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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e9f8eb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61481 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61481) diff --git a/old/61481-8.txt b/old/61481-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 88385d9..0000000 --- a/old/61481-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1840 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Silence is--Deadly, by Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -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: Silence is--Deadly - -Author: Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -Release Date: February 22, 2020 [EBook #61481] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SILENCE IS--DEADLY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - SILENCE IS--DEADLY - - By Bertrand L. Shurtleff - - Radio is an absolute necessity in modern - organization--and particularly in modern - naval organization. If you could silence all - radio--silence of that sort would be deadly! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction April 1942. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The hurried _rat-a-tat_ of knuckles hammered on the cabin door. -Commander Bob Curtis roused himself from his doze, got up from his -chair, stretched himself to his full, lanky height and yawned. That -would be Nelson, his navigating officer. Nelson always knocked that -way--like a man in an external state of jitters over nothing at all. - -Curtis didn't hurry. It pleased him to let Nelson wait. He moved slowly -to the door, paused there, and flung a backward glance at the man in -the cabin with him--Zukor Androka, the elderly Czech scientist, a guest -of the United States navy, here aboard the cruiser _Comerford_. - -The wizened face of the older man was molded in intent lines of -concentration, as his bushy gray head bent over his drawing board. -Curtis got a glimpse of the design on which he was working, and his -lips relaxed in a faint smile. - -Androka had arrived on board the _Comerford_ the day before she sailed -from Norfolk. With him came a boatload of scientific apparatus and -equipment, including a number of things that looked like oxygen tanks, -which were now stored in the forward hold. Androka had watched over -his treasures with the jealous care of a mother hen, and spent hours -daily in the room in the superstructure that had been assigned as his -laboratory. - -Sometimes, Curtis thought old Androka was a bit wacky--a scientist -whose mind had been turned by the horror that had come to his country -under the domination of the Nazi _gestapo_. At other times, the man -seemed a genius. Perhaps that was the answer--a mad genius! - -Curtis opened the door and looked out. Rain whipped against his face -like a stinging wet lash. Overhead, the sky was a storm-racked mass of -clouds, broken in one spot by a tiny patch of starlit blue. - -His eyes rested inquiringly on the face of the man who stood before -him. It _was_ Nelson, his shaggy blond brows drawn scowlingly down -over his pale eyes; his thin face a mass of tense lines; his big hands -fumbling at the neck of his slicker. Rain was coursing down his white -cheeks, streaking them with glistening furrows. - -The fellow was a headache to Curtis. He was overfriendly with a -black-browed bos'n's mate named Joe Bradford--the worst trouble maker -on board. But there was no question of his ability. He was a good -navigating officer--dependable, accurate, conscientious. Nevertheless, -his taut face, restless, searching eyes, and eternally nervous manner -got Curtis' goat. - -"Come in, Nelson!" he said. - -Nelson shouldered his way inside, and stood there in his dripping -oilskins, blinking his eyes against the yellow light. - -Curtis closed the door and nodded toward the bent form of Zukor -Androka, with a quizzical grin. "Old Czech-and-Double-Czech is working -hard on his latest invention to pull Hitler's teeth and re-establish -the Czech Republic!" - -Nelson had no answering smile, although there had been a great deal -of good-natured joking aboard the _Comerford_ ever since the navy -department had sent the scientist on board the cruiser to carry on his -experiments. - -"I'm worried, sir!" Nelson said. "I'm not sure about my dead reckoning. -This storm--" - -Curtis threw his arm around Nelson's dripping shoulders. "Forget it! -Don't let a little error get you down!" - -"But this storm, sir!" Nelson avoided Curtis' friendly eyes and slipped -out from under his arm. "It's got me worried. Quartering wind of -undetermined force, variable and gusty. There's a chop to the sea--as -if from unestimated currents among the islets. No chance to check by -observation, and now there is a chance--look at me!" - -He held out his hands. They were shaking as if he had the chills. - -"You say there is a chance?" Curtis asked. "Stars out?" - -"As if by providence, sir, there's a clear patch. I'm wondering--" His -voice trailed off, but his eyes swung toward the gleaming sextant on -the rack. - -Commander Curtis shrugged good-naturedly and reached for the -instrument. "Not that I've lost confidence in you, Nels, but just -because you asked for it!" - - * * * * * - -Curtis donned his slicker and went outside, sextant in hand. In a few -minutes he returned and handed Nelson a sheet of paper with figures -underlined heavily. - -"Here's what I make it," the commander told his navigating officer. -"Bet you're not off appreciably." - -Nelson stared at the computations with shaking head. Then he mutely -held up his own. - -Curtis stared, frowned, grabbed his own sheet again. "Any time I'm -that far off old Figure-'em Nelson's estimate, I'm checking back," he -declared, frowning at the two papers and hastily rechecking his own -figures. - -"Call up to the bridge to stop her," he told Nelson. "We can't afford -to move in these waters with such a possibility of error!" - -Nelson complied, and the throbbing drive of the engines lessened -at once. Nelson said: "I've been wondering, sir, if it wouldn't be -advisable to try getting a radio cross-bearing. With all these rocks -and islets--" - -"Radio?" repeated the little Czech, thrusting his face between the -other two, in his independent fashion that ignored ship's discipline. -"You're using your radio?" He broke into a knowing chuckle, his keen -old eyes twinkling behind their thick lenses. "Go ahead and try it. See -how much you can get! It will be no more than Hitler can get when Zukor -Androka decrees silence over the German airways! Try it! Try it, I say!" - -Bob Curtis stared at him, as if questioning his sanity. Then he -hastened to the radio room, with Nelson at his heels, and the Czech -trotting along behind. - -The door burst open as they neared it. A frightened operator came out, -still wearing his earphones, and stood staring upward incredulously at -the aërial. - -"Get us a radio cross-bearing for location at once," Curtis said -sharply, for the operator seemed in a daze. - -"Bearing, sir?" The man brought his eyes down with difficulty, as if -still dissatisfied. "I'm sorry, sir, but the outfit's dead. Went out on -me about five minutes ago. I was taking the weather report when the set -conked. I was trying to see if something's wrong." - -The Czech inventor giggled. Curtis gave him another curious look and -thrust himself into the radio room. - -"Try again!" he told the operator. "See what you can get!" - -The radio man leaped to his seat and tried frantically. Again and -again, he sent off a request for a cross-bearing from shore stations -that had recently been established to insure safety to naval vessels, -but there was no answer on any of the bands--not even the blare of a -high-powered commercial program in the higher reach, nor the chatter of -ships or amateurs on the shorter. - -"Dead!" Androka muttered, with a bitter laugh. "Yet not dead, -gentlemen! The set is uninjured. The waves are what have been upset. I -have shattered them around your ship, just as I can eventually shatter -them all over Central Europe! For the next two hours, no radio messages -can enter or leave my zone of radio silence--of refracted radio waves, -set up by my little station on one of the neighboring islets!" - - * * * * * - -There was a long pause, while commander and navigator stared at him. -Curtis was the first to speak. - -"Your secrecy might well cost the United States navy one of its best -light cruisers--and us our lives!" he said angrily. "We need that check -by radio at once! If you're not talking nonsense, call off your dogs -till we learn just where we are!" - -Androka held out his palms helplessly. "I can do nothing. I have given -orders to my assistant that he must keep two hours of radio silence! I -can get no message to him, for our radio is dead!" - -As if to mock him, the ship's radio began to answer: - -"Station 297 calling U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_. Station 297 calling U. -S. Cruiser _Comerford_--" - -"U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ calling Station 297!" the operator intoned, -winking at the two officers over Androka's discomfiture, and asked for -the bearings. - -The answer came back: "Bearings north east by a quarter east, U. S. -Cruiser _Comerford_!" - -Curtis sighed with relief. He saw that Nelson was staring fiercely -at the radio operator, as the man went on calling: "U. S. Cruiser -_Comerford_ calling Station 364. U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ calling -Station 364--" - -Then the instrument rasped again: "Station 364 calling U. S. Cruiser -_Comerford_. Bearings north west by three west. Bearings north west by -three west, U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ from Cay 364." - -Commander and navigator had both scribbled verifications of the -numbers. Ignoring the gibbering Androka, who was wailing his -disappointment that messages had penetrated his veil of silence, they -raced for the chart room. - -Quickly the parallels stepped off the bearing from the designated -points. Light intersecting lines proclaimed a check on their position. - -Curtis frowned and shook his head. Slowly he forced a reluctant grin as -he stuck out his hand. - -"Shake, Nels," he said. "It's my turn to eat crow. You and the radio -must be right. Continue as you were!" - -"I'm relieved, sir, just the same," Nelson admitted, "to have the radio -bearings. We'd have piled up sure if you'd been right." - -They went on through the night. The starlit gap in the clouds had -closed. The sky was again a blanket of darkness pouring sheets of rain -at them. - -Nelson went back to the bridge, and Androka returned to the commander's -cabin. Curtis lingered in the wireless room with the radio operator. - -"It's a funny thing," the latter said, still dialing and grousing, "how -I got that cross-bearing through and can't get another squeak out of -her. I'm wondering if that old goat really _has_ done something to the -ether. The set seems O. K." - -He lingered over the apparatus, checking and rechecking. Tubes lighted; -wires were alive to the touch and set him to shaking his head at the -tingle they sent through his inquiring fingers. - -Curtis left him at it, and went to rejoin Androka in the cabin. He -found the little inventor pacing up and down, shaking his fists in the -air; pausing every now and then to run his bony fingers through his -tangled mop of gray hair, or to claw nervously at his beard. - -"You have seen a miracle, commander!" he shouted at Curtis. "_My_ -miracle! My invention has shattered the ether waves hereabouts -hopelessly." - -"Seems to me," Curtis said dryly, "this invention can harm your friends -as much as your enemies." - -The scientist drew himself up to his full height--which was only a -little over five feet. His voice grew shrill. "Wait! Just wait! There -are other inventions to supplement this one. Put them together, and -they will defeat the Nazi hordes which have ravaged my country!" - -Curtis was a little shocked by the hatred that gleamed in Androka's -eyes, under their bushy brows. There was something of the wild animal -in the man's expression, as his lips drew back from his yellowed teeth. - -"Those tanks you have below," Curtis said, "have they some connection -with this radio silence?" - -A far-away look came into Androka's eyes. He did not seem to hear -the question. He lowered his voice: "My daughter is still in Prague. -So are my sister and her husband, and _their_ two daughters. If the -_gestapo_ knew what I am doing, all of them would be better dead. You -understand--better dead?" - -Curtis said: "I understand." - -"And if the Nazi agents in America knew of the islet from which my zone -of silence is projected--" Androka paused, his head tilted to one side, -as if he were listening to something-- - - * * * * * - -On deck, there was shouting and commotion. Curtis rushed out, pulling -on his slicker as he went. The shout from the watch forward had been -picked up, and was being relayed all over the ship. The words struck on -Curtis' ears with a note of impending tragedy. - -"Breakers ahead!" - -He was beside Navigating Officer Nelson on the bridge, and saw the -helmsman climbing the rapidly spinning wheel like a monkey as he put it -hard aport. - -Then the ship struck. Everything movable shot ahead until it brought up -at the end of a swing or smacked against something solid. - -Curtis felt Nelson's hand grip his shoulder, as he put his lips close -to his ear and shouted: "You must have been right, sir, and the radio -bearings and my reckoning wrong. We've hit that reef a terrific smack. -I'm afraid we're gored!" - -"Get out the collision mat!" Curtis ordered. "We ought to be able to -keep her up!" - -And then he became aware of a deadly stillness. A vast wall of silence -enveloped the entire cruiser. Looking over the side, he could no longer -see the waves that a few minutes before had beaten savagely against the -ship. - -The _Comerford_ was shrouded in a huge pall of yellowish-gray mist, and -more of it was coming up from below--from ventilators and hatchways and -skylights--as if the whole ship were flooded with some evil vapor. - -Somehow, Curtis' mind flashed to the stories he'd heard of the forts of -the Maginot Line, and of other forts in Holland and Belgium that had -fallen before the early Nazi blitzkrieg, when their defenders found -themselves struck numb and helpless by a gas that had been flooded into -the inner compartments of their strongholds. - -There were those who said it was the work of sappers who had tunneled -under the foundations, while others laid the induction of the gas to -Fifth Column traitors. There were a hundred more or less plausible -explanations-- - -The vapor clouds that enveloped the _Comerford_ were becoming thicker. -All about the deck lay the forms of unconscious seamen, suddenly -stricken helpless. And then Curtis saw other forms flitting about the -deck--forms that looked like creatures from another world, but he -recognized them for what they were--men wearing gas masks. - -Nelson was nowhere in sight. The steersman lay in a limp heap beside -the swinging wheel. Then a gas-masked figure appeared through the -shroud of mist and steadied it, so that the cruiser would not be -completely at the mercy of the wind and the waves. - -Curtis heard the anchor let down, as if by invisible hands, the chain -screaming and flailing its clanking way through the hawse hole. Then he -was completely walled in by the yellowish-gray mist. He felt his senses -swimming. - -Voices droned all around him in mumbling confusion--guttural voices -that ebbed and flowed in a tide of excited talk. He caught a word of -English now and then, mixed in with a flood of Teuton phonetics. - -Two words, in particular, registered clearly on his mind. One was -"_Carethusia_"; the other was "convoy." But gradually his eardrums -began to throb, as if someone were pounding on them from the inside. He -couldn't get his breath; a cloud seemed to be mounting within him until -it swept over his brain-- - -He felt something strike the side of his head, and realized that he had -fallen in a heap on the bridge. And after that, he wasn't conscious of -anything-- - - * * * * * - -The rain had abated to a foggy drizzle. The wash of the surf swung the -_Comerford_ in a lazy, rolling motion, as she lay with her bow nosing -into the sandbar at the entrance of the inlet. - -From her bridge, Navigating Officer Nelson watched the gas-masked -figures moving about the decks, descending companionways--like goblins -from an ancient fairy tale or a modern horror story. Nelson looked like -a goblin himself, with his face covered by a respirator. At his side, -stood his fellow conspirator Bos'n's Mate Joe Bradford, also wearing a -gas mask. - -Nelson spoke in a low tone, his lips close to Bradford's ear. "It -worked, Joe!" - -"Yeah!" Bradford agreed. "It worked--fine!" - -The limp bodies of the _Comerford's_ crew were being carried to the -lowered accommodation ladder and transferred into waiting lifeboats. - -Nelson swore under his breath. "Reckon it'll take a couple of hours -before the ship's rid of that damn gas!" - -Bradford shook his head in disagreement. "The old geezer claims he's -got a neutralizing chemical in one of them tanks of his that'll clear -everything up inside half an hour." - -"I'd rather get along without Androka, if we could!" Nelson muttered. -"He's nothing but a crackpot!" - -"It was a crackpot who invented the gas we used to break up the -Maginot Line," Bradford reminded him. "It saved a lot of lives for the -_Fuehrer_--lives that'd have been lost if the forts had to be taken by -our storm troopers!" - -Nelson grunted and turned away. A short, thick-set figure in the -uniform of a German naval commander had ascended the accommodation -ladder and was mounting to the bridge. He, too, was equipped with a -respirator. - -He came up to Nelson, saluted, and held out his hand, introducing -himself as Herr Kommander Brandt. He began to speak in German, but -Nelson stopped him. - -"I don't speak any German," he explained. "I was born and educated in -the United States--of German parents, who had been ruined in the First -World War. My mother committed suicide when she learned that we were -penniless. My father--" He paused and cleared his throat. - -"_Ja!_ Your father?" the German officer prompted, dropping into -accented English. "Your father?" - -"My father dedicated me to a career of revenge--to wipe out his -wrongs," Nelson continued. "If America hadn't gone into the First -World War, he wouldn't have lost his business; my mother would still -be living. When he joined the Nazi party, the way became clear to use -me--to educate me in a military prep school, then send me to Annapolis, -for a career in the United States navy--and no one suspected me. No -one--" - -"Sometimes," Bradford put in, "I think Curtis suspected you." - -"Maybe Curtis'll find out his suspicions were justified," Nelson said -bitterly. "But it won't do Curtis any good--a commander who's lost -his ship." He turned to Brandt. "You have plenty of men to work the -_Comerford_?" - -Brandt nodded his square head. "We have a full crew--two hundred -men--officers, seamen, mechanics, radio men, technical experts, all -German naval reservists living in the United States, who've been sent -here secretly, a few at a time, during the past six weeks!" - - * * * * * - -The three--Brandt, Nelson and Bradford--stood on the bridge and talked, -while the efficient stretcher-bearers worked industriously to remove -the limp bodies of the _Comerford's_ unconscious crew and row them -ashore. - -And when that task was completed, lifeboats began to come alongside -with strange-looking radio equipment, and more gas tanks like those -Androka had brought aboard the _Comerford_ with him, and dynamos and -batteries that looked like something out of a scientific nightmare. - -And bustling all over the place, barking excited commands in German, -pushing and pulling and pointing to emphasize his directions, was the -strange figure of Professor Zukor Androka! - -"The professor's in his glory!" Nelson remarked to Kommander Brandt. - -"Funny thing about him," Bradford put in, "is that his inventions work. -That zone of silence cut us off completely." - -Kommander Brandt nodded. "Goodt! But you got your message giving your -bearings--the wrong ones?" - -"Yes," Nelson said. "That came through all right. And won't Curtis have -a time explaining it!" - -"Hereafter," Brandt said solemnly, "the zone of silence vill be -projected from the _Comerford_; and ve have another invention of -Androka's vich vill be even more useful vhen ve come to cut the -_Carethusia_ out of her convoy." - -"The _Carethusia_?" Nelson asked, in a puzzled tone. - -Brandt said: "She's a freighter in a convoy out of St. Johns--twelve -thousand tons. The orders are to take her; not sink her." - -"What's the idea?" - -"Her cargo," Brandt explained. "It iss more precious than rubies. It -includes a large shipment of boarts." - -"Boarts?" Nelson repeated. "What are they?" - -"Boarts," Brandt told him, "are industrial diamonds--black, -imperfectly crystallized stones, but far more valuable to us than -flawless diamonds from Tiffany's on Fift' Avenue. They are needed for -making machine tools. They come from northern Brazil--and our supply is -low." - -"I should think we could get a shipment of these boarts direct from -Brazil--through the blockade," Nelson said, "without taking the risk of -capturing a United States navy cruiser." - -"There are other things Germany needs desperately on board the -_Carethusia_," Brandt explained. "Vanadium and nickel and hundreds of -barrels of lard oil for machine-tool lubrication. Our agents have been -watching the convoys closely for weeks for just such a cargo as the -_Carethusia_ is taking over." - -"Can we trust Androka?" Nelson asked, with a sudden note of suspicion -in his voice. - -"Yes," Brandt assured him. "Of all men--we can trust Androka!" - -"But he's a Czech," Nelson argued. - -"The _gestapo_ takes care of Czechs and Poles and Frenchmen and other -foreigners whom it chooses as its agents," Brandt pointed out. "Androka -has a daughter and other relations in Prague. He knows that if anything -misfires, if there is the slightest suspicion of treachery on his part, -his daughter and the others will suffer. Androka's loyalty is assured!" - -Nelson turned to watch the forward fighting top of the _Comerford_. -The masked German seamen were installing some sort of apparatus -up there--a strange-looking object that looked something like an -old-fashioned trench mortar, and which connected with cables to the -room that served as Androka's laboratory and workshop. - -Another crew was installing radio apparatus in the mizzentop turret. - -Descending a companionway to see what was going on below, Nelson found -that portholes were being opened, and men were spraying chemical around -to rid the below-decks atmosphere of the lethal gas that had overcome -the _Comerford's_ American crew. - -Returning to the bridge, he found that the tide in the inlet had risen -considerably, and that the cruiser was riding more easily at her anchor. - -Then, at Brandt's orders, the anchor was hauled in, and lifeboats and a -motor launch were used as tugs to work the vessel entirely free of the -sand bar. This was accomplished without difficulty. - -Brandt came over to where Nelson was standing on the bridge and held -out his hand. - -"Congratulations, Herr Kommander Nelson!" he said. "Ve have stolen one -of the United States navy's newest and fastest cruisers!" He made a -gesture as if raising a beer stein to drink a toast. "_Prosit!_" he -added. - -"_Prosit!