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diff --git a/old/54496-8.txt b/old/54496-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aa6511c..0000000 --- a/old/54496-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6919 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Dreadnought Boys in Home Waters, by Wilbur Lawton - -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 Dreadnought Boys in Home Waters - -Author: Wilbur Lawton - -Illustrator: Charles L. Wrenn - -Release Date: April 7, 2017 [EBook #54496] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DREADNOUGHT BOYS IN HOME WATERS *** - - - - -Produced by Demian Katz and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy -of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: "Great Heavens! He's risking the loss of his -commission," exclaimed Ned. _Page 117_] - - - - - THE - DREADNOUGHT BOYS - IN HOME WATERS - - - BY - - CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON - - AUTHOR OF "THE BOY AVIATORS' SERIES," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS - ON BATTLE PRACTICE," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ABOARD A - DESTROYER," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON A SUBMARINE," - "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON AERO - SERVICE," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS' - WORLD CRUISE," ETC., ETC. - - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - CHARLES L. WRENN_ - - - NEW YORK - - HURST & COMPANY - - PUBLISHERS - - - - - Copyright, 1914, - - BY - - HURST & COMPANY - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. ON SPECIAL DUTY 5 - - II. RED VS. BLUE 14 - - III. "ARE WE AWAKE?" 24 - - IV. HERC "MIXES IN" 31 - - V. OFF TO THEIR FIRST COMMAND 39 - - VI. WELCOME TO THE "SENECA" 48 - - VII. MIDSHIPMAN KENWORTH 58 - - VIII. AGROUND! 67 - - IX. "YOUR DUTY IS TO OBEY!" 76 - - X. "THE EYES OF THE RED FLEET" 84 - - XI. THE EAVESDROPPER 91 - - XII. SAKI--STEWARD 97 - - XIII. ANOTHER WATCHER 104 - - XIV. NED AT A DISADVANTAGE 113 - - XV. A PRISONER ON "THE NECK" 121 - - XVI. THE FRIENDLY SUN 128 - - XVII. SURPRISES 136 - - XVIII. OFF FOR A CRUISE 144 - - XIX. THE STORM 151 - - XX. CONFESSION 158 - - XXI. ORDERS ARE ORDERS 165 - - XXII. ON THE "TWIN SISTERS" 173 - - XXIII. THE TRAIL 185 - - XXIV. THE JAPANESE STORE 192 - - XXV. A BOX OF MATCHES 200 - - XXVI. MYSTERIES 207 - - XXVII. THROUGH THE CRACK IN THE WALL 214 - - XXVIII. HERC'S SUBTERFUGE 222 - - XXIX. TABLES TURNED--TWICE! 228 - - XXX. IN FRESH TERROR 237 - - XXXI. NED'S ESCAPE 246 - - XXXII. IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP 254 - - XXXIII. WAITING FOR THE END 261 - - XXXIV. A NEW ASSIGNMENT 272 - - XXXV. THE OUTCOME 282 - - - - -The Dreadnought Boys in Home Waters. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ON SPECIAL DUTY. - - -There was a sudden stir in the forward section of the stuffy, crowded -railway coach. - -The interruption to the stolid apathy that had crept over the -passengers, for the dust and heat had made them drowsy, came in the -form of voices raised in anger and indignant protest. - -The racket proceeded from a cross-seat occupied by two young fellows. -One of them was a youth of about eighteen with hair of a violent ruddy -hue. His seat-mate was, perhaps, a trifle older, heavy set, rather -sallow, with close-cropped black hair. Both were sunburned and bore, -somehow, the unmistakable look of those who follow the sea. - -"See here, you, what have you got your hand in my pocket for, hey?" - -Thus the red-haired lad, before whom reposed a leather suit-case -bearing the name,--neatly stenciled on one end,--"H. Taylor, U.S.N." - -"I've lost my wallet," came the rejoinder in angry, high-pitched tones. -"It had most of my pay in it, too." - -"Well, what's the matter with looking in your own pocket?" sputtered -Herc Taylor indignantly. - -"I did, but I can't find it." - -"So you assume that I'm the thief, do you?" - -This was certainly a conversation to attract attention. Both speakers -appeared to be in highly belligerent moods. Several of the passengers -seated in the vicinity of the excitement began to rise in their seats -and crane their necks, the better to behold the "scrap" that appeared -imminent. - -But those nearest to the pair saw that Herc Taylor's large, freckled -fist had closed on the wrist of the other's investigating hand, so -that, for the present at any rate, the latter was not able to attempt -retaliation except verbally. - -Herc was neatly but quietly dressed in a gray-mixture suit. His -seat-mate, the one who had made the ugly accusation, wore clothes that -appeared to have been rather neglected recently. They were crumpled and -stained and the whole air of the fellow, despite his healthy-looking -tan, was slouchy and shiftless. - -Herc glared straight into the other's eyes for possibly the space of a -minute or so. Before his direct glance the slouchy-looking youth's eyes -fell. - -"Aw, leggo my hand, will yer?" he muttered. - -"Sure, it's no pleasure to me to hold it," rejoined Herc, relaxing his -grip. Where he had held the other, a white bracelet of skin appeared, -showing that Herc possessed a mighty set of muscles. - -"I'd advise you to keep your hand where it belongs in the future," -added Herc. - -A third young fellow, who had been seated behind the quarreling pair, -leaned forward. He had been reading a naval-service periodical. But now -his attention was distracted, and he tapped the red-headed youth on the -shoulder. - -"What appears to be the trouble, Herc?" - -"Oh, it's all right, Ned," rejoined the younger of the Dreadnought -Boys, turning to his cousin, Ned Strong. "This fellow just suffered -from a severe case of wandering hand, that's all." - -A smile came over Ned Strong's clean-cut, bronzed features. His blue -eyes twinkled as he directed a glance to the floor of the section in -front of him. - -"What's that lying on the floor right there by your feet, my friend?" -he asked of Herc's seat-mate. - -"Gosh! if it isn't my wallet!" exclaimed the stranger. - -He stooped and picked it up, looking rather sheepish and foolish as he -encountered Ned's smile. - -"You see, it isn't a good plan to go up in the air before you make -quite sure you won't have to come down again with a hard bump," said -the Dreadnought Boy quietly, but with a good-natured intonation. - -"Aw, stow that," growled the other. "I didn't do no harm." - -"No, but if I hadn't been a young person of marked coolness and -restraint, I might have done _you_ some," grinned Herc. - -Here the incident appeared to be terminated for the time being. Soon -after, the disgruntled neighbor of Herc Taylor arose and sought a -seat in another part of the car. The smiling looks of the passengers -in the vicinity of the little ruction had proved too much for his -sensibilities. - -As he rose from his seat, he carried with him his suit-case. After he -was beyond ear-shot, Ned turned to Herc. - -"That fellow may be one of our shipmates," he said in low tones. - -"How do you make that out?" - -"I saw the name 'Dilworth Rankin' and the letters 'U.S.N.' after it," -was Ned's rejoinder. - -"Can't say that I'm much impressed with what I've seen of young Mr. -Rankin," retorted Herc, carelessly. "At any rate we are under special -commissions now, so that if he gets gay or anything like that, I'll -have him put in the brig in short order. I always said, after I had -that little session of mine in the brig, that if I ever got a chance -I'd see how it felt to slap somebody else in there; and if he gets -fresh it might just as well be Rankin as anyone else." - -"You'll do no such thing," retorted Ned seriously. "Just because we're -holding little temporary commissions as junior officers, you can't show -off your authority like that." - -"Huh! what's the use of being officers, then?" - -"To teach us something. To get some new ideas and experiences into that -red head of yours." - -"See here, now that I'm an officer, I'll thank you to refer to my -locks as auburn," muttered Herc. "I'll feel like using my new sword on -anybody who calls attention to the color of my sky-piece hereafter." - -"All right," laughed Ned, "I'll call it any color you like. But, hullo! -there's blue water. We must be getting near to Miller's Haven. I wonder -if the _Seneca_ has arrived yet?" - -"Hope so," rejoined Herc. "I want to be boss just as quickly and just -as long as possible. I wish some of the old boys on the _Manhattan_ -could see us when we start out to sea. Have you opened your orders yet?" - -"Not yet. As you know, they are sealed and not to be opened till we -have coaled and proceeded to sea. The first thing we must do when we -reach Miller's Haven is to report to Ensign Summerville, at present in -command of the _Seneca_, and hand him his orders." - -"His walking papers," interpolated Herc. "I wonder if we'll get orders -to join the Red fleet right off?" - -"That's impossible to say," replied Ned. "As I understand it, we are -to do duty as a scout cruiser, depending largely on our wireless for -keeping in touch with the Red fleet and informing them of every move of -the Blues." - -"Then we may not be with the fleet at all?" - -"Not necessarily. But I guess our work as scouts will keep us so busy -that we won't notice the lack of company." - -"I'd rather be back with the fleet," muttered Herc. - -"I wouldn't," rejoined Ned, his eyes flashing and his cheeks flushing -under the tan. "Why, Herc, boy, we've got the biggest chance of our -lives! To my mind this detail to which we have been assigned will -prove the most interesting work we have ever tackled." - -"Miller's Haven!" - -The voices of the trainmen rang raucously through the car. The boys -arose and made their way to the forward door. As Ned had surmised, -they were indeed on the threshold of some of the most interesting -experiences they had ever encountered. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -RED VS. BLUE. - - -Within the last week the Dreadnought Boys had taken their first big -step upward. They entered Miller's Haven with their commissions on new, -crackly parchment, tucked over a pair of as proud and happy hearts as -there were in the navy. - -Great had been their surprise, when, some four days before we -encountered them on the train for Miller's Haven, their commander, -Captain Dunham, of the Dreadnought _Manhattan_, had sent for them. Both -lads, as readers of other volumes of this series know, had already -gained high non-commissioned ratings. - -Captain Dunham's unexpected summons had come on the eve of the -long-looked-for "siege" of New York harbor. The Red fleet to which the -_Manhattan_ had been commissioned as flagship, was to have the task -of attacking the harbor at the gates of Long Island Sound. The Blue -squadron was to have the defense of the port. Final arrangements for -the biggest naval war game of its kind ever attempted had been made, -with an attention to detail and probable actual conditions of a sea -attack on the harbor which was little short of marvelous. - -With wireless, big guns, Argand signals, torpedoes and submarines every -effort was to be made to duplicate as perfectly as possible conditions -of a real attack. The newspapers had been carrying columns of copy -concerning the big war game, and public interest was wrought to its -highest pitch. - -But it was in the navy itself that enthusiasm ran the highest. -Strategists from all over the world were to be present, and elaborate -precautions had been taken to insure Uncle Sam's carefully guarded -naval secrets from leaking out. In this connection, what practically -amounted to a Secret Service had been established, both on board the -great sea-fighters of the two squadrons and also at the twin forts, -Totten and Schuyler, which guard the Sound entrance to the East River -and the port of New York. - -Such, as has been said, was the interesting eve of "hostilities" which -prevailed, when to Ned and Herc came the orders to report aft in the -commander's quarters at once. - -The _Manhattan_ lay in the Brooklyn navy yard being groomed, like a -thoroughbred on the eve of a great race, for the important part she was -to play as the flagship of the Red fleet. Jackies, every one of them -with an alert and keen pride in his work, were dismantling and fitting -the big craft till everything about her grim, slate-colored hull was -attuned to the condition in which she would be placed were she actually -answering a summons to defend the Empire City from the invasion of a -foreign foe. - -Captain Dunham sat in his cabin in the midst of a great pile of -documents of all kinds. The pictures and other objects usually to be -found adorning the commander's comfortable quarters were missing. -The cabin had been stripped and everything breakable packed away, -just as would have been the case had the _Manhattan_ been going to -steam out and engage an actual foe. This had been done so that the -earthquake-like shock and tremble of the mighty broadsides,--the grim -fangs of this sea bulldog,--might not work havoc with breakable things. - -The two young non-commissioned officers were passed by the orderly -and then stood smartly at attention, trim heels together, bright eyes -looking straight in front of them till the commander looked up from -some departmental papers he was perusing. - -During this interval they had time to notice that a tall, slender, -alertly-built man, with threads of gray in his dark hair, was seated -near the commander. He eyed the boys interestedly with the critical -air of a man who is in the habit of making swift appraisal of those -with whom he comes in contact. - -His keen gray eyes swept the two well-built, clean-cut and -reliable-looking young sailors with a look that appeared to spell -approval. As a matter of fact, the assistant secretary of the navy, -for such was the office of Commander Dunham's companion, was deeply -interested in his inspection of the two lads of whom he had heard much. - -It will be recalled that not long after they entered the service of -Uncle Sam and deeded their lives to the flag, Ned and Herc had had an -opportunity to distinguish themselves. - -How they foiled a desperate plot against the navy, then assembled in -Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, at the naval base established there, and also -their conspicuous bravery in the panic that followed a disastrous -"flare-back" in a thirteen-inch turret, were told, with many other of -their adventures, in the first volume of this series, "The Dreadnought -Boys on Battle Practice." - -In the next book, devoted to describing the lives of the spruce young -jack-tars of to-day on board the big, drab sea-fighters, we followed -the lads through a long siege of mystery and intrigue, intermingled -with plenty of stern fighting. This book was called "The Dreadnought -Boys Aboard a Destroyer." - -Grim as the name of "destroyer" that she bore was the _Beale_; and when -she was despatched to South America with the duty of straightening -out a peculiar international tangle confronting her commander, the -boys were detailed to duty on board her. In the midst of a revolution, -involving the lives and property of American citizens, they played -their parts right well, and by a display of clever strategy turned a -defeat, which had seemed imminent to the interests amicable to the -Americans, into a brilliant victory. Readers of that volume will not -soon forget the defense of the hill, with the battery of machine guns -breathing flame and destruction from their iron throats. - -"The Dreadnought Boys on a Submarine" showed an intimate picture of -naval life on a diving torpedo boat. In realistic detail all that -befell the lads on the surface and in the depths of old ocean was -related, and their many adventures were faithfully set forth. As in -previous chapters of their lives, the boys were not found wanting when -perils and dangers called for quick, decisive action and cool, alert -minds. In the submarine service they added new laurels to their already -growing fame, and moved up more steps on the long ladder of promotion. - -When the navy department began its experiments with aeroplanes as -important auxiliaries to modern battleships, Ned and Herc were among -the first in the fleet to volunteer, although such service involved -the signing of a grim paper which absolved the government of all -responsibility for the naval aviator's life. As might be expected, the -lads found things by no means tame in the aero squad. Ned's great feat -of landing on a battleship,--a common enough maneuver now,--was long -talked of in the fleet after the boy had successfully made the first -attempt in the history of the world to accomplish such a thing. - -Naturally, too, the boys who had worked so ambitiously for name and -fame had made enemies among small-minded and envious men. These foes -made things exciting for the lads for a time; but in the end both Ned -and Herc righted themselves and were vindicated from a severe charge -which had resulted from the machinations of those who disliked them. -This book, which was called "The Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service," -teemed with incident and shifting scenes. Much attention was paid to -the manipulation and flying of modern aeroplanes, and the book was -instructive as well as interesting. - -The famous "Round the World Cruise of the American Navy," a voyage that -will go down in history as one of the most effective demonstrations -of sea power ever made, formed the theme of the succeeding volume, -which was "The Dreadnought Boys' World Cruise." As petty officers of -the first rank, Ned and Herc found many opportunities to distinguish -themselves. Jack ashore is sometimes a difficult proposition to handle, -and Ned, as a non-commissioned officer, had much responsibility to -shoulder. In carrying out his duties he incurred the enmity of some of -those he had been obliged to discipline, and a thrilling adventure in -the pyramids of Egypt was the result. - -Then, too, Ned and Herc met with many other experiences in the various -countries the fleet visited, including a laughable predicament on the -Rock of Gibraltar, when, through the stupidity of an over-officious -British army sergeant, they were compelled to spend some hours in a -dungeon excavated in the rock. Herc solved the problem of escape and -unlocked the dungeon doors by means of wig-wagged signals to the fleet, -lying at anchor below the rock. - -And now you are better acquainted with Ned Strong and Herc Taylor, -and can understand, by perusal of the preceding long but necessary -digression, just why it was that they were admired and loved by their -shipmates and respected by their officers; and why, too, Captain Dunham -should have singled them out for the duty to which he was about to -assign them. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -"ARE WE AWAKE?" - - -The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, -and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two -young Jackies he had summoned. - -"These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he -said, addressing his companion. - -The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action -of their hearts. They guessed at once from the manner in which he had -been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the -naval department. Herc turned as red as his thatch, and the freckles -stood out on his round and jolly countenance like the famous spots on -the sun. - -Ned retained his self-possession better, but in reality he was quite -as excited as was his shipmate and chum. Eagerly he waited for words -which might offer a key to the meaning of this unusual summons. - -They were not long in coming. The Secretary nodded his head and looked -approvingly at the boys. - -"They quite measure up, sir, to all that I have heard of them," he -said. "And now," with a kindly smile at the two embarrassed lads, "I -don't think we need keep them in suspense any longer." - -"I quite agree with you," rejoined the captain. "Lads, I have sent for -you to confer upon you, at the request of the Secretary of the Navy, a -most unusual honor. I know you will appreciate it as it merits." - -The boys did not utter, in words, a reply. It would not have been -proper for them to have made any comments or to have spoken, except in -answer to direct orders or to questions. The commander continued: - -"Your careers in the navy have been marked by more than ordinary -devotion to duty and by frequent exhibitions of ability that have made -you both appear to be worthy of still higher promotion than you have -yet achieved. I think that you both possess executive ability, and the -Secretary and myself have decided to assign you to roles in the coming -war game that will give you ample opportunity to show of what sort of -stuff you are made." - -The boys, with burning faces, drew themselves up and saluted. But -within their breasts was a wild tumult despite their calm exteriors. -What could be coming? - -"And now for what you are to do. You are to proceed to Miller's Haven -on the Connecticut shore and there join the gunboat _Seneca_. You will -convoy two submarines for use in scout work against the Blue fleet, -which, of course, you know, is opposed to us and is defending the -harbor of New York. You understand?" - -"Y-y-yes, sir," rejoined Ned; while Herc, so taken by surprise that he -was deprived of articulate speech, merely mumbled something. - -"To whom are we to report, sir?" ventured Ned. - -Commander Dunham smiled and exchanged glances with the departmental -visitor. - -"You will report to yourselves. That is, you will be in command of the -_Seneca_." - -Even Ned's sense of discipline deserted him at this announcement. - -"In--in command? I--I'm afraid, sir, I----" - -"I said in command. Practically every commissioned officer in the -service will be on other and more important duties. We have, therefore, -secured for you temporary commissions, enduring, of course, only -during your period of attachment to the _Seneca_. She is a small boat -of not very modern design, but I shall expect to see you perform some -important work with her. She is equipped with wireless, of course, and -the fact that both of you understand wireless and the naval code has -been another inducement to give you this big chance. You will each get -a copy of the special code to be used in the war game when you join the -ship." - -"Then we--we are officers?" stuttered Herc, unable to keep silent any -longer. As for Ned, outwardly cool and collected, his glowing eyes -showed what he thought. - -"Officers temporarily," was the reply. "Here are your commissions." - -From his desk Commander Dunham took the two documents which to the -Dreadnought Boys appeared the most wonderful things they had ever set -eyes on. - -Handing one to Ned, the commander then spoke some words that sent the -boy soaring up into the seventh heaven of delight. - -"This confers on you, Strong, the rank, pay and authority of a -lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States Navy. Taylor, your -commission confers upon you the special rank of ensign. - -"That is all. Your uniforms will be secured from the yard tailor. Your -instructions are in this sealed package. You are not to open them till -you have cleared. From time to time you will get other instructions -by wireless, couched in the terms of the secret code adopted by the -Red fleet. Your duty, in a nutshell, will be to be the eyes of the Red -squadron. Carry on!" - -With this crisp expression of dismissal, the commander turned to his -table again. The lads saluted, and marched out of the cabin. - -They appeared to be traversing fleecy clouds of wonderful brightness as -they made their way forward. - -"Hello, Red-head," hailed a gunner's mate as Herc strutted with all the -pride of a peacock to the forward part of the ship, "what's biting you?" - -"Don't talk to me like that, Jenks," returned Herc with some hauteur. -"I'm an officer." - -"A what?" roared Jenks. "Say, turn over. You're on your back. You -haven't been working hard enough lately, Brick-top, and you're talking -in your sleep." - -"Wonderful as it all seems, though, Jenks, it's true," said Ned, with -dancing eyes. "But I can't realize yet that I'm not asleep and dreaming -the greatest dream a fellow could ever have." - -Jenks stared for a minute and then clasped Ned's hand. - -"I'm mighty glad, shipmate," said he. "You had it coming to you." - -"But it isn't going to last," said Herc plaintively. "It will only hold -out as long as the war game, and then we'll be back in the ranks--that -is, if we don't fall out of bed first." - -Ned said nothing, but he gazed with absent eyes over the busy -scene,--the swarming river and the great yard with its life and -movement and busy note of preparation. He was indulging in the most -delicious reverie he had ever experienced. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -HERC "MIXES IN." - - -Miller's Haven was a small place on the Sound shore, several miles up. -It boasted a bay full of shoals and tricky channels and a group of -islands lying in a cluster near the mouth of this bay. - -Ned knew from his previous instructions that the _Seneca_ would be -lying in the shelter of one of these islands, as securely moored to -avoid observation from the scouts of the Blue squadron as was possible. -Miller's Haven was a sleepy spot,--little more than a fishing village, -in truth,--and nobody in the place was likely to pay much attention to -the fact that a small gunboat, looking more like a yacht than a vessel -of the navy, lay, with every appearance of secrecy, off their hamlet. - -In fact, the _Seneca_ had been used in several capacities. Her latest -work, before being told off as a scout and despatch craft, was with the -Revenue Service. - -In this capacity the _Seneca_ had been deemed worthy of refitting -so far as boilers and engines were concerned, so that, although she -was not large, she was swift and powerful and just the craft for the -work in which she was to be employed during the maneuvers. Her speed -had been shown in several chases after motor-boat smugglers, in most -cases she having easily overhauled even the fastest of these wasp-like -violators of Uncle Sam's customs regulations. - -"We'll go to the hotel first," decided Ned as they stood on the -wind-swept platform at Miller's Haven. - -Out on the Sound the blue water was flecked with white and a brisk -wind, salt-laden and delightful to the boys' sea-going nostrils, had -left the sky clear and cloudless. - -"You're going to meet Ensign Summerville there?" asked Herc. - -"Yes, he'll come ashore with a boat and take us out and introduce us to -our first command." - -"Huh! it may be our last, too," grunted Herc. "Say, this thing of being -a real, full-fledged officer scares me just a little. Suppose we fall -down?" - -"We can only attend to our duty the best we know how," rejoined Ned. -"If we can carry out the work cut out for us in good shape, it will -mean that we'll go a few more rungs up the ladder." - -"Yes, if nobody pulls the ladder down," mumbled Herc pessimistically. - -The two trim, trig lads, in their quiet, unassuming clothes, attracted -little or no attention on the single street that Miller's Haven -boasted. True, one or two passers-by looked rather curiously at the -yellow leather sword cases that they carried, but that was all. - -The hotel soon came in sight, a dingy-looking structure sadly in need -of paint. A dejected-looking citizen with a drooping mustache, a -drooping manner, drooping gray garments and a drooping way of draping -himself in his chair, occupied the porch. - -"Doesn't look like much of a place," commented Ned, "but we can get a -room here that will be good enough to change in, I dare say." - -"A room!" demanded Herc. "What do you want a room for? I thought we -were going to eat." - -"No, we will change into our uniforms first. It would not be the -correct thing to board our new command in ordinary clothes. I should -think you'd know that." - -"Have we got to wear our swords?" inquired Herc with a rebellious look. - -"Don't you know enough of navy usages yet to be aware that officers -must wear their swords under certain conditions, such as taking -command of a new craft and other ceremonial occasions?" - -"Umph! Well, all I hope is I don't tumble over that cheese toaster of -mine." - -"If you do anything like that, I'll disown you for a brother officer -of mine," laughed Ned. "But, seriously, Herc, I want you to be on your -best behavior and not make any bad breaks." - -"Huh! Just as if you were any more used to carrying a sticker,--I mean -a sword,--than I am! I'll be all right. Don't you worry about me, -Mister Lieutenant. I bet I will be just as good an officer as there is -in the navy." - -"We'll wait and see----" began Ned good-naturedly, when Herc cut him -short with an exclamation. - -"Look who's here! Right behind us!" - -"Well, what is it?" asked Ned, for he was half-way up the steps by -this time and the drooping eyes of the landlord, as Ned had rightly -conjectured that the dejected man was, were regarding him with languid -interest. - -"It's that Rankin fellow! He's looking at us disrespectfully. I've a -good mind to tell him that we are officers!" - -"You'll do no such thing. If he has been detailed to the _Seneca_, -which I think probable, he'll find out our rank for himself soon -enough." - -"Just the same, I'd like to make him salute me," grumbled Herc. - -Rankin ascended the steps behind the two Dreadnought Boys. He was close -on their heels, when suddenly Herc's feet flew up and out behind him. -In his new dignity he had been holding his head so high that he did -not notice a bit of banana peel lying on the untidy steps of the Eagle -Hotel. - -Crash! The newly created officer performed an almost complete back -somersault with great effect. Plump! came down his not over-light form -right on top of the ascending Rankin. Together they rolled down the -steps and into the dusty road, while Ned looked on in dismay. - -"You done that a-purpose! I'll fix you for it!" bellowed Rankin -furiously. - -"What are you talking about, you numbskull?" retaliated Herc, as the -two rolled on the dusty street. "Don't be a fool! Let me up." - -But Rankin clung tightly to Herc, for whom he had conceived an intense -dislike ever since the episode on the train. - -"You try to make a fool out of me, will you?" he growled; and as they -clinched and tumbled about at the foot of the steps, Rankin aimed a -vicious blow at Herc, who returned it with right good will. - -"Gracious! Here's a fine kettle of fish!" exclaimed Ned in -consternation. - -He started back down the steps at top speed, determined to stop such -a scene at all costs. It was really too bad that their arrival in -Miller's Haven should be marked by such a disgraceful mix-up. - -Ned glanced anxiously down the street and was glad to see that no one -was in sight. He would not, for the world, have had anyone witness the -mêlée who was in any way connected with the navy. - -"Get up at once, Herc!" he cried, thoroughly angry. "Stop it instantly. -Do you hear?" - -But despite Ned's admonitions, the pair on the ground continued their -struggle, the noise of their thumps and pantings rising above Ned's -voice. Flushed with vexation and indignation at Herc, Ned determined to -take decisive action. - -He cleared the last two steps of the flight leading to the street in -one jump. The next instant his hands shot out. - -"Stop this and stop it quick!" he ejaculated. "What sort of a way do -you consider this to