet, and he is sending a wave of -one thousand two hundred feet, then my apparatus will not be ‘in tune’ -with his. That is, I shouldn’t be able to hear him.” - -“Wa’al, how d’ye fix that—by touching off them biting things?” asked -Hank. “Look a’out!” he added, as he saw Joe’s hand move toward the -receiving tuning coil, “you ought’er have them things muzzled. If they -bit you in the dog-days you’d git hydrophoby, sure as cock-fightin’.” - -“Now then, Hank, a receiving tuning coil is used to adjust the wave -lengths of the receiving circuits. This tuning, as it is called, is very -simple. See, I move these sliding contacts along a bar, at the same time -listening in. As soon as I am ‘in tune,’ I hear the dots and dashes from -the other chap begin beating into my ears. Easy, isn’t it?” - -“Humph, ’bout as easy as walkin’ a tight rope or running an air-ship! -Joe, I couldn’t larn nothun’ ’bout such didoes in a billion, trillion of -years.” - -“In order to get the waves from the aerials into the receivers at my -ears, they have to filter through the detector——” - -“That’s the thing that bit me, that d’tector.” - -“——through the detector, which consists of two mineral points in very -delicate contact.” - -“But is the blamed thing of any real use?” Hank wanted to be informed. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - HANK EXPLAINS. - - -Joe laughed at Hank’s last question. - -“Of use? Why, man alive, since wireless has been introduced, it has -averted some great sea disasters and been the means of saving thousands -of lives, not to mention its commercial value.” - -“Do tell! It’s saved a lot of ships, hey?” - -Hank looked really interested now. - -“It certainly has. Some time ago the _Prinz Joachim_, of the Atlas Line, -from New York to the West Indies, grounded on a remote island of the -Bahama group more than a thousand miles south of New York. In the old -days she’d have stuck there, while the passengers took to the boats or -played Robinson Crusoe on the island. But nowadays what happened? Why, -Henry Muller, her wireless man, was sent for by the captain, and he at -once began pumping out the call for the home office of the line in a -Broadway skyscraper. - -“Almost by the time the last of the passengers, aroused by the shock, -had come on deck to learn the cause of it, the captain was able to -assure them that New York had the news and that the home office had -flung out a call for rescue ships along the whole length of the Atlantic -Coast. At the same time, of course, the vessel’s own wireless was on the -job, too. - -“Well, several ships were quickly located in the vicinity, and before -long a small fleet was rushing to the _Joachim’s_ aid. There was no fear -on board. In fact, William Jennings Bryan, who was a passenger, could -not resist the opportunity to make a speech. He suggested that they form -a republic on the island, and that, as he could not be elected president -of the United States, they make him chief executive of the island realm. - -“Then take the case of the steamer _Momus_, carrying one hundred and -twelve passengers, that caught fire off Cape Hatteras. Every effort was -made to fight the blaze, which started among cotton bales in the forward -hold; but to no avail. In this emergency, wireless signals were flashed -in all directions. - -“Before long they were answered. The _Comus_, a sister ship, heard them -and informed the _Momus_ that she was seventy-eight miles away and would -come at top speed to the rescue. The two ships, by constant -interchanging of their positions through the night, came together at two -o’clock in the morning. Naturally, every passenger was up and about, but -on the other hand there was no panic. The fact that wireless was on -board gave a feeling of security to all, which they certainly would not -have had otherwise. - -“All the passengers were taken off in safety, and the relief ship stood -by till the _Momus_ was beached in shallow water and the fires drowned -out. Twelve hours afterward the water was pumped out. The passengers -re-embarked and the ship resumed her voyage. Incidentally, the ship and -her cargo, valued at three million dollars, were saved. Not the least -remarkable feature of this rescue was that throughout the whole affair -the general manager of the line at his desk in New York was kept in -constant touch with the situation and directed the operations. - -“But I’m preaching a regular sermon,” broke off Joe. - -“No, no; heave on, Joe. I like to hear about it,” declared Hank, who, to -tell the truth, was anxious to stave off the inevitable time of -explanation of his presence on the island, which he felt was close at -hand. - -“To switch to the naval uses of the wireless, then. The torpedo boat -_Beale_ was overtaken by a heavy storm off the Virginia capes. The waves -were mountain high and it soon became clear that unless assistance came, -and that speedily, the long, lean craft would be unable to ride out the -gale. The _S. O. S._ signal, which means ‘in dire distress,’ was sent -out, and was read by the wireless station at Norfolk. It was quickly -passed on to Washington and received by the assistant secretary of the -navy, who at once got into communication with the _Beale_. He asked for -further details so that he could despatch relief intelligently. The -_Beale_ responded, and all this within a few minutes, that she was awash -and making bad weather of it. This reply was in the secretary’s hands in -time to enable him to send relief ships out from Norfolk, and the -_Beale_ and her crew were saved. - -“There is one other field in which the wireless plays an important part. -That is in the capture of criminals. A runaway now stands a much greater -chance of being caught at sea than he does ashore. In former years the -exact reverse was true. A man who tries to flee from America to Europe -to avoid the consequences of a crime is, so to speak, like a runner -caught between bases. The wireless spreads a net about him from which he -cannot escape. - -“One notable case occurred in 1911. A crime had been committed in -London, and the search for the man who did it was carried on by an -immense corps of police and detectives all over Europe working in -harmony. London, Paris, Berlin were all searched, but without results. -The runaway had vanished utterly. - -“While the search was at its height and hope of capturing the man had -been about given up, a wireless call was picked up one night at a -station on the Irish coast from the captain of a trans-Atlantic steamer -in mid-ocean. It asked for a detailed description of the man who was -wanted. It was sent, and the captain of the vessel replied that he -believed that he had the man, for whom a fine-tooth comb search had been -conducted, on board his ship. - -“Excitement ran high. People on both sides of the Atlantic awaited more -details, but the ship got out of range for a time and was not heard from -till the station at Cape Race, Newfoundland, picked up a message from -the captain to say that he was sure he had the criminal wanted on board. -He asked that detectives be ready when the ship came into quarantine on -the St. Lawrence River, for she was bound for Quebec. - -“The criminal was trapped like a wild beast. While the ship was still -three days from port, the police began to gather. Newspapers from all -over the country rushed men to the place where it had been arranged by -wireless to board her. And all this time, the man wanted had no idea -that the net was being drawn about him. It was not till he was actually -under arrest that he learned what wireless had done toward his capture. -And this is only one of a number of such cases.” - -“Do tell,” exclaimed Hank amazedly; “that thing is a sort of a conjurer, -be’ant it?” - -“It is all of that,” smiled Joe; “but now tell me, Hank,” he said, “how -did you happen to come here in the nick of time to let me out? What -brought you here, anyhow?” - -Hank looked grave. A troubled expression came over his sunburned face. - -“I allowed I’d just sail out here and straighten matters out,” he -stammered. - -“What matters?” - -“Why, that thing about soaking your chum on the head and carrying him -off to the cave. I had no part in it. Honest Injun, I didn’t, and I was -too scared of old Israel and the rest to do anything.” - -“Humph,” remarked Joe, “but you didn’t try to help him at all.” - -“I was going to after we got back from taking Minory out of the cave, -but when we did he had gone. Got clear away in that little old boat. It -was all old Israel’s fault. He’d do anything for money, Iz would. When -the Minory chap flashed a big roll on him, it was all off. It’s lucky -things didn’t turn out worse.” - -“Where are your uncle and the others now?” demanded Joe. - -“Honest, I don’t know,” rejoined Hank, looking Joe straight in the eyes. -“They haven’t shown up at Martinez. I reckon they are scared and are -waiting till things blow over a bit before they show their heads.” - -“That sounds plausible,” answered Joe. “Are you through with them?” he -added. - -“Yes, sir,” was the emphatic reply. “I want to live straight. I never -had much use for old Israel, but this last bit of business sickened me. -I came out here to see you fellows to tell you that I was your friend, -and that if I hear anything about that bunch I’ll tell you.” - -“That’s good of you, Hank,” said Joe warmly. - -“No, tain’t, but I’m glad you believe. I was afraid that maybe you’d -have me arrested.” - -“But you wanted to put yourself right, so you came anyway.” - -“Yes, I jes’ had to.” - -“Well, that was brave of you, Hank,” declared Joe, “and from now on -we’ll count you as our friend.” - -“You sure can do that. I’ll do anything I can for you.” - -“You showed that this afternoon. But, as you came over, did you see -anything of a boat leaving the island?” - -“A launch?” - -“I guess that’s what they came in,” responded Joe, and he then related -all that had occurred that afternoon. Hank exclaimed angrily and blamed -himself for not stopping the launch as he heard Joe tell of the escape -of the men after locking him in the closet. - -“I could have stopped that launch plum easy, if I’d only known,” he -said, “but I thought that they were just visitors.” - -“So they were and very unwelcome ones, too,” laughed Joe, who, now that -his troubles were over, could, as usual, see the humorous side of them -as well as the serious. - -“There’s something else I want to tell you,” said Hank, as he picked up -his hat and prepared to go. - -“What’s that?” - -“Well, you remember what old Israel said about you fellows not having -any rights on this island?” - -“Yes, what of it?” - -“Just this, that if it hadn’t been for that affair of Minory’s, they -meant to attack you.” - -“They did!” - -“Yes, siree. Old Israel, he allowed he’d drive you off the island even -if he had to drive you into the sea.” - -“Well, that’s pleasant.” - -“And the first step was to be the wrecking of your wireless -contraption.” - -“Thank goodness, they are where they can’t do us any harm now! I guess -they’ll lie low if they’re wise. There’s a law in California, you know.” - -“Old Israel, he never took no account of the law, nohow,” declared Hank -with a sort of grudging admiration, “and if you’re wise you’ll keep a -good lookout for him. When he gits sot on a thing, he most generally -always put it through, and he’s sure determined to drive you off Goat -Island.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. - - -Joe had plenty to ponder after Hank had left. Of course, he had heard -from Nat of the mysterious “Nemo” call, and, in view of what he had -heard from the reformed member of the Harley family, it looked to him -very much as if old Israel had had some hand in the affair. Then, too, -there was Hank’s remarkable change of front. Joe had at first questioned -the youth’s sincerity but after a time his manner left no room to doubt -that his proffer of friendship was genuine. Joe was very glad that this -was so, for, in case old Israel returned and tried to make trouble, Hank -would prove a valuable ally. - -“I reckon I’ll see if I can raise the _Nomad_ and flash Nat the news of -the afternoon,” thought Joe, upon whose hands the time was beginning to -hang heavily. - -If anyone was on board the _Nomad_, this would be an easy thing for Joe -to do, for by this time the wireless outfit, that the boys had agreed -would prove a valuable addition to the _Nomad’s_ equipment, had been -installed. - -But before Joe could reach his instruments the wireless “alarm clock” -began ringing loudly, sounding the Goat Island call. Joe hastened to the -apparatus and sent out a reply. Then he adjusted the head band and the -receivers and began listening. The message that came made his cheeks -tingle with pleasure. It was from the Chief of Police of Santa Barbara -and was as follows: - -“_Congratulations. Good work. Man on Vesta bank robber badly wanted. -Probably a reward case._” - -Joe felt a distinct feeling of pleasure over the despatch. It -demonstrated in no uncertain way the practical utility of their plant. -But the boy felt somewhat disappointed that the two miscreants who had -so roughly used him had not been apprehended. He was not a revengeful -lad but he would certainly have liked to learn of the men’s capture. - -Presently he set about the task of raising the _Nomad_ by wireless. But, -although he tried for more than an hour to get some response, he failed -to do so. - -“That’s queer,” thought the boy. “Nat said that he would surely be on -his way back before dark. Well, I suppose I’ve