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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..dfce1a0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62000 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62000) diff --git a/old/62000-0.txt b/old/62000-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5108439..0000000 --- a/old/62000-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6690 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Radio Boys in the Secret Service, by J. W. -Duffield - - -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: Radio Boys in the Secret Service - Cast Away on an Iceberg - - -Author: J. W. Duffield - - - -Release Date: May 2, 2020 [eBook #62000] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustration. - See 62000-h.htm or 62000-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62000/62000-h/62000-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62000/62000-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/radioboysinsecre00duff - - - - - -RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE - - -[Illustration: Radio Boys in the Secret Service] - - -RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE - -Or, Cast Away on an Iceberg - -by - -J. W. DUFFIELD - - - - - - -M. A. Donohue & Co. -Chicago New York - - - * * * * * * - - THE RADIO BOYS SERIES - - RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE - or, Cast Away on an Iceberg. - RADIO BOYS IN THE FLYING SERVICE - or, Held For Ransom by Mexican Bandits. - RADIO BOYS IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS - or, The Yankee-Canadian Wireless Trail. - RADIO BOYS UNDER THE SEA - or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure. - - * * * * * * - - -Copyright 1922, by M. A. Donohue & Co. - -Made in U. S. A. - - - - - CONTENTS - - I Wireless Twins - II On the Way to London - III The Mysterious Man Again - IV Seeing London in a Fog - V. Highwayman No. 2 and Mr. Smithers - VI Artie’s “Failure” as a Detective - VII “Wireless Shoes” - VIII A Suspicious Intruder - IX A Puzzling Situation - X The Voice with the “Squeak and Roar” - XI “The Ship Is Sinking!” - XII The Wreck - XIII S. O. S. - XIV The Voice of the Fog Pirate - XV Captain Walter - XVI On the Iceberg - XVII The Eskimos - XVIII A Midnight Invasion - XIX The “Iceberglars” - XX “Jump as Far as You Can!” - XXI Searching the Sea - XXII The Rescue - XXIII Taking the “Wireless” Out of “Wireless Shoes” - XXIV The Why of the “Squeak-Roar Voice” - XXV The Fog Pirate at the Bobstay - - - - - CHAPTER I - - Wireless Twins - - -“Good-by and good luck, Guy,” said Walter Burton as his twin brother, -with small traveling bag in one hand and amber glasses protecting his -supersensitive eyes, was about to step aboard a south-bound train at the -Ferncliffe station one clear, crisp winter-end day. “Send me a wireless -message from Europe, and I’ll be listening in and catch it.” - -“I’d like to, Walt,” was Guy’s smiling answer; “but I’m afraid that -would be extravagant. I’ll tell you what I’ll do, though. When we get to -New York, I’ll hunt up Vacuum Tube and send you a message from his -station. You know he invited us to come and see him any time we were in -New York.” - -“All right,” agreed Walter. “When’ll you send it?” - -“At 4 o’clock tomorrow if he’s home.” - -“Good. I’ll watch for it. I’ll call V T and tell’m you’re coming. Good -luck. Good-by.” - -This hearty exchange of parting cheer between the sturdy, bright-eyed -Walter and his equally sturdy, but “sick-eyed” brother was one incident -in a general round of farewells that marked the departure of Guy Burton -and his mother for England. Guy had been suffering several weeks with a -severe infection of the eyes, resulting from the “flu,” and it was -decided to put him under the care of a London specialist as the most -hopeful move for saving his sight. - -A local physician advised that this be done, and the boy’s father -resolved to waste no time. Urgent business made it almost impossible for -him to accompany his son, and a family council resulted in the selection -of Mrs. Burton as traveling companion for Guy. - -During a period of more than two weeks the latter had been unable to -endure the optical strain of light, and most of this time he remained -indoors with his eyes bandaged. Meanwhile Walter did all he could to -cheer his “blind” brother. He read to him a good deal and in other ways -endeavored to make his own eyes do the work of four. Every day he led -Guy to their attic “den” where one of their wireless sets was installed, -and then he would proceed to the other radio station over their -workshop, and in these positions they would send and receive radio -messages, not only between themselves, but in communication with other -amateurs near and far away. - -The Burton twins were 16 years old. Their father, active in two -professions, banking and farming, was one of the leading business men in -the New England community in which he lived, but he found time to -exercise real interest in the sports and aspirations of his two sons. -Both of the latter were mechanically inclined, and this inclination was -encouraged by the busy business man in many practical ways. - -Walter was ambitious to become an electrical engineer. There was hardly -anything in popular electrical affairs that he did not know something -about. It was he who first suggested that they take up the study of -wireless and install radio instruments in their home. Guy’s ambition was -not so definitely formed as that of his brother, but his enthusiasm over -the proposition was scarcely less than that of Walter. They had an ideal -boys’ workshop, which they built themselves, and on the roof of this -15×20 frame structure was a cupola-like inclosure, which they used as -one of their wireless stations. The other, it has been noted, was in -their attic den. The aerials over these two stations, by their -conspicuous loftiness, advertised the brothers widely as the “wireless -twins of Ferncliffe.” - -The workshop of the twins was equipped with an outfit of tools and -machinery that might well arouse the wonder and admiration of any -ambitious boy. The machinery consisted principally of turning lathe, -scroll saw and drill, operated with belts, pulleys, shafts and electric -motor. The boys not only planned and constructed their shop building, -but they wired it electrically and installed and connected the -machinery. And when completed, it proved to be no mere toy shop, but a -very useful boy institution for repair and construction work about the -Burton home. - -The boys had received their wireless apparatus as Christmas presents a -little more than a year before and immediately set them up. They learned -the radio alphabet and soon were laboriously spelling out words to each -other. In a few months they had acquired a considerable addition to -their vocabulary and spoke of spark gaps, aerials, transformers, keys, -helices, tuning coils, condensers, and detectors with something of the -ready familiarity of old timers. They were especially elated when they -found themselves catching signals from distant wireless operators. This -became more and more frequent, as they lived on the coast and not a few -passing ships were supplied with radio outfits. - -The Burton home was a sort of country seat near the outskirts of the -city and was bordered on the east by half a mile of seashore. A small -natural harbor added much to the curious interest of the surroundings, -being sufficient to accommodate comfortably the 50-foot power yacht -owned by Mr. Burton. This harbor was well sheltered by hilly -projections, except at one point where the shore dropped down almost to -the level of the sea and afforded a good landing place. Here a quay had -been built for the yacht. So well protected with bluffs was the cove -that the heaviest gales hardly rocked the little vessel in its mooring. -Under the brow of the largest bluff had been constructed a -pile-supported shed for sheltering the boat in winter. - -Ferncliffe is a manufacturing and fishing seaboard town. Half a mile -from the Burton home are the municipal docks, where fishing boats tie up -and where steamers stop to receive or unload passengers and freight. In -the summer months a considerable business of this kind is done. - -The house in which the Burtons lived was a large, square, comfortable, -white frame dwelling, rather southern in style. Mr. Burton had several -men in his employ constantly. One of these was Det Teller, half-sailor, -half-farmer, who had worked for the banker-farmer several years. Det was -an interesting character. He knew “everything and the whole world.” He -had been around the world twice as a seaman and was skilled in the tying -of sailors’ knots and the weaving of sailors’ yarns. - -His nickname was a “short” for Deuteronomy. Det’s father had been very -religious and had given bible names to all his children. The retired -sailor was now fifty years old. Six years previously he had discovered -in a servant of the Burton family a former girl schoolmate with whom he -had been in love twenty-odd years before, and he married her and entered -Mr. Burton’s employ as farm foreman. A house was built especially for -them on the premises. - -Det was really a bright and valuable fellow. In six years he had learned -“all about” his employer’s business and could “run any branch of it -except the bank.” He was a short, long-armed, broad-shouldered, powerful -man, whose natural alertness and jovial disposition seemed not to have -been affected seriously by the burden of two score years and ten. - -Mr. Burton had owned the yacht, Jetta, for two seasons. It had been -named for the boys’ five-year old sister. Det was mate and part of the -crew of the vessel, and during the outing months of the year his -capacity of farm foreman was almost forgotten, or left in other hands. -Originally intended only as a private pleasure craft, the Jetta, under -the enterprising ambition of the “wireless twins,” had become, in the -last summer, a recognized excursion boat, identified inseparably with -the outing happiness of many of the inhabitants of Ferncliffe and -neighboring towns. Guy and Walter made up the complement of the crew and -acted as joint skippers who usually followed the instructions of the -mate. Mr. Burton was merely owner and made no attempt to interfere with -the management of the craft when aboard with the mate and one or both of -the young captains. - -On the morning when Guy and his mother boarded the train for New York -city, another passenger of peculiar interest here bought a ticket for -the same destination. He was a tall, thin, sharp-eyed, well-dressed man, -wearing a high-crowned derby hat and large angular trowel-shaped patent -leather shoes. He had had business in Ferncliffe and stopped several -days at the Chenoweth House, the best hotel of the place. On the day of -his arrival he had read with interest the following local item in the -Ferncliffe Gazette: - -“H. G. Burton has decided to send his son Guy to London for treatment of -his eyes. Guy and his mother will sail from New York in a week. The -boy’s eyes will be treated by the famous Dr. Sprague.” - -The stranger had registered at the hotel as Stanley Picket of New York. -He had planned to return home on the day when he read the above item, -but the information it contained caused him to alter his plan. He -remained in Ferncliffe until Mrs. Burton and Guy started for New York, -when as we have seen, the train bore him also as a passenger. - -Walter and Guy noticed the tall, well-dressed man on the platform before -the train pulled in, little dreaming what an important part he was -destined to play in their affairs within the next few months. - -The boy with the amber glasses and his mother boarded the train and took -possession of a seat. Soon afterward the tall man with the high-crowned -derby and the trowel-shaped patent leathers sat down in the seat just -behind them, and the train moved away from the depot. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - On the Way to London - - -The trip to New York was begun early in the morning in order that they -might reach their sailing point before dark. To Guy this part of the -journey was monotonous, as he could not read and his mother advised him -not to sit next to the window and look out, fearing lest the light -injure his eyes, in spite of his amber glasses. The day was clear and -bright, and the sun’s rays were reflected glitteringly from the clean, -white snow on the ground. - -Guy and his mother would have been greatly astonished if they had known -of the interest in them entertained by the man in the next seat behind. -Several times on the way between Ferncliffe and Boston, Guy got up and -moved about, and two or three times he casually observed the -prepossessing stranger. But the latter seemed always to be buried in a -newspaper or book and oblivious to all about him. - -The truth, however, was that Mr. Pickett took much more interest in the -conversation of Mrs. Burton and her son than in his reading. While -appearing to be reading most of the time, his occupation in this respect -was largely a pretense, at least when the two in front of him spoke -loudly enough for him to hear. Now and then he would turn a leaf for -appearance sake, but not always did his eyes follow the printed line -from one page to the next. However, his reading was not wholly -affectation for occasionally he would turn back to pick up the thread of -the narrative. - -At Boston they changed cars, and again Mr. Pickett managed to get a seat -immediately behind the two London-bound travelers. Once the amusing -prattle of a baby a few seats back caused Guy to turn suddenly, and he -was startled to observe the sharp eyes of the stranger staring at him -with curious contemplation. - -So deeply did the incident impress the boy that he turned again and -looked at the man, but the latter was once more buried in his book. Guy -then told himself that he must have misunderstood the gaze, that it -probably was one of meditation or abstraction. - -“Maybe he’s some professor of anatomy trying to figure out the diameter -of a bonehead,” mused the boy. “I wonder who he is. It’s funny he -happened to get the seat just behind us both times. Well, I’ll remember -him anyway if I ever see him again.” - -At New York Guy took a last curious look at the man with the -high-crowned derby and then forgot him for the time being. The latter -saw the boy and his mother enter a taxi and drive away, but he made no -further attempt to watch their movements. - -Mr. Pickett was a middle-aged bachelor living at a hotel near Central -Park. Before starting for this place he ate supper at a restaurant. On -arriving at the hotel he went direct to his room and wrote a letter, -which he addressed to one A. Little in London. It was as follows: - - “My dear Little. - - “About the time this letter reaches you there will arrive in - London a Mrs. H. G. Burton and her son, Guy. The kid is - coming over to have his eyes treated. They’ll probably - remain several weeks and will then return to New York - direct. They will stop at the Morley hotel. By the way, the - kid is bugs over wireless telegraphy. That’s his weakness. - Maybe this will interest you professionally. - - “O. P. Q.” - -This letter was mailed as soon as finished, but another letter, written -by another person, who had been secretly watching every move of Mr. -Pickett, accompanied it in the same mail across the Atlantic. It was -addressed to one W. W. Watson in London. - -A. Little received the Pickett letter and delivered it to one -Christopher Gunseyt, who, in turn, delivered it to another, J. C. -Smithers, a Bond street jeweler. Meanwhile Watson received the other -letter and also got busy. He observed secretly the passing along of the -Pickett letter from Little to Gunseyt and from Gunseyt to Smithers. -Then, by a series of cleverly camouflaged moves, he managed to relieve -Smithers of the mysterious missive in such manner that the latter never -missed it. - -In the meantime, Guy and his mother registered for rooms at a New York -hotel. Their steamer would sail on the following day, and their order -for tickets and staterooms on the liner had been placed through a local -agent at Ferncliffe. - -Mrs. Burton had a friend in the city whom she wished to see on the -afternoon of the day following their arrival at New York, and Guy had -promised to send his brother a wireless message at 4 p. m. In the -morning he telephoned to his wireless acquaintance, “V T,” whom, by the -way, he had never met personally; indeed, he did not know “V T’s” name. -They had often exchanged greetings by wireless, but had never introduced -themselves, except by their amateur radio calls. “V T” had, however, -given the Burton boys his telephone number and requested them to call -him up when they came to New York. - -As a result of Guy’s telephone call, the latter received a visit from “V -T” at the hotel. The New York amateur introduced himself as Harry -Taylor. - -“I’m glad to know your name,” Guy remarked as they started for Harry’s -home, “my brother and I usually spoke of you as Vacuum Tube, but we’ll -be more respectful hereafter.” - -Guy was delighted with his “new-old acquaintance.” He was with him most -of the afternoon while his mother visited her friend. At 4 o’clock he -called Walter and talked with the latter half an hour. Then he bade -Harry good-by and returned to the hotel. - -That evening Guy and his mother went aboard the liner. Early next -morning the steamer floated from the harbor with the tide and stood out -to sea. - -Little of more than ordinary tourist’s interest occurred in the course -of the voyage, which was completed on schedule time, in spite of two -days and one night of very rough weather. The first stop was at -Queenstown. The steamer did not go up into Cork Harbor, but lay out in -the offing, having signaled by wireless for a lighter. After -disembarking a number of passengers and delivering and receiving several -bags of mail, the liner continued on toward Fishguard and Liverpool. - -The vessel finally anchored near the mouth of the River Mersey and the -passengers were transferred to Liverpool by lighter. Their baggage was -“examined” by inspectors in a most ridiculously indifferent manner, it -seemed to Guy, and then they were hustled aboard a fast express train -for London. - -Talk about speed! The train, with its odd compartments and -widely-separated coaches, flew over that 175 miles to the metropolis of -the world in two-and-a-half hours. - -“I can’t see that we’ve got so much on the English,” observed Guy as the -train sped on like a Chicago-New York Century Flyer. “I don’t see why we -should call the English slow.” - - - - - CHAPTER III - - The Mysterious Man Again - - -Walter Burton missed his brother for many reasons during the latter’s -absence. Guy was always a good companion. Out of school, Walter scarcely -knew what to do with himself. Heretofore all his pleasures and all his -labors had been shared by the other twin. They had always gone to school -together, shoveled snow together, worked in the shop together, and -studied wireless together. - -In this occupation, or amusement, Walter was now almost lost. He called -“V T” and informed the latter of Guy’s plan and was waiting with -receivers at his ears when his brother’s call came from New York. But -for several days thereafter he neglected his hobby entirely, not even -caring to amuse himself by catching messages from any commercial or -amateur source. - -Nevertheless, Walter was deeply interested in everything wireless. The -thrill and excitement of “talking” electric waves, impelled with -air-splitting leaps of the current across the spark-gap, had often -enlivened his daydreams with radio visions, and it was hardly to be -expected that he would long remain idle, in view of the allurements and -possibilities at hand. - -A quarter of a mile from the Burton home lived another boy, Anthony -Lane, who chummed a good deal with the “wireless twins.” Anthony, or -Tony, as he was familiarly called, was a poor boy, but this fact made no -difference with Walter or Guy; “he was the right kind of stuff,” and -that was all they cared for. He was one of the best ball players at -school, could row and swim like a sailor and a fish, and, although -strong and clever, was never known to act the bully. - -This boy had manifested a deep interest in wireless telegraphy as soon -as he saw the apparatus of the Burton boys in operation. He learned the -Morse alphabet and practiced on the instruments of his friends at their -invitation. Up to the time when Guy left for Europe, however, he had not -acquired much skill and was therefore unable to fill, in this respect, -the vacancy left by the absent brother. But one day Walter said to his -friend: - -“Tony, do you want to learn wireless so well that no operator can -dot-and-dash away from you?” - -“You bet I do,” was the other’s reply. “I often thought I would, but I -couldn’t afford to buy an outfit like yours.” - -“Then come over and live with me while Guy’s gone. I’m awful lonesome.” - -“I’ll see what ma says,” answered Tony. - -The result was as Walter suggested. Tony had a few chores to do home -every evening, for his father owned several acres and kept a cow, pigs, -and chickens. After this work was done, he was permitted to “go over to -Walter’s” and remain there until morning, when he must return and do -chores again. Meanwhile he devoted all his spare moments to wireless -practice, even when Walter was not at liberty to “talk” with him. - -One afternoon as the boys were returning home from school discussing -some newly-developed feature of interest in their hobby, the subject was -suddenly changed by the appearance before them of one who has figured -earlier in this narrative. He was the man with the tall derby hat and -the trowel-shaped patent leathers. - -“Did you notice that fellow?” Walter asked in a low tone as they passed -the man of conspicuous foot and headgear. - -“I saw him, but didn’t have much to say to ’im,” replied Tony, smiling -at his friend’s startled manner. “Who is he—a detective lookin’ for -violators of the amateur wavelength law?” - -“You’re makin’ fun o’ me. But you won’t be so gay when I tell you all -about him.” - -“What is it?” asked Tony a little more seriously. - -“You remember when Guy an’ mother went away—you were at the depot; that -man was there, too. Didn’t you see ’im?” - -“I don’t know. What did he do?—steal a glass of buttermilk from the -cowcatcher?” - -“You won’t take this seriously at all, Tony. But just wait till you come -over tonight and I’ll show you a letter from Guy that’ll surprise you.” - -“What’s it about?” asked Tony, his levity gone. - -“Never mind now. You made fun o’ me, and I’m going to keep you guessing -awhile.” - -It was Guy’s first long letter since leaving Ferncliffe that Walter -showed to his friend that evening. The missive had arrived the day -before and was postmarked London. It contained much detail concerning -the voyage and the absent brother’s first impressions of the city on the -Thames. - -After performing this traveler’s duty, Guy became more personal and told -of incidents more intimately affecting himself and his mother. He began -this part of his letter with an account of the peculiar actions of the -man with the high-crowned derby and the trowel-shaped patent leathers, -writing in part as follows: - -“After we reached New York, we lost sight of him, and I forgot all about -him for several days. But he came back to my mind on the ship, and I -couldn’t help thinking of his funny actions. I’m sure now that he was -interested in what mother and I were talking about. I can’t forget the -way I caught him looking at me once when I turned around and faced him -in the car. And it’s mightly funny, too, his getting the seat just -behind us on both trains. I can’t believe it just happened that way, -though I thought so at first.” - -“Now, what do you think?” asked Walter as his friend finished reading -the letter. - -“I don’t know,” replied the other dubiously. “Guy hasn’t explained why -this fellow should be so interested in him and your mother.” - -“He might ’a’ been a pickpocket,” suggested Walter. - -“Yes, but he didn’t get anything. And if he’s a confidence man, he -didn’t try his game on them.” - -“No, he didn’t,” Walter admitted slowly. - -“You’d better give it up,” advised the wiseheaded Tony. “Even if the -fellow was interested in Guy and your mother, it didn’t amount to much. -He didn’t do anything, and they’re a long way from him now.” - -“Oh, I was just worked up over the mystery,” Walter assured his friend. -“I wasn’t afraid of anything serious.” - -The mystery, however, would not leave his mind, and he grew impatient -because of the persistence with which it haunted him. Next afternoon as -the boys were on their way home from school again, Guy called a halt in -front of the Chenoweth House, saying: - -“Wait here a minute, Tony. I want to see the hotel clerk.” - -Walter entered the hotel and was out of his friend’s sight a few -minutes. When he returned, he said: - -“I guess there’s nothing to it.” - -“Nothing to what?” inquired Tony. - -“That man Guy wrote about. He’s a traveling jewelry salesman. I thought -he might be stopping here, and he was; but he’s gone now.” - -“Were you thinking about him yet?” exclaimed Tony. “I told you there was -nothing to it. What’s ’is name?” - -“Stanley Pickett.” - -“Forget ’im.” - -Walter did—for a few weeks. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - Seeing London in a Fog - - -London! - -Guy forgot all about his poor eyesight, except to regret occasionally -that he was forced to take his first view of that great city through -colored glasses. The Old World had been almost a mystic hemisphere to -his mind from his earliest reading days. In his younger boyhood he had -entertained some elusive and confusing ideas concerning persons and -things far removed from his daily association. He had wondered if so -great a man as the president of the United States were real flesh and -blood, and even now he could not dismiss lightly some of his myth-fed -mental pictures of Europe, as if the latter were located on a distant -and doubtful-natured planet of another universe. - -“Does the grass that grows over there look like the grass that grows on -our lawn?” was the question that had come to him sometimes as he studied -in school the history of the country over which hung the storied glamour -of King Arthur and Robin Hood. And when he for the first time got near -enough to a patch of little green blades in London to pluck one and -examine it, he felt a flush of confusion at the foolishness of the act. - -Guy was impressed with the immensity of the city before they reached the -railroad terminal, but that impression became a prolonged thrill of -metropolitan wonder as he and his mother left the train and moved -through the throng of many nationalities toward the long line of cabs -waiting for passengers. Here he noticed a marked distinction between the -old and new world. New York with its dash and go, its modern buildings -and sunny people; London old and grim, brooding thru its veil of smoke -and soot on its antiquated buildings and solemn people. - -Their hotel they found to be a favorite stopping place for Americans and -excellently located for visitors wishing to see the city. Guy and his -mother were soon comfortably provided for and sought refreshments and -rest after their journey’s end. - -On the following day they set out to meet the specialist, Dr. Sprague. -They found him at one of the big hospitals of the city. He had been -informed of their coming, but was unable to make an examination of the -boy’s eyes that day. They had to be content with an appointment two days -later. - -Guy made friends rapidly wherever he went, and in London several such -acquaintances contributed much to the interest of his visit. One of -these was a clerk of the hotel, two years older than the young American. -This clerk, whose name was Arthur Fletcher, made his friendship doubly -acceptable to Guy by reason of his volunteered usefulness. He knew -London like a book and was ever ready with his information when needed. - -Occasionally Guy and Arthur would go out to see London by night. During -these walks the former plied his English friend with questions so -industriously that his own fund of information grew rapidly. The second -of these occasions proved particularly memorable. - -It was early March and pleasant weather when the fogs lifted or were -blown away. London has little low temperature, even in the middle of -winter, the most disagreeable feature of the atmosphere being its heavy, -smoke-laden mists. On the evening in question a thick fog had settled -over the city, making it difficult for one to distinguish the features -of another even under a street-light and at “how-de-do” proximity. - -Guy still wore his amber glasses, which caused the vapor to look weird -in lighted places. He had been receiving daily treatments to strengthen -his eyes, and it was uncertain as yet whether he would have to undergo -an operation. Mrs. Burton would have protested against his going out in -the fog, but the specialist had said that he need take no particular -precautions, except that he must not read and he must not lose sleep. - -“I’ll show you London in a fog,” said Artie, as he was familiarly known -because of a constitutional suggestion of effeminacy in him. -Nevertheless, in spite of this appearance, he was a vigorous youth. - -“We won’t see much London, I’m afraid,” laughed Guy. - -“We’ll see London in its nightgown,” said the clerk. “The city looks -like a ghost now. An’ there’s some ghostly things goin’ on in this -village, you can bet safe.” - -It was like wading in thin water over-head deep—this is what it was in -fact. In ten minutes Guy had lost all reckoning of the points of the -compass. - -“We’re goin’ to have some fun tonight,” said Artie as he stepped along -briskly. “We’ll get over on some o’ the quieter streets an’ see what we -find there.” - -“What do you mean?” inquired Guy. - -“Do you know where we are right now?” asked Artie evasively. - -“Why, no, not exactly.” - -“What direction are we from Trafalgar square?” - -“East, aren’t we?” - -“You’re wrong. You’re lost.” - -“I guess I am,” admitted Guy with a laugh. - -“That’s what I brought you out for—to get you lost,” Artie announced -gayly. “It’s part o’ seein’ London in a fog. We’re on Shaftsbury avenue, -going towards Piccadilly. I’ll get you lost again in a minute.” - -Suddenly Guy saw the waving of a light before them like the swath of a -scythe in a hay field. It swung across their path. - -“What’s that?” asked the young American. - -“That’s a ‘bobby’,” replied the clerk. - -“A ‘bobby’?” - -“Yes—a policeman. You call ’em ‘cops’ in New York. He’s lookin’ for -strangers in the fog and steerin’ ’em clear o’ the rocks.” - -They continued to “wade” through the mist several squares, passing two -other “bobbies” on the way. Meanwhile Guy found himself wondering what -would be the next number on the program. - -“I wonder if it’s going to be like hazing freshmen,” he mused. “If it -is, I’ll take my medicine without a squirm. It’ll be all right, jus’ so -he doesn’t walk me into the Thames.” - -There were a good many pedestrians moving up and down Charing Cross -road. They seemed not to be inconvenienced by the fog, passing one -another like fish in water. Guy could not see them, but he could hear -their footsteps, which seemed firm and unhesitating, and he heard no -collisions or evidences of such. - -“How does it happen that nobody runs into anybody else?” inquired the -young American as he walked along with one hand on his companion’s arm. - -“Oh, everybody’s used to it,” replied Artie with an air of experience. -“I can dodge an express train if I don’t see it till it’s two feet -away.” - -“You’re very clever,” assured Guy with laughing sarcasm. “But suppose -the fellow comin’ your way is a green one, like me—what then?” - -“I’ve got to be smart enough for both. There—see? If that guy hadn’t -known ’is business, you’d both had your headlights pushed in.” - -The American youth’s awkwardness produced a choleric grunt from a portly -individual who proved to be surprisingly agile. Artie caught his -companion by the sleeve and jerked him aside. The pass was effected -without a touch. - -“You’ll learn how to do it after a few more narrow escapes,” assured the -hotel clerk. “Take this advice—never get excited and always turn to the -left.” - -“To the left?” - -“Yes, haven’t you noticed? Everybody takes the left side of the sidewalk -here, and the drivers take the left side of the street.” - -“I thought there was something funny, but I didn’t figure out what it -was,” laughed Guy. “This is where everybody stands on his head, isn’t -it?” - -“If it is, we hop along on our hair pretty well, don’t we? You know the -man ’at uses his head to get along in the world, gets along a lot -better.” - -“Don’t people who live here ever get lost in the fog?” - -“No, that’s another case of usin’ our head, or part of it. We smell -directions here. Didn’t you ever hear that an Englishman can make his -nose work farther than any other nationality on earth?” - -Presently they turned into a cross street, where they did not meet so -many people. They advanced one square and a half; then suddenly Artie -called a halt. - -“Stan’ still an’ keep quiet,” he whispered, gripping Guy’s arm -warningly. “Don’t make a sound.” - -“What’s the matter?” asked the other boy, also in a whisper. - -“There’s trouble ahead. Listen.” - -Both were silent for some moments, during which they heard voices -seemingly not more than twenty feet ahead. One was a gruff, heavy voice -and was giving orders. The other vibrated in trembling, whining tones, -begging for mercy. - -“Don’t take my money, don’t take my money,” it pleaded. “It’s all I’ve -got in the world, and I’ll starve.” - -“Oh, stow that,” was the merciless answer. “You’ve got plenty where that -come from, you old miser. Move out in the middle of the street an’ don’t -make another sound or—” - -The rest of the sentence, presumably expressing a threat, was inaudible -to the boys. Guy’s sympathy was aroused at once. - -“We ought to help ’im,” he suggested. - -“We’re not going to get mixed up in it,” replied Artie. “Leave it to -me.” - -The victim seemed cowed into silence, for he ceased his whimpering. As -the highwayman drove him out of the way of pedestrians, their footsteps -could be heard on the pavement. - -“Run, pal! The bobbies is comin’.” - -This cry of warning came from Artie and was intended evidently for the -hold-up man. The ruse was successful, for, with an oath, the footpad -dashed away, his rapidly pattering shoes on the pavement giving evidence -of his panic. - -“That’s the way to handle a case o’ that kind, an’ you don’t get into -trouble,” said Artie wisely. - -“We’ll be held up next,” warned Guy, as they continued on their way, -leaving the “miser” to take care of himself. - -“Not much chance,” was the clerk’s reply. “They don’t stop two together, -especially boys who ain’t supposed to carry a lot o’ money anyway.” - -But Artie’s confidence proved unwarranted. After the boys had proceeded -two blocks farther, a man suddenly stepped up and covered them with a -pistol, commanding gruffly: - -“Quick, now, out in the street! I’ll shoot if you make a sound.” - - - - - CHAPTER V - - Highwayman No. 2 and Mr. Smithers - - -There was nothing for Guy and Artie to do but obey. The highwayman spoke -and acted as if he meant business. He flashed a strong pocket electric -light, illuminating the fog around them. The muzzle of the pistol had an -ominous appearance, and the better part of valor seemed to be caution. -The fellow was of medium height and build, and his voice was one of the -strangest Guy had ever heard. Later Artie described it as a “combination -of a squeak and a roar.” At first Guy believed this footpad to be the -one whom Artie had frightened a few minutes before, but the difference -in their voices convinced him otherwise. - -“Perhaps they’re working together,” he concluded. - -“We’ll go,” said Artie with surprising coolness, in response to the -highwayman’s command, as he stepped from the sidewalk to the pavement. -“Come on, Guy.” - -The latter followed, and presently the man ordered them to halt. - -“Now, spill out,” he commanded, still covering them with the light and -the pistol. “Turn all your pockets inside out.” - -But the “honk” of a horn was now heard a short distance away. A motor -car was approaching. - -“Get over to this side till it passes,” was the highwayman’s next -instruction. - -They obeyed, and the motor went slowly by. Guy would have called for -help, but the weapon warned him to keep silence. Presently the boys were -ordered back into the middle of the street. - -“Now,” continued the man, whose face could not be seen clearly because -it was behind the light; “out with your valu’bles. Jus’ drop ’em on the -pavement an’ move on. It won’t hurt me to pick ’em up. Any gentleman -ought to be willin’ to bend ’is aristycratic back once in a while, you -know.” - -“You’d be a heap better off if you’d bend your back with a pick an’ -shovel,” retorted Artie boldly. - -“Shut your trap, sissy,” the highwayman ordered. “You don’t look as if -you ever overworked a muscle, ’cept your tongue. You better glue that up -ag’in the roof o’ your mouth when you’re in the presence of gentlemen o’ -my class—you might get into trouble. But I ain’t got no more time to -waste. Pull your coats off first an’ drop ’em. I won’t take ’em away, -and if you come back here in the morning, you may find ’em ag’in.” - -Guy wondered at the term “sissy” applied to his companion. It was not -light enough for the highwayman to distinguish the effeminate features -of the hotel clerk, and the latter’s voice was not girlish. - -“I haven’t got any money,” declared Artie as he took off his coat and -dropped it to the pavement. - -“No, I don’t suppose you have,” the footpad replied; “but I don’t want -to miss any chances. You might have a ‘tuppence’ sewed up in the lining -o’ yo’r wais’co’t, you know. Now, off with that, too.” - -Meanwhile Guy had been on the alert for a favorable opportunity to make -a dash away in the fog, but the highwayman was watchful. Neither of the -boys had enough valuables on his person to make it worth while to risk -the boring of a bullet through him in order to save them. - -But suddenly there was an interruption to proceedings. Without the least -warning, a hand shot out in the fog, grasped the wrist of the hand that -held the pistol, and in a twinkling the weapon was wrested away. - -“Help, lads! Get ’im by the legs!” - -This instruction came from the rescuer sharply and vigorously. Both boys -sprang forward to obey, but they were too late. The highwayman broke -loose and disappeared in the darkness. - -“Blast the luck!” exclaimed the new arrival, picking himself up from the -pavement where he had fallen in the scuffle. “He was too slippery for -me. But my jiu-jitsu training came in good anyway,” he added as he -reached for the highwayman’s pistol, which he had dropped. - -“It’s funny that gun didn’t go off when it fell,” said Artie. - -“It’s too bad you didn’t keep it in your hand when you took it away from -him,” said Guy regretfully. “You could ’ave turned it on ’im, and he -wouldn’t ’a’ dared to run.” - -“I didn’t want to shoot ’im,” replied the rescuer. “I wouldn’t like to -go through life without the consciousness of having killed a man.” - -“Well, he ought to have a bullet in his leg anyhow,” declared Artie. “I -don’t believe in letting such fellows get off scot free.” - -“I’m satisfied as it is,” volunteered Guy, who was not of a vindictive -nature. “He got a good scare an’ no money. But we haven’t thanked this -gentleman for what he did.” - -“Give me a swift kick, will you, Guy?” exclaimed Artie in disgust. “I’m -ashamed o’ myself. You’ll go back to America convinced that we English -are just as slow as they say we are.” - -“No danger of that,” assured Guy “You’ve shown me a pretty lively time -tonight. Is this what you meant by seeing London in a fog?” - -“Not exactly, though I expected something to happen to show you what a -fog means to us.” - -“That’s when most of our hold-ups occur—in a fog,” explained the -rescuer. “A highwayman is safer in one of our fogs than he would be in -your Rocky Mountains. But I must be