_" Nelson repeated, and the two grinned at each other. - - * * * * * - -Stars were twinkling in a patch of black-blue sky, and broken mountains -of gray cloud were skudding before the east wind. Commander Bob Curtis -found himself lying in wet sand, on a beach, somewhere, with the -rain--now a light, driving mist--beating on his face. He was chilled; -his limbs were stiff and numb. His nose and throat felt parched inside, -as if a wave of searing heat had scorched them. - -According to his last calculations, the _Comerford_ had been cruising -off the Maine coast. This probably was one of the islets of that -region, or it might be the mainland. - -It was hard work getting to his feet, and when he did manage to stand, -he could only plant his heels in the sand and sway to and fro for fully -a minute, like a child learning to walk. - -All around him in the nearly total darkness, he could make out the dim -forms of men sprawled on the beach; and of other men moving about, -exploring. He heard the murmur of voices and saw the glow of lighted -cigarettes. - -A man with a flashlight was approaching him. Its white glare shone for -a moment in Curtis' face, and the familiar voice of Ensign Jack Dillon -spoke: "Commander Curtis! Are you O. K., sir?" - -"I think so!" Curtis' heart warmed at the eager expression in Dillon's -face; at the heartfelt concern in his friendly brown eyes. The young -ensign was red-headed, impetuous, thoroughly genuine in his emotions. -"How about yourself, Jack?" Curtis added. - -"A bit of a headache from the gas, but that's all. Any orders, sir?" - -Curtis thought for a moment. "Muster the crew, as best you can. We'll -try to make a roll call. Is there any sign of the ship?" - -There was a solemn note in Dillon's voice. "No, sir. She's been worked -off the sandbar and put to sea!" - -The words struck Curtis with the numbing shock of a blow on some nerve -center. For the first time, he realized fully the tragedy that had -swept down on him. He had lost his ship--one of the United States -navy's fastest and newest small light cruisers--under circumstances -which smelled strongly of treachery and sabotage. - -As he thought back, he realized that he _might_ have prevented the -loss, if he had been more alert, more suspicious. For it was clear to -him now that the _Comerford_ had been deliberately steered to this -place; that the men who had seized her had been waiting here for that -very purpose. - -The pieces of the picture fitted together like a jigsaw -puzzle--Androka's zone of silence; the bearings given by radio; -Navigating Officer Nelson's queer conduct. They were all part of a -carefully laid plan! - -All the suspicious circumstances surrounding Nelson came flooding into -Curtis' mind. He had never liked the man; never trusted him. Nelson -always acted as if he had some secret, something to hide. - -Curtis recalled that Nelson and Androka had long conversations -together--conversations which they would end abruptly when anyone else -came within earshot. And Nelson had always been chummy with the worst -trouble maker in the crew--Bos'n's Mate Bradford. - -Curtis went around, finding the officers, issuing orders. There were -still some unconscious men to be revived. In a sheltered cove among -the rocks, an exploring group had found enough dry driftwood to make a -fire-- - -In another hour, the skies had cleared, and white moonlight flooded -the scene with a ghostly radiance. The men of the _Comerford_ had -all regained consciousness and were drying out in front of the big -driftwood bonfires in the cove. - -Curtis ordered a beacon kept burning on a high promontory. Then he got -the men lined up, according to their respective classifications, for a -check-up on the missing. - -When this was completed, it was found that the _Comerford's_ entire -complement of two hundred and twenty men were present--except -Navigating Officer Nelson, and Bos'n's Mate Bradford! And Zukor Androka -was also missing! - -With the coming of dawn, a little exploration revealed that the -_Comerford's_ crew was marooned on an islet, about a square mile in -area; that they had been put ashore without food or extra clothing or -equipment of any kind, and that no boats had been left for them. - -One searching party reported finding the remains of what had been a -radio station on a high promontory on the north shore of the islet. -Another had found the remains of tents and log cabins, recently -demolished, in a small, timbered hollow--a well-hidden spot invisible -from the air, unless one were flying very low; a place where two -hundred or more men could have camped. - -There was a good water supply--a small creek fed by springs--but -nothing in the way of food. Evidently food was a precious commodity -which the recent inhabitants of the islet couldn't afford to leave -behind. - -Curtis was studying the wreckage of the wireless station, wondering -if this might have been the source of Androka's zone of silence, when -Ensign Jack Dillon came up to him. - -"There's a coast-guard cutter heading for the island, sir," he -announced. - - * * * * * - -From the coast-guard station on Hawk Island, a fast navy plane whipped -Commander Bob Curtis to the naval base at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. -But he was received there with suspicious glances. Even some of his old -buddies from way back did no more than give him a limp handshake and a -faint "Good luck, Bob!" when they heard of his misadventure. - -Within two hours of his arrival, he was facing a court of inquiry, -presided over by Rear Admiral Henderson--a sarcastic, leathery-faced -seadog, who had fought as an ensign under Schley at Santiago in '98, -and had since seen service on the North Sea patrol in the First World -War. Even to his best friends, he was known as "Old Curmudgeon." - -Curtis fidgeted uncomfortably under his questions. They were so hostile -in tone, phrased in such a way as to imply guilt on his part, that -Curtis could not help feeling that he was making a bad impression. - -"Will you kindly repeat that statement in a clear voice, so that -everyone can hear you, commander?" the rear admiral demanded, with a -stinging sharpness in his tone. - -Curtis cleared his throat and repeated his former explanation: "The -radio bearings from the two shore stations checked exactly with the -dead reckoning of my navigating officer, refuting my astronomical -observation. Naturally, I conceded that I must be wrong, although I -could not understand how I made such a mistake." - -The voice of Old Curmudgeon became suave and silky--the kind of voice -he used when he wished to be nasty. "Commander, did you _hear_ the -radioed replies from the island stations in answer to your operator's -inquiries?" - -Curtis squared his shoulders and faced his questioner boldly. "I did, -sir. The radio man on duty reported that he was unable to get anything -from the set; claimed it was dead. I insisted that he try, although -Androka claimed he had instituted a period of radio silence by some -device operating on a neighboring island. He was intensely disappointed -when both stations answered clearly and distinctly, giving us bearings -that checked with Lieutenant Commander Nelson's dead reckoning." - -The rear admiral sneered. "A very pretty story, commander--but all a -fabrication!" - -Curtis stiffened. His eyes blazed anger for a full minute, out of a -face already drawn and white. - -"I shall now proceed to prove my accusations," Old Curmudgeon -continued. "Bring in those operators!" - -There was a commotion at the door, and two radio men came in, saluting -smartly. Curtis wondered what was coming. - -Old Curmudgeon smiled at them. "You are the radio operators on island -stations 297 and 364?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"And you were both on duty during the mysterious two hours of silence -on the night of July 7th?" - -"Yes, sir!" - -"Did you at any time during the two hours leave your posts?" - -"No, sir!" - -"Did you, during those two hours, receive any call whatsoever or give -out bearings to any ship, particularly the U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_?" - -"No, sir!" - -"You are positive about that?" - -"Yes, sir!" - -"Gentlemen," the rear admiral said triumphantly, turning to the board -of inquiry, "I submit to you that this evidence proves that Commander -Curtis has told an untruth. I recommend that he be court-martialed -on charges of gross negligence in the loss of government property -intrusted to his care and of misrepresenting facts regarding the -circumstances of loss!" - -During the awed silence that followed, Curtis felt his world whirling -to pieces. - -The rear admiral's voice went on in its most rasping tone: "I recommend -further, gentlemen, that Commander Curtis be relieved from active duty, -placed on parole, and confined to this station on his own recognizance -until the disappearance of the _Comerford_ can be thoroughly -investigated." - -The members of the inquiry board conferred and voted. There was no -dissenting voice from the opinion expressed by Old Curmudgeon. - -Angry, ashamed, dazed, Curtis stood to hear the verdict announced. -"Gentlemen," he managed to say, his tongue almost choking him, "my only -hope is for speedy recovery of the ship!" - -Later, in the room assigned to him in the naval barracks, Curtis -listened for almost an hour to his short-wave radio set; but it told -him nothing of the _Comerford_--and that was all he cared about. - -He shut it off and reached for the telephone. A new idea had come into -his mind--something he had vaguely remembered from the night before, -the two words overheard as he lay half conscious on the _Comerford's_ -bridge--"_Carethusia_"--"convoy." - -"Is there an officer of the British naval intelligence in town?" he -asked the operator. - -"Yes, sir. Captain Rathbun. Shall I get him for you?" - -"Please!" - - * * * * * - -Fifteen minutes later, Curtis was in the small office where the British -naval man made his headquarters, on the main street of the town. - -Rathbun listened with close attention to Curtis' story, throwing in a -question now and then. - -"Yes," he said, "there is a ship called the _Carethusia_ carrying -supplies to Britain. But it'd take a little time to locate her. I'd -have to wire Halifax!" - -He sent off a code telegram and waited. An hour elapsed--two -hours--then came the reply. Rathbun decoded it and read it to Curtis. - - "_Carethusia_, carrying valuable cargo to Britain, left St. Johns, - Newfoundland, in convoy midnight Friday. American destroyers will - join, according to instructions." - -"That," Curtis said, "solves part of my problem. The _Comerford's_ -after the _Carethusia_. There must be something of particular value -aboard that the _Comerford_ wants!" - -"Yes," Captain Rathbun agreed. "There _must_ be!" - -Curtis stood up. "Thank you, captain! You've helped me a lot! You've -shown me where to look for the _Comerford_!" - -Captain Rathbun shook hands with him. "Right-o! Come and see me again, -if there's anything else I can do!" - -"Do you suppose you could wire the _Carethusia_ and warn her--or warn -the commander of the convoy?" - -"That would have to be done from Halifax, or St. Johns," Rathbun said. -"I'll ask them." - -"And will you let me know what happens?" Curtis asked. - -"Gladly," said the Britisher. - -Outside, Curtis walked at a breathless pace, almost knocking over a -couple of pedestrians and innocent bystanders in his haste. Reaching -the naval administration building, he ran up the stairs two at a time -to the top floor and barged unannounced into the office of Rear Admiral -Henderson. - -Old Curmudgeon looked up from his desk with a sour grin on his leathery -face. "What d'you mean, Curtis--" he began. - -But Bob Curtis ignored his indignation, let the door swing to behind -him, and sat down in the vacant chair beside the desk. - -"This is no time to stand on ceremony, sir!" he stated firmly. "I've -come to give information as to where the _Comerford_ is most likely to -be found!" - -A sneer twisted Old Curmudgeon's hard features, and anger blazed coldly -in his blue eyes. "You wish to make a clean breast of the whole thing, -Curtis?" - -"I've been proved guilty of nothing," Curtis reminded him. "I have -nothing to confess. If you don't want to listen to me--" - -Old Curmudgeon's eyes softened. The lines of his face relaxed. "I'm -listening." - -Curtis quickly told him of the words he'd overheard as he lay half -conscious on the bridge of the _Comerford_, and of how they dovetailed -with the information obtained from the British Intelligence Service. - -Henderson seemed impressed. There was a more respectful note in his -gruff voice. He picked up his telephone and started to dial. - -"Remember, Curtis, I'm doing this at your insistence!" - -Crisply, concisely, he gave his message, then got up from his desk -and went to the window. His eyes turned toward the basin, where the -big navy patrol bombers lay at their floats. His head cocked, as if -listening for the roar of their motors. - -Curtis moved toward him. His eyes lighted with hope as he heard the -man-made thunder, saw the big birds taxi out, pick up speed, go soaring -into the air, after kicking their spiteful way off the tops of a few -waves. - -"They'll have our answer," Henderson said, "within a few hours. I'll -let you know what happens!" - -Curtis took the words as meaning that he was dismissed. He thanked Old -Curmudgeon and started back for his quarters. - -There, he crouched over the short-wave radio set and waited and -listened. The air was alive with calls and messages. From time to time, -he caught the reports from the three navy planes that were winging -steadily on their flight after the _Comerford_. - -Then, just after midnight, the reassuring words of the operator on one -of the bombers were cut off short. - -"They've struck the zone of silence," Curtis whispered. "The -_Comerford_ must have spread it, so that it encircles the entire -convoy. Those bombers'll shove in, see what's happening and come back -out of the zone to report, even if their radios are silenced. Nelson -never figured on that!" - -His telephone shrilled. It was Captain Rathbun, of the British -Intelligence. His words confirmed Curtis' suspicions. - -"I've just had word from Halifax. They arranged to contact the -_Carethusia's_ convoy by wireless every night at eleven-thirty, but -tonight, they got no answer. The convoy must be caught in the zone of -silence." - -Curtis couldn't keep the note of triumph out of his voice. "Then all -we've got to do is locate the convoy--and we've got the _Comerford_!" - -"Cheerio!" said Rathbun's voice, and he hung up. - - * * * * * - -Curtis relaxed in his chair beside the short-wave set. Dawn came and -found him still alert, listening, wakeful. He had breakfast sent up, -but touched nothing except the pot of black coffee. - -Several times, he computed the probable flying time of the three -planes, and the distance the slow-moving convoy could have covered -since sailing at midnight on the previous Friday. Then he tried to find -the position of the convoy on the map. - -Again the phone rang. A strange voice spoke over the wire. "This is -Rear Admiral Henderson's office. He'd like you to come over at once." - -"I'll be there!" Curtis said. - -He found Old Curmudgeon pacing nervously up and down, chewing savagely -on a half-smoked cigar which smelled vilely. From the expression on the -old seadog's face, he knew there was bad news. - -"I've just had a message from the _Lexington_," Henderson said. "She's -found the bombers!" - -"Found them?" Curtis was puzzled. - -The rear admiral's face was gloomy. "They were floating--in a sinking -condition. The crews of all three were dazed. None of them could -understand what had happened, but they all told the same story!" - -"And what was it?" Curtis asked, as Old Curmudgeon paused. - -The older man slumped into his chair, his shoulders sagging wearily. -"They were circling about the _Comerford_, ready to close in, when a -sudden blinding flash, which seemed to come from the foremast turret, -killed both radio and motor." - -"That must have been the new invention Androka was working on!" Curtis -exclaimed. "Have you heard how badly the equipment was damaged?" - -"Yes," Old Curmudgeon answered. "It was burned out by a terrific heat -that melted copper wires, cracked the porcelain on plugs, and fused -them into their sockets. Batteries, magnetos, tubes--everything was -destroyed!" - -Curtis leaned forward and gazed earnestly into the rear admiral's tired -face. "Sir, you have received proof that something unusual has taken -place aboard the _Comerford_; that she is in the hands of enemies. Do -you believe now that I have told the truth?" - -Old Curmudgeon's eyes held a kinder expression than Curtis had ever -seen in them before. "Yes; I believe you!" - -"Thank you, sir!" Bob Curtis said, deeply moved. "I don't blame you," -he added. "The story I told was unbelievable! But I think I know a way -to catch up with the _Comerford_--recapture her without destroying her!" - -"Tell me your plan!" Henderson said quietly, and he leaned back in his -chair to listen. - -Curtis spoke to him earnestly for some time. When he had finished, Old -Curmudgeon raised his telephone and began dialing and giving orders. - -Then he stood up and held out his hand. "Good luck, commander! Your -plane'll be ready in half an hour!" - - * * * * * - -Commander Bob Curtis was in the co-pilot's seat, as the big PBY flying -boat, one of the navy's latest-type patrol bombers, spanked out into -the choppy water, lifted, went roaring off. The miles slipped away -astern under the pull of its mighty propellers as they raced on their -journey. - -Every once in a while, Curtis turned his eyes away from the restless -gray Atlantic to glance toward the cabin, where the navigator and -wireless operator sat at his little table. There was, he knew, a -machine gunner at his post in the tail of the plane, and a bombardier -lying flat in the nose of the fuselage. - -At short intervals, Curtis got the relayed radio reports, through his -headphones, from the _Lexington_. The seaplane's wireless was keeping -in constant touch with the big aircraft carrier, which evidently was -still outside the limits of Zukor Androka's zone of silence. - -The _Lexington_ held the key to Curtis' secret plan. This flight was -the first leg of his journey to recapture the _Comerford_. - -At the controls, the pilot, Lieutenant Delton, sat relaxed, smiling -confidently, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He offered one -to Curtis, who took it with a nod of thanks, lighted it and inhaled -deeply. It tasted good, eased the strain on his nerves. - -The voice of the navigator came through his phones. "_Lexington_ hasn't -answered for the past half hour. I've been calling her every five -minutes!" - -Curtis' heart leaped at the news. The _Lexington_ had come into the -silence area! - -That might mean the _Comerford_ was close at hand; or it might be five -hundred miles away. For that, Curtis figured, was the maximum radius -over which Androka's zone could extend its influence. And the device -for killing all electrical apparatus with a ray would necessarily -operate at a much shorter distance--unless Androka's invention bordered -on the miraculous. - -The _Lexington_ hove in sight. Curtis thrilled at the sight of her top -deck, with its rows upon rows of planes, their propellers agleam in the -sunlight that had recently broken through the Atlantic fog. - -For a moment, his lips tightened as he thought of the destruction which -Androka's deadly ray could wreak on this splendid array of aircraft, -and the resolution in him gained renewed confidence, as his eyes swept -the _Lexington's_ powerful hull. - -He was aware that the pilot had shut off the motor and was gliding -in a circular descent that would bring the heavy navy bomber taxiing -to a stop alongside the aircraft carrier. The man out front in the -bomber's pit had diffused his bombs and left his post in the nose of -the fuselage, and the machine-gunner aft had come out of his nest--both -glad of the opportunity to change their cramped quarters for a spell. - -The _Lexington_ lowered a boat and took Curtis on board. A few minutes -later, he was explaining his theory to the _Lexington's_ commander, -with the aid of a map of the Atlantic in the chart room. - -"The way I figure it, sir," he stated, "is that the _Comerford_ has -been detailed to cut the _Carethusia_ out of her convoy and take her to -some French port--probably Bordeaux, where she will be less likely to -prove a target for R. A. F. bombers." - -The _Lexington's_ commander nodded. "I think I follow you. The -_Carethusia's_ cargo must be something of immense value to the Nazi war -machine." - -"There's no doubt that it is, sir," Curtis said, "or they wouldn't take -so much trouble to capture it. And there'd be no point in separating -the _Carethusia_ from her convoy before they're fairly close to the -French port which they intend to make." - -"Where do you place the convoy at present?" the other man asked. - -Curtis put his finger on a spot on the map, in about mid-Atlantic, -along one of the more northerly sea lanes. "I've checked with the -British Naval Intelligence. The convoy makes the voyage in sixteen -days, under normal conditions. Its speed is that of the slowest boat. -It left at midnight last Friday, and this is Friday again." - -"And the _Comerford_?" - -"The _Comerford_," Curtis said, "is undoubtedly with the convoy, making -the British believe that she is one of the American war vessels which -usually pick up these convoys at a designated point on the way across." - -The _Lexington's_ commander frowned; his face wore a puzzled -expression. "But suppose the British escort ships discover the -deception?" - -"If it came to a showdown," Curtis argued, "the _Comerford_, equipped -with Androka's inventions, is more than a match for any or all of the -British war vessels with the convoy. You know they're using mostly -light corvettes and over-age destroyers these days." - -"I guess you're right," the other agreed. "I haven't forgotten the mess -the _Comerford_ made of those three bombers we picked up." - -"How long," Curtis asked, "would it take the _Lexington_ to get within -striking distance of the convoy--say between fifty and a hundred miles?" - -"We could make it shortly after nightfall tomorrow," the other decided, -after a bit of figuring. - -"And that special plane you've reserved for me will be ready then?" -Curtis said. - -"It's ready now, if you want it," the commander of the _Lexington_ told -him. - - * * * * * - -The convoy was wallowing its way through the darkness, across the -dreary wastes of the Atlantic, following a far-northern sea lane that -would be most likely to offer safety from attack by enemy raiders and -U-boats. - -The _Comerford_ had joined the convoy shortly after it had passed the -shores of Iceland, reporting that she had been sent to strengthen -it against possible attack by a powerful German sea raider that was -reported to be at large in the north Atlantic. - -The story was accepted by the commander of the convoy squadron. - -In the center of the convoy, the ten ships containing the most valuable -cargoes were ranged in parallel lines. They were ringed around by a -cordon of converted merchant vessels, armed cargo ships and destroyers, -in addition to the U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_, and the aforementioned -British cruiser of First World War vintage. - -On the bridge of the _Comerford_, Navigating Officer Nelson, ex-U. S. -N., stood watching the other vessels as they plowed their way through -the heavy seas. - -All were running without lights, but the phosphorescent wash of the -water against their bows and the dark bulk of their hulls revealed -their positions. - -Nelson's chief attention was focused on the central group of -ships--especially on the _Carethusia_. Another day, perhaps, and it -would be time to make his bid to cut the _Carethusia_ out of the convoy -and head her for the French port designated in the secret orders which -Herr Kommander Brandt had brought on board with him. - -Here was Herr Kommander Brandt now, climbing the ladder to the bridge -on his stumpy legs. He came up to Nelson, puffing obesely. - -"_Ach!_ I vish dis woyage was ofer!" Brandt grunted. - -"I hope you mean _successfully_ over," Nelson said. - -"Dot old Czech!" Brandt grumbled. "He iss driving me crazy with his -fool inventions!" - -"Czech and double Czech!" Nelson kidded him. "But his inventions do all -he claims for them; and that's saying a lot!" - -"_Ja!_" Brandt agreed. "Dot's so. But--" - -He broke off with a guttural oath in German, as a low droning overhead -came to his ears. Nelson heard it, too, and raised his night glasses to -sweep the sky for the source of the sound. - -Suddenly he clutched Brandt by the arm and handed the glasses to him. -"There! Look!" - -Brandt took the binoculars and focused them to suit his own vision. - -"It is some sort of airplane," he said a few minutes later, returning -the glasses to Nelson. "A queer-looking one. I can't quite make it out!" - -Nelson took the glasses and refocused them. There _was_ something queer -about the gliding motion of the aircraft, and then as it came closer, -he could make out that it had a second propeller overhead. - -"It's a helicopter!" he exclaimed softly. "But it hardly makes any -sound at all--a noiseless helicopter. I bet it's Diesel-engined!" - -"_Ja?