got to make up my mind to -spend a solitary evening of it.” - -As it grew dark he cooked his supper and ate it with a hearty appetite. -Afterward he read for a while and then, feeling drowsy, determined to -turn in. - -“I guess there’s no chance of Nat’s coming back to-night,” he thought as -he extinguished the light. - -How much later it was that he awakened, he did not know, but some -impulse made him go to the window and look over toward the wireless hut. -To his astonishment a light was shining in the casement of the structure -that housed the instruments. - -Joe’s heart gave a great bound. - -“It’s Israel Harley!” he exclaimed under his breath. “What am I to do? -He’s sure not to be alone and Nat’s revolver is locked in his trunk.” - -The boy was no coward, as those who have followed the Motor Rangers’ -adventures know, but the situation was one that might have tried -stronger nerves than Joe Hartley’s, gritty as he was. - -He saw a shadow cross the lighted window as whoever was within the -wireless hut moved about. - -“I don’t like this a bit,” muttered Joe to himself, as he cast about for -the best means of coping with the situation. “Those fellows are just -about as bad as bad can be and I’ve had one experience with ruffians -already to-day. I don’t feel like having a second struggle.” - -The light burned steadily on, but whoever was within the hut did not -pass the window again. - -“They may be demolishing the instruments and smashing things up -generally right now,” said Joe to himself as he watched and waited. - -The thought was like a tonic to him. He determined to delay no longer -but, come what might of it, to surprise the intruders and trust to luck -for the outcome. He selected a short, heavy oar from some that lay -outside the shanty. It made quite a formidable weapon when wielded by a -muscular lad like Joe, and as his fingers closed on it he felt ready to -give battle to a whole tribe of Harleys. - -In a quiver of excitement and suspense, he crept forward almost -noiselessly over the soft sand. What the outcome of the affair would be -he did not know nor did he dare to think. But he was determined at all -hazards to guard the valuable equipment of the wireless station. - -“At any rate, I’ll give a good account of myself,” he thought as he -advanced toward the lighted hut. - -Nevertheless he caught himself wishing more than once that his chums -were with him. About twenty feet from the hut he paused and listened -intently. He fully expected to hear the noise of breakage as the vandals -destroyed the instruments. - -But to his astonishment all was utter silence. The only sound to be -heard was the breaking of the waves on the sandy beach below. - -“Funny I don’t hear any voices, either,” he muttered. “There must be -more than one of them. Old Israel’s not the sort of man to come alone on -an enterprise of this kind.” - -Once more he paused after advancing a few steps, but as before no -suspicious sounds broke the stillness. - -“It can’t be spooks,” he thought, and the next minute had to smile at -himself for entertaining such a silly notion. - -“No, it’s human beings all right, and ones who have no good intentions -toward us or they wouldn’t come sneaking around here like thieves in the -night. I suppose that they saw that the _Nomad_ had gone from her -moorings and that the shanty was dark and assumed that there was no one -here.” - -He advanced still further and was now quite close up to the hut. Still -all was silence within. Had it not been for the light in the window he -would have deemed that he was the victim of a delusion. But there was no -mistaking the fact of the light, and no mistaking, also, that it was a -human agency that had kindled it. - -“Thought there was no one here, eh?” muttered Joe, gritting his teeth. -“Well, Harley and Co., here’s where you get the surprise of your young -lives.” - -He stepped forward with brisk determination and prepared to thrust the -closed door open. - -But the next instant he stopped dead. - -“Well!” he ejaculated in startled amazement. - -From within the hut had come the last sound in the world he expected to -hear. It was the whine and crackle of the spark. Somebody was sending a -message! - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - AN UNEXPECTED STUDENT. - - -“Open the door!” - -Joe spoke in an authoritative voice as he rattled the portal of the hut. -It was locked inside, and at the first turn of the handle the crackling -and sputtering of the spark had ceased. - -“Hurry up, now,” hailed Joe again as a scuffling sound followed his -first order, but no audible reply issued from within. - -“It can’t be old Israel and his crowd,” thought the boy as he listened, -“and it can’t be those two rascals who were here this afternoon. Either -one of those lots would have flung the door open long ago and rushed out -on me. Who in the world can it be, then? Somebody trying to play a joke? -They’ll find it a pretty unpleasant one.” - -Joe waited a minute or two and then as no move was made by whoever was -within to open the hut door, he hailed again in an angry voice. - -“You’d better obey. It will be all the worse for you if you don’t.” - -Footsteps sounded inside and Joe gripped his oar, prepared to bring it -down with a crash on the head of whoever appeared. He was not going to -take any chances. There followed the sounds of fumbling with a lock and -the next minute the door opened. Out stepped a figure so utterly unlike -any one that Joe had expected to see that he almost dropped his oar in -his astonishment. - -The intruder who had caused Joe so much disquietude was a slender -stripling of a youth of not more than fifteen. He had a pale, studious -face, big, frightened eyes and walked with a limp. - -“Don’t hit me! Don’t!” he begged as he saw Joe standing there with lips -grimly compressed and the oar raised ready to strike. - -“Caught you right in the act, haven’t I?” spoke Joe, as fiercely as he -could. - -“Yes, sir,” said the lad in a thin, wavering voice. - -“What do you mean by trespassing here?” demanded Joe. - -The lad stammered something and Joe, touched in spite of himself by the -youth’s wan, pale look, spoke more kindly. - -“I’m not an officer or a judge,” he said, “but I’m in charge here, and -you are trespassing on private property.” - -The boy looked alarmed. - -“I’m—I’m sorry,” he said, “I suppose I’d better get out.” - -“Tell me what you came here for before you do that,” said Joe. “I’m -interested in knowing.” - -“I didn’t think there’d be any harm. I came over in my sailboat.” - -A sudden thought struck Joe. - -“Is this the first time that you’ve been here?” he demanded. - -“No,” confessed the lad, hanging his head; “I’ve often come over here -when you were all away.” - -“And you thought that was the case to-night?” - -The lad nodded. - -“But what object brought you?” - -The boy’s eyes kindled and his pale cheeks flushed. - -“I love the wireless,” he said, speaking more firmly; “I wanted to use -it and I had no other opportunity.” - -“You can operate?” - -The boy nodded and once more his eyes brightened. - -“Yes, a little bit. I’m not very good at it yet.” - -“You’re good enough to sign your name ‘_Nemo_,’ though, aren’t you?” -shot out Joe on a hazard. A conviction had been growing in his mind that -this sickly-looking lad must be the “Nemo” who had so mystified them. -The stranger’s face turned crimson. He hung his head and looked -embarrassed. - -“How did you guess it?” he asked, after a considerable pause. And then -he went on, “It’s no use beating about the bush. My name is Jim -Dolliver; I come from Powell’s Cove. My dad is a small rancher and -hasn’t much use for me because with this game foot I’m not able to do -much work. I begged him to let me take up wireless telegraphy and make a -future for myself, but he says that it’s ‘all foolish rot.’ I heard -about you boys building this plant out here, and one night when I knew -you weren’t here I sneaked over in my boat and began practice on a real -key. You see I’d learned the Morse alphabet and the theory of wireless -at home and practiced with a home-made key. I found it came easier than -I expected, and the habit of coming over here kind of grew on me. That -night when I got the call for Goat Island, I just couldn’t help -answering it, but I got scared and cut off. It was wrong of me, I know, -to sneak in and use your apparatus this way, but I just couldn’t help -it.” - -“And what are you going to do now?” asked Joe, watching the lad keenly. - -“Say good-bye, I guess; that is, if you don’t arrest me for trespassing. -I’ve always been very careful with your instruments, and I know I -haven’t injured them, but I see now that I ought never to have come here -at all.” - -He was starting toward the beach, but Joe detained him. - -“Look here, sonny,” he said, “I don’t see why there should be any -objection to your using our plant for practice if you want to. Of -course, I’d have to consult my chums and——” - -“Then you’re not angry?” - -“Not a bit. I think you’ve shown a whole lot of grit and pluck in taking -all the pains you have to get real practice on a real wireless set. I -mean to tell Nat and Ding-dong—those are my chums—about you, and we’ll -see what can be done.” - -“Oh, that’s awfully good of you!” - -“Not a bit, and now you’d better be getting back home. It’s quite a sail -from here to Powell’s Cove, and your folks will be wondering where you -are.” - -“I haven’t got any folks, only just my dad,” was the pathetic reply; -“and dad, he don’t take no account of where I go. He’s got a friend -stopping with him, though, that’s powerfully interested in you fellows -over here.” - -“Is that so?” asked Joe rather indifferently. - -“Yes, he’s always talking about you and about the wireless. From what -I’ve heard him telling dad, he hasn’t got much use for you, either.” - -“How is that, Jim?” - -“Why, he says that you are interfering busybodies, and that if it wasn’t -for you, he’d be out of the country by this time instead of having to -hide his head.” - -Joe grew suddenly interested. - -“What sort of a looking fellow is this friend of your father’s, and when -did he come to stop with him?” he asked. - -“Oh, about two weeks ago. I don’t like him a bit. He’s got a big, black -beard and looks at you ever so fiercely. He don’t go out much, and -whenever there’s a rig or anything coming along the road, he beats it -for the cellar. ’Pears to me like he’s scared of something, and——Why! -what’s the matter?” - -There was reason for the question, for Joe had suddenly developed a wild -fit of excitement and was clasping Jim Dolliver’s hand. - -“Your coming here to-night was the best thing that ever happened, Jim,” -he cried. “Gracious,” he added to himself, “there isn’t a doubt in the -world but that Jim’s father’s friend is Miles Minory.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - A CALL FROM THE SHORE. - - -It was early the next morning that the “wireless alarm” summoned Joe -from his couch. Sleepily he made his way to the wireless hut and was -soon in communication with Nat. Something had gone wrong with the -_Nomad’s_ wireless, it appeared, and Ding-dong’s new station was not in -working order. This was the reason that Joe had not been called up the -night before. - -“_Anything happened?_” asked Nat. - -“_Lots_,” tapped out Joe sententiously, “_but you’ll have to wait to -hear all about it till you get over here_.” - -Nat rejoined that he would be over about noon, and then Joe, in order to -keep his mind occupied, set about a general cleaning up of the wireless -instruments and a thorough “spring cleaning” of the shanty. - -This work occupied him so busily that he had little time to notice the -weather, and it was not till a sudden downpour of rain beat a tattoo on -the roof of the wireless hut that he looked out. The sky was overcast -and quite a brisk sea was running. The wind, too, was blowing pretty -strong. - -“Nasty weather,” thought Joe, “but that won’t worry the _Nomad_.” - -Just then came another call from Nat. The _Nomad_ was about half an hour -away from the island and making good time despite the big seas. - -“_Will be home to dinner_,” flashed Nat, and Joe flashed back “_M-M-M_,” -which, in telegrapher’s language, signifies “laughter.” - -The _Nomad_ came into the cove on schedule time. Her white sides were -wet and glistening with spray, and Nat and Nate Spencer in their -oilskins looked every inch the young seamen when they came ashore in the -dinghy, the same one, by-the-way, that had been recovered from Whale -Creek. - -Over the meal that followed their arrival, Joe told his story amid -frequent interruptions. When he came to the narrative of young Dolliver -and the mysterious man who was dwelling in the elder Dolliver’s ranch -house, Nat agreed with him that in all probability they had, by an -extraordinary coincidence, crossed Minory’s trail once more. Of course -it might be a mistaken supposition, but Nat agreed with Joe that it was -at least worth while investigating. - -“I’ll take a stroll around after dinner and look at the weather,” said -Nat. “If it isn’t too rough we can run over in the _Nomad_, but after -all, possibly it would be just as effective to call up Ding-dong and let -him communicate with the authorities.” - -While Joe and Nate washed dishes and otherwise set things to rights, Nat -started out on his tramp. It was still raining hard and blowing harder, -with a nasty, choppy gray sea running. - -“Pretty dusty,” commented Nate, looking out of the window on the dreary -seascape. - -But within the shanty all was snug and warm and cheerful, and when Nat -returned in half an hour or so, he found a picture of comfort awaiting -him. He divested himself of his wet oilskins and heavy boots before he -spoke, and then he had some remarkable news to impart. - -“There’s a small schooner of not more than thirty-five or forty tons -anchored off the southerly end of the island,” he said. - -Nate looked up instantly. It was clear that to his seaman’s mind the -news was puzzling. - -“What in the world will she be anchored there for?” he asked in an -astonished voice. “If she’s hove to to ride out the storm, why doesn’t -she come into the cove?” - -“Just what puzzled me,” said Nat. “I watched her from behind some sand -dunes, but not a sign of life could I see on her decks. She looks like a -fishing schooner, and yet there are no dories piled up on her deck, -which makes it look all the more odd.” - -[Illustration: “They’ve let go the anchor with all sails set,” murmured -Nate, “and they dropped that mudhook like a cat stalking mice.”