moving along.” - -“We wish to thank you for rescuing us Mister—! May we ask your name?” - -“Smithers—J. C. Smithers. I’m living at the Morley hotel.” - -“Why, that’s where we’re stopping—I mean I am. My friend here works -there.” - -“Is that so?” returned Smithers in tone of surprise. “I’m pleased to -hear it. Where were you bound for?” - -“Nowhere in particular,” replied Artie. “We were jus’ takin’ a walk.” - -“Seein’ London in a fog, eh? So was I—taking a constitutional. But I -guess I’ve had enough and will go back. Come in and see me any -time—tomorrow evening if you will.” - -“We surely will,” promised Guy. “We’re not likely to forget very soon -what you did for us.” - -“Oh, that’s nothing,” assured Smithers modestly. “It was easy to do. I -had all the advantage. By the way, you haven’t told me your names yet.” - -“Beg your pardon,” said Artie. “This is Guy Burton. He’s from the United -States. My name is Arthur Fletcher. I’m a clerk at the Morley. I think I -remember you. You came to the hotel yesterday, didn’t you?” - -“Yes, you’ve got a good memory.” - -The boys decided they had seen enough of London in a fog for one evening -and returned with Smithers to the hotel. As they were about to separate -in the lobby, their new acquaintance repeated his invitation to them to -call at his room the following evening. - -Guy said nothing about his adventure to his mother that night. He -decided that it would make her nervous and that it would be better to -tell his story in the morning. But at the breakfast table, where he -related his experience, he found his mother possessed of more nerve than -he expected. To be sure, she was startled, but as her son had suffered -no physical injury, she took the matter coolly and advised him to go out -no more on foggy nights. - -That evening Guy and Artie called at the room of Smithers. The latter -proved to be a striking combination of shrewdness, smiles and nervous -alertness. He was rather stout and his eyes were small, black and keen. -He received the boys with a warm welcome, unnecessarily warm, it seemed -to Guy. - -“Awfully glad to see you lads,” he said, seizing them in turn by the -hand. “Come right in an’ make yourselves at home.” - -“Making themselves at home” consisted of taking seats offered by -Smithers, who produced a box of cigars and invited his guests to help -themselves. The latter, however, not being addicted to the habit, -declined. - -“Wise lads, very wise,” declared the host warmly. “Nearly everybody -smokes, but nearly everybody is foolish, too. My only regret is that I -must smoke alone tonight.” - -“I use’ to smoke, but my doctor told me I mus’ quit,” explained Artie. -“He said it was likely to give me a London fog on the brain.” - -“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Smithers. “That’s a good one. I suppose he was -afraid if you got fog on the brain, you might be held up.” - -“Yes, he was afraid my business ability would be held up.” - -“Good! Excellent! There’s a great lesson for smokers in that. Isn’t it -so, Mr. Burton? I haven’t a doubt I’d be a millionaire if I hadn’t been -addicted to the weed. I had excellent natural business ability. As it -is, I’m only moderately well-to-do. What are your views on the subject, -Mr. Burton?” - -“I’m in a funny position on the subject of smoking,” said Guy. “I don’t -believe it’s good for a fellow, and yet, I can’t believe it puts a -London fog in everybody’s brain an’ holds up his business ability. My -father smokes, and they say he’s the best business man in Ferncliffe.” - -“Mebby he’d be another Baron Rothschild if he didn’t smoke,” suggested -Artie. - -“Didn’t Rothschild smoke?—an’, supposing he did, what’u’d he ’a’ been if -he hadn’t?” was Guy’s logical inquiry. - -“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Smithers again. “Great idea, Burton.” - -“If Rothschild did smoke, he might ’a’ owned half o’ England by quittin’ -before he began,” declared Artie sophistically. - -“Desist, lads, desist,” implored Smithers with mock concern. “If you -produce any more such stunning logic, I won’t be able to sleep any more -until I’ve sworn off smoking. And I don’t want to do that. It’s the -chief care-killer of a bachelor.” - -“Are you a bachelor?” inquired Artie, somewhat embarrassed. - -“Dear me, yes. Don’t these quarters look like it—eh, Burton?” - -“Then you live in London?” Artie continued. - -“Certainly—I’m in business here,” looking at Guy as he spoke. - -Smithers apparently did his best to make the evening pleasant for the -boys, but he seemed to be much more interested in Guy than he was in -Artie. In fact Guy told himself that the way in which the man ignored -the hotel clerk at times was extremely uncivil. They discussed the -holdup of the night before, and the rescuer produced the weapon he had -taken from the highwayman. This proved to be an old-fashioned -thumb-cock, with a five-chamber cylinder. - -“Why didn’t it go off when it dropped on the pavement?” asked Guy. - -“It was only half-cocked an’ couldn’t,” replied the host. - -“He’s a funny highwayman,” declared Artie. “He must ’a’ wanted to get -caught.” - -“Maybe he had a tender conscience and was afraid he might shoot by -accident—eh, Burton?” suggested Smithers with a smile. - -As the boys were about to leave, the man extended to them a warm -invitation to call again any time he was in. Guy, however, felt -embarrassed because the hospitality seemed to be directed principally at -him. - -“He’s a fine man, isn’t he?” observed Artie as they waited for an -elevator. - -“Seems to be all right,” answered Guy. - -“Seems to be?” exclaimed Artie reproachfully. “It’s funny you’re so cool -about it when he’s so much interested in you. You’re the one he wants to -call again.” - -“That’s just what I don’t like about it. He’s a nice fellow and all -that; but it isn’t very polite for a host to give all his attention to -one when two invited callers are present.” - -“You’re a queer one!” exclaimed Artie. “That didn’t bother me any. -You’re a rich man’s son, an’ I’m only a hotel clerk. That’s the reason -he was more interested in you.” - -It was Guy’s turn to be astonished. He had not thought of this aspect of -the affair. - -“I’m surprised at you,” he said reproachfully. “I don’t believe he -thought of such a thing. If he did, I haven’t any use for ’im.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - Artie’s “Failure” as a Detective - - -Smithers did not allow his acquaintance with Guy Burton to wax cold -during the latter’s stay in London. He was diligent in his efforts to -make himself agreeable to the young American. Guy learned from -incidental sources that the man was proprietor of a jewelry store in -Bond street and was credited with doing a large business. Bond street is -the center of the retail jewelry trade in London and has many fine -stores. - -This jeweler owned a motor car and passed much of his leisure time -wearing out tires and pavements. On the Saturday afternoon following the -adventure with the highwayman in the fog, he asked Guy to take a spin -with him, and the invitation was accepted. They got an early start and -bowled over the boulevards to the southwest, passing through Batterson -Park and Wimbledon Park east to Bromley, and back to Trafalgar Square by -way of Greenwich. The car was a low, torpedo-shaped machine, which -skimmed along the ground as if racing to the destruction of a foreign -fleet. The owner took much delight in the “dangerous” appearance of his -“Shark,” as he named the car. - -“This is my hobby,” he remarked as they spun along at a rate that caused -Guy to fear they would be arrested for speeding. “Every Englishman has a -hobby, you know.” - -“I thought most Englishmen’s hobby was riding horses,” replied Guy. “I -was a little surprised to find the automobiles crowding the horses off -the earth here just the same as in the United States.” - -“Sure they are. Before long there won’t be any horses in London at all.” - -“Will Englishmen hunt foxes in automobiles?” asked Guy with seeming -innocence. - -“Hardly,” laughed Smithers. “There’ll always be horses for the -sportsmen. But as a useful animal, the horse has seen his best days -here. By the way, have you got a hobby? I suppose if you have, it’s a -wild one, since you live in an Indian country,” he added with a twinkle. - -“Not so very,” assured Guy. “But I’ve a sort of a hobby that’s full of -thrills.” - -“I thought so. What is it?” - -“Wireless Telegraphy.” - -“Good! Got an outfit?” - -“Yes, two of ’em—my brother and I have. We’re gettin’ to be experts. My -brother’s better’n I am. We got interested in wireless during the war, -reading about how amateurs helped the government spot wireless spies.” - -Smithers listened eagerly to Guy’s statement and asked him a good many -questions. The latter was an enthusiast and was glad to keep the -discussion going as long as his companion did not appear to be bored. - -“How’re you getting along with your doctor?” inquired the man finally -after they had exhausted the wireless subject. - -“Fine. I won’t have to have an operation. Dr. Sprague has done some -great work on my eyes.” - -“I congratulate you. How long do you expect to remain in London yet?” - -“Two or three weeks.” - -“Going back to New York direct?” - -“Yes.” - -“I didn’t know but you’d travel on the continent before returning.” - -“No, we didn’t come prepared for that. Besides, mother’s in a hurry to -get back. She’d like to visit some of the war scenes, but she’d want the -whole family along.” - -“How many in your family?” - -“Five—two boys, a girl, and father an’ mother.” - -It was seven o’clock when they reached the hotel again, and both were -hungry. Mrs. Burton had already dined and Smithers insisted on Guy’s -eating with him. As they left the dining room they met Artie Fletcher in -the lobby, where they passed the time of day (or night), and then the -jeweler left the boys together and went to his room. - -Guy told his friend about his drive with Smithers and remarked that he -wished Artie might have accompanied them. But the young clerk had a -story to tell of an interesting experience of his own that afternoon. - -“I’m glad I didn’t go,” he said. “Anyway, I had to work an’ couldn’t. -But you can’t guess who I saw today.” - -“I give up. Who was it?” - -“Mr. Highwayman of the mysterious mist.” - -“What!” - -“That polite gentleman who shoved a gun in our faces and asked for our -bonds an’ mortgages.” - -“You don’t say!” - -Artie laughed. - -“I knew you’d be excited,” he said. - -“How do you know who it was?” asked Guy incredulously. “We couldn’t see -’is face in the fog.” - -“I recognized ’is voice.” - -“Is that all?” - -“No, but that’s enough. Two men never had his voice—a combination of a -squeak and a roar. You couldn’t miss it among a million.” - -“I remember it all right,” said Guy. “But that isn’t proof enough. You -couldn’t have ’im arrested on that.” - -“Oh, I wasn’t thinking of having ’im arrested. He didn’t get anything -from us. I only had some fun with ’im.” - -“How? What kind o’ looking fellow was he?” - -“That’s the funny part about ’im. He looks like a gentleman—prosperous. -Quite dignified; wears fine clothes, a diamond ring and a dandy -solitaire stud.” - -“Where’d you see ’im?” - -“At the desk. He came in an’ asked for—who’d you think he asked -for?—Guess.” - -“Me,” laughed Guy. - -“No, you’re not important enough. Guess again.” - -“Mr. Smithers?” - -“Right.” - -“You don’t say! What’d he want to see him for?” - -“I don’t know. But I made use of a guess to have some fun.” - -“What was it?” - -“That he wanted to get ’is revolver back. I might ’a’ lost my job if I -hadn’t been mighty careful.” - -“What’d you do?” - -“When he came to the desk and asked for Smithers, I was sure who he was -right away. If I’d stopped to think, I might not ’a’ been so sure, and -I’m glad now I didn’t stop.” - -“What did you do?” repeated Guy impatiently. - -“I leaned over—this way—so my face almost touched his, and said: ‘Say, -mister, did you lose a revolver in the fog the other night?’” - -“What did he do?” - -“I thought he was going to drop,” replied Artie with a smart air. “I -jumped back quick so ’t could look at ’im, an’ ’is face got as pale as a -corpse. He spit out a few noises, an’ then sputtered: - -“‘Did I lose a revolver in the fog? What makes you ask that question?’ - -“‘I was just wondering if you owned the one Mr. Smithers found,’ I -replied. - -“He was cool now and got his color back. - -“‘Did Smithers find a gun?’ he asked; and I told him to ask Smithers -when he saw ’im.” - -“Wha’ ’d he say?” inquired Guy, as Artie paused in his narrative. - -“He said he would, but he denied he’d lost a gun. Smithers wasn’t in, so -he said he’d come back again and went away.” - -“You’re sure he’s the highwayman?” - -“You’ve got all the evidence I have. What do you think about it?” - -“It looks funny. What are you going to do about it?” - -“Oh, nothing I guess. Let’s go an’ see Smithers.” - -“All right, if it isn’t too late.” - -“It’s only twenty minutes to nine. He won’t go to bed for an hour yet.” - -They found Smithers in his room reading a newspaper. He seemed -delighted, as usual, to see them, calling out heartily: - -“Come in, lads, an’ make yourselves at home. I tell you an old bachelor -like me gets mighty lonesome sometimes. Think I’ll get married or adopt -a family. What’s on your mind?” - -“We’ve got some important news for you—that is, Artie has,” said Guy. -“That’s why we called so late—thought you’d like to know it. He saw the -man today who tried to hold us up.” - -“What!” - -There could be no doubt that Smithers was interested. He exhibited more -astonishment than Guy had shown at Artie’s information; he sprang to his -feet, then sank back into his seat and broke into a laugh. - -“You don’t mean he tried to hold you up again?” he inquired, turning to -Artie. - -“No,” was the clerk’s smiling answer. “He wanted his gun back, I -suppose.” - -“His gun back?” - -“Yes, he came to the desk and asked for you.” - -“Asked for me!” - -“Yes.” - -“How could he know I had ’is gun?” - -“I told ’im.” - -“Oh, but I don’t understand. How’d you know he was the highwayman? Did -he tell you so?” - -“Hardly. He only said he wanted to see you, and—” - -“Before or after you told ’im I’d found a gun?” - -“Before.” - -“But how’d he know me?” asked Smithers with a seemingly puzzled air. - -“I don’t know,” replied Artie. “That’s what mystifies us.” - -“How’d you know who he was?” - -“I recognized ’is voice.” - -“Oh,” responded Smithers meditatively. Then turning to Guy he added: - -“Your friend is very expert in the identification of voices. He ought to -belong to Scotland Yard. Are you as clever in that line?” - -“No, I’m sure I couldn’t do as well as he did,” replied Guy. “I couldn’t -say positively I’d never heard a voice like the highwayman’s. I think -Artie’s got sharper ears ’n I have.” - -“You didn’t tell ’im you recognized ’im as the highwayman, did you?” -asked Smithers, addressing the clerk. - -“Oh, no,” replied the latter with a wise blink. “I only asked ’im if -he’d lost a revolver in the fog, an’ told ’im you found one.” - -“But I didn’t.” - -“Well, you picked it up after it was dropped, so I didn’t tell such an -awful big fib.” - -“Wha’ ’d he say?” - -“He said it wasn’t his an’ walked out.” - -“So you believe he was the highwayman, do you?” asked the jeweler with a -look of amusement. - -“He must ’a’ been.” - -“Suppose you should find out he’s a good friend o’ mine—what then?” - -“I—I don’t know,” stammered Artie. “I didn’t think o’ that. Is he?” - -“I didn’t say he was—I don’t know,” laughed Smithers. “But your -suspicion is so very improbable, I wanted to find out how certain you -were of your evidence. I’m pretty well acquainted at Scotland Yard an’ -happen to know they’re looking for keen, shrewd men all the time. I was -going to recommend you for a job over there, but I’m afraid I can’t now. -If my suggestion that this fellow might be a friend o’ mine hadn’t -weakened you so, I’d take you over and have ’em give you a trial; but, -as it is, I’m afraid you’re only a dreamer. A sharp rascal could bluff -you too easy.” - -Artie’s face showed evidence of his disappointment. He really had -entertained fond ambition of becoming a detective, but now it seemed -that all such hope must be cast aside. He had a serious weakness: He -wasn’t sure of himself. - -“Have you got a friend with a voice like this man’s?” inquired Artie -with a suggestion of unsteadiness in his utterance and realizing as he -spoke that he was continuing the weakness of which he had been accused. - -“I don’t know what kind o’ voice he’s got,” replied Smithers sharply; -“but that doesn’t make any difference. If your detective sense were of -high order, you wouldn’t hesitate to make a positive charge against him -even though you knew him to be my brother. I’m very sorry, my boy, for I -was beginning to think I’d discovered a genius in you.” - -“I’ll think it over an’ tell you tomorrow how certain I am,” announced -Artie in as business-like manner as he could command. Then he arose from -his chair and moved toward the door, fingering the hem of his coat -nervously. - -“Oh, my! no; that wouldn’t do any good,” advised Smithers, also rising. -“The great secret of a successful life as a detective,”—speaking very -impressively—“rests in knowing a thing beyond a doubt and of knowing -immediately that you know it. Come an’ see me anytime—you’re always -welcome—but forget that detective business. You’re a fine fellow, but as -a sleuth I’m afraid you’d prove to be a false alarm.” - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - “Wireless Shoes” - - -Two more weeks elapsed, and Guy was authorized by the specialist to -“throw away” his glasses. This he did joyfully, for now he would be able -to see something of London in its natural colors. He had heard much of -the great city’s buildings, black from the smoke-laden fog, but was now -pleased to find that they were not nearly so unsightly as they had been -described to him. - -His association with Smithers continued with more or less intimacy up to -the time of the departure for Liverpool to take passage for America. The -man persisted in making himself agreeable in a sort of inconsequential -manner, and the boy could see no reason for repelling his friendly -advances, inasmuch as they seemed to be genuine. Indeed, the Bond street -jeweler was cunningly skilled in the art of affability and could, on -occasion, advance his purpose by making himself useful as well as -entertaining. - -On the last Saturday of Guy’s sojourn in London, Smithers invited him to -take another motor ride, this time through other parts of the city and -adjoining suburbs. As they were spinning back toward the hotel in the -evening, the conversation turned upon Guy’s expected departure for -America a few days later. - -“What day are you going to leave?” asked the jewel merchant, introducing -the subject. - -“Wednesday,” Guy replied. - -“Well, I’m sorry you’re going, but glad your eyes are all right. Hope -you come back some time again. When you do, look me up, and I’ll be at -your service. I’m a lonesome fellow when alone and like to pick up folks -and give ’em a good time.” - -“I’ve appreciated your kindness,” the boy responded warmly. “I wish I -could return the favor.” - -“Oh, it’s nothing, nothing at all. You’re perfectly welcome. I took a -personal pleasure in doing it. But, by the way, you can do me a favor if -you will. Maybe you’ll be a little interested in the idea, too, as it -has a kind of affinity for your hobby. I have a friend in New York who -is troubled with rheumatism in the feet, and I want to send him a pair -of wireless shoes.” - -“Wireless shoes!” exclaimed Guy. “That’s a new one on me.” - -“It will be a new one on my friend, too,” declared Smithers with an -eager twinkle in his eyes. “But seriously, it’s a very good thing, and I -want my friend to get the benefit of it without having to wait until -we’ve protected all our rights with patents.” - -“Why don’t you express them to your friend right from here?” asked Guy. - -“That’s just the point that I want you to help me get around. I’m afraid -to put a pair of those shoes in the hands of anybody here in England. I -know we’re being watched by persons who wouldn’t hesitate to steal the -idea from us. You see, the revenue officers make a close inspection of -all such shipments, and I’m afraid they’d ask embarrassing questions if -I tried to send the shoes as you suggest. There’s no telling what might -happen, for the persons who are watching us have good government -connections. The best way to get around this danger, it seems to me, is -to have some trustworthy person take the shoes to America and there -express them to my friend. There’d be no revenue charge on a personal -item of that kind.” - -“That’s very interesting,” said Guy; “and I’ll be glad to do anything I -can to help you get the shoes to your friend. But aren’t you putting too -much confidence in me? I might make a blunder of some kind that would -give your secret away.” - -“I’m not afraid of that,” assured Smithers. “The only way you could do -me any harm is by purposely betraying me, and I’ll risk that without any -fear whatever. Of course, if it would inconvenience you any—” - -“No inconvenience at all,” interrupted Guy reassuringly. “You can depend -on me to take care of the matter without fail. But I admit I’m curious -to know why you call them wireless shoes.” - -“Because they are strictly wireless shoes, operating on the same -principle as wireless telegraphy.” - -“You don’t say. But, understand, I’m not asking you to reveal your -secret to me. Of course, you wouldn’t do it if I asked you to.” - -“No, not all of it,” Smithers replied. “But I’m glad to tell you this -much: Inside the heels are small induction coils. The antenna consists -of a wire belt with fine flexible wires running down inside the trouser -legs and coupling with wire posts at the tops of the shoes. This antenna -is sensitive to wireless waves constantly pulsating in the ether. When -the connections are complete, the induction coil is thrown into action -by the wireless waves received, and a condition of electro-magnetism is -produced. One necessary connection is made by pressing the bare sole of -the foot against two electrodes on the inner side of the sole of each -shoe, so that each foot gets the benefit of the wireless waves and the -electric reaction. That sounds like the whole secret, doesn’t it, but -there’s another important element I’m holding back.” - -“The idea’s clever,” said the boy with a smile of amused interest. “I’ll -be glad to take a pair and express them to your friend in New York, and -I hope they’ll cure his rheumatism.” - -And so when Guy and his mother started for Liverpool, the former had in -his trunk a box containing a pair of seemingly ordinary, well made shoes -and a detached arrangement of insulated wires and belt antenna. On a -card in his purse, he had also, as a memorandum, the name and New York -address of Stanley Pickett, to whom Smithers had requested him to -express the shoes. - -Guy was especially sorry to part with Artie Fletcher. It seemed like -saying good-by to a chum of years. Of course, they agreed to write to -each other, and Artie promised to be careful when out in the fog and to -inform Guy if he saw or heard anything more of the highwayman of the -“funny voice.” - -The liner, Herculanea, on which Mrs. Burton and her son took passage at -Liverpool was larger than the one on which they had made their first -voyage, affording a greater variety of service, convenience, and -entertainment. Guy found a new general pleasure on this trip, in that he -was permitted to view things without colored glasses. It seemed almost -like traveling on a new sea, in a new world, among a new kind of people -and on a new kind of ship. - -On the first day out, a chance incident caused him to make the -acquaintance of the second mate, and in the conversation that followed, -Guy disclosed his interest in wireless telegraphy. The officer was -sociable and obliging and introduced the boy to the operator in the -radio house near the bridge. The latter, too, proved to be a -good-natured fellow, although perpetually busy, and allowed the “radio -boy” to listen in several times. - -Guy made another acquaintance also while the steamer was passing from -Liverpool to Queensland. It was with a man who occupied a stateroom next -to his. This passenger was a very talkative fellow, with a peculiar -knack of seeming to say a good deal every time he spoke. He was -straight-built, of medium height and weight, wore a mustache and goatee, -and bore himself with the manner of one subconsciously wise. Guy was -well impressed with him at first because he was lively and interesting. - -“I dropped a bunch of keys somewhere around here,” were the words with -which this passenger first addressed himself to Burton. The latter had -just come out of his stateroom and was moving toward the stairway to -join his mother on the promenade when “the man next door” spoke to him. - -“I didn’t see them,” Guy replied, delaying just long enough to be -courteous and then moving on. - -He reached the promenade and found his mother where he had left her, one -of a group of some twenty passengers, all watching the shifting scene -between them and the English shore. The steamer was plowing through St. -George’s channel, and the dominant feature of the scene consisted of -vessels of all sorts, big and small, and seemingly without number. - -A few minutes later the stateroom neighbor of the Burtons approached and -took a seat near the boy. The latter did not observe him at once, but -when he did, the man greeted him with a careless smile that inspired -confidence and familiarity: - -“Did you find your keys?” inquired Guy. - -“Yes, thank you,” was the reply. “I’d dropped ’em in my stateroom.” - -“You’re lucky.” - -“You’re right, I’m lucky. I’d ’ave missed a very important wireless -message if I hadn’t found that key.” - -“Is that so!” Guy returned with puzzled curiosity. “You interest me, for -I have a wireless outfit at home and I can’t see how the loss of a key -could ’ave caused you to miss a wireless message.” - -“Oh,” replied the strange fellow; “that’s easily explained. You see I’m -on a business trip to America, and the business success of myself and my -partner depends to a considerable extent on the schemes we resort to for -the sake of economy. Now, it’s important that I receive a telegram from -my partner every day, but not important that I should answer those -telegrams. So I’ve provided myself with a wireless receiving set, and -every day at an agreed time I am at my station to get his message. I -just got today’s message which I’d ’ave missed if I hadn’t been able to -find my keys.” - -“Do you mean that you have an indoor receiving outfit set up in your -stateroom?” Guy demanded in astonishment. - -“That’s exactly what I do mean,” replied the “radio man.” - -“You don’t mean to say that you expect to receive messages from England -with an indoor set all the way across the Atlantic ocean,” Guy continued -with increasing wonder. - -“I certainly do,” was the others reply. “I’ve done it many times on -trips to America. But of course there are not many receiving sets like -mine. It’s almost an invention in itself. My partner was with the -British signal service in France, and he had a good deal of experience -with V-shaped antennae on scouting automobiles for locating German -wireless stations. Connected with those antennae were loading coils, -sufficient to give very small antennae the receiving range of aerials a -hundred feet long or more.” - -“Excuse my inquisitiveness,” said Guy, “but do you maintain a sending -station in England? I don’t see where the economy comes in.” - -“Very simply matter,” answered the “radio man,” “we have a secret ally -who is an operator for a certain mercantile station. He sends the -messages to me in secret code. I always know his wave length and never -miss.” - -“That’s interesting,” Guy remarked at the close of this explanation, but -the tone of his voice did not indicate much enthusiasm. He felt -considerable doubt as to the propriety of the method employed by Gunseyt -and his partner in getting free trans-Atlantic wireless service. - -“Come in and look my set over any time,” said the radio trickster. -“Here’s my card. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” - -“Guy Burton,” answered the boy, glancing at the card on which was -printed the name Christopher Gunseyt and the address London. “This is my -mother, Mr. Gunseyt,” he added; for Mrs. Burton had been an attentive -listener to the conversation. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - A Suspicious Intruder - - -Guy made mental note of one peculiarity in Mr. Gunseyt; the tone of his -voice was slightly strained, and the fluency of his speech seemed to -have been accomplished after long practiced effort to overcome a -difficulty of some kind. The boy was unable to explain this to his own -satisfaction. He could not convince himself that it was due entirely to -a natural impediment or physical defect. - -In the afternoon Guy made the acquaintance of an interesting, tall, -square-built, large-featured man in the gymnasium. The latter introduced -himself as Henry Watson of Cincinnati. They played handball together for -more than an hour. - -“I was sitting a few feet away from you and that fellow Gunseyt while -you were talking wireless with him,” Watson remarked during one of their -resting periods. “He had quite a stunning story to tell, didn’t he?” - -“Yes, he had,” Guy agreed. “I’m going in and have a look at his outfit -the first opportunity.” - -“Did he tell you what business he’s in?” asked Watson. - -“No, he didn’t; I felt like asking him, but checked my curiosity.” - -At the close of their last game they sat down and continued their talk -along other lines. - -“Been traveling on the continent?” inquired Watson. - -“No; we were in London all the time,” replied Guy. “I was having my eyes -treated.” - -“Where did you stop?” - -“At the Morley hotel.” - -“Is that so?” said Watson with a shade of surprise. “I have a friend -living there—Smithers is his name. Didn’t happen to meet him, did you?” - -“The jeweler? Yes, I met him, got well acquainted with him. Very -accommodating fellow.” - -“Yes, he’s a jolly old bachelor,” replied Watson meditatively. “I’ve -known him for ten years, more or less, I’m in the wholesale jewelry -business and have had occasion to visit London and Paris and one or two -other European cities every year, except during the war.” - -After exercising a while in the gym, they visited the shower baths and -then returned to the promenade deck. There they separated, and soon -afterward Guy came upon Mr. Gunseyt lounging alone in one of the -sheltered corners. His hat was tipped slightly over his eyes and he -looked as if he was on the verge of a doze. - -“Hello, my young radio friend,” he called out, sitting up straight as he -caught sight of the boy. “When are you coming in to have a look at my -wireless?” - -“Any time you say,” answered Guy. - -“Come on now.” - -“All right.” - -They went to Gunseyt’s stateroom, and there Guy found the man’s -receiving set apparently all that it was represented to be. The -cabineted outfit was mounted on a table, near which was a collapsible -frame standard supporting a rather elaborate loop antenna. The owner of -this outfit gave his guest a more or less learned lecture on its strong -points of usefulness, and invited the boy to “listen in” a few minutes. -Then they returned to the sheltered corner where Guy had found Gunseyt -in a mood of mid-day drowsiness. - -There they sat down and engaged in a rambling conversation on subjects -incident to a trans-oceanic trip. Guy was enthusiastic over the -accommodations on board the Herculanea and spoke warmly of the athletic -refreshment he and Watson had enjoyed in the gymnasium. - -“Who’s Watson?” asked Gunseyt. - -“He’s a tall, big-boned man who sat near you and me when you first told -me about your radio set,” Guy replied. - -“That fellow? His name isn’t Watson. It’s Lantry, and he’s a crook, or -I’m badly mistaken. I suspect he’s one of those card sharks that live on -the ocean and bleed the rich, sporty passengers. If he isn’t that, he’s -something else not classed with good citizenship.” - -“What makes you think that?” asked the astonished Guy. “He seems to be a -very fine man.” - -“Of course he does. The best of them always do. He’s traveling under a -false name. And I know something more about him, but I don’t like to -tell it because I can’t prove my story. There’s some things you can know -in this world, my boy, but it’s safer to keep ’em to yourself. My advice -to you is to give Mr. Lantry, alias Watson, a wide berth, or lock your -money in an iron trunk and throw the key overboard.” - -“He wouldn’t get much from me if he did get into my trunk or my -pockets,” replied the boy. “I’m not afraid of him.” - -“Well, be careful anyway. Such fellows have got a surprise for you at -every turn. They’re not safe to get mixed up with under ordinary -circumstances.” - -“Would one of those big gamblers pick your pocket?” - -“Oh, perhaps not. They’d rather get your ‘spon’ legitimately. That’s -safer, you know. But I’m not saying positively this fellow’s a card -shark. I’ll tell you, though, what he’s been if you’ll promise not to -breathe a word to anybody. He could make a lot of trouble for me for -circulating stories about him that I couldn’t prove in a court of law.” - -“I’m not a gossip,” reassured the boy a little proudly. - -“Well, be sure you keep this to yourself. If by accident it does you any -good, I’m glad to pass you the information. I don’t know what his game -is now, but he used to be a fog pirate.” - -“A what?” - -“A fog pirate, a London fog pirate. That’s a highwayman, or footpad, who -works his game under cover of the fog.” - -“How do you know Watson, or Lantry, has been a fog pirate?” inquired -Guy, with peculiar interest because of “fog pirate” experiences of his -own. - -“He was pointed out to me as such by a man who knows London street life -from West End to Woolwich. That man told me Lantry was king of the fog -pirates.” - -“You’re sure there’s no mistake about it?” - -“Absolutely. And he’s the nerviest gent of the mist that ever lived. -Likes to hobnob with swells on dough borrowed in the fog.” - -“I’m much obliged to you for telling me this,” said Guy appreciatively. -“I’ll look out that he doesn’t try any game on me.” - -“Always be on your guard wherever you go,” advised Gunseyt, settling -back in his seat as if to indicate that he had said all he cared to say -on this subject. “There are sharpers all around you. Even a lot of the -biggest guns will try to do you if you’re big enough game to make it -worth their while.” - -“I’ll watch out,” was the boy’s assurance as he walked away. - -Next day Guy met Watson in the gymnasium again. At first he was inclined -to avoid him because of the light in which the large-featured man had -been pictured by Gunseyt. But a hearty greeting forced the boy’s -geniality to the surface and constrained him to be polite. - -“Hello, Burton,” cried Watson, ceasing his vicious jabs at a punching -bag. “How’s your nautical demeanor?” - -“On even keel,” replied Guy. “Engine’s oiled, pilot’s sober and the -fireman’s shovelin’ coal.” - -“Good! You’re an up-to-date seaman. I presume this isn’t your first -trip?” - -“First across the ocean; but my father owns a yacht, and I can run it -better than he can.” - -“How’s your radio friend, Gunseyt? Great name he’s got, isn’t it? That -goatee of his ought to make a good direction finder, oughtn’t it?” - -“I think I’d change my name if I had one like that,” laughed the boy. - -“Why?” - -“Because it attracts too much attention. It sounds too much like a joke -nom-de-plume of a war correspondent.” - -“Ha-ha-ha,” roared Watson. “I hadn’t thought of that. If you were going -to change your name from Gunseyt, what name would you choose?” - -“If I were going to change my name right now, I’d change it to Lantry.” - -Guy looked keenly at the large-featured man as he made this reply. He -was watching for a sudden change in his countenance, indicating surprise -or confusion; but he was disappointed. The only expression he beheld was -one of curiosity. - -“Why would you change it to that?” Watson inquired. - -“It’s the first that came to my mind. Mr. Gunseyt was telling me a story -of a man named Lantry.” - -“Was Lantry another radio shark?” - -“No, Mr. Lantry, he said, was a fog pirate.” - -“A fog pirate! What’s that?” - -If Watson was pretending innocence, he did it cleverly. Guy was unable -to detect a suggestion of duplicity in his manner. - -“That’s what I wanted to know when he used the term to me,” said the -boy. “He explained that it’s a footpad in London who holds up people in -the fog.” - -“How did he happen to tell you about Lantry? Did he know him?” - -“He seemed to. He said the man had been pointed out to him as a fog -pirate.” - -At the close of this conversation Guy was more puzzled than ever -regarding Watson. The latter’s face seemed honest enough, but it -exhibited a shrewdness of expression that determined the boy to keep on -his guard. However, there was little timidity in Guy, and he could see -no reason why he should avoid the man during the short period of their -voyage. - -But the next day something happened that put a new complexion on matters -and seemed to make action with regard to this strange man necessary. The -weather had been warm and fair during the first day out, and passengers -could pass the time on the open decks with comfort. But the steamer took -a northern route, and soon it became cold and stormy and everybody kept -under cover. The reading rooms, the smokers, the parlors, and the -lounges and various sheltered places of recreation, rest and amusement -were well patronized. - -In the middle of the afternoon of the day in question, Guy left his -mother writing letters in a drawing-room and started for his stateroom -to get a book. When he was about fifty feet away from his number, he was -startled to see a man step hastily out of his mother’s room, which -adjoined his own, close the door, and walk rapidly away. - -At first Guy thought the man must be an employee of the steamer, but a -second glance assured him that this could not be. All the ship’s -attendants were in uniform, and this person was not so attired. -Moreover, the boy was certain he recognized the intruder. - -But the man did not turn his face toward Guy after a first hurried -glance in the latter’s direction. He moved with long strides toward the -nearest stairway. Guy observed that he was tall, squarely built, and -carried no superfluous flesh. - -“I’ll follow him and make sure,” resolved the boy, starting after the -retreating figure. “If anything’s been stolen, I want to know who took -it.” - -Guy pursued the man up the stairway to the next deck above. The fellow -ran up the stairs, two steps at a bound, and when the boy reached the -next upper landing, he fancied he saw the fugitive enter a cafe. Guy -entered also, but the man had disappeared. - -Vexed at being thus outwitted, young Burton left the cafe and searched -the neighborhood unsuccessfully. Then he returned to his stateroom, the -door of which he found locked. He unlocked the door and entered. Inside -all was not in the orderly condition in which it had been left an hour -or two earlier. - -Guy and his mother occupied adjoining staterooms. Each of these, owing -to architectural necessity in its peculiar position, was constructed and -fitted for the accommodation of but one passenger. A door between the -two rooms indicated that they were intended occasionally to be used as a -suite. - -The door was open, as Guy and his mother had left it. On a chair in his -mother’s room, the boy found his mother’s valise, which he remembered -distinctly she had left on the floor. He took hold of the handle and was -about to lift, when it fell open. Probably the intruder had attempted to -clasp it, but failed, in his haste to depart. - -A protruding piece of linen under the lid of his trunk in his own room -next attracted the boy’s attention. He took hold of the lid and lifted. -It was unlocked. Guy was certain he had locked the trunk before leaving -the room two hours earlier. - -Inside the trunk he found new evidence of meddling. The box containing -the “wireless shoe” outfit had been opened. The paper in which it had -been wrapped was removed and tucked under other contents of the trunk. -Apparently the man had hoped to find valuables in this box. - -Guy made a through examination of all his belongings, which were in -considerable disorder, but nothing had been stolen. Then he left the -room, locked the door, and started for the place where he had left his -mother. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - A Puzzling Situation - - -On hearing her son’s story, Mrs. Burton hastened to her stateroom, -entering with Guy through his room. But nothing of hers appeared to have -been stolen. However, she was certain that her steamer trunk had been -opened, although she found it locked. The contents were not in the order -she had left them. Then Guy tried the door of his mother’s room, but it -also was locked. - -“I’m sure the fellow was Watson, or Lantry,” Guy declared after they had -convinced themselves that nothing had been stolen. - -“Who are Watson and Lantry?” his mother inquired. - -“I forgot you didn’t know. I didn’t tell you what Mr. Gunseyt told me -about one of the passengers. That passenger calls himself Watson, but -Mr. Gunseyt says his name is Lantry and he used to be a fog pirate.” - -“What is a fog pirate?” - -Guy told his mother all that the “radio passenger” had told him in this -relation and then added: - -“I’m certain that Watson, or Lantry, is the man who entered our rooms. I -didn’t get a good look at his face, but I know his form so well I don’t -believe I could be mistaken.” - -Guy decided that a complaint ought to be made for the protection of the -other passengers, as well as themselves; so he sought out the second -mate and related the affair to him. The officer listened attentively, -asked several questions, and then assured the boy that the matter would -be looked into. - -An hour later Guy found Mr. Gunseyt in a smoking room and told him what -had occurred. The latter was not easily surprised but he showed -considerable interest in this affair. - -“Didn’t you lock your door when you left your stateroom?” he asked. - -“Yes,” replied Guy. - -“Then how did he get in?” - -“That’s what puzzles me. He must ’ave unlocked the door; but how did he -do it? Do you think he bribed the steward who takes care of the room?” - -“It isn’t likely,” said Gunseyt thoughtfully. “And I don’t see how he -could have picked the lock. The locks on these stateroom doors are no -common ones. Have you any idea who the fellow was?” - -In telling his story, Guy had omitted all reference to Watson. He could -not take oath as to the identity of the intruder, although morally -certain of his recognition, and he did not wish to do the man an -injustice by erroneously advertising him. He had told the second mate -his suspicion, but that was to aid the ship’s officers in protecting the -other passengers from similar, and perhaps more serious, visits. -However, he decided that, because of the seemingly well-founded warning -received from Mr. Gunseyt, the latter was entitled to all the -information he could give. - -“I believe he’s the man you warned me about the other day,” replied Guy. - -Gunseyt looked more interested. - -“Who?—Lantry?” he asked. - -“Yes.” - -“I’m not surprised. I told you what kind of a fellow he was, didn’t I? -But I didn’t suppose he’d commit common burglary. I thought he was too -brainy a villain for that.” - -“But you said he was a fog pirate.” - -“To be sure. That’s a far more intellectual occupation than burglary.” - -“Why?” - -“Because its safer. The most intellectual criminals in the world are the -ones who commit crimes in the safest manner. But, say! I’ve got an -idea.” - -“Yes?” - -“Did your mother and you each have a key to your staterooms?” - -“Yes.” - -“Have you both got them now?” - -“I have mine.” - -“How about your mother?” - -“We never thought of that. I’ll go and find out.” - -Guy found his mother and put the question to her. She thought rapidly a -few moments, then replied: - -“No, I’m afraid I’ve lost it. Haven’t you got it?” - -“No,” the boy answered. “When did you have it last?” - -“Just before luncheon, I think. I left my key in the door on the -outside, and we came out through your room.” - -“Then somebody stole your key. Of course, it was Watson. But maybe he -left it in the lock—I didn’t notice—I’ll go and see.” - -Guy went to his mother’s room and found the key in the lock. Then he -hurried back and reported his discovery. Soon afterward he met Gunseyt -again and told him the latest development of the key mystery. - -“That explains the whole affair,” declared the man with the goatee. -“Now, you see, my advice to look out for Watson was good advice, wasn’t -it?” - -“Yes, it was,” admitted the boy. - -“Of course. I’m not in the habit of handing out poor advice. I’d rather -keep my mouth shut. You’re sure you didn’t lose anything?” - -“Oh, there’s nothing missing, so far as we could discover.” - -“What all did he get into?” - -“Everything, it seemed. I suppose he was looking for money and didn’t -care for anything else?” - -“Turned everything inside out and opened every bundle, box, and package -in the room, eh?” - -“Pretty near,” said the boy, moved to the interest of detail by this -suggestion. “It seemed he saw me coming and hurried away without putting -things back as he found them. There was a box in my trunk, wrapped in -paper. He took the paper off and tucked it under some of the other -things when he found he had to leave in a hurry, I suppose.” - -“What was in the box?” asked Gunseyt, leaning back lazily on the sofa. - -“A pair of electric shoes I’m taking to New York as a present to a man -from a friend of his in London. They’re supposed to cure rheumatism.” - -“It would be an extraordinary thief who’d steal anything of that sort,” -Gunseyt remarked. - -“Yes, I guess he wasn’t much interested when he saw what was in the box. -He could hardly be expected to know they were wireless shoes!” - -“Wireless shoes!” exclaimed the man. “That’s a good one. I thought you -called them electric shoes.” - -“I did,” answered the boy. “I used that term because it might explain -itself. Wireless slipped off my tongue next in an unguarded moment. I -suppose I’ll have to give you a lecture now on perpetual electricity in -order to make myself clear.” - -Guy now proceeded to explain the wireless theory of the rheumatic cure -shoes, as it had been explained to him by Smithers. This he felt was no -violation of confidence, as he had gathered from the Bond street jeweler -that the idea could not be successfully stolen without a careful -examination of the inclosed mechanism of the “radio footgear.” - -“That’s a great idea if it’ll work,” declared Gunseyt. “And even if it -doesn’t work it’s interesting enough to be amusing. I’m going to come to -your room and have a look at them before we get to New York if you don’t -mind.” - -“Come any time I’m in,” was Guy’s invitation as he walked away. - -“I’ll be in tonight,” the man called out after him. - -“All right; I’ll look for you,” returned the boy hospitably. - -True to his promise, Gunseyt called at Guy’s stateroom in the evening. -The latter produced the “wireless shoes” and the visitor examined them -with apparently deep interest. Mrs. Burton was present and expressed a -good deal of amusement over “such nonsense.” Gunseyt however, endeavored -gently to argue her into a more serious view of the subject. - -In the midst of this discussion came a knock on the door, followed by -remarkable actions on the part of Gunseyt. With rapid, nervous -movements, he jammed the shoes back into the box and laid it on a table -in a remote corner of the room. - -Guy was astonished. Mrs. Burton also observed the act and wondered at -it. The boy opened the door. - -The new caller was the large-featured man, Watson or Lantry. His -appearance furnished a new surprise for Mrs. Burton and her son, for -they had naturally presumed that he would be inclined to avoid them -rather than seek their company after recent doings. - -“Excuse me,” began the alleged “fog pirate,” “May I come in?” - -Watson, alias Lantry, or vice versa took the want of a denial for a -permission and entered. Guy’s astonishment had momentarily deprived him -of the power of speech. - -“I’ll explain my call in a few words,” announced the newcomer in tones -of no gentleness. “The captain says you’ve accused me of entering this -room in your absence. I’m a good deal put out with this charge and come -here to learn why you made it.” - -The boy’s answer came with confusion. - -“Well, I—I was certain it was you,” he replied. “The man I saw come out -of mother’s room looked just like you.” - -“Is that your only reason for thinking it was me?” - -“Yes—no! I’m not at liberty to give you any other reason.” - -“Not at liberty! That’s funny. Do you realize the seriousness of making -such a charge without being able to prove it? I thought better of you, -Burton, than that. I refer you to the captain of this vessel, who knows -me and will assure you that I am all right.” - -“If my son has made a mistake, he will make any amends in his power,” -interposed Mrs. Burton. “It was an unfortunate affair and he became -excited.” - -“Why didn’t the captain let us know I’d made a mistake when he heard my -complaint?” asked Guy. - -“I don’t know. Who did you complain to?” - -“The second mate.” - -“He told the captain, I suppose. You’ll hear from headquarters all -right. Have you said anything to anybody but the second mate?” - -“Only the gentleman here, Mr. Gunseyt.” - -“I hope, sir, you don’t attach any credence to this boy’s mistake,” said -Watson, turning to the first visitor. - -“I don’t attach any credence to any mistake,” replied the other smartly. -“This is no affair of mine, anyway, and I usually keep my mouth shut -about other people’s business. Don’t let me give you any uneasiness.” - -“You misunderstood me, sir,” replied Watson haughtily. “I’m not in the -least uneasy, rest assured of that.” - -“I’ll see the captain in the morning and if he tells me I’ve made a -mistake, I’ll come and apologize to you,” Guy volunteered. “That’s fair, -isn’t it?” - -“Quite fair. With that understanding, I’ll bid you goodnight.” - -Watson went out and closed the door, and Guy turned to the first -visitor, saying: - -“It must have been a mistake. He’s surely all right.” - -“You’d ’ave sworn he was the man that entered your room, wouldn’t you?” -asked Gunseyt. - -“Almost. I was about as sure of it as I could be, I thought.” - -“Then don’t you let him buffalo you. He’s as smooth and clever as they -make ’em. He’s a crook dyed in the wool, and I know it. But you’re not -at liberty to repeat this, because I can’t prove it any more than you -can prove that he entered your stateroom while you were out. You know -now what it means to know something without being able to back it up -with evidence. But it’s nothing to me. I’m only telling you this to put -you on your guard.” - - - - - CHAPTER X - - The Voice with the “Squeak and Roar” - - -Next morning Guy went to Captain Harding and told him of the visit of -Watson and the protest he had made. The master of the ship looked at the -boy with a smile, half of concern, half of amusement, and replied: - -“You surely have made a mistake, young man. I’ve known Mr. Watson for -several years. He’s all right. I’ll give you my word as a man absolutely -that he neither committed nor attempted to commit a burglary.” - -“I’m satisfied now that I did him an injustice,” said Guy. “I’ll go and -apologize to him. But I wonder who the burglar could ’ave been.” - -“If I get further information on the subject, you’ll hear from me,” -assured the captain. “We have a detective on board.” - -An hour later Guy found Watson in the smoking room and told him what the -captain had said: - -“I’m sorry I made the mistake,” the boy added. “But if you knew how much -that fellow looked like you—” - -“So I’ve got a double on board, have I?” interrupted the man of the -large features. “Well, I’d like to meet him for two reasons: one is -because he got me into an unpleasant tangle, and the other is curiosity. -If you meet him, catch onto his coat-tail and hold fast till I come.” - -“I don’t know about that,” laughed Guy. “I got into trouble over one -mistake, and I don’t want to make another. I think I’ll let my burglar -escape.” - -“What did my friend, Mr. Gunseyt, have to say after I left your -stateroom last night?” - -“Nothing that would do you any good to hear.” - -“I infer from your answer that he didn’t say anything very complimentary -about me.” - -“I can’t tell you anything he said. I practically promised not to.” - -“But he told you that I was the burglar, didn’t he?” insisted Watson -with a peculiar smile. - -“How do you know that?” - -“Oh, I know a good deal more than you suspect. He told you to look out -for me and avoid me. He said I was a bad man and not a safe fellow to -associate with. He informed you also that he and I didn’t meet for the -first time on this steamer.” - -Guy was astonished. Where had this man gathered his information? Had he -been eavesdropping? - -“You’ve got the best of me,” the boy admitted. “How did you find all -that out?” - -“I’m a student of psychology, phrenology, physiognomy, telepathy, and -several other oligies and pathies in that category,” replied the man -with a mysterious wink. “You know what that means, I suppose.” - -“Not very clearly, I am afraid,” admitted Guy. - -“No? You’re too young. But you’ll learn ’em some day if you’re going to -be a man of affairs. And I never studied them in books either. I know