_" There was surprise in Herr Kommander Brandt's tone. - -"And I'll bet," Nelson went on, his eyes suddenly flashing and his -voice quivering with excitement, "that Curtis has sent it after us. -He always advocated the freer use of helicopters, especially the -Diesel-engined type. It wouldn't surprise me if he's in it!" - -"Ve can blast him out of the air mit Androka's ray!" Brandt said. "Like -ve blasted those bombers!" - -"Maybe!" Nelson's tone held a touch of doubt. "We can try!" He used -his telephone to call Androka. "Get busy, Androka!" he said into the -mouthpiece. "Blast it with your plane-destroyer! Come up right away!" - -The old inventor's cracked voice answered over the wire. "I'll be with -you at once!" - - * * * * * - -Nelson left the bridge and met Androka on the way to the room in the -superstructure from which he operated the rays for the destruction of -electric equipment. - -The old inventor's eyes were blazing with an almost maniacal light as -he fiddled with various levers and batteries. From high above them, in -the fighting top of the steel foremast, came the humming of a powerful -dynamo as the apparatus built up its tremendous voltage. - -Through a skylight in the roof of his workshop, Androka sighted the -hovering plane. He spoke into the telephone. In the turret top of the -foremast, a weapon that looked like an old-style trench mortar was -suddenly uncovered. - -Androka said a few words in German into the speaking tube and watched, -as the huge mouth of the weapon swung toward the hovering plane. - -There was a flash, a shower of sparks; rays darted from the muzzle of -the weapon in the mast turret. But the dynamic force that had blasted -three navy bombers into helpless wreckage had no effect on the strange -craft that hung suspended in the sky over the _Comerford_. - -And then it seemed that the powerful rays struck something--something -afar off that picked them up like a handful of thunderbolts and hurled -them back. There was a report, like the blowing out of a giant fuse. -The whole hull of the _Comerford_ shuddered, as if from the impact of a -powerful electric shock. The vessel quivered from stem to stern. Lights -dimmed, went out. - -For fully ten seconds, there wasn't an atom of power on board the -_Comerford_. She was stricken as if with a paralysis of her electric -force. - -Then the dimmed lights began to glow again. - -Nelson looked at Androka, his cheeks ghastly. "What ... what happened?" - -"The rays must have struck some electric cable carrying tremendous -power--more powerful than any cable to be found on shipboard," the -inventor explained, in a husky voice. "That would put so heavy a power -load on it that the rays were no longer capable of short-circuiting it -to extinction. They carried the overload back to us and burned out our -generator." - -"But that little plane," Nelson argued. "It couldn't--" - -Androka shrugged his narrow shoulders and ran his fingers nervously -through his gray beard. "There must be some other vessel near at -hand--with power cables such as I have described." - -Nelson cursed savagely and tore out of the room. He raced up the ladder -to the bridge, tugged at Herr Kommander Brandt's sleeve. - -"That fool Androka's rays have failed. They've short-circuited -themselves. We've got to shoot down Curtis--that helicopter--with our -antiaircraft guns!" - -"Better have Androka release the radio and tell the others what we're -doing," Brandt advised. - -In the next few minutes, the radio silence was lifted long enough to -let Nelson tell the rest of the convoy that an enemy plane was hovering -over the _Comerford_. - -Then a blast from the antiaircraft batteries of the cruiser screamed -into the sky. Other armed vessels in the convoy cut loose with a fierce -barrage. - -A few minutes of bedlam. Then the firing ceased. - -Nelson, sweeping the sky with his binoculars, saw the blasted fragments -of wings and fuselage fluttering out of the clouds, to be swallowed up -in the black waters. He handed the glasses to Brandt, saying: "I reckon -that's the end of Curtis and his helicopter!" - -Herr Kommander Brandt searched the sky for a moment, then explored the -dark wastes of ocean astern. - -"_Ja_," he agreed. "Ve must have blown him to bits. He ain't in the sky -nor the sea!" - - * * * * * - -Other eyes were watching the fragments of aircraft wreckage that -drifted with the eternal wash of the Atlantic waves astern of the -convoy. Through the observation window in the helicopter's fuselage, -Commander Bob Curtis grinned as he watched the sea-tossed remains -of the dummy plane--a smaller replica of the helicopter--that he -had thrown out as a target for the antiaircraft batteries of the -_Comerford_. - -Slowly he wound in the light cable by which the decoy aircraft had -been lowered from the trapdoor in the helicopter's hull to take the -full fury of the barrage, while Curtis and his pilot Lieutenant Jay -Lancaster were hovering safely far overhead, protected by a cloud of -vapor. - -Curtis thrilled with a sense of keen satisfaction, because many of -his own ideas were embodied in this helicopter. For many months of -his spare time, he had worked in the navy's chemical laboratories on -the aluminoid paint formula that rendered it practically invisible, -especially when enveloped by the cloud of gas that could be released -from the series of valves in the fuselage by touching a key on the -instrument board. The collapsible dummy plane, which could be towed at -a safe distance as a decoy for ambitious antiaircraft gunners had also -been Curtis' own idea. - -For hours after that, the helicopter drifted in the sky, high over the -convoy, which, Curtis found, was still enveloped in the zone of radio -silence, for he could neither send nor receive any message through the -ether. - -Finally, he touched Lancaster on the arm and spoke into the mouthpiece -on his chest: "The _Comerford's_ running alongside the _Carethusia_. -If the other ships try to interfere, the _Comerford's_ guns are heavy -enough to sink them. There's only one thing to do. We _must_ break that -zone of radio silence!" - -"But how--" Lancaster began. - -"Listen!" Curtis said, and spoke rapidly for the next few minutes. - -Lancaster began to maneuver the helicopter, throttling down the frontal -engine, and reversing the lateral engine, so that the plane glided in -slow circles, like a swooping hawk, till it was about three hundred -feet above the _Comerford's_ mastheads. - -Curtis shook hands with Lancaster. The latter murmured "Good luck!" -and Curtis crawled out of the cockpit and back into the plane's small -cabin. He loosened the fastenings of his 'chute pack, saw that his -automatic was safe in its holster. - -Then he pushed open the escape hatch and jumped out into space. - -From the plane's cloud-gas valves, a mass of opaque vapor streamed, -enveloping him in a fog-like cloud that combined with the blackness of -the night to render him invisible to those on the ship below. - -The 'chute opened out, and Curtis found himself descending on the -_Comerford_. By kicking with his legs and manipulating the cords, he -maneuvered the 'chute so that he would land in the mizzen-mast turret. -From what Androka had once told him--perhaps in an unguarded moment--he -felt certain that the radio silence was projected from this point. - -The cords of his 'chute tangled with the basket-like structure of the -mast. Curtis got out his knife, cut himself free of the 'chute, then -scrambled down the mast till he was at the entrance to the turret. - -He pushed his way into the small chamber and found himself facing -two sailors, in United States naval uniforms, but they uttered harsh -exclamations in German at sight of him, and went for their holstered -automatics. - -Curtis brought his gun up, pointed it, and squeezed the -trigger--once--twice--three times--four-- - -The first German sailor's face took on a look of surprise, the guttural -curses died on his lips, as he slumped forward in a bloody heap. The -second man uttered a scream and clutched at his chest, as Curtis' lead -tore into him. Then he fell beside his companion. - - * * * * * - -A huge dome stood in the center of the turret, with antennae radiating -out from it in every direction. Curtis could hear the low, humming -drone, as of a powerful dynamo at work, and he could see a heavy cable, -which evidently fed this dome of silence with its power. - -He found a switch and shut off the current; then he attacked the cable -with the pliers he had brought with him. One by one, the thick strands -of wire began to part-- - -Behind him, a harsh, inhuman cry caused Curtis to look around swiftly. -Instinctively, he dropped the pliers, reached for his automatic, then -hesitated, his finger on the safety catch. - -Zukor Androka stood in the turret entrance, his gray hair floating in -wisps around his head, his eyes ablaze with a maniac's fury, his hands -extended toward Curtis like gouging claws. - -"You ... you ... you have ruined my invention!" Androka murmured, in a -heartbroken voice. "You have wrecked the zone of silence!" - -Curtis took a step forward, seized the Czech inventor by the shoulder -and shook him. - -"You dirty little traitor!" he barked. "You've lied and cheated--sold -out to the Nazis you profess to hate!" - -Androka looked at him, terror-stricken, evidently recognizing him for -the first time. "You--you're Commander Curtis!" - -"Yes!" Curtis gave the inventor another shake and released him. "And -you helped steal my ship--tried to ruin me as an officer of the United -States navy!" - -"Listen!" Androka moved closer to Curtis, then fell on his knees in an -attitude of supplication. "Listen to me!" - -Curtis stared at him coldly. "I'm listening, Androka. But talk quickly!" - -"Commander, I was forced to do this. I had to do it--to save the lives -of my people back in Prague. My daughter--" - -"Yes," Curtis cut his protestations short. "I know about that!" - -Androka fumbled inside his coat and pulled out a sheaf of papers and -blueprints. "Here, Curtis! These are the designs, the secret details of -manufacture, and the formulas for my inventions--the zone of silence, -the destroying rays that wrecked those bombers, and the gas. I'm giving -them to you. I'll never use them again--no matter what happens to those -I love. I swear it!" - -Curtis took the papers and thrust them into an inner pocket. Then he -knelt and quickly completed his task of severing the strands of the -cable. - -He pushed past the groveling form of Androka, and the still corpses -of the two sailors, climbed down the mast to the superstructure, and -headed for the wireless room. - -The operator sat at his table, a cigarette drooping in the corner of -his mouth, half asleep. - -Curtis clubbed him efficiently with the butt of his gun. The man -slumped forward with a groan and lay still. Curtis hauled him to one -side and then sat down to send: - -"Come aboard U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ at once. Ship in hands of Nazis, -in plot to steal the _Carethusia_. Commander Curtis speaking from the -_Comerford_. Lancaster, summon help--" - -Curtis stopped and hurriedly cast aside the headphones. The sound of -heavy footsteps outside warned him of impending danger. He reached for -his gun, released the safety catch, and whirled about. - -Men were crowding the doorway of the wireless room--men in whose -throats rumbled the angry cry of a baffled wolf pack, whose eyes -gleamed with the savage light of murder. - -The wireless room was abruptly full of powder smoke, punctuated with -gun flashes, as he sprayed bullets at the doorway. The steel door -protected him; his attackers were exposed. - -He saw that the crowd had given way before the figure of one man, -bolder than the rest--or perhaps more desperate--pushing forward, a -blazing automatic in his hand. - -Curtis recognized the white, hard-lined face, the pale, cruel eyes, -set under shaggy blond brows, now blazing with a wild, half-insane -light--Nelson! Curtis was busy shoving in a new clip of ammunition-- - -A shot from Nelson's pistol went wild, shattered the lights, throwing -the wireless room into almost total darkness. His second bullet seared -Curtis' jaw, a burning, flesh-tearing wound. Another smashed into his -shoulder--high up. - -Curtis felt sick as he felt lead splintering the bone. He fired--and -missed. His shoulder ached--He gritted his teeth, steadied his aim, -and let Nelson have it again. - -In the faint light that came in at the entrance, he saw Nelson's white -face suddenly become a crimson mask. His body fell backward--outside. - -Curtis dashed forward and slammed the steel door, bolting it, locking -himself in. A terrible wave of nausea rose up within him. The pain of -his wounded shoulder was like torturing knives turning in his flesh, -grinding against the shattered bones-- - -He felt his fingers relax on his gun, as his knees buckled under him, -and he sank to the floor. - -The next thing Curtis knew, he was in a ship's cabin in bed, his -wounded shoulder incased in a comfortable surgical dressing. A -brown-skinned Filipino mess boy poked his head in and grinned in -friendly fashion. On his cap, Curtis read the lettering "U. S. S. -_Lexington_" and knew that he must have been taken on board the big -aircraft carrier. - -The mess boy ducked out as quietly as he had looked in, and a few -minutes later, the _Lexington's_ commander entered. - -"Congratulations!" he said cordially, after asking Curtis how he -felt. "Everything worked out perfectly. The new helicopter had its -first chance to demonstrate its efficiency and came through a hundred -percent. You were right also in your theory that the _Lexington's_ -power cables, with their tremendous current-carrying capacity, would -shatter the rays into worthless junk. The power from our cables kicked -back on Androka's invention and smashed it!" - -Curiosity prompted Curtis to ask a question. "What ... what became of -Androka? Did he--" He paused as he saw the gleam of horror in the other -man's eyes! - -"Androka got panicked," the commander of the _Lexington_ said, "when he -saw that the _Comerford_ had been surrounded by the fighting vessels of -the British convoy, and he knew that both his inventions were wrecked. -I guess seeing Nelson dead softened him up, too." - -"So what did Androka do?" Curtis asked. "Blow up the ship?" - -The _Lexington's_ commander shook his head slowly. "No; he blew -_himself_ up--in his work-room--with some explosives he'd been -experimenting with!" - -Curtis leaned back on his pillows. The excitement of listening to the -other's story had made him a little tense. He felt he needed to relax. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Silence is--Deadly, by Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SILENCE IS--DEADLY *** - -***** This file should be named 61481-8.txt or 61481-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/4/8/61481/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -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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Shurtleff - -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: Silence is--Deadly - -Author: Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -Release Date: February 22, 2020 [EBook #61481] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SILENCE IS--DEADLY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="366" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>SILENCE IS—DEADLY</h1> - -<h2>By Bertrand L. Shurtleff</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Radio is an absolute necessity in modern<br /> -organization—and particularly in modern<br /> -naval organization. If you could silence all<br /> -radio—silence of that sort would be deadly!</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Astounding Science-Fiction April 1942.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The hurried <i>rat-a-tat</i> of knuckles hammered on the cabin door. -Commander Bob Curtis roused himself from his doze, got up from his -chair, stretched himself to his full, lanky height and yawned. That -would be Nelson, his navigating officer. Nelson always knocked that -way—like a man in an external state of jitters over nothing at all.</p> - -<p>Curtis didn't hurry. It pleased him to let Nelson wait. He moved slowly -to the door, paused there, and flung a backward glance at the man in -the cabin with him—Zukor Androka, the elderly Czech scientist, a guest -of the United States navy, here aboard the cruiser <i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>The wizened face of the older man was molded in intent lines of -concentration, as his bushy gray head bent over his drawing board. -Curtis got a glimpse of the design on which he was working, and his -lips relaxed in a faint smile.</p> - -<p>Androka had arrived on board the <i>Comerford</i> the day before she sailed -from Norfolk. With him came a boatload of scientific apparatus and -equipment, including a number of things that looked like oxygen tanks, -which were now stored in the forward hold. Androka had watched over -his treasures with the jealous care of a mother hen, and spent hours -daily in the room in the superstructure that had been assigned as his -laboratory.</p> - -<p>Sometimes, Curtis thought old Androka was a bit wacky—a scientist -whose mind had been turned by the horror that had come to his country -under the domination of the Nazi <i>gestapo</i>. At other times, the man -seemed a genius. Perhaps that was the answer—a mad genius!</p> - -<p>Curtis opened the door and looked out. Rain whipped against his face -like a stinging wet lash. Overhead, the sky was a storm-racked mass of -clouds, broken in one spot by a tiny patch of starlit blue.</p> - -<p>His eyes rested inquiringly on the face of the man who stood before -him. It <i>was</i> Nelson, his shaggy blond brows drawn scowlingly down -over his pale eyes; his thin face a mass of tense lines; his big hands -fumbling at the neck of his slicker. Rain was coursing down his white -cheeks, streaking them with glistening furrows.</p> - -<p>The fellow was a headache to Curtis. He was overfriendly with a -black-browed bos'n's mate named Joe Bradford—the worst trouble maker -on board. But there was no question of his ability. He was a good -navigating officer—dependable, accurate, conscientious. Nevertheless, -his taut face, restless, searching eyes, and eternally nervous manner -got Curtis' goat.</p> - -<p>"Come in, Nelson!" he said.</p> - -<p>Nelson shouldered his way inside, and stood there in his dripping -oilskins, blinking his eyes against the yellow light.</p> - -<p>Curtis closed the door and nodded toward the bent form of Zukor -Androka, with a quizzical grin. "Old Czech-and-Double-Czech is working -hard on his latest invention to pull Hitler's teeth and re-establish -the Czech Republic!"</p> - -<p>Nelson had no answering smile, although there had been a great deal -of good-natured joking aboard the <i>Comerford</i> ever since the navy -department had sent the scientist on board the cruiser to carry on his -experiments.</p> - -<p>"I'm worried, sir!" Nelson said. "I'm not sure about my dead reckoning. -This storm—"</p> - -<p>Curtis threw his arm around Nelson's dripping shoulders. "Forget it! -Don't let a little error get you down!"</p> - -<p>"But this storm, sir!" Nelson avoided Curtis' friendly eyes and slipped -out from under his arm. "It's got me worried. Quartering wind of -undetermined force, variable and gusty. There's a chop to the sea—as -if from unestimated currents among the islets. No chance to check by -observation, and now there is a chance—look at me!"</p> - -<p>He held out his hands. They were shaking as if he had the chills.</p> - -<p>"You say there is a chance?" Curtis asked. "Stars out?"</p> - -<p>"As if by providence, sir, there's a clear patch. I'm wondering—" His -voice trailed off, but his eyes swung toward the gleaming sextant on -the rack.</p> - -<p>Commander Curtis shrugged good-naturedly and reached for the -instrument. "Not that I've lost confidence in you, Nels, but just -because you asked for it!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Curtis donned his slicker and went outside, sextant in hand. In a few -minutes he returned and handed Nelson a sheet of paper with figures -underlined heavily.</p> - -<p>"Here's what I make it," the commander told his navigating officer. -"Bet you're not off appreciably."</p> - -<p>Nelson stared at the computations with shaking head. Then he mutely -held up his own.</p> - -<p>Curtis stared, frowned, grabbed his own sheet again. "Any time I'm -that far off old Figure-'em Nelson's estimate, I'm checking back," he -declared, frowning at the two papers and hastily rechecking his own -figures.</p> - -<p>"Call up to the bridge to stop her," he told Nelson. "We can't afford -to move in these waters with such a possibility of error!"</p> - -<p>Nelson complied, and the throbbing drive of the engines lessened -at once. Nelson said: "I've been wondering, sir, if it wouldn't be -advisable to try getting a radio cross-bearing. With all these rocks -and islets—"</p> - -<p>"Radio?" repeated the little Czech, thrusting his face between the -other two, in his independent fashion that ignored ship's discipline. -"You're using your radio?" He broke into a knowing chuckle, his keen -old eyes twinkling behind their thick lenses. "Go ahead and try it. See -how much you can get! It will be no more than Hitler can get when Zukor -Androka decrees silence over the German airways! Try it! Try it, I say!"</p> - -<p>Bob Curtis stared at him, as if questioning his sanity. Then he -hastened to the radio room, with Nelson at his heels, and the Czech -trotting along behind.</p> - -<p>The door burst open as they neared it. A frightened operator came out, -still wearing his earphones, and stood staring upward incredulously at -the aërial.</p> - -<p>"Get us a radio cross-bearing for location at once," Curtis said -sharply, for the operator seemed in a daze.</p> - -<p>"Bearing, sir?" The man brought his eyes down with difficulty, as if -still dissatisfied. "I'm sorry, sir, but the outfit's dead. Went out on -me about five minutes ago. I was taking the weather report when the set -conked. I was trying to see if something's wrong."</p> - -<p>The Czech inventor giggled. Curtis gave him another curious look and -thrust himself into the radio room.</p> - -<p>"Try again!" he told the operator. "See what you can get!"</p> - -<p>The radio man leaped to his seat and tried frantically. Again and -again, he sent off a request for a cross-bearing from shore stations -that had recently been established to insure safety to naval vessels, -but there was no answer on any of the bands—not even the blare of a -high-powered commercial program in the higher reach, nor the chatter of -ships or amateurs on the shorter.</p> - -<p>"Dead!" Androka muttered, with a bitter laugh. "Yet not dead, -gentlemen! The set is uninjured. The waves are what have been upset. I -have shattered them around your ship, just as I can eventually shatter -them all over Central Europe! For the next two hours, no radio messages -can enter or leave my zone of radio silence—of refracted radio waves, -set up by my little station on one of the neighboring islets!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was a long pause, while commander and navigator stared at him. -Curtis was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"Your secrecy might well cost the United States navy one of its best -light cruisers—and us our lives!" he said angrily. "We need that check -by radio at once! If you're not talking nonsense, call off your dogs -till we learn just where we are!"</p> - -<p>Androka held out his palms helplessly. "I can do nothing. I have given -orders to my assistant that he must keep two hours of radio silence! I -can get no message to him, for our radio is dead!"</p> - -<p>As if to mock him, the ship's radio began to answer:</p> - -<p>"Station 297 calling U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i>. Station 297 calling U. -S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i>—"</p> - -<p>"U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i> calling Station 297!" the operator intoned, -winking at the two officers over Androka's discomfiture, and asked for -the bearings.