—_Page -232._] - -“It does that,” agreed Nate; “and anyhow, fishermen wouldn’t heave to -for this bit of a blow.” - -“I’ll tell you what, Nate,” said Nat presently, “suppose you go and take -a look at her. Then come back and tell us how you size her up. You’re -sailorman enough to know a craft by the cut of her jib, and maybe you -will know what vessel this is.” - -“All right,” assented Nate cheerfully. “I’ll slip into my oilers, get -around there and be back in two shakes of a duck’s tail.” - -“And, oh, Nate, don’t show yourself if you can help it. There’s plenty -of cover behind the salt grass that grows on the dunes.” - -“Don’t worry about that,” Nate assured him, “I’ll be as invisible as -Mort Kennedy, who owes me ten dollars, is every payday.” - -The sturdy fellow strode out into the storm, leaving the two boys alone. - -“Are you troubled because that fishing schooner is lying to off the -island?” asked Joe, as Nate slammed the door behind him. - -“Frankly, I don’t quite like the look of it,” rejoined Nat; “if she is -lying to because of the storm, the cove is the natural place for her to -seek shelter and not the open sea.” - -“That’s right, it _has_ a funny look. Say, Nat, you don’t think that old -Israel Harley can be on board, do you?” - -“I don’t know, Joe; I don’t know what to think. He is a daring old -villain, and he has no reason to love us. After what Hank told you -yesterday, it behooves us to be on the watch constantly. Till that -schooner goes away, we can’t leave the island.” - -“Then I’d better send a flash to Ding-dong. I wonder if his station is -working yet?” - -“It ought to be, but in that case I should think he’d have given us a -call.” - -“Well, we can try it, anyhow. Come on down to the hut while I get busy -with the instruments.” - -The two boys tried for a long time to raise Ding-dong, sending out the -call “_D-B_,” the prearranged signal, incessantly. But no answer came -for a long time, and when it did it was hardly satisfactory. It was from -the Santa Barbara operator, who had been listening in. - -He cut into Joe’s waves with a sharp summons for “_G. I._” - -“_Right here_,” flashed back Joe eagerly, thinking that it might be -Ding-dong at last. He was soon undeceived. - -“_This is station O at Santa Barbara talking_,” came through the air to -the Motor Rangers’ aerials. “_You been trying to get young Bell’s -station?_” - -“_Yes, what’s the trouble?_” inquired Joe. - -“_I don’t know exactly, but something was the matter with his wave -lengths this morning. He was trying to get you, but couldn’t succeed. -But he reached me all right and left a message for you fellows._” - -“_A message? What is it?_” flashed back Joe. - -“_Here it is,—all ready?_” - -“_Go ahead._” - -“_Dear Nat and Joe. Don’t worry. I have left Santa Barbara on a hot -clew to you know who. I expect to recover everything before -night.—Ding-dong._” - -“We-el, what do you know about that?” gasped Nat, as Joe said -“_Good-bye_” and cut off. - -“That kid is off along the trail of trouble again as sure as you are a -foot high,” exclaimed Joe. “Now what are we going to do? Where do you -suppose he’s gone?” - -“Looks a good deal as if he might have found out something about Minory, -doesn’t it, and is anxious to keep all the credit of recovering the -plans and the models to himself,” commented Nat. - -“But in that case he may run into grave danger,” protested Joe -excitedly. “That fellow wouldn’t stop at a trifle. What are we going to -do about it, Nat?” - -“There’s only one thing to be done now,” declared Nat. - -“And that is?” - -“Raise Santa Barbara, notify the authorities of the place where we -suspect Minory may be found, and let them take after him. If Ding-dong -has gone to the right place, they may arrive in time to get him out of -trouble. If he’s gone somewhere else, why, I don’t see that there’s -anything we can do but hope for the best.” - -“That’s about all,” said Joe, as he turned to his instruments. At that -moment the door was flung open and in came Nate with a burst of rain and -wind at his back. - -“That feller off the point is no fisherman,” he declared positively. “I -think that it’s up to us to keep our weather eyes open to-night.” - -“For what?” asked Joe, as he tapped out the Santa Barbara call. - -“For trouble,” was the brief reply. “Got any shootin’ irons on the -island?” - -“Only an old revolver,” said Nat. “We’ve never needed them.” - -“S’pose you’ve heard about the cowpuncher,” said Nate dryly. “He had -never needed a revolver for forty years, but when he did need it, he -needed it _durn bad_!” - -“And you think that is our position?” asked Nat. - -“I ain’t saying,” was the response; “but that schooner’s got other -business off this island than riding out this ten-cent blow.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - WHAT JOE DID. - - -Joe raised Santa Barbara and flashed out the news which he wanted -transmitted to the local authorities. In a short time a word of thanks -came back and positive assurance that they would set out without delay -for the Dolliver ranch. Nat and Joe felt somewhat relieved at this. They -knew only too well Ding-dong’s proclivities for getting into trouble, -and if he was off after Minory by himself he had done a peculiarly -fool-hardy thing. - -“We’ve done all we can, anyhow,” said Nat, “and now the best thing to -turn our minds to, is that schooner. I think there is not much doubt now -that she is here to do harm to us.” - -“All the indications point that way,” agreed Joe. - -Twice during the afternoon Nate tramped down to the point to see if the -schooner was still hove to, and both times he returned with the report -that she was still in the same position, although the rain flaws were -blowing over the ocean so thickly that at times it was hard to make her -out. - -Not until the evening meal had been despatched was anything said about -laying out the work for the night. It was Nat who broached the subject. - -“Joe,” he said, “it has just occurred to me that something may be known -of this schooner in Santa Barbara. Suppose you connect with the operator -there and see if you can get hold of old Captain Merryweather. He’s a -sort of port official and should know if this schooner left there -recently.” - -“That’s a good idea,” indorsed Joe; “but in the meanwhile what will you -be doing, for I see that you have some plan in your head?” - -“Well, this is the way I’ve figured it out,” said Nat. “If the folks on -that schooner mean to make a landing to-night, depend upon it they’ll -come ashore in the cove.” - -“Not a doubt of it,” struck in Nate. - -“With the sea that is running, there’s not another place on the island -where they could land. Within the cove, however, is quiet water and an -easy sloping beach to run a boat ashore.” - -“Then you think the schooner is still there, Nat?” asked Joe. - -“Not a doubt of it in my mind. However, I mean to make sure in a very -short time. Nate, I want you to go down to the point and see what you -can make out of the suspicious craft. I’ll go down to the cove and turn -the skiff over to make a shelter. You can report back to me there. Joe -will remain by the wireless till he gets some reply to his message to -Captain Merryweather. Then he’ll join us there, too, unless something -new and unexpected has turned up by that time.” - -Joe would much rather have accompanied Nat, but he said nothing and -turned cheerfully to his duty. Like Ding-dong, he had grown accustomed -to look upon Nat as a leader, and he obeyed unhesitatingly his orders. -Nat and Nate trudged out into the storm and Joe seated himself at the -apparatus to carry out his appointed task. - -The operator was able to inform him that the authorities had already set -out for the Dolliver ranch, and that he would keep him posted as to -further developments. Joe then transmitted his message to Captain -Merryweather. This done, he disconnected and sat down to await a reply. - -Above him he could hear the wind screaming and screeching through the -aerials and the steady downpour of the rain on the roof. It seemed -hours, and was, in reality, about an hour and a half, before he got a -reply to his message. - -“_Captain Merryweather has learned that a small schooner put into Santa -Barbara last night_,” was the dispatch. “_She must have left some time -before dawn. A dockman reports that he saw three strange men being rowed -out to her in a dory a short time before she sailed. That is all he can -find out._” - -“Three men; that sounds like old Captain Israel and his two sons,” mused -Joe, as he cut off. “The schooner may either belong to them or to some -of their friends; it’s hard telling, but at any rate Captain -Merryweather’s information sounds important. I’ll hurry down to Nat with -it.” - -He extinguished the light and slipped out into the storm. He half ran, -half stumbled to the cove, filled with the importance of his mission. -But somewhat to his alarm, there was no Nat and no Nate there. Joe began -to feel seriously uneasy. It was not like Nat to fail to be at the place -he had appointed for a meeting, more particularly as Joe knew his chum -would be waiting for a reply to the Santa Barbara message with some -anxiety. - -However, there was nothing for it but to wait, and Joe, with what -resignation he could muster, sat down in the dark under the shelter of -the dory, while about him the storm raged and howled. Under the upturned -boat he was snug and dry, and if he could have lighted a fire of -driftwood he would have been quite warm. But he knew that was out of the -question. To do such a thing would be to betray at once that they were -on the watch. - -Presently there came the sound of hurrying footsteps on the sand. Joe’s -heart gave a quick leap, but the next instant he was reassured. It was -Nat and Nate. - -“Where have you been?” asked Joe anxiously. “You gave me a fine scare -when I came down here and found you gone. I thought old Israel must have -kidnapped you again.” - -“I’ve been down to the point with Nate,” rejoined Nat. “The schooner has -just got under way. From her tactics we both believe that she is heading -round for the cove.” - -“Wow! It looks like trouble then.” - -“I’m afraid so. No vessel would lie to in an open roadstead all day and -then run into a sheltered cove at night unless she wished the cover of -darkness for her work, whatever it is.” - -“Humph, I haven’t much doubt what that work is,” grunted Nate -laconically. - -“Heard from Santa Barbara?” inquired Nat of Joe, as he and Nate joined -him under the boat. - -“Yes; that’s what brought me down here. A small schooner answering the -description of the one that lay at anchor all day off the island left -the port last night after taking on three men.” - -“Three men; that surely sounds like old Israel and his two precious -sons.” - -“That is what I thought. It clinches the matter in my mind.” - -“Coupled with the actions of the schooner, I’ve reached the same -conclusion,” said Nat. - -“How long will it take the schooner to get around here, do you think?” -asked Joe presently. - -“Oh, quite a while yet,” responded Nate. “She’s got to beat up against -the wind and take several tacks to make it.” - -“To my mind that fact again puts this up to Harley,” said Nat. “He knows -this island like a book, Nate says, and could get into the cove at any -hour of the day or night. A stranger would never take a chance on -running in in the dark.” - -“Particularly on a night like this,” said Joe, as a long, shuddering -blast of wind swept over the upturned boat. - -Nat crept out from the shelter and made his way toward the cove. He was -back in a short time with information that thrilled them all. - -“The schooner is coming into the cove,” he announced in a tense voice. - -“Now the show is a-goin’ to begin to commence,” muttered Nate under his -breath. “Better get that gun of yours, Nat. Joe and I will do the best -we can with our fists and oars in case there’s a scrimmage.