behave?" - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -OFF TO THEIR FIRST COMMAND. - - -Herc felt a strong hand on his collar. The next second he was yanked to -his feet "all standing." Flushed, dust-covered and indignant he began a -fusillade of irritated speech. - -But Ned cut short the flow with a peremptory gesture. - -"That's quite enough. Come inside at once." - -"But I----" - -"At once, I said; march!" - -Herc knew it was no use to disobey, and with a backward look at Rankin, -he sulkily climbed up the steps. Rankin picked himself up out of the -dust. He appeared to be about to say something, but before he could -find words, the two Dreadnought Boys were through the door of the hotel -and inside the small office. - -The drooping man, who had watched the battle without a shadow of -interest or excitement, betrayed no great change in manner as he came -forward. - -"'Kin I do fer yer?" he inquired. - -"We want to get a room here. Not for very long; just for sufficient -time in which to change into our uniforms," explained Ned. "We are -expecting a Mr. Summerville of the United States Navy to meet us here." - -"Be you in the navy?" inquired the drooping man, allowing himself to -betray momentarily a slight, very slight accession of interest. - -"We are. We can get a room, I suppose?" - -"You kin, an' if you'll pardon my saying so, yer pardner sure needs a -change." - -Herc colored hotly. The hotel man must have noticed this, for he went -on. - -"You don't know that feller Rankin, then?" - -"We do not," replied Ned shortly. - -"'Cause if you did, you'd know he's always picking quarrels. He's an -'sistant 'gineer on the _Senecy_, which I reckon is the boat yer goin' -ter jine." - -"Yes, I believe she is anchored off here. But will you show us to our -room right away, please? We don't wish to keep Mr. Summerville waiting." - -The drooping and dejected landlord looked more dismal than ever as he -showed the boys to a small room. It did not take them long to don the -natty uniforms of junior officers in the United States Navy. While they -changed their attire, Herc was roundly lectured by Ned for taking part -in the scene in front of the hotel. - -"I'm sorry it happened," declared Ned; "Rankin being a petty officer of -the _Seneca_, too, doesn't make it any the easier." - -"I ought to have lambasted him with my new sword," muttered Herc -truculently. - -"And made a bad matter worse." - -"I don't see how it would. That fellow needs a good lesson." - -"You'll never teach him one in that way. Besides, naval officers don't -behave in such a fashion. You must have dignity and self-control." - -"Huh! If I'd had foot control instead of self-control, I wouldn't -have tumbled down those steps, and then nothing would have happened," -grumbled Herc, tenderly patting a bump on the top of his head. - -"You look like an officer, Ned," he went on a few moments later, as, -pausing in his own preparations, he gazed at the trim, natty figure of -Ned Strong. - -Herc was right. The slender, yet strongly built lad did indeed look -every inch fitted for the quarter-deck of a naval vessel when, having -finished his other sartorial duties, he buckled on his sword and -adjusted his cap. - -"Well, so do you, don't you?" laughed Ned, watching Herc as, with a -face fiery red with his exertions, his comrade buckled himself into -his tightly fitting uniform. - -"Don't know," responded Herc briefly, "I feel rather more like a -tailor's dummy. How do I look?" - -"All right. But cool your face off in that water. It looks as if you'd -been taking a turn in the fire room." - -"Well, so long as I don't do a flop over my sword, I don't care," -rejoined Herc, as he carefully removed the scabbard of that weapon from -between his knees where it threatened at any moment to cause disaster. - -Not many minutes later they descended from the room, just in time to be -greeted by a stalwart coxswain. - -"Lieutenant Strong, sir?" asked the man, coming to attention just as -Ned and Herc had done so often. - -It certainly felt strange to acknowledge the salute in an official -way, not to mention being addressed as Lieutenant. Herc was, in fact, -compelled to hide a grin behind his pocket handkerchief. Luckily, Ned -did not see this, or Herc might have had another lecture. - -"Yes," rejoined Ned, returning the man's salute. "You are from the -_Seneca_?" - -"Aye, aye, sir. The gig is waiting to take you aboard, sir. Ensign -Summerville sent his regrets, sir, and he is too busy attending to -matters wirelessed from the flagship to come ashore himself." - -"Very well, we may as well get aboard, then," said Ned. - -At this moment Rankin emerged from the hotel. He had evidently -been busy removing traces of battle from his face, for his sallow -countenance shone with soap. To say that he looked surprised when he -saw Ned and Herc transformed into naval officers of rank much above his -own, would be to put it mildly. That expressive word "flabbergasted" -better describes the look on Rankin's well-soaped visage. - -He was far too well trained in naval usage to put his astonishment -into words, however. Returning from a furlough, he knew nothing, of -course, of the change in the commanding officers of the _Seneca_; -but he recognized that Ned, as his uniform showed, outranked Ensign -Summerville, and from this fact deduced that he must have come to take -command of the little gunboat. - -He drew himself up and saluted with naval conciseness. The boys -returned the salute with perfect gravity. To judge by the countenances -of all three, no bystander would ever have guessed how it had been with -them not so very long before. - -Herc, however, noted, perhaps not without a certain malicious -satisfaction, that over Rankin's right eye was a plum-colored -discoloration which appeared to be swelling. Once, too, when on the -way to the boat he happened to glance in Rankin's direction, he -surprised a glowering look on the assistant engineer's face which was -instantly wiped off when Rankin saw that he was being observed. - -"Huh, that was a quick change, like sponging something off a slate," -thought Herc to himself. "However, Mr. Rankin, I've no idea that you -love your second in command any better than you ought to. I guess I'll -keep my weather eye on you, for at times you certainly do look most -uncommonly like a rattlesnake." - -The coxswain had taken charge of the boys' suit and sword cases. Rankin -carried his own valise. It did not take them long to reach the little -wharf, alongside which lay the _Seneca's_ gig, the four men of her crew -smoking and lolling at their ease at her oarlocks. - -Like a flash all inertia vanished as Ned and Herc hove in sight. The -coxswain saluted once more. The men saluted. Ned and Herc saluted. - -As the two lads sank into the stern thwart seat, Herc found opportunity -to whisper to Ned, "Give me a teeny jab with that sword if you can." - -"Why on earth do you want me to do that?" demanded Ned, in astonishment -at Herc's seemingly perfectly serious request. - -With his hand over his mouth Herc gave a veiled rejoinder. - -"Because if it doesn't hurt, I'll know I'm tucked in my little hammock -and dreaming!" - -"All ready, sir," suggested the coxswain, taking his seat. - -"Give way," ordered Ned calmly, and the four oars struck the water like -one. - -The boys were fairly off on their way to their first command. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -WELCOME TO THE "SENECA." - - -Swiftly, steadily urged on, like some great beetle moving across the -surface of a sheet of burnished glass, the gig was impelled over the -smooth expanse of the sheltered waters; for, although outside in the -Sound itself the whitecaps were prancing under the lee of the islands, -here it was almost a flat calm. - -The men rowed in perfect unison, like some accurately timed piece of -mechanism. Before long they could make out, lying in under the shoulder -of a distant island, the outlines of a slate-colored craft. - -"The _Seneca_?" asked Ned of the coxswain. - -"Yes, sir; that's the _Seneca_." - -"She looks a trim little hooker." - -"Aye, aye, sir; she's all of that, sir." - -Ned and Herc gazed with burning eyes and dancing pulses at the little -craft. She was certainly not very large or imposing, but to them just -then the finest Dreadnought ever launched could not have brought such -emotions. - -Not more than two hundred and fifty feet long, the _Seneca_ appeared at -first glance more like the ideal of a smart yacht than a craft of war. -She had a sharp, overhanging bow and a beautifully modeled stern. Her -rigging was of the schooner type, with the spider-web outlines of her -wireless aerials slung between them. - -In respect, doubtless, of her yachty lines, the _Seneca_ had been used -by a former President as a sort of official craft to convoy him to -maneuvers and reviews. - -Ned felt his enthusiasm rising, too, as lying against the _Seneca's_ -side, like the young of some sea monster, he made out the porpoise-like -backs of the two submarines of which she was the parent ship. The sight -of them brought back to him the stirring days when he and Herc had -aided the inventor of that type of diving boat, both in his pioneer -voyages and in his romance. - -He had only time to drink in this and other details with greedy eyes, -when the gig swept around to the starboard gangway, reserved by -immemorial custom for officers' embarkation. - -From the marine sentry stationed at the head of the gangway came a -sharp hail. - -"Boat ahoy! What boat is that?" - -"Aye! aye!" came from the coxswain. - -This showed that there were commissioned officers on board. Had they -been non-commissioned passengers, the reply to the hail would have -been: "No! no!" For the captain and for other higher naval ranks there -were other rejoinders, which have been enumerated in preceding volumes. - -The gig was made fast. With a springy step and glowing features, Ned -stepped out first. He was followed closely by Herc. A rattling sound -and an exclamation behind him, made Ned pause as he set foot on the -gangway platform. - -For an instant there was every sign that poor Herc was going to get -into hot water for the second time that day. That unlucky sword had -become entangled in his long legs, and for a time he hovered on the -brink of disaster. But the watchful coxswain caught his arm and saved -him the humiliation of tumbling into the water, new uniform and all. - -It was all over in a moment and both boys hastened up to the head of -the gangway. A corporal and four other marines besides the sentry now -stood there. There was a sharp command and the sea-soldiers presented -arms smartly. - -"Goodness, I'll wear out my new cap with much more of this," thought -Herc, as he acknowledged the salute simultaneously with Ned. - -Just then a smart looking young naval officer behind the marines -saluted. This, of course, called for another answer. "Lieutenant -Strong, I presume?" inquired this personage. - -"Yes. And this is Ensign Taylor." - -They shook hands and then the young officer, who was Ensign -Summerville, suggested that the new arrivals be shown to their quarters. - -"You may as well make yourselves at home as soon as possible," he said -with a smile. - -"Thanks; you are very kind," rejoined Ned, speaking for himself and -Herc, for the latter was in a sort of happy daze. - -"Then if you will come this way, please." - -At a word from the corporal of marines, the boys' baggage was picked up -by two of his men who preceded the party along the deck and turned into -an alleyway, from which in turn they descended a companionway into the -wardroom from which the cabins opened. - -Up till the actual moment that he beheld his cabin, Ned still -entertained fears that it might all be a vision which was likely to -fade out at any moment. But the sight of the snug cabin with its -big double ports and broad berth, bookcase, desk and chairs made him -realize that it was no figment of his imagination. - -Knowing men-of-war of all types as well as he did, the boy appreciated -with a throb of delight that this was no ordinary junior officer's -cabin into which he had been ushered. Its size and the elaborateness of -its fittings precluded that idea. - -"Why--why, this is a magnificent stateroom," he found himself saying. - -"It is the room that the commander of this vessel has always occupied," -was the smiling rejoinder. - -Lieutenant Ned Strong gave one of his winning laughs in return. - -"Upon my word, Mr. Summerville," said he, "I can hardly wake up to the -fact that I am to command this fine little craft." - -"Well, you certainly are, for the purposes of this war game, anyhow. -They've got a notion that I'm rather a dab at strategic navigation, so -they've passed me on to the Washington cruiser. Let me congratulate you -on the command of a fine little craft." - -"Thank you, you are very good," replied Ned; "but I hate to dispossess -you." - -"Pray don't mention it. You see I have often heard of you and your -shipmate, and I am as glad as anyone of your deserved promotion. I only -hope that it may be permanent." - -An inspection of Herc's cabin next door followed. It was smaller and -very much plainer than Ned's and contained no desk and only two chairs. -But had it been Aladdin's palace, it could not have gratified Herc's -delighted eyes any more than it did. - -"But I'm forgetting something," said the Ensign suddenly. "Let us go -back to your cabin, Mr. Strong. Your orders are on your desk. You -will also find a secret code book, to which you, only, will possess -the key with one of your junior officers, and signed copies of your -commissions." - -As Ned already knew that the orders under which he sailed were sealed, -he did not glance over them just then. Instead, he let his eyes feast -on the engrossed copies of their commissions and a document which -stated that Lieutenant Edward Strong was to take charge of the gunboat -_Seneca_ till "further orders from this department," and that Ensign -Hercules Taylor was to be his second in command and assume such duties -as were assigned to him on board. - -"And now, sir," suggested Ensign Summerville, "the _Seneca_ is under -steam. She is ready for your orders." - -Ned thrilled at the sound of the words. This trim little craft was -absolutely at his command! - -"First, however, you will no doubt wish to see your other officers. -There is Mr. Drayton, chief engineer; Mr. Rankin, his assistant, but -you have already met him----" - -"We have," rejoined Ned with a certain grim note in his voice. - -"We most certainly have," added Herc, in a way which made the ensign -give him a quick look of understanding. He made no audible comment, but -those who knew Ensign Summerville would have guessed from a peculiar -expression that came over his face that he recognized and sympathized -with the antipathy the boys had formed for the assistant engineer. - -"Our only other commissioned officer besides yourselves is Mr. -Kenworth, not long out of Annapolis. Ah! there he is now. Kenworth, -come here a moment, will you?" - -He addressed a tall, slender, very erect young man in a midshipman's -uniform who was just passing through the wardroom. - -"This is Lieutenant Strong, of whom I have already told you. He assumes -my command. This is Mr. Taylor, the newly commissioned second in -command. - -"Hullo, you fellows have met before?" he demanded the next instant, for -Kenworth had drawn back slightly, a supercilious smile on his thin, -dark face. - -"Yes, I have met _Lieutenant_ Strong as a boatswain's mate," said -Kenworth, with a disagreeable intonation; "Mr. Taylor, too, I have seen -before the mast." - -It was all true enough; both the Dreadnought Boys had good cause to -recollect Mr. Kenworth. For a moment the air in the wardroom appeared -charged with electricity. - -Ensign Summerville looked from one to the other in surprise. He saw -hauteur and dislike on Kenworth's face, a look that might have meant -anything on Ned's countenance and undisguised disgust on Herc's -freckled features. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -MIDSHIPMAN KENWORTH. - - -It had all happened back early in the naval careers of young Strong and -his chum Taylor. Kenworth, a sprig just out of Annapolis, had come to -the _Manhattan_ with an idea not uncommon among young gentlemen just -out of the Academy, that next to the captain he was probably the most -important person on the ship. - -To strengthen him in this belief, he had influential relatives who had -promised to smooth out his path in life for him. Despite this fact, -though, Kenworth was still a midshipman. Why was this, when many of his -own class had passed him? - -Possibly the incident which Ned and Herc had such good cause to -recollect will throw a sidelight on Mr. Kenworth's character that may -serve to explain this condition. - -It was one night when the wind was blowing "great guns." Ned and Herc, -the former then a coxswain, were part of a crew sent to bring some -young officers off to the ship from Guantanamo harbor. As it happened, -the young officers were all middies and, by right of length of service, -Kenworth outranked them. - -He was quarrelsome and inclined to be obstreperous when he came on -board. He began by abusing Ned, who had incurred Kenworth's ill-will -by his sturdy independence and the steady command of his temper, even -under the fledgling officer's insults and slurs. - -The boat put off with a sea running that threatened momentarily to -swamp her. It required the whole strength of Ned's arm to keep the -craft, which was deeply loaded, headed into the seas in such a way as -to insure safety. - -"Let her off a point there, you," ordered Kenworth, when they had -proceeded a short distance. - -"It will hardly be safe, sir," rejoined Ned. - -"Hang your impudence," cried young Kenworth; "do what I tell you, do -you hear?" - -"Very well, sir," and sorely against his will Ned did let the boat's -head swing a trifle. - -The instant result was what he had anticipated. The crest of a sea -broke on them, drenching Kenworth to the skin. He flew into a frenzy of -rage. - -"You clumsy, incompetent nincompoop," he sputtered, "I'll have you up -at the mast for that." - -"I obeyed your orders, sir," rejoined Ned simply, knowing there was -nothing to be gained by getting into an argument with an officer. - -"Don't answer me, sir!" howled Kenworth. "Confound your impudence!" - -"Oh, look here, Kenworth," remonstrated another midshipman. "It wasn't -his fault. He told you it wouldn't do and you insisted." - -"And got jolly well wet for your pains," came from one of the men at -the oars in a low voice intended only for his mate's ears. - -But Kenworth heard him, heard, too, the smothered laugh from the men, -none of whom bore him any liking, his ways having made him the most -unpopular officer on the ship. - -"How dare you make such a remark to me, sir?" he demanded of Ned, -choosing in his anger to make a victim of the man he disliked most. - -"I said nothing, sir," rejoined Ned. - -"That's right; he didn't utter a word," came from another midshipman. - -"He'll sing a different tune at the mast to-morrow, insolent waterfront -scum," gritted out Kenworth. - -He said no more, but the next day the word was passed forward by the -sergeant-at-arms for Ned to appear "at the mast," the man-o'-war -tribunal where the captain deals out justice. Luckily Ned had no -difficulty in clearing himself, thanks to friendly witnesses, and -Kenworth was privately reprimanded by the captain for bringing a -trumped-up charge against an enlisted man. - -From that day on, Kenworth had nourished such a hatred of Ned as only a -mean nature like his could cherish. He never, while he remained on the -_Manhattan_, lost a chance to "work him up," as it is called. On one -occasion, he went so far as to order Ned to count the sails of every -ship in the harbor of Hong Kong and report their number to him. - -Ned stood at the rail with a grave face for an hour enjoying the -scenery, and then, stepping up to Kenworth, who was swelling with -importance as officer of the deck, he saluted with a quiet smile. - -"Well, did you do what I told you?" blustered Kenworth. - -"Yes, sir; there are just three thousand nine hundred and ninety-five," -replied Ned with great gravity. - -Kenworth looked sharply at him. - -"How do you know?" he asked. - -"I counted them, sir," was the reply. "You can check up my count if -you like, sir; you'll find it correct." - -As Ned saluted and turned away, he heard a burst of laughter at -Kenworth's expense from some Jackies who had heard the little dialogue, -and who discreetly vanished before the arrogant middie's wrath could -descend on them. Soon after this Kenworth had left the _Manhattan_ and -Ned lost all track of him; not, indeed, that he felt any great interest -in the matter. - -And now, by a strange quip of circumstance, they had come face to -face once more in the wardroom of the little gunboat. But now their -positions were reversed. Ned was in command, Herc was his second in -authority, with Kenworth, although he shaved daily and boasted a blue -chin, still a midshipman. - -"I'm very glad to meet Mr. Kenworth again," he said, when he had -recovered his self-possession; "I recollect him on the _Manhattan_ very -well indeed." - -Kenworth mumbled something about duty aft and hurried off. Ensign -Summerville saw that there was an embarrassing situation in the air and -hastened to suggest that they go on deck, where he would have the crew -mustered and formally turn over the command of the Seneca to Ned. - -The crew was piped to quarters and the ensign handed Ned a complete -roster of the men. The shrill sounds of the bos'un's whistles filled -the air, reminding Ned and Herc of the days when a response was part of -their duty. - -The inspection did not last long. It was actually more a ceremony of -introduction. When it was over, the ensign tarried to help Ned in -working out his course into the Sound. - -"I would suggest that Mr. Kenworth take the ship out to deep water, as -he knows the channels hereabouts thoroughly," said the ensign, as he -bade good-by to the new commander of the _Seneca_. - -"Mr. Kenworth, you will take the bridge, then," said Ned. - -Kenworth saluted and hurried off to take his post. But as he did so, he -grinned to himself. - -"Good luck!" he exclaimed. "I think I see a chance to take the wind out -of your sails before very long, you beggar on horseback, you forecastle -Jack on the quarter deck! If I don't fix you and your ambitions and -double spike 'em before this cruise is over, my name isn't Raymond -Kenworth." - -Swords were removed and sent below as soon as Ensign Summerville was -over the side. - -While waiting for the gig to return, Ned and Herc lingered over the -charts and gave a few necessary orders. - -"Well, Ned," confided Herc in a lull, "this is actually real after all." - -"No doubt of that, old boy. I'm crazy to get under way and look at my -orders. Who knows what they may contain and what lies before us?" - -What, indeed, did the future hold for these two ambitious young -officers of Uncle Sam's? They were destined to learn ere long. Over the -horizon of that day of life lay new experiences to be met, new problems -and dangers to be faced like officers and gentlemen and true Americans. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -AGROUND! - - -The anchor was hauled up immediately on the return of the gig. The -crews of the submarines, already on board the diving craft, took their -stations. "Captain" Ned gave the word and the _Seneca_ began to move -slowly through the water. - -Having superintended the work of getting under way, Ned and Herc -ascended to the bridge. They found Midshipman Kenworth there, standing -by the side of the quartermaster, who had the wheel. - -Behind the wheel, which was a small, light affair controlling the steam -steering gear, was a small house in which the machinery that operated -the rudder control was situated. - -Ned caught Herc by the sleeve just as the red-headed lad was stepping -impulsively forward, and drew him into the doorway of the structure. -There was a small port in the place looking out over the bridge. It was -open, and through it they could readily see. - -"What's the idea of this?" demanded Herc. "I don't like this spying -business. I've no use for Kenworth, but----" - -"That's all right," responded Ned. "I don't wish to spy on the young -man; I merely want to find out what sort of a pilot he is." - -They skirted the little cape that formed the end of the island, in the -lee of which the _Seneca_ had been anchored. Beyond this island, the -boys, somewhat to their surprise, saw that there was still quite an -expanse of shoal water threaded by narrow channels between the outer -island and the blue of the Sound itself. - -"Ticklish work through here," commented Ned in a low tone, as he -observed how the darker color of the channels that threaded the -numerous shallow places alternated with broad expanses of yellow water -that showed the presence of dangerous sand banks. - -"You're dead right," responded Herc; "about as bad a place as I ever -clapped eyes on." - -The rattle and roar of the steering machinery as the wheel was spun -right and left drowned the sound of their voices. Kenworth was looking -straight ahead. From time to time they could see him turn slightly and -give some order to the helmsman; but what the orders were they could -not catch. - -The _Seneca_ appeared to be following the channel perfectly, however, -winding among the mazes of deeper waterways like a dancer. - -"Kenworth is no slouch at this work," said Ned in a low voice as they -watched. - -"Shucks!" grunted Herc, "I guess the _Seneca_ has been in and out of -here a hundred times. Anyhow, a blind man could see those channels." - -Ned turned on his companion with a stern look. - -"See here, Herc Taylor, we want peace and harmony on this craft; do you -understand?" - -"Even if we have to scrap to get it," muttered Herc. "All right; from -now on, I'm the greatest little peace delegate ever you saw." - -A minute later, while they were still watching, they saw something that -gave them a momentary shock of surprise. Rankin appeared on the bridge. -There was nothing extraordinary in his so doing, of course. He probably -had something to report to the watch officer. - -But somehow Ned, with a quick flash of intuition that he could not -explain, felt that more than that lay in this sudden conjunction of -their two enemies; for that Rankin disliked them, Ned had no doubt. - -He laid a hand on Herc's arm to keep him quiet, for the impulsive -red-headed youth was about, apparently, to break forth into some -emphatic exclamation at what he had just seen. - -Rankin approached Kenworth with an air of familiarity that showed -there existed some friendship between them. Kenworth greeted him with -an easy nod, and then, after giving some directions to the man at the -wheel, he placed his hand on Rankin's shoulder and drew him back toward -the steering-gear house. - -"Come back here while we talk," the boys heard him say, "I don't want -that quartermaster to overhear us." - -For a moment it appeared that they were coming into the steering house, -but they merely stood close back against its metal wall. They had taken -up positions right under the porthole through which Ned had been making -his observations. - -But they had not seen their superior officers. Ned had been too quick -for that. As the two approached the steering-gear structure, he grabbed -Herc and drew him down. Now they crouched quietly under the porthole, -through which they could catch perfectly everything that was said. - -"Well, here's a fine how-de-do," they heard Rankin complain in a -grumbling tone; "a couple of snips that aren't dry behind the ears been -set over us. I thought you were to get the command when Summerville -left." - -"So did I; but it seems these two interlopers succeeded in getting it -for themselves." - -"Didn't you tell me that they started in the navy just as enlisted men?" - -"Yes, the gutter-snipes never saw even the outside of Annapolis. I'd -like to know what the service is coming to when good men are passed -over for useless propositions like this!" - -"So would I. By the way, I had a row with them on the train coming -down. They've no use for me, I fancy. I wish I could hit upon some plan -to take them down a peg or two." - -"I have," was Kenworth's rejoinder, in a tone which was acid with -malignant hatred. - -"Have what?" - -"Formed such a plan. I've got a scheme to discredit them with the -department right from the jump." - -"Shoal ahead, sir!" - -The voice of the man at the wheel cut in raspingly like a file. -Kenworth sprang up. Ned also ventured to steal a look through the port. -He saw the shoal the helmsman had drawn attention to, a long daub of -yellow stretching on their port bow. - -He saw in a flash that there was only one way to save the ship from -going aground. - -"Stay here," he ordered Herc, and then bounded out of the steering-gear -house, colliding with Rankin as he did so. - -"What, you here, sir?" exclaimed Rankin with a sickly smile as Ned -shoved past him. The Dreadnought Boy, with a sinking sense of dread, -guessed somehow that already the conspiracy against him was under way, -and that, with the flukes of the anchor not yet dry at the cat-head! - -Rankin reeled and staggered as Ned brushed by with scant regard for -gentleness. He turned and gazed after the figure of the young officer -as he made for the steersman. Kenworth already stood at the man's side. - -"Hard a'port!" Ned heard Kenworth roar. - -It was precisely the command that, under the circumstances, would bring -the bow of the _Seneca_ grating and rasping on the shoal. - -"Hard over! Hard over! For your life, man!" shouted Ned. - -"Aye, aye, sir!" cried the man, recognizing the superior authority of -the temporary commander. - -But it was too late. The next instant it happened, even as Ned's hand -jerked the engine-room telegraph over to "Full speed astern." With -a grating, jarring succession of bumps, the _Seneca_, Ned's first -command, slipped upon the shoal, even while her reversed engines were -frantically biting the water astern. - -Before the lad's eyes arose a sickening vision of failure and disgrace, -even at the very outset of his important commission. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -"YOUR DUTY IS TO OBEY!" - - -It was no time then to try to fix the blame. Turning to Kenworth, who -was standing with chalky-white face by his side, Ned curtly ordered -him to go below and summon the engineer and the ship's armorers to the -bridge. - -When they came, he gave swift, incisive orders to have the ship -examined from stem to stern, and any damage she might have sustained -reported to him immediately. Herc, who by this time of course was by -his young leader's side, was ordered to take charge of this work. - -The next half hour was the most anxious Ned had ever passed; but he -knew that yet more suspense was bound to follow when it came to testing -how hard and fast the _Seneca_ was piled on the shoal. - -There was a possibility that she might get off under her own steam. -But of course this could not be foretold till an actual trial could -be made. For the present, with engines that had ceased revolving, the -_Seneca_ lay helpless and motionless on the shoal. - -Ned's naval training stood him in good stead then. Without a quiver of -a lip or a flicker of an eyelid to betray the ordeal through which he -was passing, he stood erect on the bridge awaiting the report of the -investigators. Only the pallor under his tanned cheeks showed what he -was enduring. - -If naval tugs had to be sent for to extricate the _Seneca_ from her -predicament, Ned knew that his brief career as a naval commander was -over before it had well begun. Then, too, with this thought mingled -another. - -Had Kenworth deliberately given the order that had resulted in the -grounding of the ship, or had he lost his head and "piled her up"? -Judging from the conversation he had overheard, Kenworth was determined -to stop at nothing to discredit and disgrace Herc and himself with the -Navy Department. - -But it was inconceivable, almost, that he should have formed his -plan and executed it so quickly. Ned was more inclined to put the -entire affair down to stupidity. But he knew that as commander of the -_Seneca_, he, and not Kenworth, would assuredly be held responsible for -any damage done. - -It was at this moment that he was aroused by the clicking and whining -of the wireless spark in its little metal house just abaft of the -funnel. The stinging, whip-like crack and the crepitant sputter of the -spark as it leaped back and forth across its gap like a caged animal -was borne with clean-cut distinctness to his ears. - -"Somebody working the wireless," decided Ned, for the arrival of -a message is not attended by any sound audible outside the ear -receivers. "Who can it be? Trevor, the regular wireless man, is off -duty. He was one of the emergency gang I sent below with all the other -hands I could spare." - -There followed a moment of indecision, and then a flame of anger swept -Ned's face. - -Whoever was sending out those thundering detonations of electricity -that were splitting space like a scimitar was no novice. Moreover, he -was trying to raise the _Manhattan_, the flagship of the Red Squadron, -and using the secret code to do it. - -"I'll find out what this means in two shakes," exclaimed Ned to -himself. "I miss my guess if it isn't somebody trying, absolutely -without orders, to flash news of this accident to the flagship and put -me in bad." - -He hastened from the bridge to the upper deck and through an alleyway -to where a short flight of steel steps led to the wireless room, -perched like a miniature pilot house astern of the funnel. - -As he gained the door of the place and looked in, he stopped as -abruptly as if he had been struck a blow in the face. - -For an instant he stood there rigid, taking in the picture that had -suddenly presented itself to his indignant gaze. - -Bending over the key and sending out impatient waves of sound into the -atmosphere was Kenworth. His pale face was alight with poisonous glee, -as again and again he sent out the secret call for the flagship of the -Reds. - -Ned was into the room in a bound. In another instant he had Kenworth by -the collar. The astonished and startled midshipman was as helpless as a -puppy in Ned's powerful grasp. - -"I--how--what's the matter?" he sputtered. - -"What are you doing here, Mr. Kenworth?" demanded Ned sternly. He was -in no mood to be trifled with. He fancied now that he saw the whole -contemptible plot, swiftly as the storm had broken. - -[Illustration: In another instant he had Kenworth by the collar.--_Page -80_] - -"Well, you see, sir--I--that is, when----" - -"Answer me at once, please. What are you doing here?" - -"I--I thought I'd practice up a bit." - -"What!" - -Ned's eyes blazed and a dangerous flicker of white came around his -nostrils. He despised a liar more than he held contempt for a coward, -and if he was not much mistaken, Kenworth was both. - -"You see," stuttered Kenworth, absolutely shaken and flaccid, "I'm -wireless officer, with Trevor as assistant. I'm not very good yet, and -I----" - -"On the contrary, it strikes me that you are remarkably efficient, Mr. -Kenworth," snapped Ned; "and as for practicing, you assuredly choose an -extraordinary time for it when the ship, for anything you know, is in -danger." - -"Danger?" exclaimed Kenworth, and Ned thought that he caught an evil -glint in the midshipman's eyes. - -"That remains to be seen," rejoined Ned coldly. "Tell me if you can, -why, without orders and without informing anyone, you were in here -trying to raise the _Manhattan_. You are silent. Then I will tell you -myself. You wanted to send out word of the accident." - -Kenworth shuffled from foot to foot uneasily. - -"My duty----" he began. - -Then Ned boiled over. - -"Your duty, Mr. Kenworth, is to obey my orders. You will now oblige me -by going to your cabin, unless you wish me to adopt harsher measures." - -With a half-hearted salute, Kenworth turned and without a word left the -wireless room. But as he descended the companionway stairs he muttered -to himself: - -"I guess I've got you badly worried already, Mr. Monkey-on-a-Stick, and -this is only the beginning. I said I'd fix you and I will, too. If -only I could have raised the _Manhattan_ and got that message through -with my version of the accident, Master Ned Strong's career would have -ended with a hard bump." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -"THE EYES OF THE RED FLEET." - - -While Kenworth, in his cabin, was consoling himself for his smart -"dressing down" from Ned with the reflection that in the event of the -_Seneca_ being badly damaged the lad he so disliked would lose his -berth, Ned, on deck, had forgotten in the business of the moment the -incident of the intercepted wireless. - -Herc reported that no serious strain had been found, and that so far -as could be seen the _Seneca_ was resting on the edge of a sand bank. -The tide, it had been ascertained, was rising, in itself a fortunate -circumstance, and within a short time things would be propitious for an -attempt to back the craft off under her own steam. - -"I hope to goodness we succeed, old fellow," said Ned fervently, -"although I can't tell you what an unspeakable relief to me it has -been to know that we are not damaged." - -"You can rest assured of that. Every plate and rivet from fore-peak to -shaft tunnel has been gone over. Not a drop of water anywhere." - -"In that case, provided we can get afloat again without summoning -assistance, we may get by without a reprimand or, even worse, a -recall," declared Ned. - -"Oh, that would be terrible!" exclaimed Herc. "But say, Ned, have you -done any thinking about this accident?" - -"What a question to ask! Thinking! I've been doing nothing else since -we struck." - -"But you know what I mean?" - -"Putting two and two together?" asked Ned significantly, with a glance -at the steering-wheel house that had been their place of concealment. - -"That's it exactly. Have you been doing that?" - -"Hum, yes, but they don't make four--yet." - -"But you've come to the conclusion that the accident may not have been -quite so accidental as it appeared?" - -"I didn't say so. What I do say, though, is this, that there is one -person on board who was quite willing to take advantage of it, accident -or no accident, to discredit us." - -"And that was----?" - -"Mr. Midshipman Kenworth. The rascal! caught him in the wireless room -trying to send a message to the _Manhattan_." - -Ned went on to relate all that had occurred at that momentous -encounter, being frequently interrupted by Herc's exclamations of -indignation. - -"You ought to have Kenworth put in the brig, or at least keep him in -his cabin for the rest of the cruise," blustered Herc. - -"How can I do that? I have no proof against the fellow. Suspicion is -one thing, proof quite another." - -"Anyone who knows the fellow----" - -"That's quite aside from the question. Kenworth has powerful influences -behind him. We don't want to make any more enemies than we have to." - -"Oh, pshaw! If I had your powers----" - -"If I had the proof, I'd act quick enough, you may be sure. I wouldn't -care if his father was Secretary of the Navy--yes, or President. All -the more reason for getting rid of such a scalawag. But as it is----" - -"All ready, sir!" - -The chief bos'un's mate made the announcement. - -"Very well, Bowles. You may pass the word." - -"Now for the tug-of-war," said Ned grimly, as, warning the man at the -wheel to keep his helm hard over, he sent the signal below for the -engines to be started at reverse "slow." - -Once more the vibration of her machinery thrilled the hull of the -_Seneca_; but--she did not move. - -Undisturbed, so far as anyone could see, Ned shoved the telegraph over -till little by little the pointer stopped at "Full speed astern." He -rang up on the bridge telephone. - -"Give her every ounce you've got," he ordered. - -The water churned whitely; the pipes of the safety valves roared with -the pressure of the escaping steam from the high-pressure boilers. -The _Seneca_ shook and trembled like a live thing. Then came a sudden -impulse. Ned's eyes began to dance, but he dared not speak. - -The next instant he knew that he had not been mistaken. The _Seneca_ -was moving. - -A cheer burst from the men, who knew that Ned had risen from the -foredeck, and liked and admired him on that account. Nobody attempted -to check it. Below, in his cabin, Kenworth heard the cheer and felt the -slight movement. - -"Confound him! So he has managed to get her afloat, after all," he -muttered. "I didn't pile her up quick enough. Well, I'll get another -chance, and this time I won't fall down." - -Little by little the bulk of the gunboat began to slide backward off -the shoal. - -From the leadsmen posted on the bow, bridge and stern, came every -moment cries announcing deeper and deeper water. Herc silently wrung -Ned's hand. Ned said nothing, but his face showed what he felt. - -At last there came a sudden backward lurch and the gunboat was freed -from her sandy prison and floated in deep water once more. - -"We'll have no pilot this time," declared Ned, as he himself took the -guidance of the ship, scanning the waters ahead with keen eyes and -directing the helmsman on his course. They reached open water without -accident. And then Ned was at leisure to forward his report of the -accident to the _Manhattan_. - -To his relief no comment was made upon it, which he attributed to the -fact that there had been no serious results. But through the air came -an order that caused Ned to thrill with delight. He was commanded to -peruse his sealed orders and follow them out without delay. - -The _Manhattan_ was then some miles north of Block Island, well out to -sea with the Red Squadron. Of the Blues, nothing had been heard. - -It was for Ned's ship, as the "Eyes of the Red Fleet" to spy out and -report the whereabouts of the "enemy." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE EAVESDROPPER. - - -Ned, after the receipt of the message authorizing him to open his -orders, lost no time in hastening below. - -Herc, as his junior officer, went with him. Kenworth was ordered out -of his cabin and told off to assume charge of the after-watch, an -assignment on which Ned was sure the evilly disposed midshipman could -not do any harm. - -In the meantime, the ship was steaming slowly down the Sound in charge -of one of the junior warrant officers. - -"Now for the big secret," exclaimed Ned, as he opened his desk and took -out the slender package. "We'll step into the wardroom to look it over, -Herc." - -"Look out, somebody may have put a bomb in it while we were gone," -warned Herc, leaning over Ned's shoulder, a look of intense interest on -his freckled countenance. - -"Hardly any danger of that, I think," laughed Ned. - -He ripped open the envelope, glanced hastily at the first sheet of the -numerous typewritten pages it contained, and gave vent to a low whistle. - -"Well, what do you think of that?" gasped Herc. "I thought we were -to----" - -"Obey orders," said Ned quietly; "although I must admit this is a bit -of a surprise. I suppose a change in plans came late so that we were -not forewarned." - -"Well, let's hear what it is all about," prompted Herc impatiently. - -"Simple enough, apparently. The army folks are protecting the mouth of -the harbor. There are important fortifications there, because in time -of war the protecting fleet, or part of it, might gather there. - -"The army folks have planted mines there. While watching for the Blue -fleet to arrive, we are to test those mines." - -"Phew!" gasped Herc. "There's only one way to test how much kick there -is to a mine." - -"And what's that?" asked Ned. - -"To blow it up and--yourself with it," declared Herc sententiously. -"Well, for a nice little holiday job, we have sure picked a dandy." - -"Hold on a minute, will you?" interrupted Ned. "Let me finish this. The -mines are wired up by a new system. What we have to find out is if we -can sneak into the harbor mouth in our submarines and disconnect the -firing wires of the mines without blowing ourselves up. If we can do -this, the system is a failure." - -"Humph! and so are we." - -"So are we what?" - -"Failures! If one of these mines blew up, what else would we be----" - -Ned exploded in a loud laugh. - -"Why, you chump," he exclaimed, "they are not loaded mines!" - -"Then how can they tell if they've been exploded or not when we go -submarining around them?" - -"It's up to us to see if we can dodge the wires or contrive some way to -disconnect them." - -"That disconnecting idea doesn't appear very feasible." - -"No, it does not," agreed Ned; "but I think I can find a way to evade -them, for all that." - -"Hum! So long as they're not loaded, I don't care even if we run -bumpety-bang into one," declared Herc; "but a loaded mine--no, thank -you!" - -"Our orders after that are general. We are to use our own discretion -entirely, acting as the eyes and ears of the Red fleet, and forwarding -to the flagship, via wireless, every scrap of information we think -might be valuable to the attacking party." - -"That's one thing I don't like about this command," muttered Herc. - -"What is that?" - -"Why, we're supposed to be enemies to the flag." - -"But only supposed to be, Herc, for the purposes of perfecting the -strength of Uncle Sam's defenses, and playing a useful part in exposing -any weakness in our nation's fortifications." - -"Huh; well, that's all the kind of enemy I ever want to be--a supposed -one." - -"I'm going into my cabin to lay out our course," said Ned, after a few -more words. "I want you on deck, Herc, to see how things are going -on. It won't take me long and---- What on earth is the matter? Got a -stroke?" - -There was a large glass skylight over the wardroom and, owing to the -warmth of the weather, the flaps of this had been raised. With the -expression of one who has been suddenly hypnotized, Herc was staring -with open eyes and mouth straight up at the wardroom roof. - -"What do you see?" demanded Ned, springing to his feet. "Shall I get -you a glass of water? Shall I----" - -"Umph! You might get me a gun," snorted Herc. - -"A gun! What on earth do you want with a gun?" - -"I want it to shoot a skunk!" - -"A skunk! Do you think you're back on the farm?" - -"No, but just the same I'd like to go gunning with grandpap's old -scatter gun." - -"I wish we had a doctor on board, Herc. Any fellow who can go around -seeing skunks----" - -"Ought to shoot 'em on sight," muttered Herc belligerently. "Well, Ned, -this was a skunk I saw, all right, all right! And what do you think his -name was?" - -Without waiting for a reply, Herc rushed on, "Kenworth! He'd been -listening to every word we were saying!" - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -SAKI--STEWARD. - - -For the time being there was no opportunity to investigate the case of -the eavesdropper. It was important that they should get under way at -once. Herc hastened on deck after a few hurried words with Ned. - -Just at that moment two bells--one o'clock--sounded in the slow, deep, -mellow tones of the ship's bell. Simultaneously there appeared, through -a doorway at one end of the wardroom, the figure of a dapper Japanese, -dressed in white garments. - -"Hullo! Who are you?" demanded Ned, looking up from a reverie into -which he had fallen, following Herc's departure. - -"Me Saki. Officer steward. Me getee lunch for honorable capitan," -rejoined the Jap with a low bow. - -"Mr. Summerville made no mention to me of you," said Ned, looking the -Jap over. - -"No doubt, sir, no doubt," was the reply; "me only joinee ship in New -York." - -Ned said no more, but, telling the steward to summon him when the meal -was ready, he resumed his meditations. Truly the young skipper of the -_Seneca_ was in need of time to think and ponder. - -This command of his, of which he had been so proud, evidently was not -going to prove any sinecure. Then, somehow, the face of the Jap floated -before his mind. He had seen it somewhere before, he was certain. -Perhaps it was on some other naval craft, for Japanese stewards are -much affected in the United States Navy. - -It was a striking face, too: thick, bushy hair brushed up above a -massive forehead, far squarer and more prominent than Jap's foreheads -usually are, forming a sort of bristly aureole for a yellow face with -dark, forbidding eyebrows and a heavy jaw. Saki was not a common type -of Jap. He was heavier, less obsequious and smiling, more sure of -himself. - -But such thoughts quickly flitted from Ned's mind as the problem of -Kenworth put itself forward. Mated with this reflection came the image -of Rankin. Both were men who disliked and, in one case at least, hated -Ned and Herc. - -True, Rankin had no cause but a purely unreasonable one--as it -were--for his antipathy to the young captain of the _Seneca_ and his -first officer, but it was none the less plain, even without taking the -overheard conversation on the bridge into account, that the man had -made up his mind to do all the harm he could. - -How soon he would strike, of course, Ned had no idea; nor what form his -malice would take. That Ned had concluded that Kenworth had purposely -run upon the shoal, we already know, but with how much justice he had -arrived at such a deduction, he could not determine. - -The course was soon worked out and Ned proceeded to the chart house. He -summoned Herc and gave him his sailing directions, and then proceeded -to make an inspection of the ship. On his return from this duty, -he suddenly recollected that he had left the door of his stateroom -unlocked. - -He descended the stairs swiftly and almost noiselessly. As he reached -the foot of them, he saw a form suddenly emerge from his cabin and -glide silently as a cat across the wardroom in the direction of the -stern door, where he knew the steward's cabin and pantry, as well as -the store-room, were located. - -"Who's that?" he called in a sharp, authoritative voice. - -"That you, Mr. Capitan, sir?" came in Saki's voice. "Me just go by your -cabin, tell you lunch is ready, sir." - -"Very well. Come here, Saki." - -"Yes, sir," rejoined Saki, hurrying back and bowing low. - -"You must never enter my cabin, do you understand? That's private -ground except when I am in it. And Saki." - -"Honorable naval mister." Saki again bowed low, spreading his hands. - -"Have I ever seen you before?" - -"I have never had the felicity of looking upon the honorable capitan's -face." - -"Very well. You may call Ensign Taylor." For Ned and Herc, as befitted -their respective ranks on board the _Seneca_, ate their meals in -solitary state. - -Midshipman Kenworth and the other warrant officers followed them. Such -was the strict etiquette of the navy, even on so small a craft as the -_Seneca_. - -"Funny," thought Ned, "it's odd, but I can't get it out of my head -that I _have_ seen him before somewhere. Jove! I have it! It was at -Nagasaki, on the world cruise. He was found examining guns and firing -systems on board the _Manhattan_. As he could give no satisfactory -account of himself, he was ejected. I'm sure it's the same man. I -wonder----" - -But the entrance of Herc put a stop to further speculation. Saki waited -on them during the meal with silent dexterity. Once or twice Ned sought -a chance to study his face without being observed, but every time he -found that the Jap's eyes were fixed on him, although quickly averted -when the Oriental saw that he was being noticed. - -After lunch he took an opportunity to make some inquiries concerning -the Jap, and learned that he had come on board at New York, as he had -said. Midshipman Kenworth was believed to have secured him, the Jap -having been highly recommended as a servant by a relative of the former. - -"Kenworth, again," muttered Ned to himself. "It's odd, very odd, how he -is always bobbing up. Jove," he broke off suddenly, "I never thought -to overhaul that desk of mine. The way that Jap came out of there like -a rabbit out of a hole was suspicious, to say the least. I'll go below -and have a look." - -But a narrow inspection of the cabin showed that nothing had been -disturbed. Carefully Ned locked up his orders in his desk, and when he -went out, secured the door. - -"All right this time, but it's a risk I don't want to chance again," he -said to himself as he ascended to the bridge. "Somehow I don't trust -that Jap, any more than I do those other fellows." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ANOTHER WATCHER. - - -By mid-afternoon the _Seneca_ was well down the Sound. Several times -she was in communication with the Red flagship, but no further orders -came to Trevor, who was at the key. - -Nor had the flagship heard anything of the whereabouts of the Blues. It -was generally believed that they had rallied off the Virginia Capes and -were playing a game of hide-and-seek with their opponents. - -Ned knew the spot to which he had been directed for the mine test -very well. Already he had planned just how he would proceed. From the -mainland at this point there runs out a long finger of land, on one end -of which is perched Fort Schuyler. - -It was his intention to leave the _Seneca_ anchored in a bay far up -the Sound and then proceed on one of the submarines, under cover of -night, himself commanding the diving boat. But when they had almost -reached the snug bay that Ned had decided upon as a good anchoring -place for a craft on such an errand, Trevor hastened out of his -wireless box with a message in the secret code. - -Ned took it below and speedily read it off. He made a wry face of -chagrin as he did so. It appeared that other work than going down with -the submarine had been laid out for him. He was to get ashore somehow, -land on the neck in the early morning, and make certain observations of -the work of the diving boat. - -"Pshaw!" exclaimed Ned to himself; "too bad! I don't see the object -of it all, but I suppose they know best. Well, Herc will have to take -command of the submarine, of course, and I will have to do what's laid -out for me." - -His mind at once began to busy itself with plans for the morrow's work -when Trevor suddenly interrupted again. There had been a mistake in -transmitting the details of the last message, it appeared. - -The submarine was not to make the tests the next day at all. Through -other sources the flagship had learned that the mines had not yet -been laid. Ned was to contrive to be on the watch during the process -and note carefully where each was planted from a quartermaster's -department tug. This was very important, as the mines were to be laid -just as they would be for actual defenses. When Ned had secured all -this information, the submarine test would come. If they succeeded in -dodging the torpedoes, it would be several points for the Red side. - -When they reached the bay that Ned had in mind, the _Seneca_ was guided -inside, and then, while her crew speculated as to what the next move -could possibly be, she lay swinging at her anchor, idly waiting for -darkness to fall. For Ned had decided not to let his crew know of the -plans. Herc, of course, was familiar with them, but none of the others, -except Trevor, the wireless operator. - -It was not long before dusk when Midshipman Kenworth presented himself -before Ned. He saluted respectfully and appeared much more obsequious -than he had been since the arrival of the boys on board. - -"Beg your pardon, sir," he asked, "but would there be any objection to -my going ashore to-night? Some of my people live at Oakhurst, about -nine miles inland, and I'd like to take this opportunity of seeing -them." - -Ned thought a moment. Then he decided that if Kenworth was spying about -the _Seneca_ with the object of injuring her young skipper, the further -off he was during the next day the better. - -"Very well, Kenworth," said he, "you may go, but be sure to report on -board to-morrow night at four bells." - -"Yes, sir," said the midshipman, saluting. He turned away and not long -after reappeared on deck with his suit case. The shore boat was ordered -away and was soon skimming off over the water. - -"Confound the fellow," said Ned to Herc as they watched the craft -making its way over the bay, "I didn't want to let him go; but after -all, I'd rather have his room than his company any day." - -"I'd have kept him aboard and worked him up to the king's taste," said -Herc with positiveness. "I've no more use for him than I have for a -snake in the grass, or for what I compared him to before." - -"After all, though, there is no possible way he could injure us," -declared Ned. "Such fellows as he is generally end by hurting -themselves more than the folks they have it in for." - -"That may all be as true as a preacher's words, Ned," declared Herc, -"but we owe it to ourselves to look out for him." - -"Oh, that part of it is all right. But come on now, I'm going to get -ready for the trip that I'm going to take to-night myself." - -"I wish I were going with you," said Herc. - -"Just think, you'll be able to lord it over the ship as a skipper all -the time I'm gone," laughed Ned. - -"I'm afraid a skipper with a red head won't get as much respect as you -do, Ned, but I'll do my best." - -After dark that night, Ned, clothed in an old suit of civilian clothes, -and carrying in a small handbag some necessary instruments and a sketch -block for recording his impressions, clambered down into the gig and -was rowed ashore by two members of the crew who had been sworn to -secrecy. - -Once ashore, where there was a community of summer cottages and hotels, -he engaged a gasoline launch to take him to a small island known as -Civic Island, not far from the Neck, to which it was joined, in fact, -by a bridge. - -Going ashore at Civic Island, Ned turned in at a hotel and early in -the morning rose, secured some provisions which he placed in his small -handbag, and then set out on foot for the scene of his observations. - -The Neck was a lonely place and very little frequented. On one end of -it was the fort, between which and some wooded heights in which it -terminated, stretched the sandy, brush-covered peninsula of the Neck, -scrawny and thin as that of a giraffe. - -Ned was provided with field glasses, of course, and having reached -a point from which he could command a clear view of the fort, he -surveyed it for some time to get his bearings. Meanwhile, of course, he -concealed his body behind some bushes. - -He could see the tug perfectly plainly. There was a big crane at its -bow and it was hoisting on board large metallic shapes of globular form -that he knew were mines. - -At the top of the mast floated the flag of the quartermaster's -department, so that Ned knew that he had the right craft spotted. - -"Well, they are in no hurry, anyhow," he said to himself, as he watched -the leisurely way in which the craft was being loaded. "I reckon I'll -sit down and take a rest. I didn't sleep much at that hotel last night, -and I'd be glad of a seat in the shade. I can keep my eyes open just as -well under this bush here as standing out there in the sun." - -But alas for good intentions! As he cast himself down in the shade, Ned -appeared to slip gently out of the present and into the land of Nod. -How long he slept he had no idea. But it could not have been very long, -for when he opened his eyes again the tug, loaded with the big, black -bulks of the submarine mines, was just leaving the fort. - -"Gracious! Lucky I woke up in time! A fine thing it would have been if -I had blissfully slept right on!" exclaimed Ned to himself in mortified -tones. - -He jumped to his feet. The next instant he threw himself just as -hastily down again. - -He was not alone on the Neck. Not far off was a figure intently -watching the tug as it slowly steamed out from the dock. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -NED AT A DISADVANTAGE. - - -Reconnoitering cautiously from his point of vantage behind the bush, -Ned could not suppress a start of surprise. - -There was something familiar about the figure of the fellow he was -watching. Could it be----? Ned rubbed his eyes and looked again. Then -his lips came together in a firm, thin line. His eyes hardened and his -hands clenched. - -"The infernal rascal!" he muttered. - -He had not been mistaken when he thought he recognized the figure that -was watching the tug as, with its crane stretched out like a long -pointing finger, it steamed out into the center of the bay. - -It was Midshipman Kenworth--Kenworth, whom he supposed was visiting his -relatives far inshore. Yet here he was in civilian clothes on this -lonesome, sandy spit of land, apparently as much interested in the -movements of the army tug as Ned himself. - -What could be the solution of the mystery? Why had Kenworth come there? - -A sinister thought flashed into Ned's mind. The next instant suspicion -became conviction. He saw Kenworth draw out a pair of binoculars and -focus them on the moving tug. Then the midshipman cast himself down -into a sandy hollow, over the breast of which he pointed his binoculars -at the tug. - -"So-o-o-o! That's your little game, is it!" breathed Ned disgustedly. -"You're even blacker than I thought you, Kenworth. I guess I'll take a -hand in this thing myself. Bagging a traitor to Uncle Sam, and one who -is entitled to wear the uniform of an officer and a gentleman at that, -ought to be even more important than a chart of the mine positions." - -Between the two, like a series of billows, stretched wave-like sand -dunes. They were covered with a scant growth of wind-tortured beach -plum and stiff, spiky sea grass. - -But yet the growth, scant as it was, afforded a certain amount of -cover. Ned's mind was soon made up as to the course he would pursue. At -all hazards, it was important to catch Kenworth red-handed. - -"And yet, what can his motive be?" wondered Ned to himself. "I can't -conceive his purpose. He cannot be making his plans and observations -for the benefit of the Blue fleet. If he dared offer them there, he -would be booted over the flagship's side in two shakes. No, there is -something under all this that I haven't fathomed. But I will." - -Ned's firm chin closed on his jaw with a snap. With stern purpose in -his eyes, the young follower of the flag began to creep forward over -the billowing sand dunes. - -His progress was slow, for although in the hollows he had no fear of -being seen, yet when he breasted a rise he had to be careful. It was -when he had attained the summit of one of these sandy acclivities that -Ned noticed that the tug had come to a standstill. - -The crane arm swung inboard and one of the mines, looking like a huge -black shoe button, was slowly hoisted from the pile on the deck. -Then through the still air came the rattling sound of chains and the -shrieking whir of the steam winch as the mine was lowered. - -From this, Ned turned his attention once more to Kenworth. The -midshipman was squatting down in his hollow now, and with a note book -on his knees, was recording some sort of observations. - -Risking detection, Ned centered his binoculars on that note book. -What he saw through the powerful lenses caused him to flush angrily. -Kenworth was making, not without considerable draughtsman's skill, a -sketch map of the whole situation. - -"Oh! you miserable wretch!" exclaimed Ned, gritting his teeth. "I'd -give a whole lot to get my hands on you for about five minutes, and -that's just what I'm going to do, too." - -All unconscious of the concealed watcher, Kenworth sketched on. He -actually appeared to take a pride in his work, from time to time -holding it at arm's length as if to get a better perspective upon it. -Then from his pocket he took a small camera, and made some pictures of -the two forts and the stretch of water between. - -"Great heavens! He's risking the loss of his commission," exclaimed Ned -to himself as he saw. "There must be some uncommon motive behind all -this to make him take such chances. What can it be?" - -The tug was moving now, crawling like some ungainly black bug across -the shimmering water. - -Once more the anchor rumbled down, and again the crane poised, -swooped, and deposited another of the globular black objects, piled on -the fore-deck, in the water. - -Ned, watching Kenworth intently, saw him place a surveyor's instrument -to his eye, no doubt to make a rough calculation of the exact spot of -the planting. Following a few seconds' observation through this, he -jotted down some more notes in his book. - -"He's taking pains to be quite accurate," thought Ned. "He goes about -his work as if it were some honorable duty he was engaged upon. I -wonder how he knew about the mine planting, though? Can it be possible -that he heard the message coming over the wireless, or in some manner -gained access to a copy of it?" - -Loyalty to his flag and country was the Dreadnought Boy's ruling -passion. The sight of Kenworth, engaged upon what Ned was certain could -only be treacherous work, sent a flame that seethed like a white-hot -blast through his frame. - -Again he moved forward, but faster now. Kenworth, all unconscious that -another was creeping up on him, resumed his seat in the hollow and went -on with the touching up of his rough drawings. - -Ned was close upon him now. Through the grass he glided along like a -snake. - -But the rustle of some of the stiff grass behind him, or the fall of a -miniature cascade of sand into his hollow, must have suddenly apprised -Kenworth that somebody was in the vicinity. - -He sprang to his feet and looked about him. At the same instant -something leaped through the air with the speed of a thunderbolt. - -With a roar of rage, Ned had sprung the instant that he saw that -discovery was inevitable. - -A sharp exclamation broke from Kenworth. - -"You fool, I was prepared for you!" - -Simultaneously something flashed bright in his hand, glinting in the -sunlight. - -The next instant Ned felt a hot flash of fire in his face and the -stinging of a shower of needles. He staggered back, his hands to his -eyes, as Kenworth, with a cry of triumph, sprang toward the Dreadnought -Boy's reeling figure. - -"That's the time I got you, Mister Strong!" he exclaimed. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -A PRISONER ON "THE NECK." - - -But his triumph was just a little bit premature. The bullet from the -revolver which Kenworth had so handy had only grazed Ned's cheek. It -was the powder grains that had stung him like red-hot points. - -The next instant he had recovered from his temporary smoke blindness. -As Kenworth jumped for him, Ned sprang at the other. As he did so, his -arms shot out and Kenworth's pistol went flying through the air. - -Then Ned's strong hands seized the other's wrists with the force of -steel handcuffs. - -"Confound you!" roared Kenworth. "I didn't get you, did I?" - -"Not just yet," panted Ned, "nor for some time to come. You're my -prisoner, and if you don't want to accompany me quietly I'll find -means to make you." - -Kenworth's reply was an odd one. He uttered a peculiar whistle. - -"Now what's that for?" wondered Ned. The question had hardly taken -shape in his mind before it was answered, and in a surprising manner. - -A loop was thrown over him, he fell forward, and his arms were pinioned -by an irresistible force to his side, while a knee pressed into the -small of his back. - -"Honorable capitan lie quiet? No?" came a voice in his ear. - -"It's Saki! Let me go instantly," demanded Ned. - -A soft, gurgling laugh was the rejoinder. - -"Yes, me Saki all right, honorable capitan; but no can let you go. You -lie down lilly while." - -With a trick that Ned recognized as one employed by the jiu-jitsu -expert he had vanquished in the Far East, the yellow-skinned rascal, as -he spoke, threw Ned sprawling on his back on the sand. Before he could -make any defense another loop was slipped over his legs. - -"Help!" shouted the boy. "Help! Help!" - -There was a chance that his voice might carry to the distant tug. - -"Ah! That velly bad to make noise, honorable sir," came Saki's soft -voice, and into the struggling lad's mouth was thrust a not over-clean -rag. - -Effectually silenced now, Ned lay there with blazing eyes. He was -beaten, as he realized with a bitter feeling at his heart. Saki and -Kenworth were in league, as he had half guessed before. - -Kenworth's harsh laugh made him turn his eyes in that worthy's -direction. - -"Well, how do you like it, eh?" he chuckled. "And you thought you could -overreach me and give me orders, did you? Just take that!" - -The young ruffian swung a fist crashingly into his helpless victim's -face. Again and again he struck, while Saki stood by, grinning. But -suddenly the Jap interfered. - -"That plenty for now. We finish our work. Then maybe soon we go way -lilly while. Come back night time. Takee honorable capitan nice hotel." - -The yellow man broke into a laugh as he spoke, and Kenworth, flushed -and vicious from his display of vindictive fury, ceased belaboring -Ned. He turned again to his sketch book and spy glasses. Saki took the -opportunity to retrieve the pistol, which he handed back to Kenworth. - -"Maybe good thing you not better shot," he chuckled, with sinister -meaning. - -The wind blew his coat aside as he stooped over, and Ned saw that, -pinned within it, the Jap had a peculiar decoration. Ned knew what it -was. He had seen similar ones in the Far East on the world cruise. - -It was the badge denoting that the wearer belonged to Samurai, or -warrior caste of Japan. It also was conferred as a decoration on -certain leaders after the Russo-Japanese war. - -This Saki, then, was not the ship's steward, as he had been -masquerading. Instead, he was a soldier and a veteran, and evidently, -too, of high rank. - -The whole thing came over Ned in a flash. What a fool he had been -not to see through the plot before. The Jap, whose creature Kenworth -plainly was, had seized the opportunity of the great naval maneuvers to -smuggle himself into the midst of things and secure information about -Uncle Sam's fighting ships and war methods that he could have gained in -no other way. - -The careful maps that Kenworth was drawing were destined to be sent -across the Pacific, for what purpose Ned could guess. He turned eyes -that blazed slow fires of contempt upon Kenworth. - -The latter laughed harshly. - -"Thinking you'd like to nail me, aren't you?" he sneered. "But you'd -have to get up a little earlier in the morning to do that. We knew -every one of your plans long ago. Saki got them in your cabin----" - -The Japanese held up a warning hand. - -"No talk any more. Hurry up your map," he urged. - -"Pshaw! what harm does it do to tell him a few wholesome truths?" -snarled Kenworth. "He's had a swelled head too long altogether. This is -the time that he learns he's not as smart as he thinks, by a whole lot." - -But he regarded the Jap's hint and addressed no more remarks to Ned. -The Dreadnought Boy lay on the hot sands with an ardent sun burning -down upon him. But he was careful to give no sign of suffering, -although his thirst was beginning to be excessive. - -As if he knew this, and delighted in torturing the helpless lad, Saki, -from time to time, drew out an elaborately chased bottle and drank -from it with much satisfaction. - -"Ah! nice, cool. Veree nice," he would say, smacking his lips and -proffering it to Kenworth. "Lemonade, veree good 'Merican drink." - -But Ned, without the quiver of an eyelid, lay gazing up into the -blazing firmament, although his throat felt as if it were cracking from -a drought of centuries. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE FRIENDLY SUN. - - -The sun grew hotter and hotter. From the whirring of winches and the -clanking rattle of chains that was borne shoreward from time to time, -Ned knew that the work of mine-laying was still going on. The work he -had been sent to report! - -What would be thought of him by his superiors? He felt that it was -doubtful if they would believe his story, even supposing he ever got -back to his ship and was able to tell it. - -He wondered what his captors meant to do with him. Reasoning it out, -he had not much fear that they would attempt any desperate course, but -they were certain to place him where he could not give the alarm and -cause their pursuit before they had had an opportunity to get clear -away. - -Mingled with these reflections came others. Ned speculated vainly as -to how long this treachery had been going on. Probably for some time; -Kenworth's note book appeared well filled. Doubtless he had become -disgusted with what he deemed the unfair treatment accorded him in -the navy, and had fallen an easy prey to the foreign agents who are -constantly trying to discover for their countries the secrets of Uncle -Sam's coast defenses and naval arrangements. - -But it is rarely indeed that there is found in either branch of the -service men who have fallen low enough to coöperate with these fellows. -From time to time, though, such dastards are found and promptly weeded -out. There was no doubt but that Kenworth belonged to the latter class. - -"I wonder if Rankin does, also," thought Ned. "He was a friend of -Kenworth's. It's natural he should be mixed up in his nefarious schemes -and plots." - -It must have been well after noon when Kenworth reported that the tug -had finished her work and was going back. - -"Then we go 'way," decided Saki. "Me plenty hungry. Bimeby when get -dark we come back and keep you company, Honorable Strong." - -"Yes, don't be afraid we'll forget you," sneered Kenworth, putting up -his note book; "you've suddenly become important in my eyes." - -Bestowing a parting kick on Ned's helpless form, the miserable traitor -followed Saki off across the sand hills. Ned turned his eyes and -watched them as they went. - -So they were going to leave him there on the parching sand till -nightfall, and then---- - -"Ned, old boy, you're sure in a bad fix," said the captive lad to -himself. "There's not a chance on earth of getting away from here, and -even if I could, I have failed in my mission." - -The thought that he had not accomplished the duty laid out for him -pained the Dreadnought Boy far more than the contemplation of his -predicament. With Ned, and with Herc, too, devotion to their ideals of -duty was almost a religion. It is so with most of Uncle Sam's Jackies. -But, as we know, a few black sheep are bound to crop up in every fold. -Ned thought grimly that he had certainly encountered his share. - -The sun beat down hotter and hotter upon the boy. Its rays burned his -eyes. His lips were swollen, his every bone aching. The tortures of his -thirst had almost reached the point of delirium. - -Suddenly he felt an acute pain upon his hand. It stung like the thrust -of a red-hot knife. - -"Ouch!" exclaimed Ned, and rolled over a little. - -The pain ceased, and the next instant he discovered what had caused it. -His binoculars had been laid upon a rock, one of a few that cropped out -here and there in the arid sand. - -Clearly the Jap and Kenworth had forgotten to take the glasses with -them, for following his binding Ned had been stripped of everything he -possessed. They lay with the small ends toward him. The sun streaming -through the large lenses became concentrated into two tiny, burning -dots of white light at the small end of the glasses. - -The binoculars had, in fact, become converted into a burning glass, -and the sharp sting on Ned's hand had been caused by one of the discs -of concentrated heat. Ned was still engaged on this explanation of his -pained hand when there was borne to his nostrils the sharp, acrid odor -of burning cloth. - -He realized in a flash what had happened. When he rolled over, the disc -of burning essence of light had left his hand, but centered itself on -some portion of his garments. The cloth was on fire and was smoldering. - -He was powerless to feel with his hands where the cloth had ignited -and could feel as yet no pain. But the odor of the burning fabric was -unmistakable. - -It is a curious fact, but it was not until some seconds later that Ned -realized, with a thrill of horror, what that odor of burning cloth -really meant. - -If he could not extinguish that slowly consuming fire, it might -presently burst into flame. Powerless to save himself, he would be -burned alive! - -For an instant he felt sick and faint. Then he rallied his faculties -and began to roll over and over in the sand. After some moments of -this, the odor of burning ceased. - -"Thank heaven for that," thought the boy with a shudder, as he sensed -his terribly narrow escape. - -Suddenly his heart gave an exultant throb. A glad thought had been born -in his mind. From whence the inspiration came, he did not know. It was -enough that it had come. - -If the rays of the binoculars that had been so providentially placed -would ignite cloth, they would surely set fire to rope! - -Ned rolled over once more till he could settle the tiny burning spot -upon his wrist bonds. It was tedious work, and by the time he had the -white hot circlet focused on the ropes, his hands were covered with -tiny red burns that stung like hornets. - -But in the excitement of the moment he scarcely paid any attention to -these. With shining eyes he watched the rope begin to smoke. It glowed -red. The air was filled with a pungent odor. - -Ned gave a quick wrench. Like burned flax the charred and smoldering -wrist gyves gave way. With his hands free, Ned sat up. He felt sick and -dizzy, but his heart bounded with overflowing gratitude. He cast the -burning ropes far from him. - -A jagged clam shell lay not far off. He made his way to it, half -rolling and half staggering. Then, with the sharp shell edges he -swiftly cut his leg bonds. - -He found himself shaking all over. There was an odd swimming feeling in -his head. The sand about him flashed red as blood and the sun reeled -through it like a blazing ball of copper. - -He spat the gag out of his mouth as the fit of weakness passed from him. - -"Now," he said half aloud, as he rose on his aching ankles, "now to try -conclusions with two of the vilest traitors it has ever been my ill -fortune to encounter." - -He stood thus a moment looking about him. Then, with painful footsteps, -for his circulation was not yet fully restored, he set off along the -Neck to where the squat, grim pile of dull red buildings marked the -location of the fort. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -SURPRISES. - - -"Halt!" - -The command came like the crack of a pistol. Facing Ned stood a sentry -in the uniform of the Coast Artillery. In his hands he gripped a -carbine with a sinister-looking, blue-steel bayonet attached to its -barrel. - -"Here's where you turn back, friend, and _pronto_, too," grinned -the sentry. He was a young fellow, with light blue eyes, stupid in -expression, and a nose of the type generally described as "pug." - -"I've got to get to the fort, I tell you," protested Ned. - -His voice came from his parched throat like the cracked, whistling -accents of a very old man. His clothes were torn in places from the -beach plums, through which he had come with furious haste, his eyes -were red-rimmed and wild, and his hat was gone. - -The sentry regarded him contemptuously. But his was a lonely post, a -quarter of a mile out on the sandy Neck, and he decided to waste a -little time with this peculiar stranger. - -"Say, friend, you don't want the fort. It's your cage you want. Why -don't you go right back to the Bronx, climb in, and shut the gate?" - -"Look here," protested Ned, "I'm Lieutenant Strong of the Navy, at -least I hold that temporary commission. I've been attacked by rascals -while on duty and I'm suffering frightfully from thirst." - -"I guess you are suffering from _thirst_," grinned the sentry. "Be a -good boy and get back to the bug-house now, or I'll have to help you." - -He glanced significantly at his bayonet. - -"Great Scott! Do you think I'm crazy!" cried poor Ned. - -"Think it?" the sentry raised his thin, pale eyebrows, "I know it, -old pal. Run along and roll your hoop now, and don't give me no -more trouble. If I was to let you into the fort, I'd be put in the -guard-house for a month for letting a crank through." - -"But I'm Lieutenant Strong, I tell you----" - -The sentry interrupted by tapping his forehead. - -"Sure you are. That's all right. You can be the President if you like; -it's none of my funeral." - -There was a sort of soothing intonation in his voice, as if he were -trying to quiet a fractious child. The stupidity of the fellow almost -drove Ned wild. - -He plunged a hand into his pocket. He would show the fellow by -documents that he was not an impostor. - -"I'll show you papers that will prove who I am," he exclaimed. - -Then, with a sudden chill of horror, he recollected that all his -papers--none of them, luckily, very important ones--had been taken -from him by Saki and Kenworth. The sentry was watching him, as he -frantically searched, with an amused expression. - -"Say, what kind of a game are you trying to work, Captain Jinks of the -Horse Marines?" he asked. - -"It's not a game, I tell you," cried Ned furiously. "Those rascals who -tied me took my papers. They have run off with them----" - -"I guess it's you that have run off from your keepers," said the -sentry, nodding his head sententiously. - -It was hopeless. Even Ned, sore pressed as he was, saw that. The man -was convinced that he was a crank or a crazy man of some sort and would -have no dealings with him. Ned spied a canteen hung round the man's -shoulder. - -"At least, you'll give me a drink," he almost begged, so keen was his -need. - -"It ain't the sort of drink you want. Nothing but water," said the -artilleryman. - -"Good heavens, man, that's what I want!" rasped Ned through his parched -lips. "Give me just a little. Then I'll go." - -"Well, if that's all, drink hearty," said the man, in more friendly -tones. - -He cast a look behind him to make sure he was not observed, and then, -unslinging his canteen, he passed it to Ned. The water was warm and -tasted leathery, but to Ned it was unspeakably delicious. He threw back -his head and let it stream over his parched palate and down his cracked -throat. - -"Cracky! I can hear it sizzle!" exclaimed the sentry. "Go on, take it -all if you need it as badly as that. I ain't that thirsty, and besides -I'll be relieved in a short time." - -Ned needed no second invitation. He drained the canteen to the last -drop. - -"I'm ever so much obliged to you," he said turning away; "maybe some -day I'll be able to reward you with more than thanks." - -"That's all right," replied the sentry heartily. "I hope you'll get -over that bug of yours about being a lootenant. Why, friend, you might -be an orficer in Coxey's army, but I guess that's the only branch of -the service you ever had any dealings with." - -Ned said nothing in reply, but with a wave of his hand walked off. -He had plenty of opportunity, as he plodded along the Neck, for -philosophical reflections on the part that clothes play in this world. -Had he worn his uniform, he could have marched past the sentry without -question. But, as it was, the man more than suspected him of being an -escaped lunatic. - -Ned's intention in going to the fort had been to establish instant -communication with the authorities and warn them to look out for -Kenworth and Saki. Of course, the fort was technically the enemy's -country, but the lad rightly deemed that the capture of two such -renegades as the Jap and the midshipman took precedence of every other -consideration. - -Now, as he made his way back over the shifting sands, his mind was busy -revolving plans for the arrest of the two who had served him in such -rascally fashion. - -Musing thus, he was pressing steadily on, when, on topping a rise, -he came in sight of a small, sandy cove. Drawn well up into it was a -sharp-bowed motor boat. A long engine hood forward showed that she -carried powerful engines. On shore, beside her, lay a figure dozing -in the shade. The tide rippled pleasantly and the sand alongside the -beached craft afforded a cool resting place. - -"The very thing!" exclaimed Ned. "Goodness knows how long it would -take me to walk to Civic Island. Some time, anyhow, even if I felt in -the humor to do it. I'm pretty sure those rascals must have made for -there, and if I hurry up I might catch them yet." - -"Hello, there!" he hailed, running down the bank to where the man lay. -"Can you start your motor on the jump? I'm in a big hurry and----" - -At the sound of a voice the dozing man rolled over. - -Right then Ned experienced the surprise of his life. The man was Saki! - -The shock of this discovery had hardly had time to sink in, and the two -were still staring at each other, when from the boat came another voice. - -"If you're in a big hurry, come right aboard and save us the trouble of -fetching you." - -Ned looked up from Saki and faced Kenworth. The renegade midshipman was -regarding him with a sardonic grin. Ned saw that he held a revolver. -The weapon was pointed straight at the Dreadnought Boy's heart. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -OFF FOR A CRUISE. - - -Kenworth had a look of triumph on his face. While Ned, dumbfounded at -the turn events had taken, faced him, Saki sprang to his feet and also -jerked out a pistol. - -"I advise you not to run, my honorable capitan, or to make resistance," -said the Jap, smiling amiably. "It would not by any means suit our -purposes to have you get away just now. We must, therefore, claim you -as our guest." - -Ned feigned an indifference he was far indeed from feeling. - -"It seems that rascals do have all the luck on their side sometimes, -doesn't it?" he said. - -The Jap did not reply. Instead, he turned to Kenworth, who was still -standing on board the motor boat and keeping Ned relentlessly covered -with his pistol. - -"Put over that gangplank," he said. "We are to have the honor of an -unexpected visit from clever Mr. Strong. I cannot imagine how he -managed to free himself, but it is greatly to our advantage that, after -having done so, he took the path that he did. Now, my honorable sir, -if you will give yourself the great trouble to walk up that plank I -shall be your most obedient servant. Remember I am close behind you, -and if you should feel tempted to jump or run, pray recollect that I am -excessively nervous, and in my excitement I might press this trigger." - -"You mean you would do so," returned Ned. "I know you and your breed." - -"Complimentary, is he not?" grinned the Jap, addressing Kenworth. - -"It doesn't matter what he is," was the grumbling rejoinder, "we've got -him tight this time, and by hookey, I mean to keep him safe and sound." - -"Oh, yes, there must be no more promenades, honorable Ned," chuckled -the Jap. - -Ned could have throttled the grinning rascal then and there. But he -reflected that to make any break to escape would probably result in -serious consequences for himself. It was a lonely part of the Neck and -concealed from the view of the little-traveled path that led through -the brush. - -Besides, he thought that possibly another chance to get away might -present itself. If he proved troublesome, the two rascals would take -double pains to secure him, whereas if they thought he was thoroughly -subdued they might not be so particular. - -With this thought in mind, he threw back his head proudly and walked -across the rickety gangway with a firm step. - -"At least, I won't let them see that they can scare a sailor of Uncle -Sam's," he thought, looking defiantly into the grimacing face of -Kenworth. - -As soon as he was on board, the gangplank was drawn in. Then Saki -addressed the involuntary guest. - -"Hold out your hands, please, honorable sir." - -"What for?" demanded Ned, although he guessed what was coming. They -were going to bind him again. - -But this time Ned guessed wrong. That is, on the present occasion the -two worthies had clearly decided to use no ordinary methods of insuring -the safety of their prisoner. - -"I wish to present you with some jewelry," said Saki, with a grin that -made Ned wild to give the oily, grimacing ruffian a good drubbing. - -The next instant he produced a pair of handcuffs. Ned, situated as he -was, had no choice but to submit to being manacled. - -"It's what I might have expected of you," he said, as Saki snapped the -locks shut. "May I ask what you mean to do with me?" - -"We will take a little cruise out into open water till it gets dark, -and then we shall return to--to--well, we shall return you to a safe -place on shore for the night." - -As the Jap spoke, Kenworth started the engine and then drew in the -anchor. The clutch was slipped into forward speed and the motor boat -moved out of the little cove, splitting the water at a good rate. - -"You said you were going to take a cruise?" inquired Ned. - -"Such is our intention," rejoined Kenworth, who had the wheel, with a -scowl. - -"I should advise you not to," was the quiet rejoinder. - -"Why not?" - -For answer Ned pointed to great castellated clouds piled up in majestic -masses on the horizon. They towered whitely against the blue sky and -appeared to be traveling at some speed. - -"Well, what about those clouds?" asked Kenworth, with his customary -sneer. - -"Thunder heads. We are in for a bad storm, or I miss my guess," said -Ned, in the same quiet tones. - -"Hark at the scare-cat!" chuckled Kenworth. "Say, Ned Strong, for a -braggart upstart you show the white feather mighty soon." - -"If only you were concerned," retorted Ned, "I shouldn't care what -became of this craft or those in it. But I'd hate to be drowned, when -some day I confidently expect to be the means of bringing you two -traitors to justice." - -It was perhaps an unwise speech, but Ned was mad clear through. -Kenworth looked at him keenly. - -"So that's your little plan, eh?" he asked. "Well, I guess we know ways -to checkmate that, Saki." - -"Undoubtedly," responded the Jap, gravely nodding his head. - -"That's all I have to say," said Ned; "go ahead and work out your own -salvation. I've warned you." - -"I always knew you were a coward at bottom, Strong," scoffed Kenworth, -"and now I'm going to give you a cruise that will take the starch out -of you for the rest of your life." - -He touched the control, which was on the steering wheel like that of -an automobile. The craft leaped forward like a flying fish. The spray -flew high on either bow. Kenworth, a wicked gleam in his eyes, headed -straight up the Sound. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE STORM. - - -As Ned had foreseen, a storm was brewing. It was one of those sudden -summer storms that come up almost without warning and rage furiously -over the Sound. The big thunder heads rolled up rapidly till the entire -sky was overcast. - -Saki was sitting on the stern seat. Ned, with a gleam of satisfaction, -saw that the Jap looked frightened. Indeed the weather promised to be -bad enough to alarm even an experienced sailor, which Saki surely was -not. - -Under the dark clouds the sky was shot with an angry, lurid, copper -color. The sea had turned leaden and began to heave suddenly. Still -Kenworth, driven by his hatred of Ned, kept on. - -It appeared that he hardly cared what became of himself or his -companion, so that he could have his revenge upon Ned. As a matter of -fact, Kenworth by no means liked the looks of the weather himself. But -it would have been unsafe to remain ashore with Ned, as neither the -midshipman nor Saki knew with whom he had been conversing during his -brief liberty. For all they could tell, although it did not appear -probable, an ambush might have been laid for them. Therefore, they had -decided to cruise about till it grew dark. - -Ned, for his part, determined to say nothing more. He sat on a midship -seat, the handcuffs on his wrists, watching the coming storm. - -The wind began to moan in an eerie sort of way. It sounded like the -actual voice of the coming tempest. The sea began to whip up into white -caps. Suddenly the black storm curtain was ripped and rent from top to -bottom by a jagged streak of livid lightning. - -Saki turned a sort of pasty green. His knees almost knocked together. -The motor boat was a narrow-waisted, wasp-like craft, and did not -appear to be suited for heavy weather. - -"Maybe so we better go back," suggested the Jap in a shaky voice. He -glanced apprehensively at the mighty canopy of the storm overhead. - -Kenworth turned on him almost savagely. - -"We'll go back when I get good and ready," he said. "I want to see how -much this white-livered braggart can stand. Yes, I mean you, Strong." - -There was a sweeping blast of wind. It was followed by a blinding flash -and then a roar like the rumble of a million celestial chariot wheels. -The Jap hid his face while the lightning seared and streaked the sky as -if an egg had been spattered to smithereens on a blackboard. The very -air smelled sulphurous. - -"I--I guess we'll go back," said Kenworth. - -Just then a wave struck the side of the bow and reared its white crest -high above the tossing craft. Saki sprang to his feet as the salt -water came dousing down in a regular cloudburst. It drenched Kenworth -to the skin and tore from the Jap a frightened shout. - -"Hope you like it," grinned Ned, the only collected person on the -boat. The dark frenzy of Kenworth's mad passion had passed and now he -saw with panic-stricken eyes the danger they were in. The wind was -howling furiously and the waves were piling up on every side. It seemed -impossible that the lightly built craft could live much longer in the -tumult of waters. - -Saki was in a panic of fear. Crouched on the bottom of the boat, his -yellow face looked, in the glare of the almost incessant lightning, -like some hideous war-mask of the old Samurai. - -Ned gazed about him. The outlook was bad, very bad. And then there -were those handcuffs. If only he could get them off. He addressed the -terrified Saki. - -[Illustration: "You drop that wheel, and we'll all go to Davy Jones!" -shouted Ned.