</p> - -<p>The answer came back: "Bearings north east by a quarter east, U. S. -Cruiser <i>Comerford</i>!"</p> - -<p>Curtis sighed with relief. He saw that Nelson was staring fiercely -at the radio operator, as the man went on calling: "U. S. Cruiser -<i>Comerford</i> calling Station 364. U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i> calling -Station 364—"</p> - -<p>Then the instrument rasped again: "Station 364 calling U. S. Cruiser -<i>Comerford</i>. Bearings north west by three west. Bearings north west by -three west, U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i> from Cay 364."</p> - -<p>Commander and navigator had both scribbled verifications of the -numbers. Ignoring the gibbering Androka, who was wailing his -disappointment that messages had penetrated his veil of silence, they -raced for the chart room.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="336" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Quickly the parallels stepped off the bearing from the designated -points. Light intersecting lines proclaimed a check on their position.</p> - -<p>Curtis frowned and shook his head. Slowly he forced a reluctant grin as -he stuck out his hand.</p> - -<p>"Shake, Nels," he said. "It's my turn to eat crow. You and the radio -must be right. Continue as you were!"</p> - -<p>"I'm relieved, sir, just the same," Nelson admitted, "to have the radio -bearings. We'd have piled up sure if you'd been right."</p> - -<p>They went on through the night. The starlit gap in the clouds had -closed. The sky was again a blanket of darkness pouring sheets of rain -at them.</p> - -<p>Nelson went back to the bridge, and Androka returned to the commander's -cabin. Curtis lingered in the wireless room with the radio operator.</p> - -<p>"It's a funny thing," the latter said, still dialing and grousing, "how -I got that cross-bearing through and can't get another squeak out of -her. I'm wondering if that old goat really <i>has</i> done something to the -ether. The set seems O. K."</p> - -<p>He lingered over the apparatus, checking and rechecking. Tubes lighted; -wires were alive to the touch and set him to shaking his head at the -tingle they sent through his inquiring fingers.</p> - -<p>Curtis left him at it, and went to rejoin Androka in the cabin. He -found the little inventor pacing up and down, shaking his fists in the -air; pausing every now and then to run his bony fingers through his -tangled mop of gray hair, or to claw nervously at his beard.</p> - -<p>"You have seen a miracle, commander!" he shouted at Curtis. "<i>My</i> -miracle! My invention has shattered the ether waves hereabouts -hopelessly."</p> - -<p>"Seems to me," Curtis said dryly, "this invention can harm your friends -as much as your enemies."</p> - -<p>The scientist drew himself up to his full height—which was only a -little over five feet. His voice grew shrill. "Wait! Just wait! There -are other inventions to supplement this one. Put them together, and -they will defeat the Nazi hordes which have ravaged my country!"</p> - -<p>Curtis was a little shocked by the hatred that gleamed in Androka's -eyes, under their bushy brows. There was something of the wild animal -in the man's expression, as his lips drew back from his yellowed teeth.</p> - -<p>"Those tanks you have below," Curtis said, "have they some connection -with this radio silence?"</p> - -<p>A far-away look came into Androka's eyes. He did not seem to hear -the question. He lowered his voice: "My daughter is still in Prague. -So are my sister and her husband, and <i>their</i> two daughters. If the -<i>gestapo</i> knew what I am doing, all of them would be better dead. You -understand—better dead?"</p> - -<p>Curtis said: "I understand."</p> - -<p>"And if the Nazi agents in America knew of the islet from which my zone -of silence is projected—" Androka paused, his head tilted to one side, -as if he were listening to something—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>On deck, there was shouting and commotion. Curtis rushed out, pulling -on his slicker as he went. The shout from the watch forward had been -picked up, and was being relayed all over the ship. The words struck on -Curtis' ears with a note of impending tragedy.</p> - -<p>"Breakers ahead!"</p> - -<p>He was beside Navigating Officer Nelson on the bridge, and saw the -helmsman climbing the rapidly spinning wheel like a monkey as he put it -hard aport.</p> - -<p>Then the ship struck. Everything movable shot ahead until it brought up -at the end of a swing or smacked against something solid.</p> - -<p>Curtis felt Nelson's hand grip his shoulder, as he put his lips close -to his ear and shouted: "You must have been right, sir, and the radio -bearings and my reckoning wrong. We've hit that reef a terrific smack. -I'm afraid we're gored!"</p> - -<p>"Get out the collision mat!" Curtis ordered. "We ought to be able to -keep her up!"</p> - -<p>And then he became aware of a deadly stillness. A vast wall of silence -enveloped the entire cruiser. Looking over the side, he could no longer -see the waves that a few minutes before had beaten savagely against the -ship.</p> - -<p>The <i>Comerford</i> was shrouded in a huge pall of yellowish-gray mist, and -more of it was coming up from below—from ventilators and hatchways and -skylights—as if the whole ship were flooded with some evil vapor.</p> - -<p>Somehow, Curtis' mind flashed to the stories he'd heard of the forts of -the Maginot Line, and of other forts in Holland and Belgium that had -fallen before the early Nazi blitzkrieg, when their defenders found -themselves struck numb and helpless by a gas that had been flooded into -the inner compartments of their strongholds.</p> - -<p>There were those who said it was the work of sappers who had tunneled -under the foundations, while others laid the induction of the gas to -Fifth Column traitors. There were a hundred more or less plausible -explanations—</p> - -<p>The vapor clouds that enveloped the <i>Comerford</i> were becoming thicker. -All about the deck lay the forms of unconscious seamen, suddenly -stricken helpless. And then Curtis saw other forms flitting about the -deck—forms that looked like creatures from another world, but he -recognized them for what they were—men wearing gas masks.</p> - -<p>Nelson was nowhere in sight. The steersman lay in a limp heap beside -the swinging wheel. Then a gas-masked figure appeared through the -shroud of mist and steadied it, so that the cruiser would not be -completely at the mercy of the wind and the waves.</p> - -<p>Curtis heard the anchor let down, as if by invisible hands, the chain -screaming and flailing its clanking way through the hawse hole. Then he -was completely walled in by the yellowish-gray mist. He felt his senses -swimming.</p> - -<p>Voices droned all around him in mumbling confusion—guttural voices -that ebbed and flowed in a tide of excited talk. He caught a word of -English now and then, mixed in with a flood of Teuton phonetics.</p> - -<p>Two words, in particular, registered clearly on his mind. One was -"<i>Carethusia</i>"; the other was "convoy." But gradually his eardrums -began to throb, as if someone were pounding on them from the inside. He -couldn't get his breath; a cloud seemed to be mounting within him until -it swept over his brain—</p> - -<p>He felt something strike the side of his head, and realized that he had -fallen in a heap on the bridge. And after that, he wasn't conscious of -anything—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The rain had abated to a foggy drizzle. The wash of the surf swung the -<i>Comerford</i> in a lazy, rolling motion, as she lay with her bow nosing -into the sandbar at the entrance of the inlet.</p> - -<p>From her bridge, Navigating Officer Nelson watched the gas-masked -figures moving about the decks, descending companionways—like goblins -from an ancient fairy tale or a modern horror story. Nelson looked like -a goblin himself, with his face covered by a respirator. At his side, -stood his fellow conspirator Bos'n's Mate Joe Bradford, also wearing a -gas mask.</p> - -<p>Nelson spoke in a low tone, his lips close to Bradford's ear. "It -worked, Joe!"</p> - -<p>"Yeah!" Bradford agreed. "It worked—fine!"</p> - -<p>The limp bodies of the <i>Comerford's</i> crew were being carried to the -lowered accommodation ladder and transferred into waiting lifeboats.</p> - -<p>Nelson swore under his breath. "Reckon it'll take a couple of hours -before the ship's rid of that damn gas!"</p> - -<p>Bradford shook his head in disagreement. "The old geezer claims he's -got a neutralizing chemical in one of them tanks of his that'll clear -everything up inside half an hour."</p> - -<p>"I'd rather get along without Androka, if we could!" Nelson muttered. -"He's nothing but a crackpot!"</p> - -<p>"It was a crackpot who invented the gas we used to break up the -Maginot Line," Bradford reminded him. "It saved a lot of lives for the -<i>Fuehrer</i>—lives that'd have been lost if the forts had to be taken by -our storm troopers!"</p> - -<p>Nelson grunted and turned away. A short, thick-set figure in the -uniform of a German naval commander had ascended the accommodation -ladder and was mounting to the bridge. He, too, was equipped with a -respirator.</p> - -<p>He came up to Nelson, saluted, and held out his hand, introducing -himself as Herr Kommander Brandt. He began to speak in German, but -Nelson stopped him.</p> - -<p>"I don't speak any German," he explained. "I was born and educated in -the United States—of German parents, who had been ruined in the First -World War. My mother committed suicide when she learned that we were -penniless. My father—" He paused and cleared his throat.</p> - -<p>"<i>Ja!</i> Your father?" the German officer prompted, dropping into -accented English. "Your father?"</p> - -<p>"My father dedicated me to a career of revenge—to wipe out his -wrongs," Nelson continued. "If America hadn't gone into the First -World War, he wouldn't have lost his business; my mother would still -be living. When he joined the Nazi party, the way became clear to use -me—to educate me in a military prep school, then send me to Annapolis, -for a career in the United States navy—and no one suspected me. No -one—"</p> - -<p>"Sometimes," Bradford put in, "I think Curtis suspected you."</p> - -<p>"Maybe Curtis'll find out his suspicions were justified," Nelson said -bitterly. "But it won't do Curtis any good—a commander who's lost -his ship." He turned to Brandt. "You have plenty of men to work the -<i>Comerford</i>?"</p> - -<p>Brandt nodded his square head. "We have a full crew—two hundred -men—officers, seamen, mechanics, radio men, technical experts, all -German naval reservists living in the United States, who've been sent -here secretly, a few at a time, during the past six weeks!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The three—Brandt, Nelson and Bradford—stood on the bridge and talked, -while the efficient stretcher-bearers worked industriously to remove -the limp bodies of the <i>Comerford's</i> unconscious crew and row them -ashore.</p> - -<p>And when that task was completed, lifeboats began to come alongside -with strange-looking radio equipment, and more gas tanks like those -Androka had brought aboard the <i>Comerford</i> with him, and dynamos and -batteries that looked like something out of a scientific nightmare.</p> - -<p>And bustling all over the place, barking excited commands in German, -pushing and pulling and pointing to emphasize his directions, was the -strange figure of Professor Zukor Androka!</p> - -<p>"The professor's in his glory!" Nelson remarked to Kommander Brandt.</p> - -<p>"Funny thing about him," Bradford put in, "is that his inventions work. -That zone of silence cut us off completely."</p> - -<p>Kommander Brandt nodded. "Goodt! But you got your message giving your -bearings—the wrong ones?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Nelson said. "That came through all right. And won't Curtis have -a time explaining it!"</p> - -<p>"Hereafter," Brandt said solemnly, "the zone of silence vill be -projected from the <i>Comerford</i>; and ve have another invention of -Androka's vich vill be even more useful vhen ve come to cut the -<i>Carethusia</i> out of her convoy."</p> - -<p>"The <i>Carethusia</i>?" Nelson asked, in a puzzled tone.</p> - -<p>Brandt said: "She's a freighter in a convoy out of St. Johns—twelve -thousand tons. The orders are to take her; not sink her."</p> - -<p>"What's the idea?"</p> - -<p>"Her cargo," Brandt explained. "It iss more precious than rubies. It -includes a large shipment of boarts."</p> - -<p>"Boarts?" Nelson repeated. "What are they?"</p> - -<p>"Boarts," Brandt told him, "are industrial diamonds—black, -imperfectly crystallized stones, but far more valuable to us than -flawless diamonds from Tiffany's on Fift' Avenue. They are needed for -making machine tools. They come from northern Brazil—and our supply is -low."</p> - -<p>"I should think we could get a shipment of these boarts direct from -Brazil—through the blockade," Nelson said, "without taking the risk of -capturing a United States navy cruiser."</p> - -<p>"There are other things Germany needs desperately on board the -<i>Carethusia</i>," Brandt explained. "Vanadium and nickel and hundreds of -barrels of lard oil for machine-tool lubrication. Our agents have been -watching the convoys closely for weeks for just such a cargo as the -<i>Carethusia</i> is taking over."</p> - -<p>"Can we trust Androka?" Nelson asked, with a sudden note of suspicion -in his voice.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Brandt assured him. "Of all men—we can trust Androka!"</p> - -<p>"But he's a Czech," Nelson argued.</p> - -<p>"The <i>gestapo</i> takes care of Czechs and Poles and Frenchmen and other -foreigners whom it chooses as its agents," Brandt pointed out. "Androka -has a daughter and other relations in Prague. He knows that if anything -misfires, if there is the slightest suspicion of treachery on his part, -his daughter and the others will suffer. Androka's loyalty is assured!"</p> - -<p>Nelson turned to watch the forward fighting top of the <i>Comerford</i>. -The masked German seamen were installing some sort of apparatus -up there—a strange-looking object that looked something like an -old-fashioned trench mortar, and which connected with cables to the -room that served as Androka's laboratory and workshop.</p> - -<p>Another crew was installing radio apparatus in the mizzentop turret.</p> - -<p>Descending a companionway to see what was going on below, Nelson found -that portholes were being opened, and men were spraying chemical around -to rid the below-decks atmosphere of the lethal gas that had overcome -the <i>Comerford's</i> American crew.</p> - -<p>Returning to the bridge, he found that the tide in the inlet had risen -considerably, and that the cruiser was riding more easily at her anchor.</p> - -<p>Then, at Brandt's orders, the anchor was hauled in, and lifeboats and a -motor launch were used as tugs to work the vessel entirely free of the -sand bar. This was accomplished without difficulty.</p> - -<p>Brandt came over to where Nelson was standing on the bridge and held -out his hand.</p> - -<p>"Congratulations, Herr Kommander Nelson!" he said. "Ve have stolen one -of the United States navy's newest and fastest cruisers!" He made a -gesture as if raising a beer stein to drink a toast. "<i>Prosit!</i>" he -added.</p> - -<p>"<i>Prosit!</i>" Nelson repeated, and the two grinned at each other.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Stars were twinkling in a patch of black-blue sky, and broken mountains -of gray cloud were skudding before the east wind. Commander Bob Curtis -found himself lying in wet sand, on a beach, somewhere, with the -rain—now a light, driving mist—beating on his face. He was chilled; -his limbs were stiff and numb. His nose and throat felt parched inside, -as if a wave of searing heat had scorched them.</p> - -<p>According to his last calculations, the <i>Comerford</i> had been cruising -off the Maine coast. This probably was one of the islets of that -region, or it might be the mainland.</p> - -<p>It was hard work getting to his feet, and when he did manage to stand, -he could only plant his heels in the sand and sway to and fro for fully -a minute, like a child learning to walk.</p> - -<p>All around him in the nearly total darkness, he could make out the dim -forms of men sprawled on the beach; and of other men moving about, -exploring. He heard the murmur of voices and saw the glow of lighted -cigarettes.</p> - -<p>A man with a flashlight was approaching him. Its white glare shone for -a moment in Curtis' face, and the familiar voice of Ensign Jack Dillon -spoke: "Commander Curtis! Are you O. K., sir?"</p> - -<p>"I think so!" Curtis' heart warmed at the eager expression in Dillon's -face; at the heartfelt concern in his friendly brown eyes. The young -ensign was red-headed, impetuous, thoroughly genuine in his emotions. -"How about yourself, Jack?" Curtis added.</p> - -<p>"A bit of a headache from the gas, but that's all. Any orders, sir?"</p> - -<p>Curtis thought for a moment. "Muster the crew, as best you can. We'll -try to make a roll call. Is there any sign of the ship?"</p> - -<p>There was a solemn note in Dillon's voice. "No, sir. She's been worked -off the sandbar and put to sea!"</p> - -<p>The words struck Curtis with the numbing shock of a blow on some nerve -center. For the first time, he realized fully the tragedy that had -swept down on him. He had lost his ship—one of the United States -navy's fastest and newest small light cruisers—under circumstances -which smelled strongly of treachery and sabotage.</p> - -<p>As he thought back, he realized that he <i>might</i> have prevented the -loss, if he had been more alert, more suspicious. For it was clear to -him now that the <i>Comerford</i> had been deliberately steered to this -place; that the men who had seized her had been waiting here for that -very purpose.</p> - -<p>The pieces of the picture fitted together like a jigsaw -puzzle—Androka's zone of silence; the bearings given by radio; -Navigating Officer Nelson's queer conduct. They were all part of a -carefully laid plan!</p> - -<p>All the suspicious circumstances surrounding Nelson came flooding into -Curtis' mind. He had never liked the man; never trusted him. Nelson -always acted as if he had some secret, something to hide.</p> - -<p>Curtis recalled that Nelson and Androka had long conversations -together—conversations which they would end abruptly when anyone else -came within earshot. And Nelson had always been chummy with the worst -trouble maker in the crew—Bos'n's Mate Bradford.</p> - -<p>Curtis went around, finding the officers, issuing orders. There were -still some unconscious men to be revived. In a sheltered cove among -the rocks, an exploring group had found enough dry driftwood to make a -fire—</p> - -<p>In another hour, the skies had cleared, and white moonlight flooded -the scene with a ghostly radiance. The men of the <i>Comerford</i> had -all regained consciousness and were drying out in front of the big -driftwood bonfires in the cove.</p> - -<p>Curtis ordered a beacon kept burning on a high promontory. Then he got -the men lined up, according to their respective classifications, for a -check-up on the missing.</p> - -<p>When this was completed, it was found that the <i>Comerford's</i> entire -complement of two hundred and twenty men were present—except -Navigating Officer Nelson, and Bos'n's Mate Bradford! And Zukor Androka -was also missing!</p> - -<p>With the coming of dawn, a little exploration revealed that the -<i>Comerford's</i> crew was marooned on an islet, about a square mile in -area; that they had been put ashore without food or extra clothing or -equipment of any kind, and that no boats had been left for them.</p> - -<p>One searching party reported finding the remains of what had been a -radio station on a high promontory on the north shore of the islet. -Another had found the remains of tents and log cabins, recently -demolished, in a small, timbered hollow—a well-hidden spot invisible -from the air, unless one were flying very low; a place where two -hundred or more men could have camped.</p> - -<p>There was a good water supply—a small creek fed by springs—but -nothing in the way of food. Evidently food was a precious commodity -which the recent inhabitants of the islet couldn't afford to leave -behind.</p> - -<p>Curtis was studying the wreckage of the wireless station, wondering -if this might have been the source of Androka's zone of silence, when -Ensign Jack Dillon came up to him.</p> - -<p>"There's a coast-guard cutter heading for the island, sir," he -announced.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From the coast-guard station on Hawk Island, a fast navy plane whipped -Commander Bob Curtis to the naval base at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. -But he was received there with suspicious glances. Even some of his old -buddies from way back did no more than give him a limp handshake and a -faint "Good luck, Bob!" when they heard of his misadventure.</p> - -<p>Within two hours of his arrival, he was facing a court of inquiry, -presided over by Rear Admiral Henderson—a sarcastic, leathery-faced -seadog, who had fought as an ensign under Schley at Santiago in '98, -and had since seen service on the North Sea patrol in the First World -War. Even to his best friends, he was known as "Old Curmudgeon."</p> - -<p>Curtis fidgeted uncomfortably under his questions. They were so hostile -in tone, phrased in such a way as to imply guilt on his part, that -Curtis could not help feeling that he was making a bad impression.</p> - -<p>"Will you kindly repeat that statement in a clear voice, so that -everyone can hear you, commander?" the rear admiral demanded, with a -stinging sharpness in his tone.</p> - -<p>Curtis cleared his throat and repeated his former explanation: "The -radio bearings from the two shore stations checked exactly with the -dead reckoning of my navigating officer, refuting my astronomical -observation. Naturally, I conceded that I must be wrong, although I -could not understand how I made such a mistake."</p> - -<p>The voice of Old Curmudgeon became suave and silky—the kind of voice -he used when he wished to be nasty. "Commander, did you <i>hear</i> the -radioed replies from the island stations in answer to your operator's -inquiries?"</p> - -<p>Curtis squared his shoulders and faced his questioner boldly. "I did, -sir. The radio man on duty reported that he was unable to get anything -from the set; claimed it was dead. I insisted that he try, although -Androka claimed he had instituted a period of radio silence by some -device operating on a neighboring island. He was intensely disappointed -when both stations answered clearly and distinctly, giving us bearings -that checked with Lieutenant Commander Nelson's dead reckoning."</p> - -<p>The rear admiral sneered. "A very pretty story, commander—but all a -fabrication!"</p> - -<p>Curtis stiffened. His eyes blazed anger for a full minute, out of a -face already drawn and white.</p> - -<p>"I shall now proceed to prove my accusations," Old Curmudgeon -continued. "Bring in those operators!"</p> - -<p>There was a commotion at the door, and two radio men came in, saluting -smartly. Curtis wondered what was coming.</p> - -<p>Old Curmudgeon smiled at them. "You are the radio operators on island -stations 297 and 364?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"And you were both on duty during the mysterious two hours of silence -on the night of July 7th?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir!"</p> - -<p>"Did you at any time during the two hours leave your posts?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir!"</p> - -<p>"Did you, during those two hours, receive any call whatsoever or give -out bearings to any ship, particularly the U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i>?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir!"</p> - -<p>"You are positive about that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir!"</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," the rear admiral said triumphantly, turning to the board -of inquiry, "I submit to you that this evidence proves that Commander -Curtis has told an untruth. I recommend that he be court-martialed -on charges of gross negligence in the loss of government property -intrusted to his care and of misrepresenting facts regarding the -circumstances of loss!"