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT. - - -The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which -shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of -canvas—the schooner! - -“Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his -firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate. “If they come ashore, just -follow them without exposing yourselves to view. There’s a chance that -they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack -the wrong men.” - -“That chance is a pretty long one, I’m after thinking,” said Nate under -his breath. - -“We’ll see how they come to anchor,” he said presently. “If they let go -their mudhook with a rush and a rattle, it may be that they are all -right. But if they sneak in and let it go easy so as not to alarm -anybody, why, then, it’ll look as if we’ve had ’em sized up right.” - -The watchers crawled out and made their way through the spiky grass -along one arm of the cove. They gained a point where it was possible -even in the darkness to see the tall spars of the schooner and the black -bulk of her canvas as, noiselessly as a phantom craft, she glided into -the cove. Suddenly her “way” was checked and she came to a stop with all -her canvas still standing. - -“They’ve let go the anchor with all the sails set,” murmured Nate, “and -they dropped that mudhook like a cat stalking mice. I reckon they’re -honest fishermen—not. That’s a regular smuggler’s trick, that is, all -right.” - -“Why don’t they lower the sails?” was Joe’s not unnatural question. - -“’Cos they don’t want the rattling of the blocks and the cordage to be -heard,” rejoined Nate. “Seein’ no lights up above, I suppose they’ve -figured that we are all asleep and dreaming. But we ain’t, not by a -jugful,” he chuckled. - -Then came the sound of oars as they creaked in the rowlocks of a small -boat. Joe’s heart beat wildly with excitement, and even Nat felt a -thrill, as there no longer remained any doubt that hostile men were -about to land on the island. When Hank had told Joe the day before of -old Israel’s plans of vengeance, he had not taken them very seriously. -Now, however, they faced the fact, and faced it to all intents and -purposes unarmed. - -“Lie down,” ordered Nat, as the sound of the oarsmen became more -distinct; “we don’t want them to see us yet.” - -They all threw themselves flat amidst the spiky dune-grass and waited -for what was to come. Presently they saw a small boat grounded on the -beach, and five men leaped out. They grouped themselves about one -figure, which Nat instinctively felt must be that of old Israel himself. - -At any rate, he appeared to be giving orders to the others. The group -split up. Two of the men started in the direction of the shanty, while -three, including the one suspected to be old Israel, set out to the -southward. - -“Now what in the name of time does that mean?” demanded Nate in an -astonished voice. - -“It means that our job is just twice as hard,” rejoined Nat. “I can’t -make out myself exactly the object of it, but I reckon we shan’t be long -in finding out.” - -“We’d better follow them,” suggested Nate. - -“Yes, we had better. Nate, you take the two men that went toward the -hut. Joe and I will trail that group of three.” - -“All right, Nat; and say, if you’re in trouble, just fire a shot from -that shootin’ iron of yours and I’ll come on the jump.” - -“All right, Nate, I won’t forget. We might need you badly in case of a -mix-up.” - -“You can sure count on me,” the sturdy waterman assured them. - -Then they parted, Nate striking off toward the shanty, whither two of -the strangers had preceded him, and Nat and Joe taking the trail after -the trio, one of which they firmly believed was none other than old -Israel himself. - -Through the darkness they made the best speed they could after the old -smuggler and his two sons, for they now knew by the sound of the voices -that had been flung back to them on the wind that their surmise had been -correct. It was old Harley himself and his rascally offspring who had -landed on Goat Island under the cover of night. - -At first their motive in so doing had been plain enough to Nat, or at -least he had thought it was. Now, however, he was by no means so certain -that the destruction or injury of the wireless was the sole object of -their call. This striking off through the dark to the southerly point of -the island was inexplicable to the boy, and as they made their way -along, sometimes stumbling over rocks and clumps of beach-plum bushes, -he confided his bewilderment to Joe. - -“I wonder what all this means?” he said. “There’s nothing to the south, -so far as I know, but some low cliffs and waste land.” - -“I’ve no more idea than you have,” rejoined Joe, equally puzzled. “One -thing is sure and certain, though, they are not out for a pleasant -stroll.” - -“No, they’ve got some definite object in view, and I’m inclined to -believe that we don’t figure in it as prominently as we thought we did,” -was Nat’s rejoinder. - -They paced on in silence, always keeping the three figures in front of -them in view, but creeping along as close to the ground as they could -and taking advantage of every bit of cover that offered. - -“Say, Nat,” exclaimed Joe after a while, “it’s my belief that they are -making for those old ruins!” - -“You mean the remains of that mission that the early missionaries from -Spain built here?” asked Nat, referring to a jumbled pile of adobe ruins -which were supposed to mark the site of one of the early religious -houses of California. - -“That’s what. See, they’re striking off to the right.” - -“That is the direction, sure enough, but what would they want there?” - -“We can only find out by following them. Hullo, what are they doing -now?” - -The group ahead had halted not far from the pile of debris and heaped-up -stone and wood that marked the remains of the monks’ establishment. - -One of them stooped low while the others shielded him from the wind. -Then came a sputter of flame as a match was struck, and then the steady -glow of a lamp or lantern. With this means of illumination kindled, the -party that the boys were breathlessly trailing proceeded once more. - -Suddenly Nat stopped short and seized Joe’s arm. - -“The lamp, Joe, it’s gone!” he cried, pointing to the midst of the ruins -where the lamp had been last seen. - -Sure enough, the lantern had suddenly vanished, leaving the boys deeply -mystified as to the cause of its sudden disappearance. - -“They must have some hiding place among the ruins,” exclaimed Nat -excitedly, “That is why old Israel was so mad about our being on the -island! What shall we do?” - -“Follow them,” said Joe determinedly. “We’ve started on this thing, -let’s see it through.” - -They struck out toward the ruins at a half run. In their excitement, -prudence was temporarily thrown to the winds. Soon they were stumbling -and barking their shins amidst the ruinous pile. In the dark it was -almost impossible to see their way. All at once Nat, who was in the -lead, gave a sharp exclamation: - -“Get back, Joe! Back, as quick as your legs will let you!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - DING-DONG’S CLUE. - - -Ding-dong Bell, released early from the, to him, irksome task of -stock-taking in his father’s store, was making the last adjustments on -the new shore wireless station which was to place him in communication -with his chums on Goat Island. He hummed away at the work he loved, as -busy as a bee and as active as a squirrel. The new station was in the -backyard of his home and at some distance from the house, owing to Mrs. -Bell’s nervous fears that it would attract lightning. - -The boy had tried to explain to her that a properly grounded apparatus -presents no such danger, but the good lady would not be convinced; so -Ding-dong had been compelled to set up his instruments in an old tool -shed, rather than in his own room as he had fondly hoped. He was now -rigging up a “wireless alarm-clock,” connecting it with his room so that -when anyone called him he could be summoned day or night. - -He was stringing the wires for this when, from the road outside, came -the sharp “chug-chug-chug” of a motorcycle. It stopped at the back of -the shed and a cheery voice hailed: - -“Hello, Ding!” - -“He-he-hello, yourself, Pepper,” cried Ding-dong, as, hurrying out of -the shed at the summons, he came face to face with a lad of about his -own age whose head was thatched with a mop of brilliant red hair. He had -been nicknamed Red Pepper, shortened to Pepper, and his last name was -Rodman. - -The newcomer wore motor-cycling togs and was hatless. He had dismounted -from a spick-and-span-looking two-cylindered machine which stood leaning -against the fence. - -“Come on in,” invited Ding-dong cordially. - -“I wouldn’t mind a drink of ice-water,” responded Pepper. “I’ve just -come back from a long spin in the country and I’m mighty thirsty, I can -assure you.” - -“I’ll do bub-bub-better than ice-water,” promised Ding-dong hospitably; -“how about some lemonade?” - -“Oh, yum-yum,” exclaimed young Pepper joyously; “lead me to it.” - -“In a jiffy. This way,” said Ding-dong, leading the way into the house, -where he soon set before his guest a big glass pitcher full to the brim -of the cold and refreshing drink. Pepper did full justice to it, tossing -off three glasses. - -“My goodness, Pup-Pup-Pepper, but you must be as hot as your -nu-nu-nickname,” exclaimed Ding-dong as he watched. - -“Well, I was mighty dry, for a fact,” agreed Pepper, smacking his lips; -“I feel a lot better now. I’ve ridden all the way in from beyond -Powell’s Cove, and it’s a mighty dusty trip.” - -“How’d you get that tut-tut-tear in your coat?” asked Ding-dong, -regarding a rent in Pepper’s neat khaki motor-cycling coat. - -“Why, that happened out at Powell’s Cove,” was the response. “I meant to -tell you about it. I was dry as an old crust out there, and I saw a -small ranch house standing quite a way back from the road. It was a -lonesome-looking sort of a place, but I judged I could get a drink -there, so I chugged up to the door. - -“It was open, and not seeing anyone about, I went in uninvited. From a -room in the back I heard voices, and so I walked in there, too. There -were two men sitting at a table. One of them was explaining something to -the other, and they had on the table what looked to me like a model of a -torpedo, or something of that sort.” - -Ding-dong pricked up his ears. - -“A mu-mu-model of a tut-tut——” - -“Yes, of a torpedo. Then, too, there were a lot of plans.” - -“Her-her-hold on!” cried Ding-dong, his words tripping all over each -other in his excitement. “Wer-wer-what did the men lul-lul-look like?” - -Pepper looked rather astonished. - -“How do you expect me to get on with my story if you keep butting in?” -he asked in an aggrieved tone of voice. - -“I’ve a per-per-particular reason,” cried Ding-dong. - -“Well, one had a big black beard, an ugly-looking customer, and the -other——” - -But he got no further. - -“Hokey!” yelled Ding-dong, while Pepper looked on in a rather alarmed -way, as if he thought his young companion had gone suddenly insane; -“it’s Minory for a bet! Minory, the fellow that swiped the wireless -torpedo!” - -“What, the one you told me about? That invention of the Professor -What’s-his-name?” - -“The same fellow,” cried Ding-dong. “What a shame the professor has gone -East! I’ll wire him at once.” - -“Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see if you haven’t made a mistake?” -asked Pepper soberly. “You know it might not be the same at all. Other -men than Minory have black whiskers. My pop has, for instance.” - -“That’s so,” said Ding-dong in a chastened voice. “But go ahead, Pep, -and tell me the rest.” - -“All right, I’d have finished by this time if it hadn’t been for you,” -said Pepper. “Well, the minute I appeared, both men jumped up and glared -at me as if I’d been a mountain lion or something. The black-bearded -fellow made a run for me and shouted out to know what I wanted there. I -told them I was after a drink of water, but the fellow grabbed me by the -arm. I wrenched free, but I tore my coat in doing it. That was the rent -you saw. - -“You can bet I lost no time in running for the door where I’d left my -motorcycle. The black-whiskered chap came after me, but the other one -held him back. - -“‘Don’t grab him, Miles,’ I heard him say. ‘He’s nothing but a fool kid. -You’re so nervous I think you’d be suspicious of a cat’.” - -“Mum-Mum-Miles!” shouted Ding-dong Bell. “That was Minory’s first name! -Oh, Eureka! We’ve got him! But I beg your pardon, Pep; how did you get -away?” - -“Well, they told me that if I ever said anything about them, they’d find -me out and kill me,” went on Pepper, “and they looked fierce enough to -carry out their threat. One of them asked me if I’d seen anything on the -table, and of course I said ‘No.’ I guess if I’d admitted seeing that -model or anything, I’d have been there yet.” - -“I don’t der-der-doubt that a ber-ber-bit,” agreed Ding-dong. “So after -that they let you go?” - -“Yes, and told me never to come near there again, and not to do any -talking if I valued my life. Of course that was just a bluff, but I made -out to be scared to death by it.” - -“The wisest thing to do,” agreed Ding-dong, and then he began to speak -earnestly and rapidly. - -“Say, Pepper,” he said, losing as he often did in moments of stress his -impediment of speech, “are you game to help me out on a big enterprise?” - -“What do you mean?” asked the other. - -“Just this. Your motorcycle will carry two, won’t it?” - -“Yes, I’ve got an extension seat behind. I take my brother out on it -once in a while.” - -“Will you ride me out to that ranch house while I reconnoiter?” - -“When?” - -“To-night.” - -“Gee whiz, Ding, it’s a pretty risky thing to do, isn’t it?” - -“I don’t think so. I’m not going into the house or anything. I just want -to prowl around and see what I can find out. Then if everything is O. K. -and Minory’s there, I’ll notify the police and he can be arrested at -once.” - -“That sounds reasonable,” admitted Pepper, “but say, Ding, don’t go -putting your head into a hornet’s nest. I’ve heard you’ve got a kind of -habit of doing that.” - -“Who says so? I’m as careful as—as an old lady carrying eggs to market!” - -“All right then, I’ll do it. I’ll be here at seven o’clock.” - -“Good boy. I won’t be able to keep still till that time arrives.” - -[Illustration: The boys ... fell in a heap down the steep steps.