--_Page 155_] - -"Here, you, take these handcuffs off. At once, do you hear me?" - -He felt no fear of the groveling wretch at his feet. He even emphasized -his remarks by a threatening gesture of his foot. - -"Oh! Oh! Honorable Saki much frightened!" wailed the Jap. - -"You contemptible yellow cur," snapped Ned, "brace up! Do you hear me? -Come now, quick, the key." - -The Jap actually managed to struggle to his feet and produce the key. -Kenworth saw what he was doing. - -"Stop that!" he yelled, and began to let go of the wheel. A shout from -Ned brought him to his senses. - -"You drop that wheel, and we'll all go to Davy Jones!" shouted Ned. - -Kenworth gripped the spokes again. If ever fear was written on a face, -it was on his. The thought of the death that was so near paralyzed -him. Perhaps he thought of that other storm off the Cuban coast when -Ned had brought them safely aboard through a wilder sea than this. - -The Jap's teeth chattered as he unfastened the handcuffs and Ned jerked -his hands free. - -"Now hand over that gun. Quick, now," snapped out Ned. - -The Jap was so terrified that he would have done anything he was told. -With hands that shook, he handed over the pistol. Ned took possession -of it with grim satisfaction. - -The chance that he had hoped against hope might come had arrived. He -was on even terms with his foes. But would that fact do him any good? -The storm was raging so furiously that Ned, with all his optimism, -could not hope that the motor craft would live through it. - -The only thing to be done, as he saw it, was to run for the lee of a -point of land some distance off. If they could reach this in safety, -they might have a chance. If not, and the storm continued to increase -in violence, there was hardly one chance in a thousand for them. - -The angry lightning hissed and crackled and the thunder boomed with -ear-splitting clamor as Ned made his way forward to Kenworth's side. -When he arrived there, he seized the other by the shoulder and shouted -in his ear. - -"Steer for that point yonder! It's the only chance we've got." - -Kenworth, in his fear forgetting everything but the instinct of -self-preservation, obediently headed the storm-stressed craft around. - -It was at that moment that another sea broke upon the little vessel. - -There was a sputter and a series of coughs from the engine, and -simultaneously the motor, upon which all depended, went dead. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -CONFESSION. - - -"This is the finish!" - -Ned gasped out the words as he heard the last expiring cough of the -motor. It was hopelessly short-circuited. The battery box was drenched, -the spark-plugs dripping. - -Kenworth turned a white face on him. - -"You mean----" - -"That your wicked schemes have ended in this, Kenworth--a miserable -death for us all. This tinder box cannot live more than five minutes -longer, if that. You had best prepare to meet your Maker." - -Kenworth, moaning like the arrant coward he was, threw himself -groveling on the floor of the boat. - -"Oh--oh--oh! Can nothing save us?" he moaned. "Listen, Strong, I have -been wicked, I know. But I was poor, and gambling took away whatever -money I could scrape together. I was threatened with exposure to my -relatives if I did not pay my debts. - -"That would have meant ruin, for, influential as they were, they had -become disgusted with the poor showing I had made in the navy. It was -at this crisis that I met Saki. He tempted me to betray naval secrets -with promises of money. He helped me pay my debts and gave me money -lavishly. In return, I furnished him with every scrap of information -I could pick up. He has secret code books, fire-control plans, night -signals, and details of our ammunition resources." - -Ned looked at the wretch that groveled at his feet as if he could have -struck him. - -"How long has this been going on?" he demanded. - -"For a long time. Saki had me in his power. I was helpless." - -"Don't be a weakling in addition to your other faults," said Ned -imperiously. "Have you that book of drawings you have been making?" - -"Y-y-y-yes." - -"Give it to me." - -"B-b-b-but it is meant for----" - -"Give it to me. If I should be saved, I will see that the proper -authorities get it. If not, there will no harm come of it. Come, hand -it over." - -Quivering from head to foot, white-faced and limp-fingered, Kenworth -fumbled in his pockets. He drew out a book and handed it over to Ned. -The Dreadnought Boy took it and thrust it into his pocket. - -Hardly had he done so before a giant wave swept down on the motor boat. -Caught in the trough of the seas, the craft wallowed helplessly. - -Then, half full of water, she sidled down the other side. Ned saw that -the end was at hand. With a white, set face he ripped out some life -preservers from under the seats. - -"Here, put these on," he commanded Kenworth and the Jap. - -As he spoke, he flung one to each. They seized them, their teeth -chattering and their throats uttering sounds that were hardly human. -Ned took one himself and buckled it on. - -"At least the stolen secrets of the United States Navy are in safe -hands now," he muttered; "if I go to the bottom, there is no better -keeper of confidences than old Davy Jones. If I should save my life, no -power on earth will separate me from them till I have placed them in -the hands of the naval authorities." - -The half-filled boat kept afloat with wonderful seaworthiness, -considering her narrow build. Wave after wave, that it appeared must -engulf her half water-logged hull, she rode right gallantly. - -Ned actually began to entertain a ray of hope that, after all, she -might weather the tempest. But it was still blowing with malignant -fury, and there did not appear to be any sign of abatement in the huge -seas and constant display of angry lightning. - -"D-d-d-do you think she can live?" stammered Kenworth. - -Ned shook his head. He turned a glance of contempt upon the -conscience-stricken coward. - -"Do you mean to tell me that you care for life after what you have -confessed to me?" he demanded. "Why, Kenworth, if I had done one half -of what you admit, I should not wish ever to meet one of my fellow men -again. - -"Why, man, you had a glorious chance in the finest sea service in the -world! What did you do with it? Chucked it away and became a pawn, a -creature of your country's enemies." - -Kenworth whimpered like a whipped cur. - -"I--I needed the money," he stuttered; "I was helpless in the hands of -the Jap. I tried to do better, but somehow I couldn't break away. I--I -always liked you, Strong. I did indeed. Can you save us?" - -"Yes, you liked me so much that on every occasion you could you took -advantage of the fact that you were an officer to insult and abuse me! -Kenworth, now that you are frightened at the face of death, you are -willing to cringe and cow to me. - -"If we were all to be saved, and our positions could ever be the same -again, you would be just the same. It is the nature of such men as you. -But we never shall be the same again, Kenworth. Your career is ended. -Driven from the navy, branded as a traitor, you will find no peace." - -"B-b-b-but life is sweet, Strong. Can't you save us? Saki will give you -money. Plenty of money." - -"Yes, yes, honorable sir," cried the Jap eagerly. "My emperor will -reward you. I, too, am rich. I will give you much money. Only save us. -There is nothing----" - -A scream of terror from Kenworth's white lips split the air. It sounded -above the rumble of the thunder chariots. - -"Look! Look!" he shrieked, high above the noises of the storm. - -Towering over them, looming up through the flying wrack like the -tremendous figure of fate itself, was a gigantic black form. It was -right upon them. - -"It's a schooner!" shouted Ned. "She's----" - -There was a horrible crunching sound and the motor boat was no more. -Severed clean in two, she sank, the storm-racked sea carrying with her -those who a moment before had been of her company. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ORDERS ARE ORDERS. - - -Meantime, on board the _Seneca_, Herc had been feeling intense anxiety -over the non-return of Midshipman Kenworth. To add to his uneasiness, -also, Saki, who had been sent ashore to order some fresh provisions, -had not returned. - -The crew of the gig had waited for the Jap that evening (the evening of -Ned's departure) for more than two hours. The village was some little -distance back from the shore and they allowed him ample time to go and -return, considering the fact that a trolley line connected with the -place. - -When he did not return within that time, the coxswain ordered a return -to the ship to receive further orders from Herc, acting commandant. -Herc, in some perplexity as to the best course to pursue, finally -decided to order a picket party to find out what had become of the -Oriental. - -A thorough search of the village was made and at length, in a garage, -they struck the trail of the yellow man. It appeared that he had rented -a car there and departed for parts unknown. - -Herc decided to wait for the return of the driver. He felt in a vague -yet positive way that there was more underlying the disappearance of -the Japanese than could be accounted for on the supposition that he had -gone off on an undisciplined joy ride. - -The chauffeur returned at last. He had taken Saki to a town where the -Jap had boarded a train of the main line of the Long Island Railroad. -That was all he knew. He had been well paid, he volunteered, and -also added that the Jap had paid him from a roll that "would trip a -greyhound." - -"Now what would the steward of a gunboat be doing with all that money?" -mused Herc. - -He pondered for a time the advisability of trying to follow the trail -of the Jap; but reflection convinced him that this would be useless. - -Besides, the fact that he was responsible for the _Seneca_ would have -precluded the idea. He could not make it an excuse for deserting his -post that he had been in pursuit of a mere steward; and they had not -any actual proof against Saki to show that he was anything more than a -deserter. - -His description was, however, sent out broadcast, as a renegade from -the navy. This done, Herc, feeling downcast and uneasy, returned to -the ship. He felt depressed. Influences of evil were at work, he felt -sure of it. But the very indefiniteness of his suspicions made them the -harder to bear. - -"At least, I can find out if Saki was lying about being short of fresh -vegetables," he said. - -The assistant steward, a negro named after the ship where he had last -served, Tennessee, was summoned. Herc made an inspection with him and -found his worst suspicions verified. Far from being short of fresh -provisions, the ship's refrigerators were amply stocked. There was no -shortage anywhere that would justify the decamping steward's excuse to -get ashore. - -"Huh! if I'd only had horse sense enough to do this a while ago," mused -Herc gloomily, "that fellow would have stood no more chance to get off -this ship than a man would have to sell refrigerators at the North -Pole. I'm a fine dunderhead, I am." - -No wireless messages came that night, and the morning brought no news -of Ned. Nor did Kenworth reappear at the appointed time. - -Herc began to be seriously worried. What could have happened? The -survey of the mine planting operations could not have taken more than -a day. Ned should certainly have been heard from. The silence and -mystery that were closing in about Herc began to get on his nerves. - -Still he attended dutifully to the routine of the ship, and Trevor, the -operator, was under orders to report to him the instant anything came -over the wireless. So the day wore away and with nightfall the wireless -began to spit and splutter. - -What Herc had dreaded had happened. The flagship was asking for Ned. -Herc was in a terrible quandary. He could not tell a lie and pretend -that Ned was on board or had been heard from. Yet if he did not shield -his comrade in some way, Ned was almost certain, unless he had an -excellent excuse for his absence, to get into serious trouble. Even a -courtmartial might result. - -At length the wireless became imperative. - -"If Lieutenant Strong not on board, get in instant communication with -him. Important.--Dunham." - -"Try and get the flagship again," Herc ordered. - -Trevor bent over his key. For a long time he kept sending his crackling -waves out into space. But no answer came. - -"Can't you get 'em?" demanded Herc impatiently. - -The operator shook his head dismally. - -"No use trying. The air is full of messages. They're buzzing like flies -round a honey-pot. I'll try again later on, sir." - -Herc began to see that the command of the _Seneca_ was not going to -prove any bed of roses. Already he was plunged into the middle of a -puzzle to which there appeared to be no key. - -Not only had Kenworth and the Jap vanished, but Ned Strong was not to -be found. Yet there were the orders: "Get in instant communication with -him." - -Herc gave a dismal groan. The more he thought matters over, the more -complicated did they become. - -"By the bald-headed American steer," he grunted, in the seclusion -of his cabin, "this beats anything I ever tackled. However, orders -are orders and must be obeyed to the letter. I've got to get into -communication with Ned. Just as if I wouldn't have done that long ago -if I'd had the chance!" - -Turning the command of the ship over to one of the warrant officers, -Herc changed into plain clothes and then summoned the crew of his gig. -He was rowed ashore and sought out the man from whom Ned had rented the -gasoline craft which took him to Civic Island. - -The man could shed no light on the matter, beyond saying that he had -taken Ned to his destination. A sudden determination came over Herc. - -Ned had, then, arrived at Civic Island. He must go there at once and -take up the trail. - -"It's a blind one," he muttered, "but I'll follow it to the end if it -costs me my commission." - -Some time later the same gasoline craft that had conveyed Ned, landed -Herc at Civic Island. It had fought its way alongshore through the same -storm that had brought disaster to Ned. Despite the idea he had formed -of the difficulties of the task in front of him, Herc did not imagine, -even in his more despondent moments, what a trail of trouble it was -that he had set out upon. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -ON THE "TWIN SISTERS." - - -Ned opened his eyes. His first thought was that he was in his bunk on -the _Seneca_. But an instant's glance about at his surroundings soon -dispelled that idea. - -He lay on a rough shelf, rather than bunk, on a pile of dirty blankets. -Another frowsy covering was thrown over him. Above him were beams and -cross planks by which he would have known, even had it not been for the -motion, that he was on board a vessel of some sort. - -The place in which he found himself was clearly a small cabin. In the -center of the forward bulkhead stood a rusty stove with a high rail -to keep the pots and pans simmering on it from sliding off under the -motion of the ship. - -Some sea clothes swung from a line stretched across the ceiling. In a -corner, against a locker, stood some hip boots, above which oil-skin -coats were hung. The place was dirty, stuffy and smoky to the last -degree. The last mentioned attribute was not improved by the sooty -radiance from a dim lantern swinging from one of the carlines. - -"Where on earth--what----?" muttered Ned, raising himself on one arm as -he made his survey. - -And then, like the inrush of the tide, memory came back. - -The storm, the wild ride of the motor boat! The confession of Kenworth, -the yielding of the note book, and then the last terrible scene when -the immense black mountain that towered above them for a flash had -engulfed and broken them! - -Ned felt weak and dizzy. But his mind rapidly cleared. He had a vague -recollection of having been struck a blow when the motor boat was cut -in half. Beyond that he knew nothing more. Yet he must have been -rescued. Determined to unravel the mystery and also to ascertain if -possible what had become of Kenworth and Saki, he made an effort to -rise. - -But he was so weak that it was some moments after he had made the first -attempt that he succeeded. His coat hung near him on a hook. His shirt -and trousers he had on. His first action, when he reached for his coat, -was to dive into its pockets in search of the book he had forced from -Kenworth. - -He gave an exclamation of satisfaction as he felt its outlines and drew -it forth. It was damp, but not wet within its covers, for the outside -of the volume that contained so many of Uncle Sam's secrets was clasped -tightly by a strong rubber band. This had kept the water from smudging -any of the drawings or writing. - -But Ned just then did not give much thought to the book, precious to -him though it was. His main object was to discover just where he was -and how he came there. There was a steep little stairway, or ladder, -opposite the stove. - -Ned climbed it and found himself on the stern deck of a small schooner. -She was spanking along, eating her way up against a head breeze while -great clouds of sparkling spray tossed over her thundering, pounding -bow. - -Standing beside the wheel was a short, thick-set man with iron-gray -whiskers shot with reddish hair. He was roughly dressed and a -pipe,--short and thick like himself,--was in his mouth. - -By his side sat a one-eyed black and white dog, with one ear cropped -and the other hanging down dejectedly. Forward, Ned saw two men -attending to the jib sheets as the schooner came about and went away on -another tack. - -The man at the wheel being too busy in attending to this maneuver to -notice Ned, the Dreadnought Boy, with the thunder of the shivering -sails in his ears, looked about him. He instantly recognized their -whereabouts. The schooner was crossing New York Bay. - -Looking back he could see the battlemented spires and domes of the -skyscrapers on the lower end of Manhattan Island, and further up the -East River the spidery outlines of Brooklyn Bridge. Ferryboats moved -rapidly to and from Staten Island, and close at hand a big tramp was -coming along, making for her dock in the Erie Basin. - -As the rattle and bang of the sails ceased as they took the wind and -the schooner filed off on the other tack, the thick-set man at the -wheel gave his attention to Ned. So did the dog. It came sniffing -around his ankles growling ominously. - -The bearded man removed his pipe. - -"Here you, Tops'l, go off on another tack, d'ye hear? Starboard, hard -over!" - -The sea-going canine appeared to understand, for it relinquished its -scrutiny of Ned and came over to its master. - -"Inter drydock with you, you flea-chawed stepson of a coyote," grunted -the man, and then he was free to turn his attention to Ned. - -"Hello!" he grunted gruffly. "How yer feelin'?" - -"Pretty good, thanks," responded Ned. "I guess it's you I have to thank -for saving me from the Sound last night, for I see by the sun that its -near noon of another day." - -"'Tis that. We lost a lot of time down ther East River. It's gittin' so -that tugs clutters up the river worser nor taxicabs does the streets. -But we come down under sail. No fifteen dollars down fer me, thank you." - -He looked oddly at Ned from under his bushy eyebrows. - -"Can you anyways recall jes' what happened las' night?" he asked -presently. - -Ned shook his head. - -"I've not the least idea," he said. "All I know is that something cut -our motor boat in two and then everything got dark. By the bump I've -got on my head, I imagine something hit me. But there were two other -men in the boat with me. Do you know anything about them?" - -The bushy brows contracted. The man looked away, removed his pipe, spat -reflectively and then faced Ned again. - -"I don't know nuthin' about nobody but you," he said, in the same odd -way, and then he returned to his previous question. - -"You don't recklect nuthin' more'n what you told me?" - -"That is absolutely all," rejoined Ned, puzzled by the man's insistence -on this one question. - -"Well, then it weren't me as run you down. I don't want no claim for -damages on the _Twin Sisters_." - -"You won't have any, so far as I'm concerned," said Ned, a light -beginning to dawn upon him; "but tell me how you came to pick me up?" - -"I'll tell you the way of it, no deception and no lies," said the -bushy-browed man. "Cap'n Lemuel Briggs ain't the man to lie. Look at -me. Do I look like a man who would inwent of malice aforethought a -faberrycation?" - -"You don't," replied Ned, inwardly thinking that Captain Briggs did not -to any vast extent measure up to his description of himself. - -"Very well, then, matey, you shall have the truth on it," said Captain -Briggs, with a fine open air. "There ain't a man from here plumb to the -Pearly Gates that could ever accuse me of ex-er-ager-ation. - -"Arter we--that is, arter we seen that other schooner run yer down, I -puts my wheel hard over. Then I sends a man up in the bow to look out -fer anyone that he could save, me being one of the most humane skippers -that ever used a handspike on a frisky deckhand. He climbs down into -the bobstay riggin' and the first thing he catches sight of is you, -right under the bow. He grabs you and we gets you on deck and puts you -to bed, and now here you are up again, bright and spry, and ready to -pay liberal for yer rescue, I hopes." - -Ned looked embarrassed. Although he was pretty sure that Captain -Briggs' schooner, despite the captain's asseverations to the contrary, -was the one that had run down the motor boat, he still felt grateful to -the man for being the means of saving his life. But his pocketbook had -been stolen by Kenworth and Saki, no doubt in the hope that it might -contain papers of value. - -He was penniless. His embarrassment must have showed pretty plainly on -his face, for Captain Briggs gave a wave of his hand. - -"That's all right, matey," he said magnanimously. "I kin see that you -come of good folks and kin pay well. If you ain't got much with you -now, you can write me a check or we'll wait till you can take me to -your folks." - -"But I haven't any folks here, nor have I a check-book or any large -sums of money anywhere," said Ned, perplexed about getting out of this -unforeseen difficulty. "Where are you bound for?" he added. - -The captain looked cunning. He laid his finger to one side of his -pimply, bottle-shaped nose. - -"That's a bit of a secret, my lad. But I don't mind telling you this. -It's on the Jersey shore above Perth Amboy." - -"Very well, then," said Ned relieved, "you put me ashore in Perth Amboy -and I'll send you whatever money I can raise to any address you give." - -The captain stared at him as if in deep thought. For a moment he said -nothing. Then he found words. - -"Ain't you a nice one ter try yer deceivin' ways on poor ole Cap'n -Briggs?" said he in an injured tone. "Fellers like you ain't ridin' -roun' in motor boats with no money to do it on. You'll stay right here -with me till you send for a messenger or telegraft or find some way to -have the money paid right over to me." - -"How much do you want?" asked Ned. - -"Three hundred dollars, my lad, and little enough that is to a young -millionaire like you." - -"But I couldn't get that much, anyhow," gasped Ned. - -"Then I'm werry sorry to be obleeged to state that you'll stay here -with me until yer do," responded Cap'n Briggs. - -He cast a cunning glance at Ned from under his bushy brows out of his -bleary, blood-shot eyes. Then he dived into his pocket and produced a -large flask. - -"I won't treat you no ways mean. Have a drink, matey?" he asked. - -"I wouldn't touch the stuff," said Ned, who began to see a partial -reason for the captain's obstinacy. - -The captain shrugged his shoulders and took a long pull. Then, wiping -his mouth with the back of his hand, he replaced the bottle and gave an -order to "Haul sheets and go about once more." - -"Looks like I'm destined to get into tight places that I can never -explain to anyone's satisfaction," mournfully muttered Ned to himself, -as the little schooner yawed and pitched and finally clawed her way -round on the other tack. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE TRAIL. - - -Herc decided to begin his investigation into Ned's mysterious -disappearance by making a canvass of the hotels on Civic Island. There -were not so very many of them, and by chance the third or fourth that -he struck was the one in which Ned had put up. - -But he could not glean much information there. They informed him of the -hour that Ned had left the place, and further questioning elicited the -fact that, as we know, Ned had engaged a hack to convey him part way to -his destination. - -Armed with this information, Herc, feeling not at all eased in his -mind, started out to find the hackman. He had a long search for the -man, but at last he discovered him in the person of a bulbous-nosed, -bibulous-looking old specimen of the genus hack-driver. - -Yes, the man recollected Ned. Knew the very place he had dropped him. -Would he drive Herc out there? Certainly. Ned jumped into the rickety -old conveyance owned by the bulbous-nosed man, who rejoiced in the name -of Chuck Chiggins. - -Chuck's bony old nag, in due time, landed the cab at the place where -Ned had left it. Herc could see the Neck stretching out tenuously -across the shining water. Telling Chuck to wait, he walked about for -an hour or more trying rather vaguely to locate at least some clew -to Ned's whereabouts. Needless almost is it to say, that he did not -succeed in his purpose. In fact it was more for the sake of doing -something to work off his anxiety that Herc made the idle search at all. - -"The Neck appears ter be gittin' a pop'lar place lately," volunteered -Chuck, when Herc returned. - -"How's that?" asked Herc disinterestedly, as he resumed his place and -told Chuck to drive back to the island. - -"Why, it's jes' this way. Right arter your friend drove down this way, -I meets a Jap pluggin' along the road. He asks me to drive him to some -point near to the Neck." - -"What's that?" Herc had suddenly galvanized into interest. A Jap! And -in the vicinity of the place where Ned was carrying on his confidential -observations! There was food for thought here. - -The old cabby, with a look of astonishment at Herc's sudden and -vehement interest, repeated his story. - -"He were a mighty onery looking Jap, too," he volunteered; "but, Lord -bless yer, if I was ter inquire into the character of everyone that -rode in this here cab, it's not much business that I'd be doin'." - -As they jogged along over the sandy road, Herc had plenty of material -for reflection. Of course, it might be only a far-fetched conclusion, -but it appeared reasonable to suppose that the Jap whom Chuck had -driven was none other than Saki. - -If this was the case, Herc was almost certain that the Oriental and -Kenworth had an appointment on the Neck. It was not likely, either, -that they were there for any legitimate purpose, inasmuch as one had -deserted from his ship and the other had overstayed his leave for the -purpose. - -"I'm certain that their presence there meant harm to good old Ned," -muttered Herc gloomily. "My! what a tangle this thing is getting into." - -The old hack jolted over the bridge and began traversing the streets -of Civic Island. Ordinarily Herc would have found much to look at. -The Island is one of the most remarkable places in the vicinity of -New York. In summer the inlet between the island and the main land is -crowded with houseboats and pleasure craft of all kinds. - -Its one main street, bordered by gimcrack restaurants and rickety -boarding-houses, interspersed with a few stores, is thronged with -white-garbed yachtsmen and girls in brightly colored blazers and -duck skirts. There is music everywhere, from wheezy orchestrions to -wandering string orchestras. It is a veritable summer city by the sea. -With the first blast of cold weather the pageant vanishes, and Civic -Island is deserted of its butterfly population almost overnight. - -But there is another aspect to life on this remarkable island. On the -side opposite to that devoted to catering to the summer guests, is a -strange colony of beach-combers, fishermen and more or less languishing -boat-works. In this part of the island, too, are laid up the gaunt -skeletons of various yachts which have competed for the America Cup. - -Useless for any purpose but that for which they were built, racing -machines pure and simple, the hulls of the once splendid sailing cracks -lie moldering on ancient ways, dreaming of the days when they skimmed -the seas with pyramids of snowy canvas rising above their deep-keeled -bodies. In this part of the island can be found gaunt, rat-haunted -factory buildings once devoted to sail-lofts and rope-walks. But -with the passing of this branch of maritime trade from Civic Island -the rickety structures with gaping windows and cracking boards stand -tenantless and moss-grown like so many stranded hulks, the tide washing -at the piles on which some of them extend out over the water. - -They were passing along the lower end of the "summer resort" street -of the island when Herc gave a sudden exclamation. Before Chuck could -utter a word, Herc was out of the rig and bounding off down the -thoroughfare. - -The old cabby had not even time to shout out indignantly that Herc -had forgotten the formality of paying his fare, before the tall, -red-headed youth had vanished round a corner, his long legs going like -piston rods. - -The cause of Herc's sudden change from the cab to the street was this: - -Rounding the corner, past which he himself dashed a moment later, he -had caught a glimpse of two backs that appeared strikingly familiar to -him. - -Like a flash, the reason for this familiar appearance had come over him. - -The two pedestrians who excited his attention were Kenworth, the -renegade midshipman, and Saki, the mysterious Jap. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE JAPANESE STORE. - - -When Herc hit the sidewalk he utterly forgot all else in his anxiety -to follow and trace out the destination of the two he had so -providentially, he felt, sighted from the cab. - -He had a feeling that if he could run them down without their observing -him, he would be able to discover the whereabouts of Ned, for the more -he pondered it, the more the Dreadnought Boy felt certain that the two -worthies he was trailing knew what had become of his chum. - -He was perfectly correct in his prompt recognition of the two men. A -second glance as he cautiously negotiated the corner showed him that. - -The pair, who no doubt felt perfectly secure, were walking along at -a moderate gait. From time to time they cast sharp glances at some -shabby-looking little shops as if in search of something. - -It will, of course, be recalled that the last time we saw Saki and his -accomplice they were on the point of being precipitated into the stormy -sea, following the death-blow the schooner had dealt the frail motor -boat. - -How they escaped a grave in the tumbling water rows we shall also learn -before long. But just now let us follow Herc as, slipping in and out -of doorways and taking advantage of every bit of cover, like a trained -detective, he follows them. - -As they did not look back, Herc's task was rendered considerably more -easy of accomplishment than would otherwise have been the case. He -kept, however, some yards to the rear in order to guard against the -danger of being recognized. - -The fact that he was in "mufti" or citizen's clothes was in his favor. -Young Taylor, in his not very stylish gray suit, was an inconspicuous -person compared with the somewhat swaggering air he bore when he was in -Uncle Sam's uniform. - -They were leaving behind them the street that was crowded with -summer-garbed promenaders. The stores were small and of no attraction. -Dingy, uncleaned windows and slatternly-looking merchants began to make -their appearance. - -At the foot of the down-at-heel side street, Herc could catch a glimpse -of water and could sight the barn-like outlines of some of the deserted -factories already referred to. - -"Where in the world can they be bound?" he found himself wondering. - -Could he have known the events of the last twelve hours, he would also -have wondered at their being there at all. It is not given to everyone -to come as close to the grim scythe of death and to escape scot-free as -Saki and Kenworth had done. - -As it happened, Herc was not destined to have to wait long before his -curiosity was, at least in part, gratified. The two men came to an -abrupt halt in front of a store that was even more dingy in appearance -than its neighbors. Grass was sprouting through the cracks in the -rickety wooden sidewalk in front of it, and, so far as Herc could see, -from the distance he was obliged to keep, the establishment bore no -outward and visible sign of the goods for sale within. Yet its big, -dirty window showed that it was a store of some sort. - -Herc dodged into a doorway as the two men came to a standstill in front -of this place. By peeping cautiously out he was able to ascertain that -they had apparently reached their destination. At any rate, he saw Saki -step up to the door and open it. - -Then the portal swallowed them both, and Herc was left alone on the -solitary by-street. - -"Umph, what's the next move?" he muttered to himself. "Looks like it's -up to me to do something, but I'll be keel-hauled if I can think right -now just what that 'something' is." - -He paused irresolute. Then suddenly he came to action. He had decided -to cross the street and reconnoiter from there, where he could obtain a -view of the place the two men he was tracking had entered. - -The maneuver did not take long, and was accomplished so far as the lad -could see, without his being detected, or indeed the slightest notice -being taken of him. So far, so good. Herc gazed across the street at -the forlorn-looking place the two men had entered. - -It was painted a dirty red, the pigment blistered and peeling off -in big patches as if the structure was suffering from some sort of -unclean leprosy. A jagged crack ran across the show window, which was -too thickly grimed with dirt to permit the goods offered within to be -displayed to passers-by, if, indeed, any stock in trade was on view. -Above the lower floor, the second story was equally inscrutable. The -windows were veiled like closed eyes, with dark green shades of a faded -hue. Above, came the roof, a steep-pitched, shingled affair, which -surmounted the house like a battered hat on a shabby man. - -"Now what," mused Herc, "now what business can take a midshipman of -Uncle Sam's navy into such a place in company with a yellow-skinned -deserter of a wardroom steward?" - -Although it had not at first attracted his attention, he now became -aware that there was a name over the door. It was in letters that had -once been gilt but were now almost as black and faded as the board that -bore them. - -"H. Nagasaki. Dealer in Cigars and Tobacco, Candy and Notions," was -what Herc read. - -"Sounds innocent enough," he said. "I know that fellow Kenworth is an -inveterate cigarette smoker,--which accounts for his narrow chest and -pasty face,--and maybe they went in there to get some." - -For an instant or two Herc stood at pause, undetermined what course to -pursue, but eying the doorway through which the two men had passed. -While he stood thus, hesitant, the figure of another customer appeared -in front of the Japanese store and passed within. - -This gave Herc, situated as he was, a chance to observe the interior of -the place. He saw that within was a counter and at the further end of -the store a flight of stairs. - -Up this flight of stairs, Herc glimpsed in the brief time the door -was open the figures of Kenworth and Saki. They were in the act of -ascending the stairway. - -"Now what----?" mused Herc, and then he stopped short. - -A bold thought had sprung unbidden into his mind. That the tumble-down, -blighted store on the opposite side of the street held the secret of -Ned's whereabouts, Herc felt suddenly convinced. - -Acting almost without conscious volition, he crossed the street, and -the next instant boldly flung open the door of "H. Nagasaki's" place -and passed within. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -A BOX OF MATCHES. - - -The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty -interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc. Before -entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat -down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian -clothing. This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the -gloom. - -His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, -with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety -counter. It did not look like a store where much business of the kind -it ostensibly catered to was transacted. - -All this confirmed Herc's growing suspicions that the place was -conducted as a blind. That it was nothing more than a haunt for -Japanese spies and those allied with them in their schemes against -Uncle Sam. - -A soft voice, a voice with a purring inflection as silky as that of a -cream-fed cat, broke on his ears. - -"What will the gentleman please to 'ave?" - -Herc saw that a small, spectacled Japanese had glided rather than -stepped in behind the counter, and now stood regarding the new customer -with a face that might as well have been a mask for all the expression -it conveyed. - -It is a curious fact, but Herc, who up to that moment had acted the -part of a bold investigator, suddenly found himself embarrassed. He -struggled to find an answer to the simple question that had been put to -him. This Jap behind the counter regarded him with growing suspicion. - -"You come in for something--a cigar, maybe?" he purred. - -"Yes--oh, yes,--give me--give me a box of matches," blurted out Herc -desperately. - -"A box of matches? Veree well." - -The Jap turned deftly to the show cases behind him, and inserting a -long fingered hand in a drawer, drew out the required article. Herc -fumbled in his pocket for the change necessary, but in so doing he drew -out a navy button, cut from his first uniform, with the small silver. - -As he extended a nickel across the counter, with no very clear idea as -to what he was to do next, he had the misfortune, for so he presently -perceived it to be, to drop this pocket piece. - -It fell with a jingling sound and before he could pick it up, the Jap -was out from behind the counter and had grasped and was extending it to -him. - -"A navee button," said he suavely. "The honorable gentleman is in the -service of the so estimable Uncle Sam?" - -There was one thing that Herc could not do, at no matter what cost, -and that was to lie. Yet he had important reasons for not wishing his -service to become known to the Jap. So he compromised. - -"Yes, it's a navy button," he said pocketing it. - -"Ah; it is a fine service," said the Jap, with a swift appraising look -at Herc, and at the red hair that showed under his pulled-down hat. "I -often deplore that I am Japanese and so cannot to enter it." - -"Yet there are Japs in the navy," said Herc, and then with one of those -incautious bursts which Ned so often deprecated, he rushed on, "one -came in here just now,--Saki, do you know him?" - -From behind the spectacles a swift look of comprehension flashed into -the Jap's eyes, and then died out again like a suddenly extinguished -fire. - -"Saki? I no know heem," he said. - -"Humph, I _am_ on the right trail," exclaimed Herc to himself. "This -fellow knows all about Ned. I'm afraid, also, that he is suspicious of -me, but that can't be helped now." - -"If you will wait one minute, I will bring you change," came the silky -voice of the Jap. "Matches are one penny, you give me one nickel." - -"All right, get the change. I'll wait for you," said Herc, trying -to mask his anxiety to penetrate the secrets of this place under an -appearance of indifference. - -The Jap, with one swift backward glance at Herc, glided off and up the -same stairway that Herc had seen Saki and Kenworth ascend. So he was -going to join them and doubtless tell them of his suspicions. Herc was -in a quandary. - -If he left the place to give the alarm to the authorities, by the time -he came back the birds might have flown and with them all clew to Ned. -On the other hand, he could not, single-handed, face the whole nest of -them. - -But the next instant came another thought. After all, the place was -not on the outposts of civilization. It was policed just as any other -well-ordered district. Not a block away were gay summer cafés and -promenaders. What harm could come to him here? - -It was while his mind was busied with these reflections that Herc's eye -fell on the door at the end of the store, already mentioned. - -Where did it lead to? Perhaps to Ned's prison place. Herc glanced -about him. The store was empty. Outside someone passed along whistling -gaily. After all, he had nothing to fear and all to gain, if he could -ascertain something concerning Ned's fate. - -With half a dozen swift strides, Herc was across the store and at the -rear door. - -He fumbled with the latch an instant and then the portal swung open. -Beyond was a dark passage. This rather surprised Herc, who had surmised -that the door gave on to a back yard or another street, and who had -thought that in case of emergency it might be utilized as a means of -escape. - -It was at this moment that a murmur of voices reached his ears. Several -persons were seemingly descending the stairway up which the spectacled -Jap had passed to procure change. - -Herc was about to dart for the front door when he heard a sudden sharp -clicking sound. - -As if by intuition he guessed what it meant. By some mechanical means a -bolt had been shot and he was trapped. He sped back again to the rear -door. Darting through it, he dashed into the dark passage beyond. Then -he suddenly checked himself. Why not secure that rear door from the -inside? - -But a second's fumbling in the dark showed him that there was no means -of doing this. - -The voices grew louder. They swelled to an angry clamor. Herc hastily -slammed the door and plunged forward into the blackness. As he ran, he -heard the trample of feet behind him and knew that the hunt was up and -that he was the quarry. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -MYSTERIES. - - -All that day, against head winds and tides, Captain Briggs' schooner -clawed her way around Staten Island. Nightfall found her making her -way up the staked channel in Raritan Bay with a fair breeze, and the -bibulous skipper was in good humor. He even condescended to joke and -laugh with Ned, who stood glumly by the wheel, watching the clumsy -handling of the broad-beamed old craft. - -Ned had indulged in much speculation concerning Captain Briggs and his -craft since he had become what he felt was virtually a prisoner on -board her. He was puzzled to make out the vessel's mission. Captain -Briggs waxed more and more mysterious as the contents of the bottle and -the sun together grew lower. From time to time he threw out hints, -which only served the purpose of further mystification. - -The Dreadnought Boy began to think that he was on board a smuggler. It -was the only conclusion he could reach, although he was actually miles -beside the mark in his guess. - -As it grew dusk, the schooner was brought up opposite a sandy, -desolate-looking stretch of ground on the Jersey shore. It was a -brush-grown point with here and there steep, reddish-colored miniature -cliffs, where landslides had occurred in the sandy earth. - -On the summit of the point a tall, white semaphore, like some grotesque -skeleton, spread its arms against the sky. A chill wind blew off shore. -Ned felt that he had reached the last spot in civilization, even though -off in the distance on the Staten Island shore the smoke from the -factory chimneys of Tottenville could be seen like a dark and sooty -pall. - -Ned was wondering whether they were going to anchor there, when his -unspoken question was answered by the rattle of the schooner's hawser -as the rusty mud-hook dropped into the yellow, turbid tide. - -"Well, of all queer cruises, this is the queerest," mused Ned, as he -leaned against the rail and watched Captain Briggs bringing his craft -to an anchorage. - -He could not forbear smiling at the captain's importance as he issued -his orders. A rear admiral on his own quarter-deck could not have been -a bit more pompous or consequential. - -At last all was arranged to Captain Briggs' satisfaction, and the -schooner, under bare poles, swung at anchor. - -"What's coming now?" wondered Ned, as he saw the captain come sidling -toward him like a red-nosed crab, if such a thing can be imagined. - -He was not left long in doubt. The captain eyed him with an oddly -embarrassed air for a few seconds and then he spoke. - -"Seeing as how I'm looking to get a bit of money out of you, mate," -he said at length, with a sidewise squint out of his red-rimmed eyes, -"maybe what I'm agoin' to do ain't just right. But," and here the -captain strengthened his resolution with a draft out of his bottle, -"but," he resumed, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, "what's -got to be has got to be, ain't it?" - -"Certainly," said Ned, with a smile at the captain's rather obvious -logic. - -"And that bein' the case, it will be, I reckon?" pursued the captain -with the air of one propounding a profound question. - -Again Ned agreed. This time he signified his entire understanding of -the captain's views by a nod of his head. - -"Well," resumed the skipper, "it's got to be that you've got to go -below, and----" - -"Go below?" repeated Ned indignantly. "See here, Captain Briggs, don't -you think you're carrying this thing a little far?" - -"I dunno as I am, and if I am, why, then, I dunno as it's any of your -clamjamfried business," retorted the captain. "You wasn't asked to come -on board this here fine vessel, was yer?" - -"Certainly not, and as you know I'm more grateful than I can say to you -for saving my life. But when----" - -The captain shut Ned off with a wave of his hand. - -"Least said, soonest mended," he remarked. "You an' me 'ull have our -talk 'bout that later on. Cap'n Briggs, he gets paid fer his salvage, -be it human or 'totherwise. The p'int is this, you've got to go below." - -"But what is your object in confining me in that stuffy cabin?" -objected Ned. "Let me stay on deck and I'll pledge you my word that I -wouldn't have a chance to escape from you,--that is, if you persist in -your insane idea that I have wealthy relatives who will pay handsomely -for my ransom." - -"'Tain't ransom, it's a man's rights," objected Captain Briggs; "but as -I said before, tain't no manner o' use wasting of words. Below I want -yer to go, and below you will go." - -"If I refuse?" - -"Wa'al," insinuated Captain Briggs, with a glance at his crew, who, as -if they had been warned in advance, stood watching the scene, "wa'al, -I op-pine t'wouldn't be just healthy like fer you to refuse. There's -a heap of persuasion in a handspike and plenty of good argument in a -capstan bar." - -"What, you would dare to use violence on me? Maybe two can play at that -game." - -Ned's eyes flashed; his fists clenched. Yet he knew that he must -control his temper with this pig-headed old mariner. - -"I'll use violence, or anything else I please, to hev my orders carried -out," flared out Captain Briggs. "Now then, are you going below -peaceable or do we hev ter make yer?" - -"Why are you so anxious to have me out of the way?" asked Ned. "What -sort of nefarious business are you in?" - -"Ain't in no 'farious business," bellowed the captain. "I'm an honest -man, I am. But I'm on secret business,--business of the navy, ef you -must know. Business fer the Blue fleet, as they calls it, ef you must -know. Now will you go below?" - -"Very well, if I must, I must," muttered Ned, with feigned reluctance, -for at that instant he would not have left Captain Briggs' shabby -little schooner for a king's ransom. - -"Business for the Blue fleet." Could it be that Fate, by ways devious -for even that uncertain goddess, had led his feet into the arcanum of -the Blue fleet's secrets? - -As Ned descended the cabin stairs into the malodorous little cabin, he -determined to find out before he was many hours older the exact meaning -of Captain Briggs' remark. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THROUGH THE CRACK IN THE WALL. - - -As Ned's feet sounded on the boards of the stuffy little cuddy, he -heard a sharp "bang" above him and then the grating of a rusty iron -bolt, as it was shot to, making him a prisoner. - -The sound of the grating bolt and the sense that he was a captive, even -though in a sense a voluntary one, made Ned see "red" for an instant. - -"So they couldn't even trust to my word!" he muttered angrily to -himself; and then, "All this precaution shows that there is something -very out of the ordinary going forward. Something, too, that unless I -miss my guess is in the line of my commission to find out. Gee whiz, -I'd give a lot to know right now what is at the bottom of all this -how-d'ye-do!" - -Ned cast himself down on a transom. For a time silence reigned on deck. -Then he became aware of a trampling of feet above him and the sound of -hoarse voices hailing. - -"Somebody coming alongside," surmised Ned, with ready apprehension of -what was going forward. "It must be dark by this time. Clearly whatever -their business is, it is such that does not bear the light of day for -its transaction." - -The noise on deck continued. Ned scrutinized his place of captivity for -some means of seeing without its confines. But except for the scuttle -which had been secured, the cabin was without openings. No port-holes -or air vents were visible. - -"If only I could see out," he muttered, "that would help some." - -Then came more voices outside. Above them sounded sharp, authoritative -tones. - -"By the great bow gun, whoever is giving orders out there is a -man-o'-war's-man!" exclaimed the Dreadnought Boy. "Something _is_ in -the wind in connection with the Blue fleet beyond a doubt. By hookey, I -may be on the verge of making some discovery which will be invaluable -to our side." - -He listened greedily now. His trained ears had not deceived him. It -was a man-o'-war "steamer" that had glided up to Captain Briggs' -down-at-heel craft. She now lay alongside, while her crew of Jackies -hustled up upon the schooner's dirty decks and their leader, a petty -officer, greeted Captain Briggs. - -"We'll get to work just as soon as you're ready," grunted Captain -Briggs to this individual, who had introduced himself as Gunner's Mate -Steffens of the destroyer _Truxton_. - -Presently, to Ned in the cabin below, came the sounds of hurrying -action on deck. He heard the blows of hammers as the battens were -ripped off hatchways and the cargo of the schooner, whatever it was, -lay ready for the broachers. - -There was a partition forward in the cabin, and Ned guessed that beyond -it must lie the hold with its mysterious contents. He stationed himself -against the bulkhead awaiting developments. - -While he stood there listening to the creaking of blocks and tackles, -as apparatus for transferring the cargo of the schooner to the -"steamer" was in process of rigging, his eye was caught by a sudden -gleam of light. - -The cabin was dark, so he the more easily saw the long, thin slice -of radiance that he was not long in finding out leaked through a -longitudinal crack in the bulkhead, which was of the flimsiest -construction. - -Clearly enough, the hold was illuminated by the cargo broachers and -this light filtered through from it. Ned lost no time in applying an -eye to the crack thus luckily revealed. - -He stood at gaze for a moment or two, his optic riveted to the crack. -Then he started back with an exclamation. - -"Great ginger! Talk about luck! Why, this is the very thing the -commander was anxious to find out about. I heard him talking it over -with some of the officers. He mentioned it, too, in my instructions." - -Ned applied himself afresh to the crack. He might have been carved out -of stone, so motionless did he stand there. - -In the hold beyond, all was confusion, shouts, trampling feet and -activity. - -One after another big boxes and bales were hoisted out to be lowered -into the waiting steamer. Through his crack Ned overheard enough to -show him that the cargo was being transferred as fast as was possible -under cover of the night. - -As soon as she was filled to her capacity, the steamer scurried off -and then returned again for a fresh cargo. From the brevity of -these intervals of absence, Ned was able to argue that wherever the -mysterious cargo was being taken, that place at least was not very far -off. - -More than likely it was some spot along the lonesome shore. In fact, -Ned now recalled that below the skeleton-like semaphore he had noticed -the decaying remnants of what had plainly enough once been a dock. If -it was desired to land the schooner's cargo in secret, what more likely -spot would offer for the disposal of it than this abandoned dock on a -desolate shore? - -Ned had seen enough of what was going forward in the hold and overheard -enough, too, to convince him of the nature of the cargo that was being -landed. - -By a stroke of fortune that seemed almost miraculous, he had, or he was -very much mistaken, stumbled upon the headquarters of the Aero division -of the Blue fleet. - -The cargo of the schooner consisted of supplies brought from the -government station at Newport for the "Flying Squadron." There -is hardly a boy in the land who does not know of the tremendous -importance attached by modern governments to the aeroplane, or the -hydro-aeroplane, as an adjunct to a battle fleet in time of war. - -Readers of "The Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service" are aware that Ned -was proficient enough in this branch of the service to realize at -once the importance of the discovery he had made. He knew, too, that -according to reports, the Blue fleet's main attack was to be made by -war-aeroplanes. It was ignorance of the number and location of these -flying harpies of the air that had caused the authorities of the Red -fleet much anxiety. To be "technically dynamited" by a squadron of -aeroplanes would result in almost certain defeat. - -Small wonder was it then that Ned's heart leaped in elation as he -realized that he had stumbled by sheer good luck upon the information -wanted. But mingled with his delight came a sobering reflection. - -He might have located the Blue's Aero fleet; but he was hardly in a -position to put his knowledge to much practical use. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -HERC'S SUBTERFUGE. - - -On down the dark passage dashed Herc. As he sped he extended both hands -in front of him. For all he knew he might be dashing into an ambush. It -was all too plain now that the place into which he had so cheerfully -blundered was of a sinister character. - -Suddenly his finger tips encountered something solid that the next -instant gave way before them. - -A door swung open. Herc found himself in a large room, cluttered with -rusty tools, benches, and boxes. High on one wall was a window, through -the unwashed panes of which a gray light sifted wanly into the vacant -room beneath. - -The room was plainly enough a cul-de-sac. There was no means of -entering or leaving it, except by the door through which Herc had -come,--that is, if the lofty window be excepted. - -Pantingly the Dreadnought Boy looked about him. He must have a hiding -place and that quickly. If he was to be of any use to Ned, it would be -the worst thing that could happen if he, too, were to be made prisoner. - -Poor Herc, if he had only known the true state of affairs! But with his -customary impulsiveness the red-headed boy had followed his nose, and -as not infrequently happened in Herc's affairs, it had led him into -trouble. - -"This place must be a perfect nest of Japanese spies," he mused to -himself, as he gazed swiftly about. "Poor old Ned, they've trapped him -and got him hidden away some place. But they won't get me so easily!" - -He listened an instant. Footsteps were coming down the passage now. - -"They've guessed I came this way. In fact, they couldn't very well -help doing it," thought Herc. - -He glanced up at the window above him. Would it be possible to escape -that way? - -With frenzied haste he began pulling a dusty bench from one corner -and flinging upon it the old boxes with which the room was littered. -But his time was all too short. Herc had to give over his labors half -completed at the nearer approach of footsteps. - -"I've got to hide some place, and that right quickly," he muttered, -glancing about him in every direction. - -Herc darted for the dimmest corner and crouched behind a large open box -that stood there. - -He had just time to squeeze himself back of it and draw it over him -like the shell of a tortoise when the door was burst open. - -Half a dozen men, headed by Kenworth, Saki and the spectacled Jap, -burst into the room. They gazed wildly about them. - -"Why--why, he's not here!" gasped out Kenworth. "The red-headed fox has -escaped!" - -"Eem-poss-ible," the spectacled Jap informed him. "There is no way of -getting out this room." - -"Then he must be here," declared Saki sententiously; "we must find him. -He is one of the most dangerous enemies we have got. He is even worse -than that Ned Strong, whose body now lies at the bottom of the Sound, -for the meddling fool that he was." - -"Yes, he is drowned and out of the way," rejoined Kenworth, "and it was -we, after all, that had the good fortune to be picked up by a fishing -boat after drifting about in our life belts for hours, and to be -brought ashore here. And now, confound it, just when everything looks -like smooth sailing, Mister Red Head has to bob up and spoil it all." - -"Never mind that now," said Saki briskly, "he cannot have gone far. We -must find him." - -"He must be in this room," declared the spectacled Jap; "he could not -get out except----" - -He stopped short, gazing at the pile of boxes on the rickety bench. -They stood right under the high window. - -Kenworth was the first to read his thoughts. - -"Could he have escaped that way?" he asked. - -"I will ask you another question, honorable Kenworth," was the reply. -"Could he climb?" - -"Climb!" repeated the renegade midshipman with scorn. "Why, man, both -those Dreadnought Boys would go in places that it would puzzle a cat to -find a footing." - -"Then there is your answer. He has escaped by the window." - -"Confusion!" - -"Yes; but he cannot get far." - -"Why not?" - -"That window opens on to a roof." - -"Yes." - -"The roof was once an extension, but now it is blocked in on all sides -by the high walls of abandoned sail lofts." - -"Then if he did get up there, he is a prisoner?" - -"Without doubt." - -"Good." The midshipman's face was flushed with malicious triumph. "He -can't escape us this time. Saki, somebody, help me up, quick. This time -he'll not get away. One Dreadnought Boy is at the bottom of the Sound. -In a few minutes the other will be our prisoner." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -TABLES TURNED--TWICE! - - -Herc, crouched within the stifling confines of the upturned packing -case, heard the recorded conversation with a sinking heart. After all, -then, he had been mistaken. Ned was not in the place. - -Some casualty of which he had no knowledge had occurred and in the -catastrophe in some way Ned, his chum, his shipmate, had been drowned. -Right then Herc would not have given a straw for his own life. The -thought that Ned had perished, beat into his heart like a death knell. - -Careless of what the consequences to himself might be, he was about to -declare himself and trust to his fists to fight his way to liberty, -when he hesitated. - -Kenworth, he knew by this time to be a miscreant and perverter of -the truth. Was it not possible, then, that he had purposely aired the -report of Ned's supposed death in the hope that he (Herc) might hear -him and in a moment of desperation give himself up? - -The theory, based on what the Dreadnought Boy knew of the renegade -midshipman, was at least tenable. After a moment's reflection Herc, now -that the first shock was over, found himself unable to entertain the -thought of Ned's death. It was impossible to believe that Ned Strong, -the resourceful, the brave, had perished as Kenworth had described. -If a weakling like the midshipman had escaped whatever disaster had -happened, it was incredible that Ned had not saved himself. - -"Give me a leg up, Saki,--quick; I want to be the first to confront -that red-headed idiot." - -It was Kenworth speaking again. Herc heard the others hoist more boxes -on the top of his pile and then came the sound of scrambling feet -ascending the wobbly pyramid. - -"Oh, what a sell for them when they find the roof is empty," chuckled -Herc to himself. "I'd give a whole lot just to see their faces." - -But with this reflection came another thought. When they found the -roof tenantless, would they not make a further search of the room? -Undoubtedly, and once they began turning things over, one of the first -things they would discover would be Herc. - -Under certain conditions Herc's mind worked quickly. It did so now. A -sudden idea flashed into his head. - -In a trice he had slipped out of his box and stood free. Kenworth had -already chinned himself through the window and Saki was following him. -In the room were only the spectacled Jap, the white man whom Herc had -observed enter the place earlier, and one or two other Japs and white -men, all hard-looking characters. - -As Herc emerged from his box there came a shout from Kenworth on the -roof. - -"Confound it all, he's not here!" - -"Whoop-ee! No, he isn't; he's right here! Wow!" Like a human battering -ram, Herc charged at the pile of boxes. Crash! Bang! - -The Dreadnought Boy's broad shoulder struck the wobbly pedestal like -the prow of a battleship. - -"Look out for squalls!" he yelled, as the boxes, in a crashing -avalanche, came toppling down. The uproar was deafening. - -Stricken temporarily to immobility by the suddenness of the whole -thing, the spectacled Jap and the others stood spellbound for an -instant as the red-headed youth, having demolished the pile of boxes, -came charging at them with his bullet head bent over like a young -bull's. As he rushed ferociously at them Herc gave vent to a blood -curdling yell. - -"Wow! Whoop-ee! Stand aside for the human torpedo!" he bellowed. - -Saki, who had been in the act of clambering from the boxes through the -window when the box pile collapsed, hung teetering from its ledge with -his feet beating a tattoo on thin air. He was howling piteously for aid. - -But right then things were moving far too swiftly for anyone to pay the -least attention to the luckless Jap. - -Herc's red head struck the spectacled Jap in the stomach and butted him -clean across the room. He fell jammed into one of the empty packing -cases and remained there, his legs waving feebly as though imploring -help. One of the hard-looking white men tried to intercept Herc as he -dashed for the door, but at the same instant he felt as if a tornado -had struck him and he, too, doubled up and went to the floor with a -crash. - -From the roof came a loud shout from Kenworth. - -"What the dickens----!" - -He did not need to ask any more. One glance through the window showed -him what was happening in the room below him: showed him, too, that he -was marooned on the roof even as he had hoped to find Herc. - -"Help me! help me!" howled Saki. "No can hold on much longer!" - -"Confound you, this is all your fault," shouted Kenworth, beside -himself with chagrin. "Hey there! Kester! Vaux! hold that fellow! Don't -let him get away; it means all our necks in a halter if you do!" - -The two men addressed attempted to seize Herc. But they might as well -have tried to capture a young hurricane. The red-headed lad's fighting -blood was up. As they tried to intercept him, he rushed them and -catching them both around the legs, he brought them down in one grand -smash. - -As they fell, their heads bumped together with a noise like a pistol -shot. - -"No more trouble from them," chuckled Herc gleefully. - -The red-headed lad was beginning to enjoy himself. The Japs who alone -were left standing, were huddled in one corner of the room out of the -way of the "white demon with the head of flames." - -"Any more?" howled Herc gleefully, and went charging for the door -leading into the dark passage. His plan was made. Once he gained the -front shop, he meant to force his way out to the street, if possible -through the locked portal. If he could not batter his way out there, he -meant to smash a window and run at top speed for the authorities. - -But as he dashed for the door, there came a yell of dismay and the -noise of a heavy fall behind him. Kenworth, half through the window, -had been trying to assist Saki. But he lost his balance just as the -weight of the Jap came on him, and together he and Saki had come -crashing down to the floor of the room below. - -Luckily for them, the two men that Herc had just attended to lay there -and their bodies broke the force of the fall. Not injured in the least, -owing to this--for him--lucky accident, Kenworth was on his feet again -in the wink of an eyelid. - -As Herc's form vanished through the doorway, he drew a revolver and -in the insane fury of his rage, fired a shot at the Dreadnought Boy's -fleeing form. Herc felt the breeze of the bullet as it winged past him -and buried itself harmlessly in the wall. - -"Blaze away!" he shouted. "In five minutes' time I'll have the whole -boiling of you in----" - -The sentence was not completed. In the room he had left behind him, the -spectacled Jap, who had recovered his wits, had darted for a lever in -the wall. He pulled it toward him. - -At the same instant, Herc felt the floor of the passage drop from under -his feet and found himself falling, falling, falling into a black -void, while fires and lightnings wheeled and darted wildly through his -confused brain. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -IN FRESH TERROR. - - -Herc landed with a crash on something soft and yielding. For an instant -or two he actually found himself wondering if he had been killed, but -as soon as his rudely jolted senses reasserted themselves he found -that, thanks to the soft substance he had landed upon, he was not even -sprained. - -"Well, here's a nice kettle of fish!" exclaimed Herc to himself, -rubbing his head ruefully. "I'm a whole lot worse off now than I was -before." - -He sat up and tried to collect his thoughts. A moment's reflection -placed him pretty well in possession of the facts as they were. He -had been dashing at top speed down the dark passage when he suddenly -found himself precipitated into space. There had been no trap-door or -opening in the passage when he came down it before, of that he was -certain; therefore it was plain that some sort of device must have been -operated to open a pitfall under his feet and prevent his escape. - -"The question now is, though, where am I?" mused Herc. - -All about him was velvety blackness, so dark that it could almost be -felt. The air was filled with an odd kind of musty odor, a damp reek as -of some place infested with fungus growth and unclean things. - -"Some sort of a cellar," thought the lad, "and it's not likely there's -any way out of it but the way I came. There might be a ladder there, of -course, but I didn't notice it as I came down. Ouch! what a bump! I'm -lucky it didn't break every bone in my body." - -Herc felt in his pockets for his matchbox. Having found it, he struck a -lucifer. By its light he made a brief but comprehensive survey of his -surroundings. - -He had fallen on a rotting pile of what appeared to be old sails, -or canvas from which sails were made. From this he judged that -the structure above him must have been at some time occupied by -sail-makers, and that this cellar had formed a sort of rubbish heap for -the refuse of the place. - -For the rest, the lighting of another match showed him that the cellar -was about eighty feet square and evidently extended under the whole of -the house above. There was no means of egress, and he could not even -see the trap-door above him through which he had made such a hasty -entrance into the place. - -The walls were smooth, and made of some sort of cement. There was no -hope of scaling them, even had there been anything to gain by such a -proceeding. So far as he could see, Herc was in as effectual a trap as -it would have been possible to devise. Only a ladder could do him any -good, and so far as obtaining that was concerned, he felt that he might -just as well wish for anything impossible of attainment. - -But Herc was not the sort of lad to give anything up without making a -try to better his condition. As soon as his head, which had been sadly -shaken in his fall, stopped aching a little, he got up from the pile of -old sails and began a further examination of the cellar. - -The first thing that struck him was that the floor was very wet. Slimy, -slippery mud was under foot and a green weed grew wherever it could -secure a roothold. His next discovery was that the walls were marked -near to the top of the cellar by a distinct line. - -Above this line their color was the dirty gray of the cement; but -below, it was stained green as if from the action of water. Herc -puzzled a good deal over this. He could not account for it by any -theory of mere dampness. Just then he was far indeed from guessing its -true significance. - -One thing, however, he was sure of: the cellar was close to the sea, -for the sharp, acrid tang of the salt water mingled with the damp, -decaying odor of the place, like a healthy, wholesome influence in a -fever-stricken hospital ward. - -His survey completed, Herc sank back on his pile of old sails to think -matters over further. Not that he felt that there was really anything -to be considered, save the fact that he was helpless and must depend -upon outside aid for escaping from his predicament. - -But no outside aid, he knew, was likely to reach him there. He wondered -what was going to become of him. Since he had taken that plunge through -the suddenly opened trap, he had heard nothing from above, no trample -of feet, no sound of voices. - -Was it possible that those in the house had deserted it precipitately -and had left him there to perish miserably like a rat in a hole? -The thought chilled the hot blood in his veins and started the cold -perspiration on his forehead. Herc was no coward, but the thought of -facing death alone in that dark, dank hole might have unmanned many a -sterner soul than he. - -In his despair at the thought that he had been abandoned to his fate, -Herc set up shout upon shout. But after a time he stopped this as being -a useless waste of strength which it behooved him to husband for he -knew not what emergency. Herc was not a lad given to beating about the -bush. He faced the bald facts as he found them, and in the present -situation he was unable to discover one crumb of comfort. - -Then, too, what Kenworth had said about Ned kept recurring to his mind -with disquieting effect. He could not bring himself to believe that Ned -was, as the midshipman had said, dead at the bottom of the Sound; but -nevertheless the idea kept repeating itself over and over in his mind -dishearteningly. - -"What a fool I was ever to come in here at all," he muttered to himself -bitterly. "It all comes of following my nose. Every time I do it, I -land in trouble--but this is just about the worst ever. I wonder----" - -He broke off short in his half spoken meditations. - -A sudden sound had arrested his attention. At first he could not -identify it and then suddenly he realized what it was. The tinkle of -running water! Water was coming into the cellar from somewhere. - -Ned stretched out his fingers for his matchbox, which he had placed -near to him, and struck a light. As the lucifer flared up an -exclamation of dismay broke from the Dreadnought Boy's lips. - -"Good gracious!" - -Over the floor of the cellar a thin layer of water, perhaps an inch -deep, had spread like a liquid carpet. It had not yet reached Herc on -his pile of sails, but even while the match burned, he could see that -the water was rising. - -Chilled with a nameless dread he struck another match. This time he saw -where the water was coming from. It was flowing in from an iron-barred -vent near the floor of the place, which had escaped him on his previous -survey. - -At the same instant, Herc thought of the green stain on the cellar -walls; that regular line of demarcation limned with greenish water-weed. - -Then like a thunder-clap the hideous truth burst upon him: The cellar -was below the water level and the water flowing into it was tidal. It -came from the sea and rose till it reached that regular high-water mark -he had noticed on the cellar wall. - -As he realized all this, a shout of terror broke, despite himself, from -Herc's lips. Was this to be his fate, his destiny, to perish in this -dark, hidden place beneath the waters of the incoming tide? - -"Help!" he shouted at the top pitch of his lungs. "Help!" - -But the lapping of the water as it slowly and remorselessly rose was -the only reply to his wild outburst. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -NED'S ESCAPE. - - -At length the confusion and uproar in the hold of Captain Briggs' -schooner died away. The work of unloading the craft was completed. - -Ned glanced at his watch. It was close on midnight. He wondered if now -that the schooner had been emptied of her secret cargo, his hour of -release had come. - -But apparently it was no part of Captain Briggs's plan to set his -prisoner at liberty just then. At any rate, nobody came near Ned. - -He felt strangely lonely now that the tumult had died out, to be -succeeded by a death-like stillness. But after a time, during which -he sought in vain for a lamp to light up the cabin, Ned was able to -distinguish some sounds that broke the silence. - -The sounds were nasal and were in three keys. In fact, it did not take -Ned long to distinguish in his own mind the loud snoring of Captain -Briggs from the gruntings and snortings of his crew. - -The night was warm and they were plainly enough taking their rest on -deck after the arduous labors of the night. Inasmuch as the schooner -lay in a lonely cove out of the path of navigation, it was also evident -that Captain Briggs had not bothered to set a bright watch. - -"Now is my chance," thought Ned, "if only I could figure on some way of -getting out of this coop." - -He sat on the transom a while, buried in thought. He was revolving -in his mind the strange events of the last twenty-four hours and the -possible effect they would have upon his future. - -Well did Ned know that his absence from his ship must have been noticed -by this time. He wondered what Commander Dunham was thinking. He -speculated, and the thought was not a pleasant one, on the chances of -his being deemed derelict to his duty, and being supplanted by someone -else. - -The Dreadnought Boy knew the iron rules of the navy, laws as inflexible -as those of the Medes and Persians. He might be deprived of his -temporary commission without even a chance to explain all that had -happened. One thought cheered him. Come what might, he at least had -safe within his pocket the book of plans by which Kenworth and Saki set -such store. - -He hoped that if the worst came to the worst, the signal service he had -rendered his country in redeeming these from the desperate hands of the -spy and the renegade would at least plead some extenuation for him. - -"Confound that old shell-back of a Briggs," growled Ned to himself; "if -it hadn't been for him I might have been back with my ship by this -time. As it is----" - -Captain Briggs' stentorian snore filled in the pause eloquently. "At -any rate," muttered Ned, "he's safe off in the land of Nod; so, to -judge by the sounds, are his crew. What's the matter with--Jove! I'll -try it." - -He ascended the cabin stairway and began cautiously to fumble with -the fastenings of the companionway scuttle. He did not dare make much -noise, as, although he was fairly sure that Captain Briggs was beyond -an easy awakening, yet the risk of rousing him was an imminent one. - -Like everything else about Captain Briggs' schooner, the scuttle, now -that Ned came to prove it, did not appear to be over and above secure. - -"I believe that with good luck I can force it clean off its hinges," -murmured Ned as he investigated. - -Indeed it seemed so. The door worked about on its hinges so freely, it -showed that those attachments were not securely fastened or else, as -was more likely, the wood had rotted about the screws. - -Ned possessed a good stock of patience and he took plenty of time, -working the door about till it moved easily. Then he placed his -shoulder to it and gave a gentle but strong heave. The screws drew out -of the rotten wood as if they had been fastened into cheese. - -Five minutes after he had first applied his strength, Ned, feeling like -a modern Samson, lifted off the door of his place of captivity and was -ready to step out on deck. - -But first he took a cautious look about him. There was a bright moon. -By its beams Ned saw that, as he had suspected, Captain Briggs and his -crew, worn out by their night's work, were sleeping the sleep of the -just. They had turned in "all standing" and lay sprawled on the deck in -any but picturesque attitudes. - -"So far, so good," murmured Ned to himself, "and the dinghy's out -astern, too. Better and better. I believe that this is going to go -through without a hitch." - -He cautiously replaced the hatchway and stepped boldly out on the deck. -Captain Briggs stirred in his slumbers and growled out some orders that -came to him in his dreams. - -"Stand by to go about! Mind sheets and braces!" he muttered. - -"My! but he's going to be a surprised man when he wakes up!" grinned -Ned to himself. "I'm sorry for his crew; he'll take it out on them, -for I verily believe that the old shell-back thought I was some boy -millionaire and worth at least a thousand in reward money to him." - -But as chance would have it, it was Ned who was destined to be -surprised first. - -Hardly had he stepped on deck, when from forward a squat shape came -bounding across the moonlit decks. Simultaneously a low, angry growl -greeted the Dreadnought Boy's ears. - -"Great guns! The skipper's dog! I'd clean forgotten him," exclaimed Ned -in dismay. - -The dog hesitated a minute, sniffed and then, with an angry snarl, came -bounding on again. - -"If I can't silence him, he'll have them all awake in a minute, and -then I'll have a fine hornet's nest about my ears," muttered Ned. - -Ur-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! The dog sprang straight for Ned's throat. Luckily, -the creature was not one of the barking kind. He plainly preferred -action to noise. - -Ned saw him coming. Saw the white flash of his teeth in the moonlight. -Swift as thought he stooped and picked up a barrel stave which happened -to be lying near his feet. - -As the dog was in mid-spring, Ned let fly with his improvised weapon. -Crack! It struck the dog right across the nose and sent him hurtling -back in a coiled-up ball. - -"Jove! I hated to do that, old fellow," cried Ned in a low tone; "but -it had to be, and you'll soon get over it." - -The dog lay crouched in a whimpering heap not far from Captain Briggs' -side. Ned dared not delay longer. With swift, silent strides he made -for the stern, dropped overboard and landed deftly in the dinghy. - -The oars were in it, and to cast off was the work of an instant only. -Then with strong, noiseless strokes, he pulled toward the shore. There -was not a sound of pursuit from the schooner and Ned's heart leaped -exultingly as he threw his strength into the oars. - -Ten minutes later the dinghy's nose scraped the beach. At precisely the -same instant the bow of Ned's craft was grasped by a pair of strong -hands, and a gruff voice demanded to know his business. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. - - -"Whew! Out of the frying pan into the fire!" was Ned's instant thought. - -Facing him in the moonlight was a Jackie in uniform. He was armed -with a carbine and looked very business-like. He regarded Ned with no -friendly air. - -There was good reason for this, from the man's standpoint, anyway. He -had been placed on guard duty there, and to be surprised after midnight -by a stalwart youth who had sculled himself ashore in a small dinghy -was a suspicious circumstance. - -"Who are you? Give an account of yourself," he said gruffly. - -"It's all right. I'm on business connected with the aero camp up -above," said Ned glibly, making use of information he had gained -through the crack in the bulkhead. - -"Humph! In the service?" - -"Certainly. Aero squad." - -"How am I to know you are not one of those newspaper fellows. We've -been pestered to death with them for the last week. Fine thing it would -be if they got hold of the Blue fleet's secrets and printed them." - -"Oh, you needn't have any fear of me. I'm not connected with any paper." - -"No, now I come to look at you, you appear like one of Uncle Sam's -boys. But where have you come from?" - -"From that schooner out there." - -"Oh, the one we unloaded this evening?" - -"That's the idea. My business is urgent." - -"I should judge so. Everybody's is right now. The Red fleet is reported -moving up on New York. The aero squadron sails to-morrow. Maybe we -won't give 'em a surprise, eh?" - -Ned gave an inward chuckle. This was just the information he was after. - -"Oh, that'll surprise 'em all right, shipmate," said he, and struck -off up a trail that appeared to lead over the little point of land. He -had to trust to luck for it being the right one, for he did not dare -disclose his unfamiliarity with the camp by asking the sentry questions. - -But the sentry suddenly halted him. Ned's heart sank. After all he had -been discovered. - -The next instant his worst fears were realized. - -"You'll have to give me the password, shipmate," declared the sentry. - -Ned's heart sank into his boots. But suddenly he gave a glad -exclamation, although not so loud as to attract the sentry's notice. -While listening to the unloading of the cargo, he had heard the -password given out by the petty officer in charge of the men. - -For the moment he had forgotten it, but now it came suddenly back to -him. - -"Aerolite!" he said confidently. - -"Pass on, shipmate, you're all right," declared the sentry, and Ned, -breathing freely once more, continued on his way. - -It was a daring enterprise, this that he had undertaken of penetrating -into the "enemy's" camp and discovering just the strength of their aero -fleet, and the exact method of attack that they meant to pursue. - -But Ned felt that it was up to him to "make good." His absence from his -ship, he felt might be open to evil construction by his enemies. If he -returned with the information, he hoped at least they could not say -that whatever had been his ill luck, he had neglected his duty. - -With this thought in mind, Ned kept on along the trail which wound in -eccentric fashion through brush and tall grass. - -"I ought surely to be nearing the camp now," he thought at length -as the trail, after doubling and twisting upon itself like a chased -rabbit, brought him out at a point overlooking a little bay. - -And there below him he saw that for which he was searching. Screened -by trees, the tents lay in orderly rows,--big, high-walled canvas -structures, housing, so Ned guessed, the aero fleet of the Blue -squadron. - -Some little distance out from the shore were the lights of vessels. -After some straining of his eyes, Ned made the craft out to be -a flotilla of destroyers. They lay there waiting for the dawn, -it appeared, hidden from the prying eyes of the scribes of the -metropolitan papers who would have given their eyes, almost, to know -the facts which Ned was now learning. - -He counted the tents. There were twenty of them, each housing a flying -boat or a naval aeroplane. Truly a formidable fleet, and one which, -swooping down upon the Reds unexpectedly, might "technically" blow up -the whole squadron before action could be taken. But now Ned possessed -knowledge which would be of incalculable value to his officers. He -could not have felt more exultant had it been in actual war time. - -Standing there, carefully concealed, he made voluminous mental notes. -It was then, and not till then, that he suddenly realized what in the -haste of his flight he had forgotten: He was penniless and in the -"enemy's" country without means of rejoining his ship. His delight -turned to ashes. Of what use was all the information he had acquired if -he could not communicate it to the fleet. - -"Bother the luck," exclaimed Ned. "What on earth am I to do?" - -It was truly a quandary. The camp was located in a lonely bit of -country and it was without doubt a long walk to the nearest place of -civilization. - -"Marooned, and all for the lack of a few dollars!" groaned Ned. "If -only I had some money along, I might easily get some fisherman to run -me to the nearest town, and once there, I could get hold of a telegraph -wire and send some despatches. But now----" - -He stopped short. His gaze had lighted on something standing outside -one of the tents. It did not take him long to make out what it was. The -moonlight showed up its butterfly-like outlines to perfection. - -"Great hookey!" muttered Ned, "a flying boat! If--if--I only dared, -I'd----" - -He paused irresolute a moment, and then, squaring his shoulders and -thrusting out his chin with his old determined gesture, he strode off -down the hill. - -A daring plan had come into Ned's mind and with his characteristic -energy he was proceeding to act upon it at once. - -But it was a scheme so risky, so desperate, that sanguine as the -Dreadnought Boy usually was, he had to admit that the chances were -about five hundred to one against his putting it through successfully. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -WAITING FOR THE END. - - -An hour had passed since Herc's despairing cry had reverberated through -the gloomy cellar. - -Since his vain appeal for help, the Dreadnought Boy had sat, sunk in a -sort of lethargy, on the pile of sail. As the water grew higher, he had -mechanically dragged the heap of canvas closer together, raising it and -forming a sort of island above the rising inundation. - -It was the instinct of life fighting against despair, for that he could -ever escape from his prison Herc had long since deemed an impossibility. - -He sat there in the darkness listening to the lapping of the water -against the walls. His head was sunk in his hands and as the heavy -minutes went by, from time to time he would feel the water to convince -himself that it actually was rising. - -The high water mark on the cellar walls told him how high the tide -usually climbed. Long before it had reached that mark the water would -be over his head. - -It was true that Herc was a first-rate swimmer, strong of limb and -sound of wind. But what would that avail him, except to prolong his -misery? - -Already in prospect he had tasted the bitterness of the last struggle -against the incoming flood of waters, the battle that grew hourly less -vigorous, and then the final chapter when, too exhausted to fight -longer for his life, the slimy waters would engulf him. - -He wondered dully if they would ever find him. It seemed hardly likely. -Who would dream of looking for him in that place? Again and again he -reproached himself bitterly for the mad folly that had led him into -such a trap. - -The fault was his. There was no one else to blame for it. Had he -not acted so hastily on impulse, all might have been well with him. -Too late he realized that he had accomplished no useful purpose by -penetrating into the haunt of the spies. It would have been wisdom's -part first to have notified the authorities and then made his attack on -the place. - -"Well, I've been a chump and this is what I get for it," muttered the -lad bitterly. "Good old Ned, I can't believe that he is really dead. -I wonder if he'll ever learn how I ended my life in this wretched -rat-hole of a place. It's a tough way to die. I wouldn't mind facing -death in battle or in line of duty, but to die like this alone, in the -dark, with the tide water waiting to drag me down----" - -Herc pursued this line of thought no further. It bade fair to unman -him. He felt a desperate desire to hurl himself against the walls, to -shout, to scream, to do anything to avert his fate. But he knew that -nothing short of a miracle could save him now. - -He struck one of his few remaining matches. The water was up to his -feet! - -Herc gave a groan. It was fairly forced from him. As the match -spluttered out, he knew that before very long he would feel the chilly -grasp of the tide at his knees, then at his waist, and then as it rose -inch by inch, it would engulf him to his neck. - -Then would come the struggle for life, the hopeless battle against -overwhelming odds, and then--the end. - -Fairly driven wild by these reflections, the unfortunate lad shouted -and raved till his voice grew hoarse. But there was no answer except -the ripple of the water against the cement walls and the hollow echo of -his shouts as they were flung back mockingly at him. - -He felt a sharp shock as the water whelmed over his island of canvas. -In a few minutes more it was at his waist. - -Herc stood up erect and stepped off his little pile of canvas, now -useless as an isle of safety. He kindled another match. - -The yellow flame sputtered up and showed him the water all about him. -It was knee deep and appeared to be coming in more rapidly. Over its -surface was spread an oily scum from the damp floor. - -Herc was glad when the match died out. He determined not to light any -more, but to wait his end with as much courage as he could muster. - -"I'll fight it out like a man-o'-war's-man, anyhow," he muttered, "but -it's tough--tough to have to go this way." - -The water rose inch by inch as remorselessly as destiny itself. Herc -stood in stoical silence and felt it creeping up his body till it had -reached his chest. - -Only a few moments more, now, and then--the end. - -Herc found himself growing strangely calm. He wondered what they would -think on the ship when he failed to return. If his messmates would miss -him, if Ned was safe and sound and would ever learn how his shipmate -had perished. - -The water was up to his chin. - -A slight movement on the lad's part and a tiny wavelet spattered -against his mouth. He tasted the brackish water of the tide. Herc -wished that it would end right then and there. He felt that it was -hardly worth while even to swim. If he was to drown, he might as well -not resist his fate, but meet it passively. - -But the instinct of self-preservation prevails even among the most -pusillanimous. It can turn a coward into a dangerous foe. Herc struck -out as the water reached his mouth. - -He swam easily about, hardly thinking. His mind felt dulled and -bruised. He swam mechanically. He knew that the end was not far off -now. - -And now, in the hope that he might have overlooked some projection on -the walls to which he might cling, he began feeling along them. But the -cement was smooth as glass, slimy to the touch, and cold as ice. - -Herc began to feel chilled. His limbs felt heavy. He no longer swam -strongly about seeking, like a cornered rat, for some means of escape, -but allowed himself to float or else tread water. - -Bit by bit his efforts began to grow weaker. He felt that he could not -keep up much longer, and somehow he did not much care. - -It was just at that moment that something struck him a violent blow -under the chin. - -It was an old plank. Thrown into the cellar at some forgotten time, it -was floating on the top of the water and had rocked against the lad at -a critical moment. - -Herc reached out and grasped it. Somehow the touch of it was almost as -comforting to him as human companionship. Once more the tide of life, -the desire to live, swelled through his veins. He was again a fighter. - -Supporting himself on the plank, he began to think. By stretching out -his hand he could touch the ceiling of the cellar. - -Suddenly a thought flashed into his mind. If he could locate the -trap-door, and it was not locked, he had a fighting chance for his life. - -The thought acted on him like a stimulant. All his apathy forgotten -now, Herc began feeling about the ceiling of the place. Far from -wishing that the tide would recede, he was now afraid that it would do -so before he had had time to locate the trap-door. - -How he wished that he had a match! It was terribly tedious work feeling -about that ceiling in the pitchy darkness. The planking above was -rough, too, and Herc was by no means sure that he could distinguish -the trap-door when he came to it. - -But at last, after what seemed to be an eternity of fumbling, his -fingers encountered what felt like the under end of some bolts. - -He guessed that he had found the fastenings of the trap-door at last. -Raising himself on his friendly plank, Herc exerted his strength and -pushed upward. - -Sosh! The effort sent him under water. But he didn't mind that. He was -sure that the door had yielded a little. - -The next time he tried, he braced himself on a supporting ceiling beam -by one hand while he shoved upward with the other. He almost uttered a -shout of joy as he did so. - -The door moved! - -He inserted his fingers in the crack, and then, using his head as a -lever, he drew himself up till he could rest his chest on the flooring -of the passage. - -The rest was easy. Within five minutes, Herc, dripping wet and chilled -to the bone, was standing in the passage--safe and sound. As he stood -there, he did not forget to offer up a fervent prayer of thankfulness -to Providence for his deliverance. - -He made his way down the passage to the front shop. It was empty. As he -had suspected, the conspirators, who had made it their headquarters, -had decamped. - -On the floor near the door, which had been left open, Herc spied a -scrap of paper. He picked it up and saw that there was writing upon it. -With some difficulty he deciphered the scrawl: - -"Yacht _Halcyon_. Erie Basin. Thence Panama." - -"Now what does that mean?" said Herc to himself, scratching his head -perplexedly. "I guess I'll keep this, anyhow; it may give the police a -clew." - -A few moments later the nattily dressed summer residents of the island -were astonished at the spectacle of a red-headed youth in dripping -garments hurrying down the main street, inquiring anxiously the -direction of the police station. - -When it was found, Herc had a story to tell that resulted in detectives -being scattered broadcast through the island. But all efforts to locate -the conspirators were unavailing. - -They had had a good start and had made the most of it. - -In the meantime, Herc made his way to a wireless station maintained on -the island and secured communication with the gunboat. What he learned -did not decrease his uneasiness on Ned's account. - -The young skipper had not returned and an officer had been detailed -from the fleet to command the craft. Herc was peremptorily ordered to -report on board the _Manhattan_ at once and give an account of himself. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -A NEW ASSIGNMENT. - - -It was the next morning. In Captain Dunham's cabin on the _Manhattan_, -Herc had just concluded reciting his story to the commander and to no -less a person than the Secretary of the Navy. - -It had been a badly embarrassed boy who had at first faced the stern -questioning of his commanding officer; but by degrees, as his story -went on, Captain Dunham's manner relaxed. His stern air gave place to -one of deep interest. And now, at the conclusion of Herc's narrative, -he spoke: - -"I was at first inclined to very grave suspicions of you, Taylor, but -your previous good record and your manner convince me that you are -telling the truth, more particularly as the department has been aware -for some time of the existence of a band of spies who had, in some way, -secured the coöperation of renegades in our navy. We have been trying -through the night to get some word of Strong; but we have failed. I'm -afraid, my lad, that you must resign yourself to the inevitable. At any -rate, Strong, so far as we know, died in the pursuit of his duty and -lived up to the best traditions of the navy." - -"Then you believe that he is dead, sir?" Herc blurted out, his freckles -showing like scars against his pale cheeks. - -"There is no other conclusion to be reached, Taylor. His long absence -from duty, and the lack of all word from him, convince me of the worst. -Strong is not the sort of lad to remain out of touch, if he were in -the land of the living. You may go now, and the Secretary and myself -will talk over the details of rounding up this gang of miscreants. -If they had anything to do with Strong's death, I will give you the -satisfaction of taking part in the pursuit and apprehension of them." - -The Secretary broke in. - -"That clew that Taylor has in the shape of that scrap of paper, -I regard as valuable, Captain," he said. "I would recommend that -inquiries be sent out concerning the yacht _Halcyon_. It is quite -possible that the conspirators may be meaning to make good their escape -on her. In that case, if we can trace her, she can be intercepted at -sea and the men apprehended." - -"I shall see that it is done, Mr. Secretary. Taylor, you may carry on -and---- Well, orderly?" - -Captain Dunham looked up inquiringly as his orderly entered the cabin -in some haste, and, after saluting, stood respectfully at attention. -But it was plain from the man's manner that he was laboring under some -excitement. - -"The officer of the deck reports an airship coming this way, sir," -said the orderly. "He told me to inform you at once, sir." - -"An airship!" - -"Yes, sir, or else a flying boat. We can't quite make out yet, sir." - -"I will come on deck at once. Mr. Secretary, this may prove -interesting. Possibly it is one of the Blue scouts; if so, I hope to -bring the craft down, 'technically,' of course." - -Herc saluted and hastened forward, while the captain and the Secretary -of the Navy emerged on the deck. The Red fleet lay off Rock Island. -They were awaiting word as to the movements of the "Blues" before -steaming down the Sound to the attack. - -So far, the wireless had been barren of news, and the movements of -the defending squadron were surrounded with considerable mystery. The -suspense had been wearing, and so every eye in the squadron, from -Dreadnought, battleship, cruiser, destroyer, and torpedo boat, was -centered on the strange aeroplane that was flying toward them. - -Opinion was divided as to whether the distant flying machine was an -aerial scout, or was a friendly craft bearing despatches from a portion -of the squadron which had been sent around on the Atlantic side. - -On came the flying craft, and as it neared the grim fleet that lay -swinging with smoking funnels at anchor on the blue tide, it was seen -to swerve downward like a swooping fish-hawk. For a mile or more it -skimmed along the surface of the water and then struck it with a splash. - -"A flying boat!" exclaimed Captain Dunham, who had the binoculars on it. - -The craft drove straight on over the water at a rapid rate of speed. As -it drew closer, Captain Dunham exclaimed in a voice that trembled with -excitement, despite his efforts to control it: - -"Great Scott! That's one of our men!" - -"A man attached to the Red fleet?" asked the Secretary. - -"Yes, he is wig-wagging with his free arm. It's--it's--great Scott! -It's Ned Strong, by all that's wonderful!" - - * * * * * - -It was half an hour later, and Ned had told his story. It was a -concise, crisp statement occupying no more time than was necessary, but -embodying a wonderful amount of important information. When he came to -relate how he had "appropriated" one of the Blue fleet's aeroplanes -and had flown straight to the _Manhattan_ in it, the enthusiasm of his -hearers knew no bounds. - -For the time being, interest in this phase of his adventures even -overtopped the recovery of the book of plans and coast defences -taken from Kenworth. The book was found to contain full details of -fire-control systems, gun tests, and other naval data of the utmost -importance. - -"By Neptune, lad, the United States Navy owes you a debt of gratitude -it can hardly repay," exclaimed Captain Dunham, with shining eyes. - -"I shall see, however, that the service does what is in its power to -recognize the signal ability you have displayed, Mr. Strong," remarked -the Secretary. - -"Thank you, sir," responded Ned, with glowing cheeks, "but the -knowledge that I have been of service to the Flag is in itself reward -enough." - -"Hardly substantial, however," smiled the Secretary. - -A few moments later Ned was dismissed and joined Herc. Their greeting -was not an effusive one on the surface. Both had been trained in a -school where men are taught to restrain and control their emotions. -But in the hearty handclasp, and the few spoken words, each friend -recognized the glad emotion that the other was feeling over their -reunion. - -Later in the day both lads were summoned to the captain's cabin. - -"Here is where we lose our commands," said Herc, with dismal foreboding. - -He was right. Captain Dunham's first words apprised both boys that they -were no longer officers. - -"You are relieved of the command of your gunboat," said the captain -crisply; and then, as the boys' faces fell, despite all their efforts -to maintain "stiff upper lips," he added, "to take charge of an -expedition which will be explained to you." - -The boys longed to exchange glances, but they stood stiffly at "eyes -front." What could be coming now? - -"We have located the yacht _Halcyon_," said the Secretary briefly. "The -secret service men have placed us in possession of facts which make -it certain that Saki and the rest are on board her. She is to sail -to-night." - -"Shall you not intercept her, sir?" asked Ned, betrayed by his interest -into a breach of naval etiquette. - -"Of course. That will be your duty." - -"Our duty, sir?" - -"Yes. You are assigned, in virtue of your commissions, to the command -of the _Henry_, second-class destroyer. You will intercept and place -under arrest the men on board the _Halcyon_ and bring the craft back to -New York harbor." - -"When do we start, sir?" - -"At once. The crew of the _Henry_ have been notified. Steam is up -and everything in readiness. You will, of course, keep in constant -communication by wireless, using the code. When you overhaul the -_Halcyon_, use no half-way measures. Arrest everyone on board, seize -all documents and denounce the ship. In particular, apprehend the man -calling himself Saki. He is in reality Captain Hasamira of the Japanese -Navy and a most dangerous man." - -"He certainly proved so to these lads," smiled Captain Dunham. "Now -be off with you, boys, and bring back the men you are going after. We -shall rely on you." - -"Aye, aye, sir," said both Dreadnought Boys saluting, though their -hearts were in such a wild tumult that they hardly knew what they were -saying. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -THE OUTCOME. - - -In the gray of the next morning the _Henry_, a squat, low craft of the -destroyer type, with three fat funnels, lay tossing uneasily on the -sweeping combers of the Atlantic some sixty-two miles south of Sandy -Hook. - -She had lain there most of the night, using her searchlight freely. -But no craft answering to the description of the _Halcyon_ had passed -within her ken. - -On the conning tower, Ned and Herc, for the twentieth time at least, -went over the last wireless they had received from the Secret Service -squad,--_via_ the _Manhattan_. - - "Cruise slowly about off Sandy Hook. Sixty-two miles to the south - about. _Halcyon_ should pass out in early morning. Is painted black, - yellow deck houses, two masts, black stack amidships." - -"It isn't possible that she has slipped by us in the night, do you -think?" exclaimed Herc, gazing anxiously about at the rolling waste of -gray water. - -"Not likely. That despatch came only an hour ago. If we remain here we -are almost bound to intercept her." - -"And if she does slip past us?" - -"Then I'll keep after her, if I have to crack on clear down to the -South Pole," said Ned grimly. "I don't intend to let that gang slip -through my fingers!" - -"I've got a few scores to settle myself," cried Herc. "When I think of -that cellar----" - -He gritted his teeth and clenched his freckled fists. It would have -fared ill with any of the gang within reach of his hands at that moment. - -"Well, let's go below to breakfast," said Ned presently. "The watch -will notify us of anything unusual." - -"Breakfast!" scoffed Herc. "I suppose it will be the same as supper -last night. Business of eating with one hand while you claw on to a -stanchion with the other. Tell you what, Ned, these destroyers are too -lively a type of craft for me." - -"They're just the type to overhaul those rascals we're after, and -that's good enough for me," rejoined Ned. "I wouldn't care if I had to -eat standing on my head just to get a chance at those fellows." - -"'Use no half-way measures,'" said Herc musingly, repeating the -Secretary's instructions. "I guess we won't, Ned, eh?" - -"Well, if they should happen to want trouble, they'll get all that -they're looking for," laughed Ned, as they descended the pitching, -swinging iron ladder that led to the cramped cabin of the _Henry_. - -They had had hardly time to down some coffee and eat some bacon when -there came a report from the bow watch. - -"Smoke to the north'ard, sir." - -Breakfast was forgotten in a flash. Snatching up his binoculars, Ned -sprang for the iron ladder. Herc was right at his heels. - -On the northern horizon lay a smudge of black smoke. For some moments -it was hard to make out whether it was receding or coming toward them. -But presently Ned, with a cry of delight, announced that the stranger -was coming due south. - -Not long after, the strange craft swam into the field of vision of the -binoculars. Herc happened to be holding them on her at that moment. He -gave an exclamation of disgust. - -"It's a yacht, all right, but not the right one." - -"How do you know?" - -"That description. I've got it by heart. Two masts, black funnel. This -fellow's got three masts and a yellow stack." - -"Let me have a look at her." - -"Go ahead if you want to; you won't see any more than I've been telling -you." - -"Well?" inquired Herc, after a somewhat long interval. The yacht had -come closer now. She was being driven hard as they could see by the -constant cloud of black smoke that came rolling out of her funnel. The -crew of the destroyer, who in some mysterious way had some inkling of -the mission of the _Henry_, watched the oncoming yacht with as much -interest as their young officers. - -"Well, what do you make of her?" demanded Herc, repeating his question. - -"Hold on a minute! I'm studying her." - -"Studying her! There's not much to study over. It's the wrong craft; -anyone could see that with half an eye." - -"I'm not so sure of that. She's a funny looking tub. Do you notice -anything odd about her, Herc?" - -"Not I; except that she isn't the craft we are looking for, confound -her." - -"Well, there _is_ something queer about her. Notice that after mast. It -doesn't appear to fit, somehow, and that stern looks funny, too." - -"Jove! now that you speak of it, it does look queer. Say, Ned, you -don't think they could have disguised her, do you?" - -"I don't know. I've heard of such things. I don't want to make -any blunder, and yet that vessel looks to me as if she had been -thimble-rigged in some sort of way." - -Midshipman Fuller, junior officer to the Dreadnought Boys, came on the -bridge. Ned turned to him. - -"Mr. Fuller, what do you make of that yacht yonder?" asked Ned. - -"She's a queer looking craft, sir. Looks awkward by the stern," said -the midshipman. - -"Just what I think. Mr. Fuller, you will take the bridge." - -"You are going to board her?" demanded Herc. - -"Yes, there's something wrong about her. I wouldn't dare to take a -chance and let her get by." - -"Bully for you," said Herc under his breath. - -"Mr. Fuller, please have the boarding launch lowered with the regular -crew. The bow gun may be uncovered and when I give you the order, you -may fire a shot across that craft's bow. First, however, I'll signal -her to heave to." - -The boarding launch referred to was a small power launch carried -amidships on the destroyer. The sea was rather rough for such a small -craft, but she was staunch, and Ned had no fear but that she would ride -the combers without difficulty. - -In obedience to his command, a string of brightly colored bunting -presently crawled up the destroyer's military mast. - -It was the signal to "heave to." - -But the strange yacht showed no inclination to obey. She kept right on -plowing through the big seas with a crest of foam at her bow. - -"You may fire, Mr. Fuller." - -Ned's voice was perfectly calm; but Herc could hardly keep still. The -bow rapid-fire gun had been stripped of its waterproof cover and its -crew was "standing by." The order to fire came crisply. - -"Let her have it across the bows!" - -Bang! The gun barked out viciously. They could see the shot go -ricocheting off over the waves. - -But the stranger kept serenely on. - -"Give it to her again," ordered Ned. - -Bang! Once more a shot whizzed across the recalcitrant stranger's prow. -It struck the water not more than twenty-five feet ahead of her. - -"Concern 'em, that ought to stop 'em," growled Herc. - -But it didn't. More smoke rolled out of the yacht's stack. Her speed -was increased, if anything. - -"I'm certain now that we're on the right track," grated out Ned; "no -honest craft would ignore a signal like that." - -Then a moment later he turned to Herc. - -"Mr. Taylor, go below and sight that gun yourself. Let her have it -across the fore-deck. I'll _make_ them heave to if I have to blow a -hole in them." - -Herc was nothing loath. Repressing a grin in virtue of the dignity of -his office, he took charge of the gun. He pointed it carefully and as -the destroyer rose on the crest of a wave, Ned gave the command. - -"Fire!" - -Bang! - -The next instant an exultant cheer broke from the excited Jackies. The -foremast of the stranger toppled, and then in a tangled wreck, came -smashing down to the deck. - -"Bull's eye!" remarked Herc coolly, flicking a powder stain off his -gloves. - -"Stopped her, sir!" exclaimed Midshipman Fuller an instant later. - -He was right. The last "hint" had been too strong to ignore. The -stranger slackened speed and lay sullenly tossing on the sea. - -"Mr. Fuller, sir, take the bridge," ordered Ned, as he and Herc -hastened to board the little power launch that lay tossing alongside, -held off from crashing against the steel sides of the _Henry_ by the -stalwart arms of its crew. - -Tossing like an eggshell, hurled dizzily skyward and then plunged -downward, the dory-shaped power boat rapidly skimmed the distance -between the destroyer and the yacht. Ned had ordered "side-arms," and -the crew of six was fully armed. - -"Yacht, ahoy!" hailed Ned as they drew near and a uniformed figure -appeared on the yacht's bridge. "What craft is that?" - -"The _Spendthrift_ of New London for New Orleans," came the reply. -"What's the matter with you navy fellows?" - -"You'll soon find out," said Ned grimly. "Lay alongside, men. Be -prepared for a surprise." - -An accommodation ladder had been lowered by order of the man on the -bridge, a stout, bearded individual. Ned was just preparing to climb -it, when there came a warning shout from Herc. The red-headed lad -pulled his chum back just in time to dodge a heavy iron weight which -some unseen hand had hurled from above. - -The weight fell harmlessly into the water. - -"It was a Jap threw that; I saw him sneaking along the deck," cried one -of the men. - -"Hurrah! We've got the right craft, then!" cried Herc. - -"What is the matter, gentlemen?" demanded the man on the bridge. He -appeared much agitated. - -"The matter is that you will consider yourself under arrest," cried -Ned. "Remain where you are and order your crew forward." - -"You take things with a high hand. Who do you think we are?" - -"I don't know anything about _you_; but I know that this craft is the -_Halcyon_ with a faked stern, a false mizzen-mast and a repainted -funnel," retorted Ned angrily. "I shall hold you responsible for the -behavior of your crew." - -The bearded man appeared to be about to collapse. In a feeble voice -they heard him order his crew forward. - -"I call you to witness that this is a chartered yacht," he cried, "and -that I'm obeying your orders. I don't want to get into trouble with -Uncle Sam." - -"I guess you're in pretty bad," muttered Herc grimly. - -Without further opposition they boarded the yacht, which there was no -longer reason to doubt was the _Halcyon_. - -As they gained the deck, some figures darted along it and vanished. - -Headed by Ned and Herc, three of the men dashed after them. The rest -were left to guard the deck. - -"That was Kenworth and Saki," gasped Herc as they rushed down the -companionway stairs and into the main saloon of the yacht. - -Ned nodded grimly. - -"We've rounded them up at last," he said drawing his revolver and -ordering Herc to do the same. - -Slam! - -Just as they gained the saloon, the door of a stateroom opening from it -was banged to. An instant later came the click of a bolt as it was shot. - -"Open that door, Kenworth," cried Ned with perfect coolness. "You're -at the end of your rope." - -Crack! - -Ned dodged just in time to avoid a bullet fired through the panel of -the door. Desperate, with nothing to hope for but a federal prison, -Kenworth was fighting like a cornered rat. - -But Ned's voice did not shake, in spite of the narrowness of his -escape, as he addressed the wretched man within the stateroom. - -"Kenworth, it is useless to resist. Be sensible and give yourself up. -You are bound to be taken, and to try to stave it off makes it all the -worse." - -Bang! Another bullet was the only answer vouchsafed. The missile fanned -Herc's ear and buried itself in the moulding of the saloon wall. - -"I'll stand no more nonsense!" cried Ned sternly. "Are you going to -surrender?" - -"Never. I'll die before I'll rot in a federal prison," cried Kenworth -wildly. - -Ned turned to Herc. - -"We've got to force the door," he said in a low voice. - -"But, Ned, the man is half insane. Why not shoot him down from outside -here?" - -"As if I'd do a thing like that! Come on!" - -Right then the Jackies standing behind the two young officers beheld an -exhibition of pure nerve that they had never seen excelled. Ned raised -his revolver and fired through the top of the stateroom door where -his bullet would be certain to hurt no one. As he expected, it drew -Kenworth's fire. - -Bang-Bang-Bang! came three shots. Ned knew that the cylinder of the -crazed midshipman's revolver must be empty. - -"Now!" he shouted. "Stand by, men!" - -Rip-p-p-p! Cr-ash-h-h-h! The door was carried clean off its hinges as -Ned and Herc rushed it. As it fell, the interior of the stateroom, -reeking with blue powder smoke, was revealed. Huddled on the bunk in -postures of abject terror were Saki and the spectacled Jap who had -caused Herc so much trouble. - -[Illustration: Rip-p-p-p! Cr-ash-h-h-h! The door was carried off its -hinges as Ned and Herc rushed in.--_Page 296_] - -In the center of the room stood Kenworth. His eyes blazed with a wild -fire and he flourished an empty revolver, while he yelled incoherently. - -At the sight of Ned and Herc, the half insane man uttered a piercing -cry. - -"I thought you were both dead!" he cried. "But you have risen from the -grave to confront me!" - -He slipped another cartridge into his revolver, and Ned leaped forward -just in time to dash the weapon from the wretched renegade's hand. He -had turned the pistol on himself. - -Within half an hour, Kenworth, by that time a raging maniac, had been -secured, and the two Japs in sullen silence had been escorted with the -renegade midshipman on board the _Henry_. A search of the _Halcyon_ -revealed several men among the crew whom Herc recalled having seen in -the plotters' headquarters at Civic Island. Many papers and documents -which there was not time to examine just then were also recovered. - -Ned placed three men in charge of the _Halcyon_ with orders to make her -captain follow him into New York harbor. Then he wirelessed news of his -success to the _Manhattan_ and received a warm reply of congratulation -that made his blood glow and his eyes shine. Herc, too, came in for -a share of commendation. With the congratulations, came orders to -proceed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and see that Kenworth was placed in a -hospital, for he was no longer responsible. - - * * * * * - -It was two days later. The Dreadnought Boys stood facing the Secretary -of the Navy in the office of the commander of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. -What was to come, they did not know. They had not yet been relieved -of their command of the _Henry_, and they feared that the summons to -present themselves to the Secretary was for that purpose. - -"Well, gentlemen," said the Secretary, looking approvingly at the two -spruce, smart, young officers, "I suppose that you have no wish to take -off those uniforms?" - -"Naturally not, sir," returned Ned, for Herc was too embarrassed -to speak. "It is the finest uniform in the world and no one would -willingly doff it." - -"Just what I think, Strong," said the Secretary, "and I'm going to -see to it that you do not change these uniforms except for those of a -higher rank in the service." - -Ned's eyes grew dim. The room swam before him. He could hardly believe -his ears. But the Secretary continued, - -"As I said the other day, both you young men have shown ability of -no common order, native qualities that cannot be inducted by Naval -Academies or colleges. I have therefore made arrangements to have your -present appointments made permanent, and you will, hereafter, by -special act, assume them with their rank, pay and dignity until you are -ready for the next step upward; and I promise you that I shall keep my -eye upon you." - -"Mr. Secretary, I--we--that is--we don't know what to say, except to -thank you and assure you that it is the proudest moment of our lives," -stammered Ned hoarsely in a voice that sounded to him faint and far -away. As for Herc, he stood like one stunned, his freckles coming and -going on his alternately ruddy and pale cheeks like pictures in a -kaleidoscope. - -To relieve the situation, the Secretary changed the subject. - -"After the maneuvers, you will be granted a furlough of one month. For -the present, you will retain command of the _Henry_ and will rejoin -the Red fleet with all speed. By the way, I may tell you that Kenworth -can never recover his reason. His mind is a total wreck. I suppose it -is charitable to attribute his treachery to his weakened intellect. -As for the Japanese spies, the government can only quietly see to it -that they are escorted out of the country never to return. I understand -that in Japan the life of a detected spy is not a happy one, so that -they will meet their punishment even if the government of this country -cannot inflict a penalty upon them. Against Rankin, of whose actions on -the _Seneca_ we know, we have proved nothing; but he will be watched." - -And here, with the glory of their new honors upon them, we must say -"Good-by" once more to the Dreadnought Boys. The events just chronicled -are so recent that it may be some time before we can set down their -further adventures. The lads have been accepted most cordially by their -brother officers and are loved and respected by their men. - -Success has not turned their heads and as officers they are proving the -same modest, self-respecting lads as ever. The Secretary and their -immediate superiors are keeping their eyes on the two young officers, -and ere long they will doubtless have further chances to distinguish -themselves. - -But whether they are assigned to routine duty or to exciting, -adventurous cruises, the Dreadnought Boys will always devote -themselves, heart and soul, to the defence of one standard--the Flag of -their country. - - -THE END. - - - - -OAKDALE ACADEMY SERIES - -Stories of Modern School Sports - -By MORGAN SCOTT. - -Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid - - -BEN STONE AT OAKDALE. - -[Illustration] - -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 - - - - -BOY INVENTORS SERIES - -Stories of Skill and Ingenuity - -By RICHARD BONNER - -Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - - -THE BOY INVENTORS' WIRELESS TELEGRAPH. - -[Illustration] - -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 - - - - -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 - - - - -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 - - - - -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 - - - - -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 - - - - -FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES - -Twentieth Century Athletic Stories - -By MATHEW 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 - - - - -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 - - - - -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 re-union 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 - - - - -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 - - - - -MOTOR CYCLE SERIES - -Splendid Motor Cycle Stories - -By LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON. - -Author of "Boy Scout Series." - -Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid - - -[Illustration] - -THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS AROUND THE WORLD. - -Could Jules Verne have dreamed of encircling the globe with a motor -cycle for emergencies he would have deemed it an achievement greater -than any he describes in his account of the amusing travels of Philias -Fogg. This, however, is the purpose successfully carried out by the -Motor Cycle Chums, and the tale of their mishaps, hindrances and -delays is one of intense interest, secret amusement, and incidental -information to the reader. - - -THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS OF THE NORTHWEST PATROL. - -The Great Northwest is a section of vast possibilities and in it the -Motor Cycle Chums meet adventures even more unusual and exciting than -many of their experiences on their tour around the world. There is not -a dull page in this lively narrative of clever boys and their attendant -"Chinee." - - -THE MOTOR CYCLE CHUMS IN THE GOLD FIELDS. - -The gold fever which ran its rapid course through the veins of the -historic "forty-niners" recurs at certain intervals, and seizes its -victims with almost irresistible power. The search for gold is so -fascinating to the seekers that hardship, danger and failure are -obstacles that scarcely dampen their ardour. How the Motor Cycle Chums -were caught by the lure of the gold and into what difficulties and -novel experiences they were led, makes a tale of thrilling interest. - -Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. - - HURST & COMPANY - Publishers - NEW YORK - - - - - BOY SCOUT SERIES - - BY - - LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON - - MODERN BOY SCOUT STORIES FOR BOYS - - Cloth Bound, Price 50¢ per volume. - - -The Boy Scouts on the Range. - -Connected with the dwellings of the vanished race of cliff-dwellers was -a mystery. Who so fit to solve it as a band of adventurous Boy Scouts? -The solving of the secret and the routing of a bold band of cattle -thieves involved Rob Blake and his chums, including "Tubby" Hopkins, in -grave difficulties. - -There are few boys who have not read of the weird snake dance and -other tribal rites of Moquis. In this volume, the habits of these fast -vanishing Indians are explained in interesting detail. Few boys' books -hold more thrilling chapters than those concerning Rob's captivity -among the Moquis. - -Through the fascinating pages of the narrative also stalks, like a grim -figure of impending tragedy, the shaggy form of Silver Tip, the giant -grizzly. In modern juvenile writing, there is little to be found as -gripping as the scene in which Rob and Silver Tip meet face to face. -The boy is weaponless and,--but it would not be fair to divulge the -termination of the battle. A book which all Boy Scouts should secure -and place upon their shelves to be read and re-read. - - Sold by Booksellers Everywhere. - - Hurst & Co., Publishers New York - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - -Italics are represented using _underscores_. - -Some inconsistent hyphenation has been retained from the original (e.g. -"foredeck" vs. "fore-deck"). - -Frontispiece caption, moved comma inside quotes. - -Page 22, removed duplicate "the" from "the book was instructive as well -as interesting." - -Page 178, changed single to double quote after "Can you anyways recall -jes' what happened las' night?" - -"Dreadnought Boys Series" ad, corrected "Areo Service" to "Aero -Service" in plot summary. - -"Girl Aviators Series" ad, corrected "terrestial" to "terrestrial" and -"abiltity" to "ability." - -"Molly Brown Series" ad, corrected "SOPHMORE" to "SOPHOMORE." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dreadnought Boys in Home Waters, by -Wilbur Lawton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DREADNOUGHT BOYS IN HOME WATERS *** - -***** This file should be named 54496-8.txt or 54496-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/4/9/54496/ - -Produced by Demian Katz and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy -of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - -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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