</p> - -<p>During the awed silence that followed, Curtis felt his world whirling -to pieces.</p> - -<p>The rear admiral's voice went on in its most rasping tone: "I recommend -further, gentlemen, that Commander Curtis be relieved from active duty, -placed on parole, and confined to this station on his own recognizance -until the disappearance of the <i>Comerford</i> can be thoroughly -investigated."</p> - -<p>The members of the inquiry board conferred and voted. There was no -dissenting voice from the opinion expressed by Old Curmudgeon.</p> - -<p>Angry, ashamed, dazed, Curtis stood to hear the verdict announced. -"Gentlemen," he managed to say, his tongue almost choking him, "my only -hope is for speedy recovery of the ship!"</p> - -<p>Later, in the room assigned to him in the naval barracks, Curtis -listened for almost an hour to his short-wave radio set; but it told -him nothing of the <i>Comerford</i>—and that was all he cared about.</p> - -<p>He shut it off and reached for the telephone. A new idea had come into -his mind—something he had vaguely remembered from the night before, -the two words overheard as he lay half conscious on the <i>Comerford's</i> -bridge—"<i>Carethusia</i>"—"convoy."</p> - -<p>"Is there an officer of the British naval intelligence in town?" he -asked the operator.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. Captain Rathbun. Shall I get him for you?"</p> - -<p>"Please!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Fifteen minutes later, Curtis was in the small office where the British -naval man made his headquarters, on the main street of the town.</p> - -<p>Rathbun listened with close attention to Curtis' story, throwing in a -question now and then.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "there is a ship called the <i>Carethusia</i> carrying -supplies to Britain. But it'd take a little time to locate her. I'd -have to wire Halifax!"</p> - -<p>He sent off a code telegram and waited. An hour elapsed—two -hours—then came the reply. Rathbun decoded it and read it to Curtis.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>"<i>Carethusia</i>, carrying valuable cargo to Britain, left St. Johns, -Newfoundland, in convoy midnight Friday. American destroyers will -join, according to instructions."</p></div> - -<p>"That," Curtis said, "solves part of my problem. The <i>Comerford's</i> -after the <i>Carethusia</i>. There must be something of particular value -aboard that the <i>Comerford</i> wants!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Captain Rathbun agreed. "There <i>must</i> be!"</p> - -<p>Curtis stood up. "Thank you, captain! You've helped me a lot! You've -shown me where to look for the <i>Comerford</i>!"</p> - -<p>Captain Rathbun shook hands with him. "Right-o! Come and see me again, -if there's anything else I can do!"</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose you could wire the <i>Carethusia</i> and warn her—or warn -the commander of the convoy?"</p> - -<p>"That would have to be done from Halifax, or St. Johns," Rathbun said. -"I'll ask them."</p> - -<p>"And will you let me know what happens?" Curtis asked.</p> - -<p>"Gladly," said the Britisher.</p> - -<p>Outside, Curtis walked at a breathless pace, almost knocking over a -couple of pedestrians and innocent bystanders in his haste. Reaching -the naval administration building, he ran up the stairs two at a time -to the top floor and barged unannounced into the office of Rear Admiral -Henderson.</p> - -<p>Old Curmudgeon looked up from his desk with a sour grin on his leathery -face. "What d'you mean, Curtis—" he began.</p> - -<p>But Bob Curtis ignored his indignation, let the door swing to behind -him, and sat down in the vacant chair beside the desk.</p> - -<p>"This is no time to stand on ceremony, sir!" he stated firmly. "I've -come to give information as to where the <i>Comerford</i> is most likely to -be found!"</p> - -<p>A sneer twisted Old Curmudgeon's hard features, and anger blazed coldly -in his blue eyes. "You wish to make a clean breast of the whole thing, -Curtis?"</p> - -<p>"I've been proved guilty of nothing," Curtis reminded him. "I have -nothing to confess. If you don't want to listen to me—"</p> - -<p>Old Curmudgeon's eyes softened. The lines of his face relaxed. "I'm -listening."</p> - -<p>Curtis quickly told him of the words he'd overheard as he lay half -conscious on the bridge of the <i>Comerford</i>, and of how they dovetailed -with the information obtained from the British Intelligence Service.</p> - -<p>Henderson seemed impressed. There was a more respectful note in his -gruff voice. He picked up his telephone and started to dial.</p> - -<p>"Remember, Curtis, I'm doing this at your insistence!"</p> - -<p>Crisply, concisely, he gave his message, then got up from his desk -and went to the window. His eyes turned toward the basin, where the -big navy patrol bombers lay at their floats. His head cocked, as if -listening for the roar of their motors.</p> - -<p>Curtis moved toward him. His eyes lighted with hope as he heard the -man-made thunder, saw the big birds taxi out, pick up speed, go soaring -into the air, after kicking their spiteful way off the tops of a few -waves.</p> - -<p>"They'll have our answer," Henderson said, "within a few hours. I'll -let you know what happens!"</p> - -<p>Curtis took the words as meaning that he was dismissed. He thanked Old -Curmudgeon and started back for his quarters.</p> - -<p>There, he crouched over the short-wave radio set and waited and -listened. The air was alive with calls and messages. From time to time, -he caught the reports from the three navy planes that were winging -steadily on their flight after the <i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>Then, just after midnight, the reassuring words of the operator on one -of the bombers were cut off short.</p> - -<p>"They've struck the zone of silence," Curtis whispered. "The -<i>Comerford</i> must have spread it, so that it encircles the entire -convoy. Those bombers'll shove in, see what's happening and come back -out of the zone to report, even if their radios are silenced. Nelson -never figured on that!"</p> - -<p>His telephone shrilled. It was Captain Rathbun, of the British -Intelligence. His words confirmed Curtis' suspicions.</p> - -<p>"I've just had word from Halifax. They arranged to contact the -<i>Carethusia's</i> convoy by wireless every night at eleven-thirty, but -tonight, they got no answer. The convoy must be caught in the zone of -silence."</p> - -<p>Curtis couldn't keep the note of triumph out of his voice. "Then all -we've got to do is locate the convoy—and we've got the <i>Comerford</i>!"</p> - -<p>"Cheerio!" said Rathbun's voice, and he hung up.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Curtis relaxed in his chair beside the short-wave set. Dawn came and -found him still alert, listening, wakeful. He had breakfast sent up, -but touched nothing except the pot of black coffee.</p> - -<p>Several times, he computed the probable flying time of the three -planes, and the distance the slow-moving convoy could have covered -since sailing at midnight on the previous Friday. Then he tried to find -the position of the convoy on the map.</p> - -<p>Again the phone rang. A strange voice spoke over the wire. "This is -Rear Admiral Henderson's office. He'd like you to come over at once."</p> - -<p>"I'll be there!" Curtis said.</p> - -<p>He found Old Curmudgeon pacing nervously up and down, chewing savagely -on a half-smoked cigar which smelled vilely. From the expression on the -old seadog's face, he knew there was bad news.</p> - -<p>"I've just had a message from the <i>Lexington</i>," Henderson said. "She's -found the bombers!"</p> - -<p>"Found them?" Curtis was puzzled.</p> - -<p>The rear admiral's face was gloomy. "They were floating—in a sinking -condition. The crews of all three were dazed. None of them could -understand what had happened, but they all told the same story!"</p> - -<p>"And what was it?" Curtis asked, as Old Curmudgeon paused.</p> - -<p>The older man slumped into his chair, his shoulders sagging wearily. -"They were circling about the <i>Comerford</i>, ready to close in, when a -sudden blinding flash, which seemed to come from the foremast turret, -killed both radio and motor."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"That must have been the new invention Androka was working on!" Curtis -exclaimed. "Have you heard how badly the equipment was damaged?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Old Curmudgeon answered. "It was burned out by a terrific heat -that melted copper wires, cracked the porcelain on plugs, and fused -them into their sockets. Batteries, magnetos, tubes—everything was -destroyed!"</p> - -<p>Curtis leaned forward and gazed earnestly into the rear admiral's tired -face. "Sir, you have received proof that something unusual has taken -place aboard the <i>Comerford</i>; that she is in the hands of enemies. Do -you believe now that I have told the truth?"</p> - -<p>Old Curmudgeon's eyes held a kinder expression than Curtis had ever -seen in them before. "Yes; I believe you!"</p> - -<p>"Thank you, sir!" Bob Curtis said, deeply moved. "I don't blame you," -he added. "The story I told was unbelievable! But I think I know a way -to catch up with the <i>Comerford</i>—recapture her without destroying her!"</p> - -<p>"Tell me your plan!" Henderson said quietly, and he leaned back in his -chair to listen.</p> - -<p>Curtis spoke to him earnestly for some time. When he had finished, Old -Curmudgeon raised his telephone and began dialing and giving orders.</p> - -<p>Then he stood up and held out his hand. "Good luck, commander! Your -plane'll be ready in half an hour!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Commander Bob Curtis was in the co-pilot's seat, as the big PBY flying -boat, one of the navy's latest-type patrol bombers, spanked out into -the choppy water, lifted, went roaring off. The miles slipped away -astern under the pull of its mighty propellers as they raced on their -journey.</p> - -<p>Every once in a while, Curtis turned his eyes away from the restless -gray Atlantic to glance toward the cabin, where the navigator and -wireless operator sat at his little table. There was, he knew, a -machine gunner at his post in the tail of the plane, and a bombardier -lying flat in the nose of the fuselage.</p> - -<p>At short intervals, Curtis got the relayed radio reports, through his -headphones, from the <i>Lexington</i>. The seaplane's wireless was keeping -in constant touch with the big aircraft carrier, which evidently was -still outside the limits of Zukor Androka's zone of silence.</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington</i> held the key to Curtis' secret plan. This flight was -the first leg of his journey to recapture the <i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>At the controls, the pilot, Lieutenant Delton, sat relaxed, smiling -confidently, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He offered one -to Curtis, who took it with a nod of thanks, lighted it and inhaled -deeply. It tasted good, eased the strain on his nerves.</p> - -<p>The voice of the navigator came through his phones. "<i>Lexington</i> hasn't -answered for the past half hour. I've been calling her every five -minutes!"</p> - -<p>Curtis' heart leaped at the news. The <i>Lexington</i> had come into the -silence area!</p> - -<p>That might mean the <i>Comerford</i> was close at hand; or it might be five -hundred miles away. For that, Curtis figured, was the maximum radius -over which Androka's zone could extend its influence. And the device -for killing all electrical apparatus with a ray would necessarily -operate at a much shorter distance—unless Androka's invention bordered -on the miraculous.</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington</i> hove in sight. Curtis thrilled at the sight of her top -deck, with its rows upon rows of planes, their propellers agleam in the -sunlight that had recently broken through the Atlantic fog.</p> - -<p>For a moment, his lips tightened as he thought of the destruction which -Androka's deadly ray could wreak on this splendid array of aircraft, -and the resolution in him gained renewed confidence, as his eyes swept -the <i>Lexington's</i> powerful hull.</p> - -<p>He was aware that the pilot had shut off the motor and was gliding -in a circular descent that would bring the heavy navy bomber taxiing -to a stop alongside the aircraft carrier. The man out front in the -bomber's pit had diffused his bombs and left his post in the nose of -the fuselage, and the machine-gunner aft had come out of his nest—both -glad of the opportunity to change their cramped quarters for a spell.</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington</i> lowered a boat and took Curtis on board. A few minutes -later, he was explaining his theory to the <i>Lexington's</i> commander, -with the aid of a map of the Atlantic in the chart room.</p> - -<p>"The way I figure it, sir," he stated, "is that the <i>Comerford</i> has -been detailed to cut the <i>Carethusia</i> out of her convoy and take her to -some French port—probably Bordeaux, where she will be less likely to -prove a target for R. A. F. bombers."</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington's</i> commander nodded. "I think I follow you. The -<i>Carethusia's</i> cargo must be something of immense value to the Nazi war -machine."</p> - -<p>"There's no doubt that it is, sir," Curtis said, "or they wouldn't take -so much trouble to capture it. And there'd be no point in separating -the <i>Carethusia</i> from her convoy before they're fairly close to the -French port which they intend to make."</p> - -<p>"Where do you place the convoy at present?" the other man asked.</p> - -<p>Curtis put his finger on a spot on the map, in about mid-Atlantic, -along one of the more northerly sea lanes. "I've checked with the -British Naval Intelligence. The convoy makes the voyage in sixteen -days, under normal conditions. Its speed is that of the slowest boat. -It left at midnight last Friday, and this is Friday again."</p> - -<p>"And the <i>Comerford</i>?"</p> - -<p>"The <i>Comerford</i>," Curtis said, "is undoubtedly with the convoy, making -the British believe that she is one of the American war vessels which -usually pick up these convoys at a designated point on the way across."</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington's</i> commander frowned; his face wore a puzzled -expression. "But suppose the British escort ships discover the -deception?"</p> - -<p>"If it came to a showdown," Curtis argued, "the <i>Comerford</i>, equipped -with Androka's inventions, is more than a match for any or all of the -British war vessels with the convoy. You know they're using mostly -light corvettes and over-age destroyers these days."</p> - -<p>"I guess you're right," the other agreed. "I haven't forgotten the mess -the <i>Comerford</i> made of those three bombers we picked up."</p> - -<p>"How long," Curtis asked, "would it take the <i>Lexington</i> to get within -striking distance of the convoy—say between fifty and a hundred miles?"</p> - -<p>"We could make it shortly after nightfall tomorrow," the other decided, -after a bit of figuring.</p> - -<p>"And that special plane you've reserved for me will be ready then?" -Curtis said.</p> - -<p>"It's ready now, if you want it," the commander of the <i>Lexington</i> told -him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The convoy was wallowing its way through the darkness, across the -dreary wastes of the Atlantic, following a far-northern sea lane that -would be most likely to offer safety from attack by enemy raiders and -U-boats.</p> - -<p>The <i>Comerford</i> had joined the convoy shortly after it had passed the -shores of Iceland, reporting that she had been sent to strengthen -it against possible attack by a powerful German sea raider that was -reported to be at large in the north Atlantic.</p> - -<p>The story was accepted by the commander of the convoy squadron.</p> - -<p>In the center of the convoy, the ten ships containing the most valuable -cargoes were ranged in parallel lines. They were ringed around by a -cordon of converted merchant vessels, armed cargo ships and destroyers, -in addition to the U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i>, and the aforementioned -British cruiser of First World War vintage.</p> - -<p>On the bridge of the <i>Comerford</i>, Navigating Officer Nelson, ex-U. S. -N., stood watching the other vessels as they plowed their way through -the heavy seas.</p> - -<p>All were running without lights, but the phosphorescent wash of the -water against their bows and the dark bulk of their hulls revealed -their positions.</p> - -<p>Nelson's chief attention was focused on the central group of -ships—especially on the <i>Carethusia</i>. Another day, perhaps, and it -would be time to make his bid to cut the <i>Carethusia</i> out of the convoy -and head her for the French port designated in the secret orders which -Herr Kommander Brandt had brought on board with him.</p> - -<p>Here was Herr Kommander Brandt now, climbing the ladder to the bridge -on his stumpy legs. He came up to Nelson, puffing obesely.</p> - -<p>"<i>Ach!</i> I vish dis woyage was ofer!" Brandt grunted.</p> - -<p>"I hope you mean <i>successfully</i> over," Nelson said.</p> - -<p>"Dot old Czech!" Brandt grumbled. "He iss driving me crazy with his -fool inventions!"</p> - -<p>"Czech and double Czech!" Nelson kidded him. "But his inventions do all -he claims for them; and that's saying a lot!"</p> - -<p>"<i>Ja!</i>" Brandt agreed. "Dot's so. But—"</p> - -<p>He broke off with a guttural oath in German, as a low droning overhead -came to his ears. Nelson heard it, too, and raised his night glasses to -sweep the sky for the source of the sound.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he clutched Brandt by the arm and handed the glasses to him. -"There! Look!"</p> - -<p>Brandt took the binoculars and focused them to suit his own vision.</p> - -<p>"It is some sort of airplane," he said a few minutes later, returning -the glasses to Nelson. "A queer-looking one. I can't quite make it out!"</p> - -<p>Nelson took the glasses and refocused them. There <i>was</i> something queer -about the gliding motion of the aircraft, and then as it came closer, -he could make out that it had a second propeller overhead.</p> - -<p>"It's a helicopter!" he exclaimed softly. "But it hardly makes any -sound at all—a noiseless helicopter. I bet it's Diesel-engined!"</p> - -<p>"<i>Ja?</i>" There was surprise in Herr Kommander Brandt's tone.</p> - -<p>"And I'll bet," Nelson went on, his eyes suddenly flashing and his -voice quivering with excitement, "that Curtis has sent it after us. -He always advocated the freer use of helicopters, especially the -Diesel-engined type. It wouldn't surprise me if he's in it!"</p> - -<p>"Ve can blast him out of the air mit Androka's ray!" Brandt said. "Like -ve blasted those bombers!"</p> - -<p>"Maybe!" Nelson's tone held a touch of doubt. "We can try!" He used -his telephone to call Androka. "Get busy, Androka!" he said into the -mouthpiece. "Blast it with your plane-destroyer! Come up right away!"</p> - -<p>The old inventor's cracked voice answered over the wire. "I'll be with -you at once!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Nelson left the bridge and met Androka on the way to the room in the -superstructure from which he operated the rays for the destruction of -electric equipment.</p> - -<p>The old inventor's eyes were blazing with an almost maniacal light as -he fiddled with various levers and batteries. From high above them, in -the fighting top of the steel foremast, came the humming of a powerful -dynamo as the apparatus built up its tremendous voltage.</p> - -<p>Through a skylight in the roof of his workshop, Androka sighted the -hovering plane. He spoke into the telephone. In the turret top of the -foremast, a weapon that looked like an old-style trench mortar was -suddenly uncovered.</p> - -<p>Androka said a few words in German into the speaking tube and watched, -as the huge mouth of the weapon swung toward the hovering plane.</p> - -<p>There was a flash, a shower of sparks; rays darted from the muzzle of -the weapon in the mast turret. But the dynamic force that had blasted -three navy bombers into helpless wreckage had no effect on the strange -craft that hung suspended in the sky over the <i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>And then it seemed that the powerful rays struck something—something -afar off that picked them up like a handful of thunderbolts and hurled -them back. There was a report, like the blowing out of a giant fuse. -The whole hull of the <i>Comerford</i> shuddered, as if from the impact of a -powerful electric shock. The vessel quivered from stem to stern. Lights -dimmed, went out.</p> - -<p>For fully ten seconds, there wasn't an atom of power on board the -<i>Comerford</i>. She was stricken as if with a paralysis of her electric -force.</p> - -<p>Then the dimmed lights began to glow again.</p> - -<p>Nelson looked at Androka, his cheeks ghastly. "What ... what happened?"</p> - -<p>"The rays must have struck some electric cable carrying tremendous -power—more powerful than any cable to be found on shipboard," the -inventor explained, in a husky voice. "That would put so heavy a power -load on it that the rays were no longer capable of short-circuiting it -to extinction. They carried the overload back to us and burned out our -generator."</p> - -<p>"But that little plane," Nelson argued. "It couldn't—"</p> - -<p>Androka shrugged his narrow shoulders and ran his fingers nervously -through his gray beard. "There must be some other vessel near at -hand—with power cables such as I have described."</p> - -<p>Nelson cursed savagely and tore out of the room. He raced up the ladder -to the bridge, tugged at Herr Kommander Brandt's sleeve.</p> - -<p>"That fool Androka's rays have failed. They've short-circuited -themselves. We've got to shoot down Curtis—that helicopter—with our -antiaircraft guns!"</p> - -<p>"Better have Androka release the radio and tell the others what we're -doing," Brandt advised.</p> - -<p>In the next few minutes, the radio silence was lifted long enough to -let Nelson tell the rest of the convoy that an enemy plane was hovering -over the <i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>Then a blast from the antiaircraft batteries of the cruiser screamed -into the sky. Other armed vessels in the convoy cut loose with a fierce -barrage.</p> - -<p>A few minutes of bedlam. Then the firing ceased.</p> - -<p>Nelson, sweeping the sky with his binoculars, saw the blasted fragments -of wings and fuselage fluttering out of the clouds, to be swallowed up -in the black waters. He handed the glasses to Brandt, saying: "I reckon -that's the end of Curtis and his helicopter!"</p> - -<p>Herr Kommander Brandt searched the sky for a moment, then explored the -dark wastes of ocean astern.</p> - -<p>"<i>Ja</i>," he agreed. "Ve must have blown him to bits. He ain't in the sky -nor the sea!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Other eyes were watching the fragments of aircraft wreckage that -drifted with the eternal wash of the Atlantic waves astern of the -convoy. Through the observation window in the helicopter's fuselage, -Commander Bob Curtis grinned as he watched the sea-tossed remains -of the dummy plane—a smaller replica of the helicopter—that he -had thrown out as a target for the antiaircraft batteries of the -<i>Comerford</i>.</p> - -<p>Slowly he wound in the light cable by which the decoy aircraft had -been lowered from the trapdoor in the helicopter's hull to take the -full fury of the barrage, while Curtis and his pilot Lieutenant Jay -Lancaster were hovering safely far overhead, protected by a cloud of -vapor.</p> - -<p>Curtis thrilled with a sense of keen satisfaction, because many of -his own ideas were embodied in this helicopter. For many months of -his spare time, he had worked in the navy's chemical laboratories on -the aluminoid paint formula that rendered it practically invisible, -especially when enveloped by the cloud of gas that could be released -from the series of valves in the fuselage by touching a key on the -instrument board. The collapsible dummy plane, which could be towed at -a safe distance as a decoy for ambitious antiaircraft gunners had also -been Curtis' own idea.