—_Page_ -264.] - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - A LONELY TRAIL. - - -The hours crept by with leaden feet for Ding-dong until the chugging of -Pepper’s motorcycle was heard soon after supper. The young wireless -operator had tried to communicate with Goat Island in the meantime, but, -as we already know, had failed in his attempt. As a last resource, -therefore, he had entrusted a message to the operator at Station O. - -“All ready?” demanded Pepper, as he came dashing up. - -“Been rur-rur-ready ever since you left,” declared Ding-dong; “let’s get -off as soon as possible.” - -“All right, run along behind, and when I tell you to, swing into the -seat,” ordered Pepper. - -He started his motor with a whirr and a bang and the speedy machine -dashed off down the street, with Ding-dong clinging on behind with all -his might. But he enjoyed the ride and waved to several of his young -acquaintances as the motorcycle sped through the town and then out upon -the country road. - -“How far is it out there?” asked Ding-dong of Pepper, as they chugged -along at a fast gait. - -“Not more than ten or twelve miles, but it is in a lonesome canyon near -the sea, and as the ground is very unproductive out that way, there -isn’t another ranch within miles. It makes a fine hiding place for a man -like you describe this fellow Minory to be.” - -“Yes, I’ll ber-ber-bet he thought he could stay there for a year without -being found out. It’s a lot less rer-rer-risky for him than to -ter-ter-try to take a train, for he knows all the depots and steamers -are watched.” - -“What puzzles me is how he came to take up his residence there. He’d -hardly be likely to stumble on such a place by accident,” said Pepper, -“especially as he is an Eastern product.” - -“That’s all b-b-b-beyond me,” declared Ding-dong, “but I g-g-g-guess -after his arrest that will be straightened out.” - -“Gracious, talk about counting chickens before they’re hatched! You’ve -got the handcuffs on him already.” - -“If it’s Mum-Mum-Minory he’ll be in safe hands before long,” declared -Ding-dong stoutly. - -“Well, don’t you go messing up in it,” implored the cautious Pepper. -“From what I saw of those fellows this afternoon, they wouldn’t stop at -much if they thought they were going to be betrayed to the authorities.” - -“Oh, I’ll be c-c-c-careful,” promised Ding-dong. - -The motorcycle began to hum along roads that grew wilder and less -inhabited. It was still twilight, and they could see lone ranches -setting back among dismal bare hills, with a few scrawny cattle or sheep -grazing behind apparently interminable stretches of barb-wire fences. - -“Nice cheerful sort of country,” commented Pepper. “I don’t wonder your -friend figured that nobody would come nosing around here unless they had -to.” - -“But you rode out here this afternoon,” said Ding-dong; “go-g-g-g-good -thing you did, too.” - -“That remains to be seen,” commented Pepper laconically. - -It grew dark. They came to a cross-roads where stood the ruins of what -once had been a store. But it had long since fallen into decay and stood -there deserted and ruinous like the tombstone of past prosperity. - -“Are we near there now?” asked Ding-dong. - -“Yes, it’s about half a mile up this road and then quite a distance back -from the sea-beach.” - -“Then as we’re so close, you’d better shut down your machine. They might -hear it and be on the lookout.” - -“That’s so. Get ready to dismount then. All right? Whoa!” - -The motorcycle stopped and the boys jumped off. Pepper leaned his -machine up against the ruined store and prepared to follow Ding-dong and -guide him. But the latter protested. There was no sense in Pepper’s -running the risk of being captured, he argued; and besides, if he -(Ding-dong) got into trouble, it would be the better plan to have Pepper -out of harm’s way so that he could go back and give the alarm. - -Pepper was forced to agree to this logic, and it was decided that if -Ding-dong didn’t return in an hour Pepper was to ride at full speed back -to town and get help. The boys shook hands and parted, Pepper assuring -Ding-dong that he could not mistake the house, as there was only one in -that direction. - -It would be idle to deny that Ding-dong felt a thrill that was not -wholly excitement as he struck off down the dark road alone. To make -matters worse, it began to drizzle and blow; the storm which had already -struck Goat Island was sweeping inland. - -“Suppose this should all turn out to be a wild goose chase,” the boy -thought as he trudged along, “I’d look like a fine idiot. But somehow I -don’t think it will be. I’ve got a strong feeling that Minory’s jig is -up at last. However, we’ll soon see.” - -At length, to his right, and back from the road, he spied a solitary -light. - -“I guess that is the place,” he thought with a sudden sensation of -tightness in his throat as if his heart had just taken up quarters -there. To the boy there appeared something sinister, something like the -evil glare of a one-eyed man in this solitary light in that lonely part -of the country. - -But Ding-dong didn’t hesitate long. - -“I’ve got to take the bull by the horns if we ever want to get Minory by -his whiskers,” he said to himself, and struck into a narrow sort of -cow-track that appeared to lead toward the distant light. Behind him the -sea moaned and crashed on the beach; ahead of him towered the solitary -house in the gloomy canyon. - -It was a rough track, little more than a trail, that the boy had decided -to follow, but he found that it was steadily bringing him nearer to the -light. Once he almost turned heel and ran for his life, such was the -tension on his nerves. Out of the darkness before him had loomed -suddenly a white face. It looked like a ghostly skull, and Ding-dong was -so startled that he almost cried out aloud. The next minute he got mad -with himself, for with a “Whoof!” the “baldy” steer, for that was what -the white-faced apparition was, turned and clattered off. - -“Wow! I’m getting as nervous as a girl on graduation day,” said -Ding-dong to himself. “Bother this rain! I’ll catch one thing sure out -of this, and that’s a fine young cold.” - -The light was quite close now, and he advanced more cautiously. At last -he could see the outlines of the ranch house bulking blackly against the -slope of the bare hillside beyond. Like a cat stalking a mouse, -Ding-dong crept forward. His heart beat so loudly that it sounded to him -like the banging of a hammer against his ribs. - -“Wish I could muffle it,” he said, in vain trying to compose his nerves. - -It was a risky thing that the boy was doing, and one which a lot of men -would have hesitated at. He knew Minory’s character, and was pretty sure -that the man who would harbor him could not be much better than his -guest. He might expect small mercy if he fell into their hands. Yet he -was doing what he deemed to be his duty, and that thought gave him -courage to proceed. - -At last he reached a point of vantage where he could creep up on the -window sidewise, and very slowly and patiently he did so. The casement -was open, for the night was warm, and crouching under the open sash he -listened attentively to the growl of masculine voices which was audible -from within. - -With a sharp thrill he recognized one of them as being Minory’s. The -other was unknown. He had just made this discovery when something -happened so entirely unexpected that the boy was for an instant almost -deprived of his wits. - -Without knowing it, he had been standing on a board. Suddenly it snapped -in two without the slightest warning. As it broke, it gave a loud -“crack!” almost as loud as a pistol shot. - -“What’s that?” came a shout from within, and Ding-dong heard a -heavy-footed rush for the window. - -“It’s a spy!” came a shout, and then an oath. - -Ding-dong’s activities returned with a rush. Like a jack rabbit he -darted off, running as he had never run before. Behind him came shouts: - -“It’s one of those kids! Get him! Get him if you have to shoot him! -Don’t let him get away!” - -Ding-dong’s fear lent him wings. As he fled, he heartily wished he had -informed the police and let them attend to the case. But it was too late -for such wishes now. All at once his foot caught in a root and he fell -headlong. He was up in a second, but in that brief fraction of time his -pursuers had gained on him. - -Bang! A report sounded behind him and a bullet whistled somewhere near -his head. - -“Gracious, pretty close shooting, considering they’re on the run!” -thought the boy. - -Panting and desperate, he pressed on, while behind him still came the -rapid beat of feet. Then came another sound that caused his terror to -redouble. It was the sharp rattle of a horse’s hoofs coming forward at -top speed! Ahead of the boy lay the sea. He could go no further. - -“Gracious! It’s all over now!” he thought, when suddenly the earth -appeared to drop out from under his feet and he felt himself falling, -clutching frantically at the air, through space. Above him somewhere, -heard dimly as if in a dream, came shouts and hoarse cries mingled with -the trampling of hoofs. - -Ding-dong gave a desperate shout, and it was still on his lips when he -struck something solid but soft and yielding. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - AT THE OLD MISSION. - - -When Nat saw the light, carried by the men whom they had been following, -vanish as if it had been a Will o’ the Wisp, it will be recalled that -both he and Joe started forward suddenly. It was an ill-advised move, -for the instant that they advanced from behind a still up-standing -section of the ruined mission wall, which had obscured the lantern, old -Israel and his two sons sprang upon them. - -Entirely unprepared for such a move, the two boys were taken off their -guard, but nevertheless the oar which Joe carried came into effective -play. Seth Harley grabbed him, but as his hands clutched the Hartley -boy’s clothing, “Whack!” came Joe’s oar on his arm, temporarily -disabling him. - -With a howl of mingled rage and pain, Seth held back, leaving the field -to his father and brother. Old Israel, although of great age, -demonstrated his ability in a rough and tumble, leaping at Nat and -pinioning his arms before the boy had a chance to defend himself. Joe -having disposed of Seth for the time being, dashed to the rescue, but he -was, in turn, tackled by old Israel’s other son and borne to the ground -almost as soon as he interfered. - -The unequal contest came to a speedy conclusion, with the Harleys -victorious. Nat and Joe found themselves bound and secured, hand and -foot, within a few seconds from the time that they had engaged the -smuggler’s crowd. - -“Thought we wasn’t on the lookout, did yer?” scoffed old Israel, as he -made some lashings of rope fast about the boys’ wrists and ankles. -“Wa’al, you got another guess comin’ now, ain’t ye? What’ll we do with -’em, boys?” - -It was useless to make any outcry, and both lads knew it, so in silence -they awaited the verdict that was to decide their fate. It was Seth -Harley who delivered it: - -“That pesky kid, thar’, got away from us once and I ain’t calculatin’ to -hev him do it agin,” he said. “Let’s put ’em in the old Booty Hole. -It’ll be a long time afore they git out of thar’, I’m thinkin’.” - -Naturally enough, neither of the boys had the least idea of what the -“Booty Hole” was, but Nat opined that it was some sort of a cellar or -excavation amidst the ruins, and in this he was not mistaken. The two -lads were roughly seized and pushed forward among the ruins without any -regard to their feelings. As they were half-dragged, half-shoved over -the rough ground and piled-up debris, old Israel kept up a running fire -of satirical comment on their plight. - -“Wa’al, this is sure a fine fix fer two bright byes to be in, ain’t it?” -he grinned. “Two nice young fellers that thought they knew it all, hum? -This is the one time that you don’t git away, kid,” he added, addressing -Nat with a vicious intonation. “We’re a-goin’ ter put yer where you -won’t git out till Kingdom Come, and maybe not then.” - -The boys did not reply. To have given utterance to their feelings in -words would have been as useless as to have made active resistance. -Seth, who was slightly in advance, while old Harley and his other son -held the boys, paused suddenly. - -“Here we are,” he said, and stooping, he raised a big flat stone which -in turn disclosed a door, apparently a part of the cellarage of the -former mission building. - -There was a ring in the door which the younger Harley gripped, and then -flung the portal back. It revealed a steep flight of steps and beyond -them abysmal darkness. It was plain enough to the boys that they were to -be thrust into this place as prisoners. - -If any doubt of this fact had existed in their minds it was speedily -dissipated. - -“Git down thar’,” growled old Harley with an oath, as he gave Nat a -vicious shove. - -“See here, Harley,” exclaimed the boy. “What useful purpose do you think -you’re serving by treating us this way? You know as well as I do that -you are amenable