</p> - -<p>For hours after that, the helicopter drifted in the sky, high over the -convoy, which, Curtis found, was still enveloped in the zone of radio -silence, for he could neither send nor receive any message through the -ether.</p> - -<p>Finally, he touched Lancaster on the arm and spoke into the mouthpiece -on his chest: "The <i>Comerford's</i> running alongside the <i>Carethusia</i>. -If the other ships try to interfere, the <i>Comerford's</i> guns are heavy -enough to sink them. There's only one thing to do. We <i>must</i> break that -zone of radio silence!"</p> - -<p>"But how—" Lancaster began.</p> - -<p>"Listen!" Curtis said, and spoke rapidly for the next few minutes.</p> - -<p>Lancaster began to maneuver the helicopter, throttling down the frontal -engine, and reversing the lateral engine, so that the plane glided in -slow circles, like a swooping hawk, till it was about three hundred -feet above the <i>Comerford's</i> mastheads.</p> - -<p>Curtis shook hands with Lancaster. The latter murmured "Good luck!" -and Curtis crawled out of the cockpit and back into the plane's small -cabin. He loosened the fastenings of his 'chute pack, saw that his -automatic was safe in its holster.</p> - -<p>Then he pushed open the escape hatch and jumped out into space.</p> - -<p>From the plane's cloud-gas valves, a mass of opaque vapor streamed, -enveloping him in a fog-like cloud that combined with the blackness of -the night to render him invisible to those on the ship below.</p> - -<p>The 'chute opened out, and Curtis found himself descending on the -<i>Comerford</i>. By kicking with his legs and manipulating the cords, he -maneuvered the 'chute so that he would land in the mizzen-mast turret. -From what Androka had once told him—perhaps in an unguarded moment—he -felt certain that the radio silence was projected from this point.</p> - -<p>The cords of his 'chute tangled with the basket-like structure of the -mast. Curtis got out his knife, cut himself free of the 'chute, then -scrambled down the mast till he was at the entrance to the turret.</p> - -<p>He pushed his way into the small chamber and found himself facing -two sailors, in United States naval uniforms, but they uttered harsh -exclamations in German at sight of him, and went for their holstered -automatics.</p> - -<p>Curtis brought his gun up, pointed it, and squeezed the -trigger—once—twice—three times—four—</p> - -<p>The first German sailor's face took on a look of surprise, the guttural -curses died on his lips, as he slumped forward in a bloody heap. The -second man uttered a scream and clutched at his chest, as Curtis' lead -tore into him. Then he fell beside his companion.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A huge dome stood in the center of the turret, with antennae radiating -out from it in every direction. Curtis could hear the low, humming -drone, as of a powerful dynamo at work, and he could see a heavy cable, -which evidently fed this dome of silence with its power.</p> - -<p>He found a switch and shut off the current; then he attacked the cable -with the pliers he had brought with him. One by one, the thick strands -of wire began to part—</p> - -<p>Behind him, a harsh, inhuman cry caused Curtis to look around swiftly. -Instinctively, he dropped the pliers, reached for his automatic, then -hesitated, his finger on the safety catch.</p> - -<p>Zukor Androka stood in the turret entrance, his gray hair floating in -wisps around his head, his eyes ablaze with a maniac's fury, his hands -extended toward Curtis like gouging claws.</p> - -<p>"You ... you ... you have ruined my invention!" Androka murmured, in a -heartbroken voice. "You have wrecked the zone of silence!"</p> - -<p>Curtis took a step forward, seized the Czech inventor by the shoulder -and shook him.</p> - -<p>"You dirty little traitor!" he barked. "You've lied and cheated—sold -out to the Nazis you profess to hate!"</p> - -<p>Androka looked at him, terror-stricken, evidently recognizing him for -the first time. "You—you're Commander Curtis!"</p> - -<p>"Yes!" Curtis gave the inventor another shake and released him. "And -you helped steal my ship—tried to ruin me as an officer of the United -States navy!"</p> - -<p>"Listen!" Androka moved closer to Curtis, then fell on his knees in an -attitude of supplication. "Listen to me!"</p> - -<p>Curtis stared at him coldly. "I'm listening, Androka. But talk quickly!"</p> - -<p>"Commander, I was forced to do this. I had to do it—to save the lives -of my people back in Prague. My daughter—"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Curtis cut his protestations short. "I know about that!"</p> - -<p>Androka fumbled inside his coat and pulled out a sheaf of papers and -blueprints. "Here, Curtis! These are the designs, the secret details of -manufacture, and the formulas for my inventions—the zone of silence, -the destroying rays that wrecked those bombers, and the gas. I'm giving -them to you. I'll never use them again—no matter what happens to those -I love. I swear it!"</p> - -<p>Curtis took the papers and thrust them into an inner pocket. Then he -knelt and quickly completed his task of severing the strands of the -cable.</p> - -<p>He pushed past the groveling form of Androka, and the still corpses -of the two sailors, climbed down the mast to the superstructure, and -headed for the wireless room.</p> - -<p>The operator sat at his table, a cigarette drooping in the corner of -his mouth, half asleep.</p> - -<p>Curtis clubbed him efficiently with the butt of his gun. The man -slumped forward with a groan and lay still. Curtis hauled him to one -side and then sat down to send:</p> - -<p>"Come aboard U. S. Cruiser <i>Comerford</i> at once. Ship in hands of Nazis, -in plot to steal the <i>Carethusia</i>. Commander Curtis speaking from the -<i>Comerford</i>. Lancaster, summon help—"</p> - -<p>Curtis stopped and hurriedly cast aside the headphones. The sound of -heavy footsteps outside warned him of impending danger. He reached for -his gun, released the safety catch, and whirled about.</p> - -<p>Men were crowding the doorway of the wireless room—men in whose -throats rumbled the angry cry of a baffled wolf pack, whose eyes -gleamed with the savage light of murder.</p> - -<p>The wireless room was abruptly full of powder smoke, punctuated with -gun flashes, as he sprayed bullets at the doorway. The steel door -protected him; his attackers were exposed.</p> - -<p>He saw that the crowd had given way before the figure of one man, -bolder than the rest—or perhaps more desperate—pushing forward, a -blazing automatic in his hand.</p> - -<p>Curtis recognized the white, hard-lined face, the pale, cruel eyes, -set under shaggy blond brows, now blazing with a wild, half-insane -light—Nelson! Curtis was busy shoving in a new clip of ammunition—</p> - -<p>A shot from Nelson's pistol went wild, shattered the lights, throwing -the wireless room into almost total darkness. His second bullet seared -Curtis' jaw, a burning, flesh-tearing wound. Another smashed into his -shoulder—high up.</p> - -<p>Curtis felt sick as he felt lead splintering the bone. He fired—and -missed. His shoulder ached—He gritted his teeth, steadied his aim, -and let Nelson have it again.</p> - -<p>In the faint light that came in at the entrance, he saw Nelson's white -face suddenly become a crimson mask. His body fell backward—outside.</p> - -<p>Curtis dashed forward and slammed the steel door, bolting it, locking -himself in. A terrible wave of nausea rose up within him. The pain of -his wounded shoulder was like torturing knives turning in his flesh, -grinding against the shattered bones—</p> - -<p>He felt his fingers relax on his gun, as his knees buckled under him, -and he sank to the floor.</p> - -<p>The next thing Curtis knew, he was in a ship's cabin in bed, his -wounded shoulder incased in a comfortable surgical dressing. A -brown-skinned Filipino mess boy poked his head in and grinned in -friendly fashion. On his cap, Curtis read the lettering "U. S. S. -<i>Lexington</i>" and knew that he must have been taken on board the big -aircraft carrier.</p> - -<p>The mess boy ducked out as quietly as he had looked in, and a few -minutes later, the <i>Lexington's</i> commander entered.</p> - -<p>"Congratulations!" he said cordially, after asking Curtis how he -felt. "Everything worked out perfectly. The new helicopter had its -first chance to demonstrate its efficiency and came through a hundred -percent. You were right also in your theory that the <i>Lexington's</i> -power cables, with their tremendous current-carrying capacity, would -shatter the rays into worthless junk. The power from our cables kicked -back on Androka's invention and smashed it!"</p> - -<p>Curiosity prompted Curtis to ask a question. "What ... what became of -Androka? Did he—" He paused as he saw the gleam of horror in the other -man's eyes!</p> - -<p>"Androka got panicked," the commander of the <i>Lexington</i> said, "when he -saw that the <i>Comerford</i> had been surrounded by the fighting vessels of -the British convoy, and he knew that both his inventions were wrecked. -I guess seeing Nelson dead softened him up, too."</p> - -<p>"So what did Androka do?" Curtis asked. "Blow up the ship?"</p> - -<p>The <i>Lexington's</i> commander shook his head slowly. "No; he blew -<i>himself</i> up—in his work-room—with some explosives he'd been -experimenting with!"</p> - -<p>Curtis leaned back on his pillows. The excitement of listening to the -other's story had made him a little tense. He felt he needed to relax.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Silence is--Deadly, by Bertrand L. 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Shurtleff - -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: Silence is--Deadly - -Author: Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -Release Date: February 22, 2020 [EBook #61481] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SILENCE IS--DEADLY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - SILENCE IS--DEADLY - - By Bertrand L. Shurtleff - - Radio is an absolute necessity in modern - organization--and particularly in modern - naval organization. If you could silence all - radio--silence of that sort would be deadly! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction April 1942. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The hurried _rat-a-tat_ of knuckles hammered on the cabin door. -Commander Bob Curtis roused himself from his doze, got up from his -chair, stretched himself to his full, lanky height and yawned. That -would be Nelson, his navigating officer. Nelson always knocked that -way--like a man in an external state of jitters over nothing at all. - -Curtis didn't hurry. It pleased him to let Nelson wait. He moved slowly -to the door, paused there, and flung a backward glance at the man in -the cabin with him--Zukor Androka, the elderly Czech scientist, a guest -of the United States navy, here aboard the cruiser _Comerford_. - -The wizened face of the older man was molded in intent lines of -concentration, as his bushy gray head bent over his drawing board. -Curtis got a glimpse of the design on which he was working, and his -lips relaxed in a faint smile. - -Androka had arrived on board the _Comerford_ the day before she sailed -from Norfolk. With him came a boatload of scientific apparatus and -equipment, including a number of things that looked like oxygen tanks, -which were now stored in the forward hold. Androka had watched over -his treasures with the jealous care of a mother hen, and spent hours -daily in the room in the superstructure that had been assigned as his -laboratory. - -Sometimes, Curtis thought old Androka was a bit wacky--a scientist -whose mind had been turned by the horror that had come to his country -under the domination of the Nazi _gestapo_. At other times, the man -seemed a genius. Perhaps that was the answer--a mad genius! - -Curtis opened the door and looked out. Rain whipped against his face -like a stinging wet lash. Overhead, the sky was a storm-racked mass of -clouds, broken in one spot by a tiny patch of starlit blue. - -His eyes rested inquiringly on the face of the man who stood before -him. It _was_ Nelson, his shaggy blond brows drawn scowlingly down -over his pale eyes; his thin face a mass of tense lines; his big hands -fumbling at the neck of his slicker. Rain was coursing down his white -cheeks, streaking them with glistening furrows. - -The fellow was a headache to Curtis. He was overfriendly with a -black-browed bos'n's mate named Joe Bradford--the worst trouble maker -on board. But there was no question of his ability. He was a good -navigating officer--dependable, accurate, conscientious. Nevertheless, -his taut face, restless, searching eyes, and eternally nervous manner -got Curtis' goat. - -"Come in, Nelson!" he said. - -Nelson shouldered his way inside, and stood there in his dripping -oilskins, blinking his eyes against the yellow light. - -Curtis closed the door and nodded toward the bent form of Zukor -Androka, with a quizzical grin. "Old Czech-and-Double-Czech is working -hard on his latest invention to pull Hitler's teeth and re-establish -the Czech Republic!" - -Nelson had no answering smile, although there had been a great deal -of good-natured joking aboard the _Comerford_ ever since the navy -department had sent the scientist on board the cruiser to carry on his -experiments. - -"I'm worried, sir!" Nelson said. "I'm not sure about my dead reckoning. -This storm--" - -Curtis threw his arm around Nelson's dripping shoulders. "Forget it! -Don't let a little error get you down!" - -"But this storm, sir!" Nelson avoided Curtis' friendly eyes and slipped -out from under his arm. "It's got me worried. Quartering wind of -undetermined force, variable and gusty. There's a chop to the sea--as -if from unestimated currents among the islets. No chance to check by -observation, and now there is a chance--look at me!" - -He held out his hands. They were shaking as if he had the chills. - -"You say there is a chance?" Curtis asked. "Stars out?" - -"As if by providence, sir, there's a clear patch. I'm wondering--" His -voice trailed off, but his eyes swung toward the gleaming sextant on -the rack. - -Commander Curtis shrugged good-naturedly and reached for the -instrument. "Not that I've lost confidence in you, Nels, but just -because you asked for it!" - - * * * * * - -Curtis donned his slicker and went outside, sextant in hand. In a few -minutes he returned and handed Nelson a sheet of paper with figures -underlined heavily. - -"Here's what I make it," the commander told his navigating officer. -"Bet you're not off appreciably." - -Nelson stared at the computations with shaking head. Then he mutely -held up his own. - -Curtis stared, frowned, grabbed his own sheet again. "Any time I'm -that far off old Figure-'em Nelson's estimate, I'm checking back," he -declared, frowning at the two papers and hastily rechecking his own -figures. - -"Call up to the bridge to stop her," he told Nelson. "We can't afford -to move in these waters with such a possibility of error!" - -Nelson complied, and the throbbing drive of the engines lessened -at once. Nelson said: "I've been wondering, sir, if it wouldn't be -advisable to try getting a radio cross-bearing. With all these rocks -and islets--" - -"Radio?" repeated the little Czech, thrusting his face between the -other two, in his independent fashion that ignored ship's discipline. -"You're using your radio?" He broke into a knowing chuckle, his keen -old eyes twinkling behind their thick lenses. "Go ahead and try it. See -how much you can get! It will be no more than Hitler can get when Zukor -Androka decrees silence over the German airways! Try it! Try it, I say!" - -Bob Curtis stared at him, as if questioning his sanity. Then he -hastened to the radio room, with Nelson at his heels, and the Czech -trotting along behind. - -The door burst open as they neared it. A frightened operator came out, -still wearing his earphones, and stood staring upward incredulously at -the aerial. - -"Get us a radio cross-bearing for location at once," Curtis said -sharply, for the operator seemed in a daze. - -"Bearing, sir?" The man brought his eyes down with difficulty, as if -still dissatisfied. "I'm sorry, sir, but the outfit's dead. Went out on -me about five minutes ago. I was taking the weather report when the set -conked. I was trying to see if something's wrong." - -The Czech inventor giggled. Curtis gave him another curious look and -thrust himself into the radio room. - -"Try again!" he told the operator. "See what you can get!" - -The radio man leaped to his seat and tried frantically. Again and -again, he sent off a request for a cross-bearing from shore stations -that had recently been established to insure safety to naval vessels, -but there was no answer on any of the bands--not even the blare of a -high-powered commercial program in the higher reach, nor the chatter of -ships or amateurs on the shorter. - -"Dead!" Androka muttered, with a bitter laugh. "Yet not dead, -gentlemen! The set is uninjured. The waves are what have been upset. I -have shattered them around your ship, just as I can eventually shatter -them all over Central Europe! For the next two hours, no radio messages -can enter or leave my zone of radio silence--of refracted radio waves, -set up by my little station on one of the neighboring islets!" - - * * * * * - -There was a long pause, while commander and navigator stared at him. -Curtis was the first to speak. - -"Your secrecy might well cost the United States navy one of its best -light cruisers--and us our lives!" he said angrily. "We need that check -by radio at once! If you're not talking nonsense, call off your dogs -till we learn just where we are!" - -Androka held out his palms helplessly. "I can do nothing. I have given -orders to my assistant that he must keep two hours of radio silence! I -can get no message to him, for our radio is dead!" - -As if to mock him, the ship's radio began to answer: - -"Station 297 calling U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_. Station 297 calling U. -S. Cruiser _Comerford_--" - -"U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ calling Station 297!" the operator intoned, -winking at the two officers over Androka's discomfiture, and asked for -the bearings. - -The answer came back: "Bearings north east by a quarter east, U. S. -Cruiser _Comerford_!" - -Curtis sighed with relief. He saw that Nelson was staring fiercely -at the radio operator, as the man went on calling: "U. S. Cruiser -_Comerford_ calling Station 364. U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ calling -Station 364--" - -Then the instrument rasped again: "Station 364 calling U. S. Cruiser -_Comerford_. Bearings north west by three west. Bearings north west by -three west, U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ from Cay 364." - -Commander and navigator had both scribbled verifications of the -numbers. Ignoring the gibbering Androka, who was wailing his -disappointment that messages had penetrated his veil of silence, they -raced for the chart room. - -Quickly the parallels stepped off the bearing from the designated -points. Light intersecting lines proclaimed a check on their position. - -Curtis frowned and shook his head. Slowly he forced a reluctant grin as -he stuck out his hand. - -"Shake, Nels," he said. "It's my turn to eat crow. You and the radio -must be right. Continue as you were!" - -"I'm relieved, sir, just the same," Nelson admitted, "to have the radio -bearings. We'd have piled up sure if you'd been right." - -They went on through the night. The starlit gap in the clouds had -closed. The sky was again a blanket of darkness pouring sheets of rain -at them. - -Nelson went back to the bridge, and Androka returned to the commander's -cabin. Curtis lingered in the wireless room with the radio operator. - -"It's a funny thing," the latter said, still dialing and grousing, "how -I got that cross-bearing through and can't get another squeak out of -her. I'm wondering if that old goat really _has_ done something to the -ether. The set seems O. K." - -He lingered over the apparatus, checking and rechecking. Tubes lighted; -wires were alive to the touch and set him to shaking his head at the -tingle they sent through his inquiring fingers. - -Curtis left him at it, and went to rejoin Androka in the cabin. He -found the little inventor pacing up and down, shaking his fists in the -air; pausing every now and then to run his bony fingers through his -tangled mop of gray hair, or to claw nervously at his beard. - -"You have seen a miracle, commander!" he shouted at Curtis. "_My_ -miracle! My invention has shattered the ether waves hereabouts -hopelessly." - -"Seems to me," Curtis said dryly, "this invention can harm your friends -as much as your enemies." - -The scientist drew himself up to his full height--which was only a -little over five feet. His voice grew shrill. "Wait! Just wait! There -are other inventions to supplement this one. Put them together, and -they will defeat the Nazi hordes which have ravaged my country!" - -Curtis was a little shocked by the hatred that gleamed in Androka's -eyes, under their bushy brows. There was something of the wild animal -in the man's expression, as his lips drew back from his yellowed teeth. - -"Those tanks you have below," Curtis said, "have they some connection -with this radio silence?" - -A far-away look came into Androka's eyes. He did not seem to hear -the question. He lowered his voice: "My daughter is still in Prague. -So are my sister and her husband, and _their_ two daughters. If the -_gestapo_ knew what I am doing, all of them would be better dead. You -understand--better dead?" - -Curtis said: "I understand." - -"And if the Nazi agents in America knew of the islet from which my zone -of silence is projected--" Androka paused, his head tilted to one side, -as if he were listening to something-- - - * * * * * - -On deck, there was shouting and commotion. Curtis rushed out, pulling -on his slicker as he went. The shout from the watch forward had been -picked up, and was being relayed all over the ship. The words struck on -Curtis' ears with a note of impending tragedy. - -"Breakers ahead!" - -He was beside Navigating Officer Nelson on the bridge, and saw the -helmsman climbing the rapidly spinning wheel like a monkey as he put it -hard aport. - -Then the ship struck. Everything movable shot ahead until it brought up -at the end of a swing or smacked against something solid. - -Curtis felt Nelson's hand grip his shoulder, as he put his lips close -to his ear and shouted: "You must have been right, sir, and the radio -bearings and my reckoning wrong. We've hit that reef a terrific smack. -I'm afraid we're gored!" - -"Get out the collision mat!" Curtis ordered. "We ought to be able to -keep her up!" - -And then he became aware of a deadly stillness. A vast wall of silence -enveloped the entire cruiser. Looking over the side, he could no longer -see the waves that a few minutes before had beaten savagely against the -ship. - -The _Comerford_ was shrouded in a huge pall of yellowish-gray mist, and -more of it was coming up from below--from ventilators and hatchways and -skylights--as if the whole ship were flooded with some evil vapor. - -Somehow, Curtis' mind flashed to the stories he'd heard of the forts of -the Maginot Line, and of other forts in Holland and Belgium that had -fallen before the early Nazi blitzkrieg, when their defenders found -themselves struck numb and helpless by a gas that had been flooded into -the inner compartments of their strongholds. - -There were those who said it was the work of sappers who had tunneled -under the foundations, while others laid the induction of the gas to -Fifth Column traitors. There were a hundred more or less plausible -explanations-- - -The vapor clouds that enveloped the _Comerford_ were becoming thicker. -All about the deck lay the forms of unconscious seamen, suddenly -stricken helpless. And then Curtis saw other forms flitting about the -deck--forms that looked like creatures from another world, but he -recognized them for what they were--men wearing gas masks. - -Nelson was nowhere in sight. The steersman lay in a limp heap beside -the swinging wheel. Then a gas-masked figure appeared through the -shroud of mist and steadied it, so that the cruiser would not be -completely at the mercy of the wind and the waves. - -Curtis heard the anchor let down, as if by invisible hands, the chain -screaming and flailing its clanking way through the hawse hole. Then he -was completely walled in by the yellowish-gray mist. He felt his senses -swimming. - -Voices droned all around him in mumbling confusion--guttural voices -that ebbed and flowed in a tide of excited talk. He caught a word of -English now and then, mixed in with a flood of Teuton phonetics. - -Two words, in particular, registered clearly on his mind. One was -"_Carethusia_"; the other was "convoy." But gradually his eardrums -began to throb, as if someone were pounding on them from the inside. He -couldn't get his breath; a cloud seemed to be mounting within him until -it swept over his brain-- - -He felt something strike the side of his head, and realized that he had -fallen in a heap on the bridge. And after that, he wasn't conscious of -anything-- - - * * * * * - -The rain had abated to a foggy drizzle. The wash of the surf swung the -_Comerford_ in a lazy, rolling motion, as she lay with her bow nosing -into the sandbar at the entrance of the inlet. - -From her bridge, Navigating Officer Nelson watched the gas-masked -figures moving about the decks, descending companionways--like goblins -from an ancient fairy tale or a modern horror story. Nelson looked like -a goblin himself, with his face covered by a respirator. At his side, -stood his fellow conspirator Bos'n's Mate Joe Bradford, also wearing a -gas mask. - -Nelson spoke in a low tone, his lips close to Bradford's ear. "It -worked, Joe!" - -"Yeah!" Bradford agreed. "It worked--fine!" - -The limp bodies of the _Comerford's_ crew were being carried to the -lowered accommodation ladder and transferred into waiting lifeboats. - -Nelson swore under his breath. "Reckon it'll take a couple of hours -before the ship's rid of that damn gas!" - -Bradford shook his head in disagreement. "The old geezer claims he's -got a neutralizing chemical in one of them tanks of his that'll clear -everything up inside half an hour." - -"I'd rather get along without Androka, if we could!" Nelson muttered. -"He's nothing but a crackpot!" - -"It was a crackpot who invented the gas we used to break up the -Maginot Line," Bradford reminded him. "It saved a lot of lives for the -_Fuehrer_--lives that'd have been lost if the forts had to be taken by -our storm troopers!" - -Nelson grunted and turned away. A short, thick-set figure in the -uniform of a German naval commander had ascended the accommodation -ladder and was mounting to the bridge. He, too, was equipped with a -respirator. - -He came up to Nelson, saluted, and held out his hand, introducing -himself as Herr Kommander Brandt. He began to speak in German, but -Nelson stopped him. - -"I don't speak any German," he explained. "I was born and educated in -the United States--of German parents, who had been ruined in the First -World War. My mother committed suicide when she learned that we were -penniless. My father--" He paused and cleared his throat. - -"_Ja!