to the law for your conduct. Don’t think for a minute -that you can ever escape your just punishment.” - -“Talk like a striplin’ preacher, don’t yer?” sneered the old man. “Jes’ -let me tell yer one thing, young feller, thar’ ain’t a law in Santy -Barbary County that kin touch ole Iz Harley; so put that in your pipe -an’ smoke it.” - -The boys were suddenly jerked forward, and toppling over, fell in a heap -down the steep steps of the cellarage. Then they heard the door above -them slammed to with a bang, and they were alone in the darkness, lying, -luckily uninjured, at the foot of the steps. - -“Nat, are you all right?” spoke Joe. - -“Sure, but I feel a bit dizzy after that plunge.” - -“What are we going to do?” - -“Get out of here if possible.” - -“I like that ‘if possible’! There doesn’t look to me to be a chance on -earth.” - -“If only we could get these ropes off! Say, mine are kind of loose -around the wrists! Maybe I can wriggle out of ’em. If I can, we can at -least get the use of our hands and feet again.” - -Nat worked hard for half an hour or more on his wrist bonds and finally -succeeded in stretching them till he could get his hands free. In their -haste, the Harleys had not bothered to tie the ropes really tight or the -boys’ plight would have indeed been a desperate one. - -“Whoopee! I’m loose,” he cried presently. “Lucky the Harleys didn’t -bother to search us or we might have more hard work ahead of us, but I -reckon this knife will help some.” - -He reached into his pocket, pulled out his knife and slashed at his leg -bonds. In another minute he was free, and Joe’s liberty followed -immediately. - -“Now for some matches,” exclaimed Joe. - -“I think I’ve got some,” responded Nat. “Yes, hurray, here’s a whole -box!” - -He struck a lucifer and a yellow flame flared up, illumining their -surroundings. They saw that they were in a smallish excavation with -bricked-up sides. From the walls hung moldering chains suggesting that -at one time the place might have been used as a prison for rebellious -Indians or fractious monks. But the boys didn’t waste much time in -looking at their prison. By common consent they made for the stairway. - -“I guess old Harley must have used this place to store his smuggled -goods at some time or other,” hazarded Nat, as they ascended the steps; -“it must have made an ideal place for the purpose, too.” - -“Well, I hope it wasn’t made to store two boys in,” commented Joe. - -“Not these two, anyhow, let’s hope,” added Nat. - -They were not surprised to find that the door at the head of the steps -did not yield to their shovings. - -“I’ll bet they’ve weighted it down with old rocks and debris,” cried -Nat, recalling sundry noises he had heard on the door after it was -slammed shut. - -“What shall we do now?” wondered Joe, with a note of despair in his -voice. - -“Let’s look around down below and see if we can’t find something that we -can use to force the door in some way,” said Nat. - -They descended the steps once more, this time in the darkness, for it -was necessary to husband their stock of matches. When they reached the -floor of the old cellar Nat struck a light, and after one or two matches -had been expended they were fortunate enough to discover in a corner of -the place a stout oaken plank, which had apparently once formed part of -a flooring. - -“Good!” exclaimed Nat. - -“I don’t quite see how that solves our problem,” commented Joe. - -“Wait and you’ll see,” was the reply, and Nat once more led the way up -the steps. - -At one point the door did not fit closely, and it was here that Nat -inserted one end of the plank. - -“Catch hold,” he told Joe, and then using the plank as a pry the two -boys bent all their strength toward raising the door. - -As the portal sloped outward the stones with which the Harleys had -weighted it slipped back, and it was not long before the two lads were -free once more. - -“Thank goodness, we’ve seen the last of that place,” said Joe, as they -stood in the open with the wind howling furiously about them and the -rain beating across the sands, for the storm had once more revived with -more fury than ever. - -“Not the last of it, Joe, for we’re coming back there.” - -“What for, I’d like to know? Just for old acquaintance sake?” - -“No; for a more material reason. Didn’t you notice those boxes and bales -in one corner? Old Harley must have used it as a storehouse for his -smuggled stuff just as he did the cave, and I think they were intending -to visit it to-night when we surprised them.” - -“Ginger! Nat, I guess you’re right. Maybe those things are valuable.” - -“Not a question of that. But now let’s get on our way back to the -wireless station. Nate may need our help by this time.” - -Putting their best pace forward, the two boys headed for the huts. They -were not more than half way there, when out of the storm a figure -appeared. It was Nate. He gave a shout of relief at seeing them -unharmed. - -“From the talk of those fellows I thought you were in a living tomb,” he -explained; “they said they’d buried you alive where you’d never get -out.” - -Nat laughed. - -“I guess a good many folks have thought that they had the Motor Rangers -down and out,” he said, “but they are here yet. Now, tell us what -happened over at the station, Nate.” - -“If it hadn’t a’ bin fer this storm, I reckon there’s a whole lot of -things would a’ happened,” was the reply; “but it come on to blow so -hard that they was scared their ground tackle would drag and put the -schooner on shore,—you know the wind’s shifted and is blowing right -inter the cove. The two fellers I was shadowin’ made straight fer the -wireless hut and I reckon calkerlated to smash things up generally, but -I got on the job with my oar,—by the way, I busted it,—and persuaded ’em -it would be healthier for them some other place.” - -“What, you routed two of them?” cried Nat. - -“Don’t know about routed ’em, but I sure got ’em on the run. Then the -others come along and hollered to ’em, and, as by that time it was -blowing great guns, I reckon they thought it ’ud be a sight better to -vamoose than to bother after me; so they all piled inter the boat and -rowed off to the schooner. She’s been gone about an hour. Then I set out -to look fer you, fer I heard ’em boasting about how they’d got you -bottled up.” - -By the time Nate had finished his narrative they were almost at the -huts. - -“Now for a good, hot supper and bed!” cried Joe luxuriously, as they -came in sight of the structures. “We’ve had just about enough excitement -for one night, I guess.” - -But they were not destined to slumber uninterruptedly. It was past -midnight when the loud and insistent clangor of the wireless gong routed -them out of bed. - -“News of Ding-dong, I’ll bet a cookie,” cried Joe, slipping on a -bathrobe and slippers and running for the wireless shack. But it was not -any information concerning Ding-dong that came winging through the -storm-stressed air. Instead, it was a message for assistance of the most -urgent kind. Nat, who was listening in at the extra receivers, gave a -gasp as he heard it. - -The message was from the Pancake Shoals Lightship and called for -immediate assistance. - -“_We are adrift after collision with a schooner_,” was the despatch. -“_Send help at once. Braithwaite._” - -“That’s the old skipper who was so kind to me the night I escaped from -the cave,” cried Nat. “Tell him we’ll get on the job at once, Joe. Ask -him to give us his position.” - -“Why, we can’t tow him with the _Nomad_,” objected Joe. - -“We’ll try to. There isn’t a steam tug in the harbor now. I happen to -know, for I saw the last one, the _Sea King_, steaming north with a tow -when I was over there. It’s up to us to help out.” - -Joe turned to his instruments, while the wind howled and screamed about -the little shanty. Briskly he tapped out the message and then waited for -the answer. Both boys felt the wonder of it as they listened to the -manifold noises of the storm. The marvel of an electric wave that could -penetrate the disturbed elements and carry a message of hope and succor -to a distressed craft! The answer was not long in coming. - -“_We are drifting south rapidly. About ten miles off shore. Come with -all speed you can._” - -The situation was hastily explained to Nate, who had joined them, and in -less time than would have seemed possible the trio were in oil skins and -rowing out to the _Nomad_. Joe acted as engine tender while Nate and Nat -held the bridge. Out into the storm pushed the stout little craft with -her engines going full speed. - -As she rounded the point that terminated the cove, however, Nat had to -signal, “Slow down.” The seas were running furiously, lashed by the gale -into watery mountains. Into the vortex of the battling, unrestrained -elements the _Nomad_ plunged like a gladiator. A huge wave hurtled over -the bow dousing the occupants of the bridge with blindfolding, choking -spray. Nat realized that they were bent on a desperately dangerous -adventure. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - CORNERED AT LAST. - - -“See any lights ahead?” - -Half choked and blinded by the spray, Nat put the question to Nate as -under reduced speed the _Nomad_ fought her way through the storm. - -“Not yet, but I’m keeping a bright lookout for them.” - -“That’s right. We ought to sight her before long, if she hasn’t gone -ashore.” - -Fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes passed and the stout little craft still -plunged forward in the night, at times almost entirely obscured by spume -and flying spray. With anxious eyes they peered through the blackness. - -“She can’t have gone down!” suggested Nate in his blunt way. - -“Oh, surely not that!” cried Nat. “There,—there,—look!” - -“Good!” shouted Nate with stentorian lungs and sublime disregard of -grammar, “it’s her, for sure.” - -Directly ahead of them a brilliant rocket had pierced the gloom of the -tempestuous night and burst in a shower of rubicund radiance high in -air. - -“Hold the wheel, Nate, and head direct for her. I’m going to get busy -with the wireless!” cried Nat, and dived below. - -Presently across the tossing waves a message went flashing to the -Lightship. - -“_This is the_ Nomad. _We have seen your rocket. Will be alongside in a -short time._” - -“_Bully for you_,” came back the blunt answer from old Captain -Braithwaite, “_we need you dern bad_.” - -“_How did you get adrift?_” flashed Nat. - -“_A schooner bumped into us and the force of the collision broke us -loose._” - -“_What became of the schooner?_” - -“_We rescued the crew but the craft is a wreck on the Pancake Shoals_,” -was the rejoinder. - -Nat cut off the instruments and visited Joe with the news. Having -imparted his information to the young engineer, after bidding him pay -strict attention to signals from the bridge, he went on deck again. The -sea was still running high, but the wind appeared to be less boisterous. -Ahead of them the tossing lights of the Lightship could now be seen. He -took the wheel from Nate, tackling it with renewed vigor. The thought -that their wireless was to be the means of saving human lives inspired -him with a sort of desperate courage. Nat felt at that moment that he -could have dared anything and won out. - -Another rocket cut the night and spattered against the black sky like an -egg chucked at a blackboard. - -“There she goes!” cried Nate exultingly, and Nat, taking a chance, -signalled to Joe for more speed. Under her increased momentum the -_Nomad_ dived into the seas fearfully. Her occupants were doused from -head to foot, but at the moment they did not care about that. All their -energies were bent on reaching the side of the stricken Lightship as -quickly as possible. - -“Go it! Whoop la! Beats automobiling!” yelled Nate in his excitement. - -“Wow! what a dive!” cried Nat. “Go it, my beauty! Down we go!” - -Then across the water came a rousing cheer as Nat snapped the switch -that turned on the _Nomad’s_ searchlight. The circle of light showed the -big Lightship tumbling about in the high seas as helplessly as a skiff. -The light showed, too, something else that gave Nat a wild thrill. - -Leaning over the rail beside Captain Braithwaite was a familiar figure. -It was that of Israel Harley! Like a flash it dawned upon Nat that it -was his schooner that had collided with the Lightship and cut her -adrift. The storm, by a coincidence little short of miraculous, had -delivered his enemy into his hands! - - * * * * * - -It was the next morning and Santa Barbara was buzzing with excitement. -The storm had died out and the sea was calm and the air mild. Everyone -who could get there was on the waterfront gazing seaward. The wireless -had flashed ashore the story of the _Nomad’s_ daring rescue of the -Lightship, and the news had spread like wild fire. - -With it, too, had come information for the authorities. Israel Harley -and his two sons, as well as two men who had formed the crew of the -wrecked schooner, were on board and under guard, and would be delivered -to the police as soon as the _Nomad_ and the cumbrous craft she was -towing arrived. - -Among all the crowd there were none so excited as a red-headed youth -whom our readers will recognize as Pepper, and a lad with an impediment -in his speech, who couldn’t keep still a minute. Yes, the latter was -really Ding-dong Bell. It will be recalled that Ding-dong in his flight -from the lone ranch house stumbled into what appeared to be an -unfathomable pit. In reality it was a fish-pond, long unused, which was -partially filled up with soft sand and sea-weed. This broke the force of -his fall and, except for a few bruises, he was uninjured. He had, -however, to wait a long time before help arrived. But, thanks to his -lusty lungs, his cries for aid were heard by the police, who arrived at -the ranch-house while Minory and Dolliver were still searching for him. - -Both men were arrested and Dolliver made a complete confession, -admitting that Minory and he had been friends in the east many years -before, and that knowledge of a crime he had committed in his youth had -given Minory a power over him which he could not resist. Minory -seemingly knew of Dolliver’s whereabouts and utilized his ranch as a -hiding place, holding Dolliver powerless by his knowledge of his past. - -The model and the plans of the wireless torpedo were recovered, and -Ding-dong sent a message winging eastward to Professor Jenkins informing -him of their safety. We perhaps may look ahead a little here and inform -our readers that before many months had passed the Jenkins Wireless -Torpedo was an accomplished fact, with headquarters on Goat Island. -Prominent in the company formed to promote it were Nat Trevor, Joe -Hartley, and William Bell. - -But that is decidedly looking into the future. Just at present we must -turn seaward and behold the _Nomad_ struggling like a pigmy ant with a -huge beetle at her task of bringing the Lightship into port. The -authorities had already sent for a tug to tow the guardian craft back to -the shoals, so that when the two vessels dropped anchor in the harbor, -the _Nomad’s_ part was over. - -Two boats from the new arrivals were on their way shoreward when a -messenger thrust a note into Ding-dong’s hand. It was addressed to Joe -Hartley and was from the Chief of Police of the town. Ding-dong opened -it, as the messenger had informed him that it was for the first of the -three chums that he encountered. - -“‘Thanks to your wireless, the two men who annoyed you have been -arrested,’” he read. “‘The criminal they warned is also under arrest. I -am authorized to inform you that a reward of five hundred dollars awaits -you for your clever work in their apprehension’.” - -It may be said here that Joe devoted the reward to the education of -young Jim Dolliver, who, following the arrest of his father, was left -homeless. He was taken on as an assistant at Goat Island when the -Wireless Torpedo Company was formed and proved a valuable help to the -boys and their elders in their work. - -As for Minory and the Harleys, they all received heavy sentences for -their evil doings, although the elder Harley and his sons did not -receive as heavy penalties as that meted out to Minory, who, it -transpired, had a long criminal record reaching back to his youth. - -And now, amidst the enthusiastic crowd of their fellow townsmen, let us -for the present take our leave of the Motor Rangers. Their Wireless -Island, at first looked upon as a mere boyish freak, had proved its -value in no uncertain way, and certified the worth of their training in -the science of aerial telegraphy. - -Busy, happy days lay ahead of them, and Goat Island,—its name now -changed to Wireless Island,—became the scene of activities which -attracted the attention of the scientific world. The wireless torpedo is -now an assured success, and, thanks to the boys, the United States is -the only country which possesses its secret. Had Minory and the -promoters back of him succeeded in filching the secret, it was their -intention to sell the valuable implement of war to a foreign power which -had offered a large sum for it. - -The boys often talk of that first message that came to them that drowsy -afternoon when it seemed that there was, to use Joe’s phrase, “nothing -doing.” The remarkable series of adventures that grew out of that sharp -summons to the _Iroquois_ forms a never-failing topic of conversation -with them and with their friends. - -And so, wishing the boys good fortune and pleasant times, we bring the -tale of their Wireless Island to a close. Ahead of them, along the trail -of life, lie new adventures and experiences in a novel field. Those who -choose to do so may read of these in a succeeding volume devoted to the -interests of the Motor Rangers. - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES - BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON - Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys - Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume - - The Boy Aviators in Africa - Or, An Aerial Ivory Trail - -In this absorbing book we meet, on a Continent made famous by the -American explorer Stanley, and ex-President Roosevelt, our old friends, -the Chester Boys and their stalwart chums. In Africa—the Dark -Continent—the author follows in exciting detail his young heroes, their -voyage in the first aeroplane to fly above the mysterious forests and -unexplored ranges of the mystic land. In this book, too, for the first -time, we entertain Luther Barr, the old New York millionaire, who proved -later such an implacable enemy of the boys. The story of his defeated -schemes, of the astonishing things the boys discovered in the Mountains -of the Moon, of the pathetic fate of George Desmond, the emulator of -Stanley, the adventure of the Flying Men and the discovery of the -Arabian Ivory cache,—this is not the place to speak. It would be -spoiling the zest of an exciting tale to reveal the outcome of all these -episodes here. It may be said, however, without “giving away” any of the -thrilling chapters of this narrative, that Captain Wilbur Lawton, the -author, is in it in his best vein, and from his personal experiences in -Africa has been able to supply a striking background for the adventures -of his young heroes. As one newspaper says of this book: “Here is -adventure in good measure, pressed down and running over.” - - Sold by Booksellers Everywhere - - HURST & CO. Publishers NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES - BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON - Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys - Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume - - The Boy Aviators’ Treasure Quest - Or, The Golden Galleon - -Everybody is a boy once more when it comes to the question of hidden -treasure. In this book, Captain Lawton has set forth a hunt for gold -that is concealed neither under the sea nor beneath the earth, but is -well hidden for all that. A garrulous old sailor, who holds the key to -the mystery of the Golden Galleon, plays a large part in the development -of the plot of this fascinating narrative of treasure hunting in the -region of the Gulf Stream and the Sargasso Sea. An aeroplane fitted with -efficient pontoons—enabling her to skim the water successfully—has long -been a dream of aviators. The Chester Boys seem to have solved the -problem. The Sargasso, that strange drifting ocean within an ocean, -holding ships of a dozen nations and a score of ages, in its relentless -grip, has been the subject of many books of adventure and mystery, but -in none has the secret of the ever shifting mass of treacherous currents -been penetrated as it has in the BOY AVIATORS’ TREASURE QUEST. Luther -Barr, whom it seemed the boys had shaken off, is still on their trail, -in this absorbing book and with a dirigible balloon, essays to beat them -out in their search for the Golden Galleon. Every boy, every man—and -woman and girl—who has ever felt the stirring summons of adventure in -their souls, had better get hold of this book. Once obtained, it will be -read and re-read till it falls to rags. - - Sold by Booksellers Everywhere - - HURST & CO. Publishers NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES - BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON - Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys - Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume - - The Boy Aviators in Record Flight - Or, The Rival Aeroplane - -The Chester Boys in new field of endeavor—an attempt to capture a -newspaper prize for a trans-continental flight. By the time these lines -are read, exactly such an offer will have been spread broadcast by one -of the foremost newspapers of the country. In the Golden Eagle, the -boys, accompanied by a trail-blazing party in an automobile, make the -dash. But they are not alone in their aspirations. Their rivals for the -rich prize at stake try in every way that they can to circumvent the -lads and gain the valuable trophy and monetary award. In this they stop -short at nothing, and it takes all the wits and resources of the Boy -Aviators to defeat their devices. Among the adventures encountered in -their cross-country flight, the boys fall in with a band of rollicking -cow-boys—who momentarily threaten serious trouble—are attacked by -Indians, strike the most remarkable town of the desert—the “dry” town of -“Gow Wells,” encounter a sandstorm which blows them into strange lands -far to the south of their course, and meet with several amusing mishaps -beside. A thoroughly readable book. The sort to take out behind the barn -on the sunny side of the haystack, and, with a pocketful of juicy apples -and your heels kicking the air, pass happy hours with Captain Lawton’s -young heroes. - - Sold by Booksellers Everywhere - - HURST & CO. Publishers NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES - BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON - Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys - Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume - - The Boy Aviators’ Polar Dash - Or, Facing Death in the Antarctic - -If you were to hear that two boys, accompanying a South Polar expedition -in charge of the aeronautic department, were to penetrate the Antarctic -regions—hitherto only attained by a few daring explorers—you would feel -interested, wouldn’t you? Well, in Captain Lawton’s latest book, -concerning his Boy Aviators, you can not only read absorbing adventure -in the regions south of the eightieth parallel, but absorb much useful -information as well. Captain Lawton introduces—besides the original -characters of the heroes—a new creation in the person of Professor -Simeon Sandburr, a patient seeker for polar insects. The professor’s -adventures in his quest are the cause of much merriment, and lead once -or twice to serious predicaments. In a volume so packed with incident -and peril from cover to cover—relieved with laughable mishaps to the -professor—it is difficult to single out any one feature; still, a recent -reader of it wrote the publishers an enthusiastic letter the other day, -saying: “The episodes above the Great Barrier are thrilling, the attack -of the condors in Patagonia made me hold my breath, the—but what’s the -use? The Polar Dash, to my mind, is an even more entrancing book than -Captain Lawton’s previous efforts, and that’s saying a good deal. The -aviation features and their technical correctness are by no means the -least attractive features of this up-to-date creditable volume.” - - Sold by Booksellers Everywhere - - HURST & CO. Publishers NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - OAKDALE ACADEMY SERIES - Stories of Modern School Sports - By MORGAN SCOTT. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -BEN STONE AT OAKDALE. - -Under peculiarly trying circumstances Ben Stone wins his way at Oakdale -Academy, and at the same time enlists our sympathy, interest and -respect. Through the enmity of Bern Hayden, the loyalty of Roger Eliot -and the clever work of the “Sleuth,” Ben is falsely accused, championed -and vindicated. - -BOYS OF OAKDALE ACADEMY. - -“One thing I will claim, and that is that all Grants fight open and -square and there never was a sneak among them.” It was Rodney Grant, of -Texas, who made the claim to his friend, Ben Stone, and this story shows -how he proved the truth of this statement in the face of apparent -evidence to the contrary. - -RIVAL PITCHERS OF OAKDALE. - -Baseball is the main theme of this interesting narrative, and that means -not only clear and clever descriptions of thrilling games, but an -intimate acquaintance with the members of the teams who played them. The -Oakdale Boys were ambitious and loyal, and some were even disgruntled -and jealous, but earnest, persistent work won out. - -OAKDALE BOYS IN CAMP. - -The typical vacation is the one that means much freedom, little -restriction, and immediate contact with “all outdoors.” These conditions -prevailed in the summer camp of the Oakdale Boys and made it a scene of -lively interest. - -THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY. - -The “Sleuth” scents a mystery! He “follows his nose.” The plot thickens! -He makes deductions. There are surprises for the reader—and for the -“Sleuth,” as well. - -NEW BOYS AT OAKDALE. - -A new element creeps into Oakdale with another year’s registration of -students. The old and the new standards of conduct in and out of school -meet, battle, and cause sweeping changes in the lives of several of the -boys. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES - Twentieth Century Athletic Stories - By MATTHEW M. COLTON. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -FRANK ARMSTRONG’S VACATION. - -How Frank’s summer experience with his boy friends make him into a -sturdy young athlete through swimming, boating, and baseball contests, -and a tramp through the Everglades, is the subject of this splendid -story. - -FRANK ARMSTRONG AT QUEENS. - -We find among the jolly boys at Queen’s School, Frank, the -student-athlete, Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, the -unconsciously-funny youth who furnishes comedy for every page that bears -his name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival school teams -are expertly described. - -FRANK ARMSTRONG’S SECOND TERM. - -The gymnasium, the track and the field make the background for the -stirring events of this volume, in which David, Jimmy, Lewis, the “Wee -One” and the “Codfish” figure, while Frank “saves the day.” - -FRANK ARMSTRONG, DROP KICKER. - -With the same persistent determination that won him success in swimming, -running and baseball playing, Frank Armstrong acquired the art of “drop -kicking,” and the Queen’s football team profits thereby. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - DREADNOUGHT BOYS SERIES - Tales of the New Navy - By CAPT. WILBUR LAWTON - Author of “BOY AVIATORS SERIES.” - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON BATTLE PRACTICE. - -Especially interesting and timely is this book which introduces the -reader with its heroes, Ned and Herc, to the great ships of modern -warfare and to the intimate life and surprising adventures of Uncle -Sam’s sailors. - -THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ABOARD A DESTROYER. - -In this story real dangers threaten and the boys’ patriotism is tested -in a peculiar international tangle. The scene is laid on the South -American coast. - -THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON A SUBMARINE. - -To the inventive genius—trade-school boy or mechanic—this story has -special charm, perhaps, but to every reader its mystery and clever -action are fascinating. - -THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON AERO SERVICE. - -Among the volunteers accepted for Aero Service are Ned and Herc. Their -perilous adventures are not confined to the air, however, although they -make daring and notable flights in the name of the Government; nor are -they always able to fly beyond the reach of their old “enemies,” who are -also airmen. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BUNGALOW BOYS SERIES - LIVE STORIES OF OUTDOOR LIFE - By DEXTER J. FORRESTER. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE BUNGALOW BOYS. - -How the Bungalow Boys received their title and how they retained the -right to it in spite of much opposition makes a lively narrative for -lively boys. - -THE BUNGALOW BOYS MAROONED IN THE TROPICS. - -A real treasure hunt of the most thrilling kind, with a sunken Spanish -galleon as its object, makes a subject of intense interest at any time, -but add to that a band of desperate men, a dark plot and a devil fish, -and you have the combination that brings strange adventures into the -lives of the Bungalow Boys. - -THE BUNGALOW BOYS IN THE GREAT NORTH WEST. - -The clever assistance of a young detective saves the boys from the -clutches of Chinese smugglers, of whose nefarious trade they know too -much. How the Professor’s invention relieves a critical situation is -also an exciting incident of this book. - -THE BUNGALOW BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES. - -The Bungalow Boys start out for a quiet cruise on the Great Lakes and a -visit to an island. A storm and a band of wreckers interfere with the -serenity of their trip, and a submarine adds zest and adventure to it. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - MOTOR RANGERS SERIES - HIGH SPEED MOTOR STORIES - By MARVIN WEST. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE MOTOR RANGERS’ LOST MINE. - -This is an absorbing story of the continuous adventures of a motor car -in the hands of Nat Trevor and his friends. It does seemingly impossible -“stunts,” and yet everything happens “in the nick of time.” - -THE MOTOR RANGERS THROUGH THE SIERRAS. - -Enemies in ambush, the peril of fire, and the guarding of treasure make -exciting times for the Motor Rangers—yet there is a strong flavor of fun -and freedom, with a typical Western mountaineer for spice. - -THE MOTOR RANGERS ON BLUE WATER; or, The Secret of the Derelict. - -The strange adventures of the sturdy craft “Nomad” and the stranger -experiences of the Rangers themselves with Morello’s schooner and a -mysterious derelict form the basis of this well-spun yarn of the sea. - -THE MOTOR RANGERS’ CLOUD CRUISER. - -From the “Nomad” to the “Discoverer,” from the sea to the sky, the scene -changes in which the Motor Rangers figure. They have experiences “that -never were on land or sea,” in heat and cold and storm, over mountain -peak and lost city, with savages and reptiles; their ship of the air is -attacked by huge birds of the air; they survive explosion and -earthquake; they even live to tell the tale! - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BORDER BOYS SERIES - Mexican and Canadian Frontier Series - By FREMONT B. DEERING. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE BORDER BOYS ON THE TRAIL. - -What it meant to make an enemy of Black Ramon De Barios—that is the -problem that Jack Merrill and his friends, including Coyote Pete, face -in this exciting tale. - -THE BORDER BOYS ACROSS THE FRONTIER. - -Read of the Haunted Mesa and its mysteries, of the Subterranean River -and its strange uses, of the value of gasolene and steam “in running the -gauntlet,” and you will feel that not even the ancient splendors of the -Old World can furnish a better setting for romantic action than the -Border of the New. - -THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE MEXICAN RANGERS. - -As every day is making history—faster, it is said, than ever before—so -books that keep pace with the changes are full of rapid action and -accurate facts. This book deals with lively times on the Mexican border. - -THE BORDER BOYS WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS. - -The Border Boys have already had much excitement and adventure in their -lives, but all this has served to prepare them for the experiences -related in this volume. They are stronger, braver and more resourceful -than ever, and the exigencies of their life in connection with the Texas -Rangers demand all their trained ability. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BOY INVENTORS SERIES - Stories of Skill and Ingenuity - By RICHARD BONNER - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE BOY INVENTORS’ WIRELESS TELEGRAPH. - -Blest with natural curiosity,—sometimes called the instinct of -investigation,—favored with golden opportunity, and gifted with creative -ability, the Boy Inventors meet emergencies and contrive mechanical -wonders that interest and convince the reader because they always “work” -when put to the test. - -THE BOY INVENTORS’ VANISHING-GUN. - -A thought, a belief, an experiment; discouragement, hope, effort and -final success—this is the history of many an invention; a history in -which excitement, competition, danger, despair and persistence figure. -This merely suggests the circumstances which draw the daring Boy -Inventors into strange experiences and startling adventures, and which -demonstrate the practical use of their vanishing gun. - -THE BOY INVENTORS’ DIVING TORPEDO BOAT. - -As in the previous stories of the Boy Inventors, new and interesting -triumphs of mechanism are produced which become immediately valuable, -and the stage for their proving and testing is again the water. On the -surface and below it, the boys have jolly, contagious fun, and the story -of their serious, purposeful inventions challenge the reader’s deepest -attention. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - MOLLY BROWN SERIES - College Life Stories for Girls - By NELL SPEED. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -MOLLY BROWN’S FRESHMAN DAYS. - -Would you like to admit to your circle of friends the most charming of -college girls—the typical college girl for whom we are always looking -but not always finding; the type that contains so many delightful -characteristics, yet without unpleasant perfection in any; the natural, -unaffected, sweet-tempered girl, loved because she is lovable? Then seek -an introduction to Molly Brown. You will find the baggage-master, the -cook, the Professor of English Literature, and the College President in -the same company. - -MOLLY BROWN’S SOPHOMORE DAYS. - -What is more delightful than a reunion of college girls after the summer -vacation? Certainly nothing that precedes it in their experience—at -least, if all class-mates are as happy together as the Wellington girls -of this story. Among Molly’s interesting friends of the second year is a -young Japanese girl, who ingratiates her “humbly” self into everybody’s -affections speedily and permanently. - -MOLLY BROWN’S JUNIOR DAYS. - -Financial stumbling blocks are not the only things that hinder the ease -and increase the strength of college girls. Their troubles and their -triumphs are their own, often peculiar to their environment. How -Wellington students meet the experiences outside the class-rooms is -worth the doing, the telling and the reading. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - GIRL AVIATORS SERIES - Clean Aviation Stories - By MARGARET BURNHAM. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE GIRL AVIATORS AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP. - -Roy Prescott was fortunate in having a sister so clever and devoted to -him and his interests that they could share work and play with mutual -pleasure and to mutual advantage. This proved especially true in -relation to the manufacture and manipulation of their aeroplane, and -Peggy won well deserved fame for her skill and good sense as an aviator. -There were many stumbling-blocks in their terrestrial path, but they -soared above them all to ultimate success. - -THE GIRL AVIATORS ON GOLDEN WINGS. - -That there is a peculiar fascination about aviation that wins and holds -girl enthusiasts as well as boys is proved by this tale. On golden wings -the girl aviators rose for many an exciting flight, and met strange and -unexpected experiences. - -THE GIRL AVIATORS’ SKY CRUISE. - -To most girls a coaching or yachting trip is an adventure. How much more -perilous an adventure a “sky cruise” might be is suggested by the title -and proved by the story itself. - -THE GIRL AVIATORS’ MOTOR BUTTERFLY. - -The delicacy of flight suggested by the word “butterfly,” the mechanical -power implied by “motor,” the ability to control assured in the title -“aviator,” all combined with the personality and enthusiasm of girls -themselves, make this story one for any girl or other reader “to go -crazy over.” - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - MOTOR MAIDS SERIES - Wholesome Stories of Adventure - By KATHERINE STOKES. - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - -[Illustration] - -THE MOTOR MAIDS’ SCHOOL DAYS. - -Billie Campbell was just the type of a straightforward, athletic girl to -be successful as a practical Motor Maid. She took her car, as she did -her class-mates, to her heart, and many a grand good time did they have -all together. The road over which she ran her red machine had many an -unexpected turning,—now it led her into peculiar danger; now into -contact with strange travelers; and again into experiences by fire and -water. But, best of all, “The Comet” never failed its brave girl owner. - -THE MOTOR MAIDS BY PALM AND PINE. - -Wherever the Motor Maids went there were lively times, for these were -companionable girls who looked upon the world as a vastly interesting -place full of unique adventures—and so, of course, they found them. - -THE MOTOR MAIDS ACROSS THE CONTINENT. - -It is always interesting to travel, and it is wonderfully entertaining -to see old scenes through fresh eyes. It is that privilege, therefore, -that makes it worth while to join the Motor Maids in their first -’cross-country run. - -THE MOTOR MAIDS BY ROSE, SHAMROCK AND HEATHER. - -South and West had the Motor Maids motored, nor could their education by -travel have been more wisely begun. But now a speaking acquaintance with -their own country enriched their anticipation of an introduction to the -British Isles. How they made their polite American bow and how they were -received on the other side is a tale of interest and inspiration. - - Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with - _underscores_. Small capitals have been rendered in full capitals. - - Punctuation has been standardized. Minor spelling and typographic - errors were corrected silently, except as noted below. - - "some one" and "someone" appear several times each; it has been - standardized to "some one" which appears more frequently in books of - the time period. - - On page 8, "employé" has been left as is; although that spelling is - not frequently used in that time period, it does occur occasionally. - - On page 126, changed "Hartley" to "Harley", because several other - references to "Seth" and his father use "Harley". - - Inconsistent use of the apostrophe in the names of book series in - the advertisements at the back of the book has been retained as in - the original publication. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Rangers' Wireless Station, by Marvin West - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTOR RANGERS' WIRELESS STATION *** - -***** This file should be named 50260-0.txt or 50260-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/2/6/50260/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rick Morris and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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