_ Your father?" the German officer prompted, dropping into -accented English. "Your father?" - -"My father dedicated me to a career of revenge--to wipe out his -wrongs," Nelson continued. "If America hadn't gone into the First -World War, he wouldn't have lost his business; my mother would still -be living. When he joined the Nazi party, the way became clear to use -me--to educate me in a military prep school, then send me to Annapolis, -for a career in the United States navy--and no one suspected me. No -one--" - -"Sometimes," Bradford put in, "I think Curtis suspected you." - -"Maybe Curtis'll find out his suspicions were justified," Nelson said -bitterly. "But it won't do Curtis any good--a commander who's lost -his ship." He turned to Brandt. "You have plenty of men to work the -_Comerford_?" - -Brandt nodded his square head. "We have a full crew--two hundred -men--officers, seamen, mechanics, radio men, technical experts, all -German naval reservists living in the United States, who've been sent -here secretly, a few at a time, during the past six weeks!" - - * * * * * - -The three--Brandt, Nelson and Bradford--stood on the bridge and talked, -while the efficient stretcher-bearers worked industriously to remove -the limp bodies of the _Comerford's_ unconscious crew and row them -ashore. - -And when that task was completed, lifeboats began to come alongside -with strange-looking radio equipment, and more gas tanks like those -Androka had brought aboard the _Comerford_ with him, and dynamos and -batteries that looked like something out of a scientific nightmare. - -And bustling all over the place, barking excited commands in German, -pushing and pulling and pointing to emphasize his directions, was the -strange figure of Professor Zukor Androka! - -"The professor's in his glory!" Nelson remarked to Kommander Brandt. - -"Funny thing about him," Bradford put in, "is that his inventions work. -That zone of silence cut us off completely." - -Kommander Brandt nodded. "Goodt! But you got your message giving your -bearings--the wrong ones?" - -"Yes," Nelson said. "That came through all right. And won't Curtis have -a time explaining it!" - -"Hereafter," Brandt said solemnly, "the zone of silence vill be -projected from the _Comerford_; and ve have another invention of -Androka's vich vill be even more useful vhen ve come to cut the -_Carethusia_ out of her convoy." - -"The _Carethusia_?" Nelson asked, in a puzzled tone. - -Brandt said: "She's a freighter in a convoy out of St. Johns--twelve -thousand tons. The orders are to take her; not sink her." - -"What's the idea?" - -"Her cargo," Brandt explained. "It iss more precious than rubies. It -includes a large shipment of boarts." - -"Boarts?" Nelson repeated. "What are they?" - -"Boarts," Brandt told him, "are industrial diamonds--black, -imperfectly crystallized stones, but far more valuable to us than -flawless diamonds from Tiffany's on Fift' Avenue. They are needed for -making machine tools. They come from northern Brazil--and our supply is -low." - -"I should think we could get a shipment of these boarts direct from -Brazil--through the blockade," Nelson said, "without taking the risk of -capturing a United States navy cruiser." - -"There are other things Germany needs desperately on board the -_Carethusia_," Brandt explained. "Vanadium and nickel and hundreds of -barrels of lard oil for machine-tool lubrication. Our agents have been -watching the convoys closely for weeks for just such a cargo as the -_Carethusia_ is taking over." - -"Can we trust Androka?" Nelson asked, with a sudden note of suspicion -in his voice. - -"Yes," Brandt assured him. "Of all men--we can trust Androka!" - -"But he's a Czech," Nelson argued. - -"The _gestapo_ takes care of Czechs and Poles and Frenchmen and other -foreigners whom it chooses as its agents," Brandt pointed out. "Androka -has a daughter and other relations in Prague. He knows that if anything -misfires, if there is the slightest suspicion of treachery on his part, -his daughter and the others will suffer. Androka's loyalty is assured!" - -Nelson turned to watch the forward fighting top of the _Comerford_. -The masked German seamen were installing some sort of apparatus -up there--a strange-looking object that looked something like an -old-fashioned trench mortar, and which connected with cables to the -room that served as Androka's laboratory and workshop. - -Another crew was installing radio apparatus in the mizzentop turret. - -Descending a companionway to see what was going on below, Nelson found -that portholes were being opened, and men were spraying chemical around -to rid the below-decks atmosphere of the lethal gas that had overcome -the _Comerford's_ American crew. - -Returning to the bridge, he found that the tide in the inlet had risen -considerably, and that the cruiser was riding more easily at her anchor. - -Then, at Brandt's orders, the anchor was hauled in, and lifeboats and a -motor launch were used as tugs to work the vessel entirely free of the -sand bar. This was accomplished without difficulty. - -Brandt came over to where Nelson was standing on the bridge and held -out his hand. - -"Congratulations, Herr Kommander Nelson!" he said. "Ve have stolen one -of the United States navy's newest and fastest cruisers!" He made a -gesture as if raising a beer stein to drink a toast. "_Prosit!_" he -added. - -"_Prosit!_" Nelson repeated, and the two grinned at each other. - - * * * * * - -Stars were twinkling in a patch of black-blue sky, and broken mountains -of gray cloud were skudding before the east wind. Commander Bob Curtis -found himself lying in wet sand, on a beach, somewhere, with the -rain--now a light, driving mist--beating on his face. He was chilled; -his limbs were stiff and numb. His nose and throat felt parched inside, -as if a wave of searing heat had scorched them. - -According to his last calculations, the _Comerford_ had been cruising -off the Maine coast. This probably was one of the islets of that -region, or it might be the mainland. - -It was hard work getting to his feet, and when he did manage to stand, -he could only plant his heels in the sand and sway to and fro for fully -a minute, like a child learning to walk. - -All around him in the nearly total darkness, he could make out the dim -forms of men sprawled on the beach; and of other men moving about, -exploring. He heard the murmur of voices and saw the glow of lighted -cigarettes. - -A man with a flashlight was approaching him. Its white glare shone for -a moment in Curtis' face, and the familiar voice of Ensign Jack Dillon -spoke: "Commander Curtis! Are you O. K., sir?" - -"I think so!" Curtis' heart warmed at the eager expression in Dillon's -face; at the heartfelt concern in his friendly brown eyes. The young -ensign was red-headed, impetuous, thoroughly genuine in his emotions. -"How about yourself, Jack?" Curtis added. - -"A bit of a headache from the gas, but that's all. Any orders, sir?" - -Curtis thought for a moment. "Muster the crew, as best you can. We'll -try to make a roll call. Is there any sign of the ship?" - -There was a solemn note in Dillon's voice. "No, sir. She's been worked -off the sandbar and put to sea!" - -The words struck Curtis with the numbing shock of a blow on some nerve -center. For the first time, he realized fully the tragedy that had -swept down on him. He had lost his ship--one of the United States -navy's fastest and newest small light cruisers--under circumstances -which smelled strongly of treachery and sabotage. - -As he thought back, he realized that he _might_ have prevented the -loss, if he had been more alert, more suspicious. For it was clear to -him now that the _Comerford_ had been deliberately steered to this -place; that the men who had seized her had been waiting here for that -very purpose. - -The pieces of the picture fitted together like a jigsaw -puzzle--Androka's zone of silence; the bearings given by radio; -Navigating Officer Nelson's queer conduct. They were all part of a -carefully laid plan! - -All the suspicious circumstances surrounding Nelson came flooding into -Curtis' mind. He had never liked the man; never trusted him. Nelson -always acted as if he had some secret, something to hide. - -Curtis recalled that Nelson and Androka had long conversations -together--conversations which they would end abruptly when anyone else -came within earshot. And Nelson had always been chummy with the worst -trouble maker in the crew--Bos'n's Mate Bradford. - -Curtis went around, finding the officers, issuing orders. There were -still some unconscious men to be revived. In a sheltered cove among -the rocks, an exploring group had found enough dry driftwood to make a -fire-- - -In another hour, the skies had cleared, and white moonlight flooded -the scene with a ghostly radiance. The men of the _Comerford_ had -all regained consciousness and were drying out in front of the big -driftwood bonfires in the cove. - -Curtis ordered a beacon kept burning on a high promontory. Then he got -the men lined up, according to their respective classifications, for a -check-up on the missing. - -When this was completed, it was found that the _Comerford's_ entire -complement of two hundred and twenty men were present--except -Navigating Officer Nelson, and Bos'n's Mate Bradford! And Zukor Androka -was also missing! - -With the coming of dawn, a little exploration revealed that the -_Comerford's_ crew was marooned on an islet, about a square mile in -area; that they had been put ashore without food or extra clothing or -equipment of any kind, and that no boats had been left for them. - -One searching party reported finding the remains of what had been a -radio station on a high promontory on the north shore of the islet. -Another had found the remains of tents and log cabins, recently -demolished, in a small, timbered hollow--a well-hidden spot invisible -from the air, unless one were flying very low; a place where two -hundred or more men could have camped. - -There was a good water supply--a small creek fed by springs--but -nothing in the way of food. Evidently food was a precious commodity -which the recent inhabitants of the islet couldn't afford to leave -behind. - -Curtis was studying the wreckage of the wireless station, wondering -if this might have been the source of Androka's zone of silence, when -Ensign Jack Dillon came up to him. - -"There's a coast-guard cutter heading for the island, sir," he -announced. - - * * * * * - -From the coast-guard station on Hawk Island, a fast navy plane whipped -Commander Bob Curtis to the naval base at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. -But he was received there with suspicious glances. Even some of his old -buddies from way back did no more than give him a limp handshake and a -faint "Good luck, Bob!" when they heard of his misadventure. - -Within two hours of his arrival, he was facing a court of inquiry, -presided over by Rear Admiral Henderson--a sarcastic, leathery-faced -seadog, who had fought as an ensign under Schley at Santiago in '98, -and had since seen service on the North Sea patrol in the First World -War. Even to his best friends, he was known as "Old Curmudgeon." - -Curtis fidgeted uncomfortably under his questions. They were so hostile -in tone, phrased in such a way as to imply guilt on his part, that -Curtis could not help feeling that he was making a bad impression. - -"Will you kindly repeat that statement in a clear voice, so that -everyone can hear you, commander?" the rear admiral demanded, with a -stinging sharpness in his tone. - -Curtis cleared his throat and repeated his former explanation: "The -radio bearings from the two shore stations checked exactly with the -dead reckoning of my navigating officer, refuting my astronomical -observation. Naturally, I conceded that I must be wrong, although I -could not understand how I made such a mistake." - -The voice of Old Curmudgeon became suave and silky--the kind of voice -he used when he wished to be nasty. "Commander, did you _hear_ the -radioed replies from the island stations in answer to your operator's -inquiries?" - -Curtis squared his shoulders and faced his questioner boldly. "I did, -sir. The radio man on duty reported that he was unable to get anything -from the set; claimed it was dead. I insisted that he try, although -Androka claimed he had instituted a period of radio silence by some -device operating on a neighboring island. He was intensely disappointed -when both stations answered clearly and distinctly, giving us bearings -that checked with Lieutenant Commander Nelson's dead reckoning." - -The rear admiral sneered. "A very pretty story, commander--but all a -fabrication!" - -Curtis stiffened. His eyes blazed anger for a full minute, out of a -face already drawn and white. - -"I shall now proceed to prove my accusations," Old Curmudgeon -continued. "Bring in those operators!" - -There was a commotion at the door, and two radio men came in, saluting -smartly. Curtis wondered what was coming. - -Old Curmudgeon smiled at them. "You are the radio operators on island -stations 297 and 364?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"And you were both on duty during the mysterious two hours of silence -on the night of July 7th?" - -"Yes, sir!" - -"Did you at any time during the two hours leave your posts?" - -"No, sir!" - -"Did you, during those two hours, receive any call whatsoever or give -out bearings to any ship, particularly the U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_?" - -"No, sir!" - -"You are positive about that?" - -"Yes, sir!" - -"Gentlemen," the rear admiral said triumphantly, turning to the board -of inquiry, "I submit to you that this evidence proves that Commander -Curtis has told an untruth. I recommend that he be court-martialed -on charges of gross negligence in the loss of government property -intrusted to his care and of misrepresenting facts regarding the -circumstances of loss!" - -During the awed silence that followed, Curtis felt his world whirling -to pieces. - -The rear admiral's voice went on in its most rasping tone: "I recommend -further, gentlemen, that Commander Curtis be relieved from active duty, -placed on parole, and confined to this station on his own recognizance -until the disappearance of the _Comerford_ can be thoroughly -investigated." - -The members of the inquiry board conferred and voted. There was no -dissenting voice from the opinion expressed by Old Curmudgeon. - -Angry, ashamed, dazed, Curtis stood to hear the verdict announced. -"Gentlemen," he managed to say, his tongue almost choking him, "my only -hope is for speedy recovery of the ship!" - -Later, in the room assigned to him in the naval barracks, Curtis -listened for almost an hour to his short-wave radio set; but it told -him nothing of the _Comerford_--and that was all he cared about. - -He shut it off and reached for the telephone. A new idea had come into -his mind--something he had vaguely remembered from the night before, -the two words overheard as he lay half conscious on the _Comerford's_ -bridge--"_Carethusia_"--"convoy." - -"Is there an officer of the British naval intelligence in town?" he -asked the operator. - -"Yes, sir. Captain Rathbun. Shall I get him for you?" - -"Please!" - - * * * * * - -Fifteen minutes later, Curtis was in the small office where the British -naval man made his headquarters, on the main street of the town. - -Rathbun listened with close attention to Curtis' story, throwing in a -question now and then. - -"Yes," he said, "there is a ship called the _Carethusia_ carrying -supplies to Britain. But it'd take a little time to locate her. I'd -have to wire Halifax!" - -He sent off a code telegram and waited. An hour elapsed--two -hours--then came the reply. Rathbun decoded it and read it to Curtis. - - "_Carethusia_, carrying valuable cargo to Britain, left St. Johns, - Newfoundland, in convoy midnight Friday. American destroyers will - join, according to instructions." - -"That," Curtis said, "solves part of my problem. The _Comerford's_ -after the _Carethusia_. There must be something of particular value -aboard that the _Comerford_ wants!" - -"Yes," Captain Rathbun agreed. "There _must_ be!" - -Curtis stood up. "Thank you, captain! You've helped me a lot! You've -shown me where to look for the _Comerford_!" - -Captain Rathbun shook hands with him. "Right-o! Come and see me again, -if there's anything else I can do!" - -"Do you suppose you could wire the _Carethusia_ and warn her--or warn -the commander of the convoy?" - -"That would have to be done from Halifax, or St. Johns," Rathbun said. -"I'll ask them." - -"And will you let me know what happens?" Curtis asked. - -"Gladly," said the Britisher. - -Outside, Curtis walked at a breathless pace, almost knocking over a -couple of pedestrians and innocent bystanders in his haste. Reaching -the naval administration building, he ran up the stairs two at a time -to the top floor and barged unannounced into the office of Rear Admiral -Henderson. - -Old Curmudgeon looked up from his desk with a sour grin on his leathery -face. "What d'you mean, Curtis--" he began. - -But Bob Curtis ignored his indignation, let the door swing to behind -him, and sat down in the vacant chair beside the desk. - -"This is no time to stand on ceremony, sir!" he stated firmly. "I've -come to give information as to where the _Comerford_ is most likely to -be found!" - -A sneer twisted Old Curmudgeon's hard features, and anger blazed coldly -in his blue eyes. "You wish to make a clean breast of the whole thing, -Curtis?" - -"I've been proved guilty of nothing," Curtis reminded him. "I have -nothing to confess. If you don't want to listen to me--" - -Old Curmudgeon's eyes softened. The lines of his face relaxed. "I'm -listening." - -Curtis quickly told him of the words he'd overheard as he lay half -conscious on the bridge of the _Comerford_, and of how they dovetailed -with the information obtained from the British Intelligence Service. - -Henderson seemed impressed. There was a more respectful note in his -gruff voice. He picked up his telephone and started to dial. - -"Remember, Curtis, I'm doing this at your insistence!" - -Crisply, concisely, he gave his message, then got up from his desk -and went to the window. His eyes turned toward the basin, where the -big navy patrol bombers lay at their floats. His head cocked, as if -listening for the roar of their motors. - -Curtis moved toward him. His eyes lighted with hope as he heard the -man-made thunder, saw the big birds taxi out, pick up speed, go soaring -into the air, after kicking their spiteful way off the tops of a few -waves. - -"They'll have our answer," Henderson said, "within a few hours. I'll -let you know what happens!" - -Curtis took the words as meaning that he was dismissed. He thanked Old -Curmudgeon and started back for his quarters. - -There, he crouched over the short-wave radio set and waited and -listened. The air was alive with calls and messages. From time to time, -he caught the reports from the three navy planes that were winging -steadily on their flight after the _Comerford_. - -Then, just after midnight, the reassuring words of the operator on one -of the bombers were cut off short. - -"They've struck the zone of silence," Curtis whispered. "The -_Comerford_ must have spread it, so that it encircles the entire -convoy. Those bombers'll shove in, see what's happening and come back -out of the zone to report, even if their radios are silenced. Nelson -never figured on that!" - -His telephone shrilled. It was Captain Rathbun, of the British -Intelligence. His words confirmed Curtis' suspicions. - -"I've just had word from Halifax. They arranged to contact the -_Carethusia's_ convoy by wireless every night at eleven-thirty, but -tonight, they got no answer. The convoy must be caught in the zone of -silence." - -Curtis couldn't keep the note of triumph out of his voice. "Then all -we've got to do is locate the convoy--and we've got the _Comerford_!" - -"Cheerio!" said Rathbun's voice, and he hung up. - - * * * * * - -Curtis relaxed in his chair beside the short-wave set. Dawn came and -found him still alert, listening, wakeful. He had breakfast sent up, -but touched nothing except the pot of black coffee. - -Several times, he computed the probable flying time of the three -planes, and the distance the slow-moving convoy could have covered -since sailing at midnight on the previous Friday. Then he tried to find -the position of the convoy on the map. - -Again the phone rang. A strange voice spoke over the wire. "This is -Rear Admiral Henderson's office. He'd like you to come over at once." - -"I'll be there!" Curtis said. - -He found Old Curmudgeon pacing nervously up and down, chewing savagely -on a half-smoked cigar which smelled vilely. From the expression on the -old seadog's face, he knew there was bad news. - -"I've just had a message from the _Lexington_," Henderson said. "She's -found the bombers!" - -"Found them?" Curtis was puzzled. - -The rear admiral's face was gloomy. "They were floating--in a sinking -condition. The crews of all three were dazed. None of them could -understand what had happened, but they all told the same story!" - -"And what was it?" Curtis asked, as Old Curmudgeon paused. - -The older man slumped into his chair, his shoulders sagging wearily. -"They were circling about the _Comerford_, ready to close in, when a -sudden blinding flash, which seemed to come from the foremast turret, -killed both radio and motor." - -"That must have been the new invention Androka was working on!" Curtis -exclaimed. "Have you heard how badly the equipment was damaged?" - -"Yes," Old Curmudgeon answered. "It was burned out by a terrific heat -that melted copper wires, cracked the porcelain on plugs, and fused -them into their sockets. Batteries, magnetos, tubes--everything was -destroyed!" - -Curtis leaned forward and gazed earnestly into the rear admiral's tired -face. "Sir, you have received proof that something unusual has taken -place aboard the _Comerford_; that she is in the hands of enemies. Do -you believe now that I have told the truth?" - -Old Curmudgeon's eyes held a kinder expression than Curtis had ever -seen in them before. "Yes; I believe you!" - -"Thank you, sir!" Bob Curtis said, deeply moved. "I don't blame you," -he added. "The story I told was unbelievable! But I think I know a way -to catch up with the _Comerford_--recapture her without destroying her!" - -"Tell me your plan!" Henderson said quietly, and he leaned back in his -chair to listen. - -Curtis spoke to him earnestly for some time. When he had finished, Old -Curmudgeon raised his telephone and began dialing and giving orders. - -Then he stood up and held out his hand. "Good luck, commander! Your -plane'll be ready in half an hour!" - - * * * * * - -Commander Bob Curtis was in the co-pilot's seat, as the big PBY flying -boat, one of the navy's latest-type patrol bombers, spanked out into -the choppy water, lifted, went roaring off. The miles slipped away -astern under the pull of its mighty propellers as they raced on their -journey. - -Every once in a while, Curtis turned his eyes away from the restless -gray Atlantic to glance toward the cabin, where the navigator and -wireless operator sat at his little table. There was, he knew, a -machine gunner at his post in the tail of the plane, and a bombardier -lying flat in the nose of the fuselage. - -At short intervals, Curtis got the relayed radio reports, through his -headphones, from the _Lexington_. The seaplane's wireless was keeping -in constant touch with the big aircraft carrier, which evidently was -still outside the limits of Zukor Androka's zone of silence. - -The _Lexington_ held the key to Curtis' secret plan. This flight was -the first leg of his journey to recapture the _Comerford_. - -At the controls, the pilot, Lieutenant Delton, sat relaxed, smiling -confidently, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He offered one -to Curtis, who took it with a nod of thanks, lighted it and inhaled -deeply. It tasted good, eased the strain on his nerves. - -The voice of the navigator came through his phones. "_Lexington_ hasn't -answered for the past half hour. I've been calling her every five -minutes!" - -Curtis' heart leaped at the news. The _Lexington_ had come into the -silence area! - -That might mean the _Comerford_ was close at hand; or it might be five -hundred miles away. For that, Curtis figured, was the maximum radius -over which Androka's zone could extend its influence. And the device -for killing all electrical apparatus with a ray would necessarily -operate at a much shorter distance--unless Androka's invention bordered -on the miraculous. - -The _Lexington_ hove in sight. Curtis thrilled at the sight of her top -deck, with its rows upon rows of planes, their propellers agleam in the -sunlight that had recently broken through the Atlantic fog. - -For a moment, his lips tightened as he thought of the destruction which -Androka's deadly ray could wreak on this splendid array of aircraft, -and the resolution in him gained renewed confidence, as his eyes swept -the _Lexington's_ powerful hull. - -He was aware that the pilot had shut off the motor and was gliding -in a circular descent that would bring the heavy navy bomber taxiing -to a stop alongside the aircraft carrier. The man out front in the -bomber's pit had diffused his bombs and left his post in the nose of -the fuselage, and the machine-gunner aft had come out of his nest--both -glad of the opportunity to change their cramped quarters for a spell. - -The _Lexington_ lowered a boat and took Curtis on board. A few minutes -later, he was explaining his theory to the _Lexington's_ commander, -with the aid of a map of the Atlantic in the chart room. - -"The way I figure it, sir," he stated, "is that the _Comerford_ has -been detailed to cut the _Carethusia_ out of her convoy and take her to -some French port--probably Bordeaux, where she will be less likely to -prove a target for R. A. F. bombers." - -The _Lexington's_ commander nodded. "I think I follow you. The -_Carethusia's_ cargo must be something of immense value to the Nazi war -machine." - -"There's no doubt that it is, sir," Curtis said, "or they wouldn't take -so much trouble to capture it. And there'd be no point in separating -the _Carethusia_ from her convoy before they're fairly close to the -French port which they intend to make." - -"Where do you place the convoy at present?" the other man asked. - -Curtis put his finger on a spot on the map, in about mid-Atlantic, -along one of the more northerly sea lanes. "I've checked with the -British Naval Intelligence. The convoy makes the voyage in sixteen -days, under normal conditions. Its speed is that of the slowest boat. -It left at midnight last Friday, and this is Friday again." - -"And the _Comerford_?" - -"The _Comerford_," Curtis said, "is undoubtedly with the convoy, making -the British believe that she is one of the American war vessels which -usually pick up these convoys at a designated point on the way across." - -The _Lexington's_ commander frowned; his face wore a puzzled -expression. "But suppose the British escort ships discover the -deception?" - -"If it came to a showdown," Curtis argued, "the _Comerford_, equipped -with Androka's inventions, is more than a match for any or all of the -British war vessels with the convoy. You know they're using mostly -light corvettes and over-age destroyers these days." - -"I guess you're right," the other agreed. "I haven't forgotten the mess -the _Comerford_ made of those three bombers we picked up." - -"How long," Curtis asked, "would it take the _Lexington_ to get within -striking distance of the convoy--say between fifty and a hundred miles?" - -"We could make it shortly after nightfall tomorrow," the other decided, -after a bit of figuring. - -"And that special plane you've reserved for me will be ready then?" -Curtis said. - -"It's ready now, if you want it," the commander of the _Lexington_ told -him. - - * * * * * - -The convoy was wallowing its way through the darkness, across the -dreary wastes of the Atlantic, following a far-northern sea lane that -would be most likely to offer safety from attack by enemy raiders and -U-boats. - -The _Comerford_ had joined the convoy shortly after it had passed the -shores of Iceland, reporting that she had been sent to strengthen -it against possible attack by a powerful German sea raider that was -reported to be at large in the north Atlantic. - -The story was accepted by the commander of the convoy squadron. - -In the center of the convoy, the ten ships containing the most valuable -cargoes were ranged in parallel lines. They were ringed around by a -cordon of converted merchant vessels, armed cargo ships and destroyers, -in addition to the U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_, and the aforementioned -British cruiser of First World War vintage. - -On the bridge of the _Comerford_, Navigating Officer Nelson, ex-U. S. -N., stood watching the other vessels as they plowed their way through -the heavy seas. - -All were running without lights, but the phosphorescent wash of the -water against their bows and the dark bulk of their hulls revealed -their positions. - -Nelson's chief attention was focused on the central group of -ships--especially on the _Carethusia_. Another day, perhaps, and it -would be time to make his bid to cut the _Carethusia_ out of the convoy -and head her for the French port designated in the secret orders which -Herr Kommander Brandt had brought on board with him. - -Here was Herr Kommander Brandt now, climbing the ladder to the bridge -on his stumpy legs. He came up to Nelson, puffing obesely. - -"_Ach!_ I vish dis woyage was ofer!" Brandt grunted. - -"I hope you mean _successfully_ over," Nelson said. - -"Dot old Czech!" Brandt grumbled. "He iss driving me crazy with his -fool inventions!" - -"Czech and double Czech!" Nelson kidded him. "But his inventions do all -he claims for them; and that's saying a lot!" - -"_Ja!_" Brandt agreed. "Dot's so. But--" - -He broke off with a guttural oath in German, as a low droning overhead -came to his ears. Nelson heard it, too, and raised his night glasses to -sweep the sky for the source of the sound. - -Suddenly he clutched Brandt by the arm and handed the glasses to him. -"There! Look!" - -Brandt took the binoculars and focused them to suit his own vision. - -"It is some sort of airplane," he said a few minutes later, returning -the glasses to Nelson. "A queer-looking one. I can't quite make it out!" - -Nelson took the glasses and refocused them. There _was_ something queer -about the gliding motion of the aircraft, and then as it came closer, -he could make out that it had a second propeller overhead. - -"It's a helicopter!" he exclaimed softly. "But it hardly makes any -sound at all--a noiseless helicopter. I bet it's Diesel-engined!" - -"_Ja?_" There was surprise in Herr Kommander Brandt's tone. - -"And I'll bet," Nelson went on, his eyes suddenly flashing and his -voice quivering with excitement, "that Curtis has sent it after us. -He always advocated the freer use of helicopters, especially the -Diesel-engined type. It wouldn't surprise me if he's in it!" - -"Ve can blast him out of the air mit Androka's ray!" Brandt said. "Like -ve blasted those bombers!" - -"Maybe!" Nelson's tone held a touch of doubt. "We can try!" He used -his telephone to call Androka. "Get busy, Androka!" he said into the -mouthpiece. "Blast it with your plane-destroyer! Come up right away!" - -The old inventor's cracked voice answered over the wire. "I'll be with -you at once!" - - * * * * * - -Nelson left the bridge and met Androka on the way to the room in the -superstructure from which he operated the rays for the destruction of -electric equipment. - -The old inventor's eyes were blazing with an almost maniacal light as -he fiddled with various levers and batteries. From high above them, in -the fighting top of the steel foremast, came the humming of a powerful -dynamo as the apparatus built up its tremendous voltage. - -Through a skylight in the roof of his workshop, Androka sighted the -hovering plane. He spoke into the telephone. In the turret top of the -foremast, a weapon that looked like an old-style trench mortar was -suddenly uncovered. - -Androka said a few words in German into the speaking tube and watched, -as the huge mouth of the weapon swung toward the hovering plane. - -There was a flash, a shower of sparks; rays darted from the muzzle of -the weapon in the mast turret. But the dynamic force that had blasted -three navy bombers into helpless wreckage had no effect on the strange -craft that hung suspended in the sky over the _Comerford_. - -And then it seemed that the powerful rays struck something--something -afar off that picked them up like a handful of thunderbolts and hurled -them back. There was a report, like the blowing out of a giant fuse. -The whole hull of the _Comerford_ shuddered, as if from the impact of a -powerful electric shock. The vessel quivered from stem to stern. Lights -dimmed, went out. - -For fully ten seconds, there wasn't an atom of power on board the -_Comerford_. She was stricken as if with a paralysis of her electric -force. - -Then the dimmed lights began to glow again. - -Nelson looked at Androka, his cheeks ghastly. "What ... what happened?" - -"The rays must have struck some electric cable carrying tremendous -power--more powerful than any cable to be found on shipboard," the -inventor explained, in a husky voice. "That would put so heavy a power -load on it that the rays were no longer capable of short-circuiting it -to extinction. They carried the overload back to us and burned out our -generator." - -"But that little plane," Nelson argued. "It couldn't--" - -Androka shrugged his narrow shoulders and ran his fingers nervously -through his gray beard. "There must be some other vessel near at -hand--with power cables such as I have described." - -Nelson cursed savagely and tore out of the room. He raced up the ladder -to the bridge, tugged at Herr Kommander Brandt's sleeve. - -"That fool Androka's rays have failed. They've short-circuited -themselves. We've got to shoot down Curtis--that helicopter--with our -antiaircraft guns!" - -"Better have Androka release the radio and tell the others what we're -doing," Brandt advised. - -In the next few minutes, the radio silence was lifted long enough to -let Nelson tell the rest of the convoy that an enemy plane was hovering -over the _Comerford_. - -Then a blast from the antiaircraft batteries of the cruiser screamed -into the sky. Other armed vessels in the convoy cut loose with a fierce -barrage. - -A few minutes of bedlam. Then the firing ceased. - -Nelson, sweeping the sky with his binoculars, saw the blasted fragments -of wings and fuselage fluttering out of the clouds, to be swallowed up -in the black waters. He handed the glasses to Brandt, saying: "I reckon -that's the end of Curtis and his helicopter!" - -Herr Kommander Brandt searched the sky for a moment, then explored the -dark wastes of ocean astern. - -"_Ja_," he agreed. "Ve must have blown him to bits. He ain't in the sky -nor the sea!" - - * * * * * - -Other eyes were watching the fragments of aircraft wreckage that -drifted with the eternal wash of the Atlantic waves astern of the -convoy. Through the observation window in the helicopter's fuselage, -Commander Bob Curtis grinned as he watched the sea-tossed remains -of the dummy plane--a smaller replica of the helicopter--that he -had thrown out as a target for the antiaircraft batteries of the -_Comerford_. - -Slowly he wound in the light cable by which the decoy aircraft had -been lowered from the trapdoor in the helicopter's hull to take the -full fury of the barrage, while Curtis and his pilot Lieutenant Jay -Lancaster were hovering safely far overhead, protected by a cloud of -vapor. - -Curtis thrilled with a sense of keen satisfaction, because many of -his own ideas were embodied in this helicopter. For many months of -his spare time, he had worked in the navy's chemical laboratories on -the aluminoid paint formula that rendered it practically invisible, -especially when enveloped by the cloud of gas that could be released -from the series of valves in the fuselage by touching a key on the -instrument board. The collapsible dummy plane, which could be towed at -a safe distance as a decoy for ambitious antiaircraft gunners had also -been Curtis' own idea. - -For hours after that, the helicopter drifted in the sky, high over the -convoy, which, Curtis found, was still enveloped in the zone of radio -silence, for he could neither send nor receive any message through the -ether. - -Finally, he touched Lancaster on the arm and spoke into the mouthpiece -on his chest: "The _Comerford's_ running alongside the _Carethusia_. -If the other ships try to interfere, the _Comerford's_ guns are heavy -enough to sink them. There's only one thing to do. We _must_ break that -zone of radio silence!" - -"But how--" Lancaster began. - -"Listen!" Curtis said, and spoke rapidly for the next few minutes. - -Lancaster began to maneuver the helicopter, throttling down the frontal -engine, and reversing the lateral engine, so that the plane glided in -slow circles, like a swooping hawk, till it was about three hundred -feet above the _Comerford's_ mastheads. - -Curtis shook hands with Lancaster. The latter murmured "Good luck!" -and Curtis crawled out of the cockpit and back into the plane's small -cabin. He loosened the fastenings of his 'chute pack, saw that his -automatic was safe in its holster. - -Then he pushed open the escape hatch and jumped out into space. - -From the plane's cloud-gas valves, a mass of opaque vapor streamed, -enveloping him in a fog-like cloud that combined with the blackness of -the night to render him invisible to those on the ship below. - -The 'chute opened out, and Curtis found himself descending on the -_Comerford_. By kicking with his legs and manipulating the cords, he -maneuvered the 'chute so that he would land in the mizzen-mast turret. -From what Androka had once told him--perhaps in an unguarded moment--he -felt certain that the radio silence was projected from this point. - -The cords of his 'chute tangled with the basket-like structure of the -mast. Curtis got out his knife, cut himself free of the 'chute, then -scrambled down the mast till he was at the entrance to the turret. - -He pushed his way into the small chamber and found himself facing -two sailors, in United States naval uniforms, but they uttered harsh -exclamations in German at sight of him, and went for their holstered -automatics. - -Curtis brought his gun up, pointed it, and squeezed the -trigger--once--twice--three times--four-- - -The first German sailor's face took on a look of surprise, the guttural -curses died on his lips, as he slumped forward in a bloody heap. The -second man uttered a scream and clutched at his chest, as Curtis' lead -tore into him. Then he fell beside his companion. - - * * * * * - -A huge dome stood in the center of the turret, with antennae radiating -out from it in every direction. Curtis could hear the low, humming -drone, as of a powerful dynamo at work, and he could see a heavy cable, -which evidently fed this dome of silence with its power. - -He found a switch and shut off the current; then he attacked the cable -with the pliers he had brought with him. One by one, the thick strands -of wire began to part-- - -Behind him, a harsh, inhuman cry caused Curtis to look around swiftly. -Instinctively, he dropped the pliers, reached for his automatic, then -hesitated, his finger on the safety catch. - -Zukor Androka stood in the turret entrance, his gray hair floating in -wisps around his head, his eyes ablaze with a maniac's fury, his hands -extended toward Curtis like gouging claws. - -"You ... you ... you have ruined my invention!" Androka murmured, in a -heartbroken voice. "You have wrecked the zone of silence!" - -Curtis took a step forward, seized the Czech inventor by the shoulder -and shook him. - -"You dirty little traitor!" he barked. "You've lied and cheated--sold -out to the Nazis you profess to hate!" - -Androka looked at him, terror-stricken, evidently recognizing him for -the first time. "You--you're Commander Curtis!" - -"Yes!" Curtis gave the inventor another shake and released him. "And -you helped steal my ship--tried to ruin me as an officer of the United -States navy!" - -"Listen!" Androka moved closer to Curtis, then fell on his knees in an -attitude of supplication. "Listen to me!" - -Curtis stared at him coldly. "I'm listening, Androka. But talk quickly!" - -"Commander, I was forced to do this. I had to do it--to save the lives -of my people back in Prague. My daughter--" - -"Yes," Curtis cut his protestations short. "I know about that!" - -Androka fumbled inside his coat and pulled out a sheaf of papers and -blueprints. "Here, Curtis! These are the designs, the secret details of -manufacture, and the formulas for my inventions--the zone of silence, -the destroying rays that wrecked those bombers, and the gas. I'm giving -them to you. I'll never use them again--no matter what happens to those -I love. I swear it!" - -Curtis took the papers and thrust them into an inner pocket. Then he -knelt and quickly completed his task of severing the strands of the -cable. - -He pushed past the groveling form of Androka, and the still corpses -of the two sailors, climbed down the mast to the superstructure, and -headed for the wireless room. - -The operator sat at his table, a cigarette drooping in the corner of -his mouth, half asleep. - -Curtis clubbed him efficiently with the butt of his gun. The man -slumped forward with a groan and lay still. Curtis hauled him to one -side and then sat down to send: - -"Come aboard U. S. Cruiser _Comerford_ at once. Ship in hands of Nazis, -in plot to steal the _Carethusia_. Commander Curtis speaking from the -_Comerford_. Lancaster, summon help--" - -Curtis stopped and hurriedly cast aside the headphones. The sound of -heavy footsteps outside warned him of impending danger. He reached for -his gun, released the safety catch, and whirled about. - -Men were crowding the doorway of the wireless room--men in whose -throats rumbled the angry cry of a baffled wolf pack, whose eyes -gleamed with the savage light of murder. - -The wireless room was abruptly full of powder smoke, punctuated with -gun flashes, as he sprayed bullets at the doorway. The steel door -protected him; his attackers were exposed. - -He saw that the crowd had given way before the figure of one man, -bolder than the rest--or perhaps more desperate--pushing forward, a -blazing automatic in his hand. - -Curtis recognized the white, hard-lined face, the pale, cruel eyes, -set under shaggy blond brows, now blazing with a wild, half-insane -light--Nelson! Curtis was busy shoving in a new clip of ammunition-- - -A shot from Nelson's pistol went wild, shattered the lights, throwing -the wireless room into almost total darkness. His second bullet seared -Curtis' jaw, a burning, flesh-tearing wound. Another smashed into his -shoulder--high up. - -Curtis felt sick as he felt lead splintering the bone. He fired--and -missed. His shoulder ached--He gritted his teeth, steadied his aim, -and let Nelson have it again. - -In the faint light that came in at the entrance, he saw Nelson's white -face suddenly become a crimson mask. His body fell backward--outside. - -Curtis dashed forward and slammed the steel door, bolting it, locking -himself in. A terrible wave of nausea rose up within him. The pain of -his wounded shoulder was like torturing knives turning in his flesh, -grinding against the shattered bones-- - -He felt his fingers relax on his gun, as his knees buckled under him, -and he sank to the floor. - -The next thing Curtis knew, he was in a ship's cabin in bed, his -wounded shoulder incased in a comfortable surgical dressing. A -brown-skinned Filipino mess boy poked his head in and grinned in -friendly fashion. On his cap, Curtis read the lettering "U. S. S. -_Lexington_" and knew that he must have been taken on board the big -aircraft carrier. - -The mess boy ducked out as quietly as he had looked in, and a few -minutes later, the _Lexington's_ commander entered. - -"Congratulations!" he said cordially, after asking Curtis how he -felt. "Everything worked out perfectly. The new helicopter had its -first chance to demonstrate its efficiency and came through a hundred -percent. You were right also in your theory that the _Lexington's_ -power cables, with their tremendous current-carrying capacity, would -shatter the rays into worthless junk. The power from our cables kicked -back on Androka's invention and smashed it!" - -Curiosity prompted Curtis to ask a question. "What ... what became of -Androka? Did he--" He paused as he saw the gleam of horror in the other -man's eyes! - -"Androka got panicked," the commander of the _Lexington_ said, "when he -saw that the _Comerford_ had been surrounded by the fighting vessels of -the British convoy, and he knew that both his inventions were wrecked. -I guess seeing Nelson dead softened him up, too." - -"So what did Androka do?" Curtis asked. "Blow up the ship?" - -The _Lexington's_ commander shook his head slowly. "No; he blew -_himself_ up--in his work-room--with some explosives he'd been -experimenting with!" - -Curtis leaned back on his pillows. The excitement of listening to the -other's story had made him a little tense. He felt he needed to relax. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Silence is--Deadly, by Bertrand L. Shurtleff - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SILENCE IS--DEADLY *** - -***** This file should be named 61481.txt or 61481.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/4/8/61481/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -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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