a -little about some other things—criminology, human nature, and what -certain kinds of men will do under certain circumstances and -conditions.” - -Guy looked puzzled. Most of this was Greek to him. Watson came to his -rescue. - -“I know Mr. Gunseyt,” he said. - -“Are you personally acquainted with him?” - -“Yes and no. He thinks he knows me, but I know him a lot better.” - -“Where did you meet him?” - -“Where? Let me see. I’ve almost forgotten, it’s been so long. In London, -I guess.” - -“How did he happen to make such an impression on you that you have to -use a dictionary of jawbreakers to explain it?” - -“That’s an anthropocomical question, my boy, and requires an answer that -I do not wish to give at present.” - -The man was becoming facetiously mysterious again, and Guy grew -impatient. - -“I suppose next you’ll be advising me to avoid him,” suggested the -latter. - -“Not at all. On the contrary, I’d be sorry to produce such an effect. He -won’t do you any harm.” - -“Then he isn’t a bad man?” - -“Is there any reason why you should think so?” - -“No, I guess not.” - -Guy was more mystified than ever. Half an hour later he told his mother -of the developments of the morning, and she advised him to give Messrs. -Watson and Gunseyt both a wide berth. - -“They may both be confidence men working together, while they appear to -be enemies,” she advised him. - -This suggestion startled the boy. It had not occurred to him before. -However, a few moments’ thought caused him to reply: - -“I can’t believe it. The captain said he knew absolutely that Watson was -all right, and he wouldn’t have said that if he hadn’t known what he was -talking about.” - -In spite of his mother’s advice, Guy could not resist the temptation to -seek out Mr. Gunseyt again and inform him what the captain had said -about Mr. Watson. The “radio rogue” looked mildly surprised, screwed up -one eye meditatively, and said: - -“Well, of course, there’s always possibility of a mistake, but I can’t -believe there are two men in the world that look and act as much alike -as Watson and Lantry. However, it’s nothing to me, and I hope, for your -friend’s sake, I’m wrong.” - -“He’s no friend of mine,” assured the boy. “I never met him before and I -don’t care if I never meet him again. I came near wishing I hadn’t met -him at all.” - -The steamer was still plowing through cold northern waters and -correspondingly cold atmosphere. The passengers remained under cover -most of the time after the ship left the Gulf Stream, for the weather -was fitfully inclement and the cabin walls were comfortable protection -from cold and rain. For those who insisted on open-air exercise, the -promenade deck afforded the best convenience. - -Guy was fond of open air, summer and winter. So he was seen frequently -walking the promenade. Usually he was not alone, for he found -acquaintances readily. There were a number of boys in the first class -passenger section who got together every day in the gymnasium, or tennis -or ball courts, and Guy was one of that number. Another, Carl Glennon, -son of a Brooklyn lawyer, also was fond of the promenade, and he and Guy -met frequently. He had finished high school the year before and his -father had given him his choice between going to college and seeing the -world. He had chosen the latter, with a view to taking a business -position after finishing his travels. - -On the afternoon of the fifth day out from Liverpool, Guy met Carl on -the promenade, and the latter greeted him thus: - -“Hello, Burton. I hear somebody broke into your stateroom. Did he take -anything?” - -“No. How did you hear anything about it?” - -“The burglar told me.” - -“What!” - -“I should have said the alleged and exonerated burglar.” - -“Mr. Watson?” - -“Yes.” - -Glennon smiled at Guy’s bewilderment. - -“That’s funny,” the latter remarked. “I didn’t think he’d say anything -about it.” - -“He seemed to take it as a joke.” - -“He did? He didn’t talk that way to me.” - -“No. He said he was pretty angry at first, but he got over it when he -found out who put the suspicion into your mind.” - -“Nobody put the suspicion into my mind. I saw the man come out of -mother’s stateroom and thought I recognized him. But who did Mr. Watson -mean?” - -“A man named Gunseyt. You know him, I suppose.” - -“Yes, I know him in a way, about the same as I know you,” Guy explained. -“I met him on the boat.” - -“So did I. Odd chap, isn’t he?” - -Meanwhile the boys made the course of the promenade once and doubled -back, walking briskly and inhaling deep breaths of the keen air. Then -they sat down on a bench near the open entrance of a sheltered corner. -Neither spoke for several moments, and Guy had reason soon to be glad of -their silence. - -Presently they heard voices inside and a familiar name was uttered in a -manner that caused them to be all attention in an instant. - -“I tell you I know the fellow Watson,” said a voice that was strange to -both listeners. “He’s a secret service man as sure as you’re a foot -high.” - -“Did you ever meet him before?” inquired another voice, the sound of -which almost caused Guy to leap from his seat. Glennon caught him by the -sleeve and implored silence in a low whisper. The first speaker was -replying: - -“No, but I’ve seen him in court; I’ve heard him testify. He’s an ocean -ferret, spends most of his time on ocean liners. He’s hooked up several -old pals of mine.” - -“Is his name Watson?” inquired the voice that had startled Guy. - -“You can bet it ain’t. He’s got a dozen names and two dozen disguises.” - -“I’ve been suspecting him. I haven’t been asleep. Is he disguised now?” - -“In his dress and manner, yes. That’s one of the best disguises ever -heard of. False whiskers and a wig ain’t in it. A good actor can change -his personality so you’d never know him, even if one eye’s in his chin -and the other’s in his forehead. This fellow’s togged up like an -American merchant and carries himself like the owner of the world. Very -sarcastic and snaps you up with a wise grin every time he gets a -chance.” - -Guy had observed this peculiarity in Watson on some occasions, while on -others it seemed entirely wanting. But if it was assumed with a purpose -this variation was now explained. - -The conversation of the two men now dropped to an undertone and the boys -were unable to hear any more. They strained their ears unsuccessfully -several minutes; then Guy arose and whispered to his companion: - -“Come on.” - -They stole softly away, and when at a safe distance, the younger boy -said: - -“I know one of those men, I’m sure. I want to tell you about him an’ -then go back and see what kind o’ looking fellow he is.” - -“If you know him, why don’t you know what kind o’ looking fellow he is?” -inquired Glennon logically. - -“Because I never saw him, that is, I never had a good look at his face. -The only time I ever saw him was in a London fog.” - -“Then how do you know you know him?” - -“I know his voice. He’s a fog pirate. He held up a friend and me a few -weeks ago.” - -“You don’t say! Did he get much?” - -“Didn’t get anything. Another man happened along as he was making us -empty our pockets and knocked his gun out of his hand.” - -“Good! Did the fellow get away?” - -“Yes; he bolted. But I remember his voice here. You’d remember it a -hundred years, wouldn’t you? The boy who was held up with me called it a -half-squeak, half-roar.” - -“He hit it pretty good, if this is the fellow,” nodded Glennon. “What’re -you going to do about it?” - -“Oh, nothing. I’ve just got a curiosity to see what kind of looking guy -he is. Let’s go back now and walk in just as if we were happening that -way.” - -The boys turned and retraced their steps to the shelter. On entering the -place, Guy looked eagerly for a view of the man with the familiar voice -but he was unrewarded. - -The place was empty. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - “The Ship Is Sinking!” - - -“Why, they’re gone! Where did they go so sudden!” - -Guy gazed helplessly at his companion. Glennon looked sharply here and -there and along the promenade, while the other boy continued: - -“They didn’t have time to get out o’ sight so quick. They must be hiding -near.” - -“I guess not,” said the older boy quietly. “No place to hide around -here. They probably dodged into the smoker or cafe.” - -“That’s it,” agreed Burton, rushing out. - -He led the way into the cafe, whose entrance was near the shelter. -Inside, however, he stopped short with a look of disgust and said in a -low tone to Glennon: - -“There’s a dozen men in here and probably as many more in the smoker. I -don’t know how I’m going to pick him out unless I hear him talk.” - -“Yes, you’re probably up against it,” agreed Glennon. “I think your fog -pirate’s escaped you.” - -“Well, anyway, I’m going to have a good look at the face of every one in -here.” - -The inspection in the cafe was soon finished, and then the boys passed -into the smoker. There were eight men in this room, and one of them was -an acquaintance of the boys, Mr. Gunseyt. - -The younger “fog pirate” hunter was a little startled at coming so -unexpectedly upon this man under the circumstances, but after the first -thrill of surprise, he dismissed as ridiculous the vague suspicion that -came to him. Why shouldn’t the “wireless passenger” be here as well as -anywhere else? He was ubiquitous, as well as “all-wise” and “acquainted -with everybody.” - -“Hello, boys,” he called as the two entered the smoker. “Where you -going? You look as if you’re looking for somebody.” - -“We are,” answered Guy, approaching the man and speaking in tones -intended only for Gunseyt. - -“Who is it?—another burglar?” - -“Not exactly. It’s the fog pirate this time.” - -“You don’t say! He hasn’t been performing any more deeds of the mist, -has he?” - -“If you mean Mr. Watson, no. He surely isn’t the man this time. I -recognized his voice.” - -“You did? What does he look like?” - -“That’s the trouble—I didn’t see him. I heard him talk, and he had the -same old voice, that squeaky-roar. He was with another man, and they -came in here, we think. You didn’t see them, did you?” - -“I don’t know,” replied Gunseyt inconsequentially. “Just came in myself. -I thought I saw one or two men enter the cafe a few minutes ago, but I -guess they passed through. Ask the waiters.” - -“I guess it isn’t worth while,” said Guy to his companion as he and -Glennon walked away. “I’ve lost my man, and I may as well give up. They -probably heard or saw us while we were listening and ducked when we -left. If that’s the case, they wouldn’t be likely to stop here.” - -Glennon was not sufficiently interested to urge further search, and Guy -proposed that they play a set in the tennis courts. The older boy agreed -and went to his stateroom for his racket. Guy had none and applied for -one belonging to the steamer. - -“This is a peach of a racket,” Carl remarked as he returned with the -object thus referred to. “It was given to me by a man in London. He must -have paid a fancy price for it. Your friend Gunseyt nearly had a fit -over it yesterday.” - -“It must be a dandy to affect him so,” said Guy, examining the object of -interest. “He seldom reaches the boiling over anything.” - -“Oh, it wasn’t as bad as that. I didn’t mean he kicked the deck -overhead. But he said I was mighty lucky to have a friend like -Smithers.” - -“Smithers! Who’s he?” - -“The man who gave me the racket.” - -“In London?” - -“Yes.” - -“I met a man of that name there. He’s the one that rescued me and a -friend from the fog pirate. He’s a jeweler.” - -“So’s this one,” exclaimed Carl. “They must be the same man. Did your -man have a store in Bond street?” - -“Yes.” - -“What kind o’ looking fellow was he?—kind o’ stout with sharp, black -eyes?” - -“That’s him,” said Guy eagerly. “It’s a wonder I didn’t meet you with -him or hear him speak about you. He told me all about himself and his -friends, I thought. Were you with him much?” - -“Quite a good deal. We took several motor rides together.” - -“So did we.” - -“And he didn’t give you a racket?” - -“No.” - -“Nor anything else?” - -“No.” - -“I got the idea that he was fond of giving presents to his friends.” - -“I guess he is, but I suppose I wasn’t a good enough friend. He gave me -a present to take to a friend of his in New York.” - -“What was it—a tennis racket?” - -“No, a pair of wireless shoes.” - -“Wireless shoes!” Glennon exclaimed with a laugh of surprise. “Well -that’s a good one. I bet I know what he did that for. The fellow you’re -to turn them over to is a sprinter, and the shoes are intended to make -him sprint faster.” - -“No, you’re mistaken. They’re not sprinting shoes; they’re intended to -cure rheumatism.” - -“Quite an idea. Let’s see, how do they work? Probably with induction -coil and antennae concealed somewhere—eh?” - -“How in the world do you know that?” Guy demanded in astonishment. - -“Oh, I’m a radio enthusiast,” Glennon replied. “I’ve got a set at home -and what the neighbors call a set of wire clothesline between our house -and the garage. Besides, I’ve had some wireless experience with this -fellow Smithers. This racket he gave me is a wireless racket.” - -“You don’t say!” exclaimed Guy. “How does it work?” - -“Very simply. Some of the strings, if you’ll observe closely, are of -wire. They constitute the antennae. In the handle is an induction coil. -The circuit is closed when I grip the handle over two electrodes on -either side.” - -“What did Smithers give it to you for—rheumatism?” inquired Guy with a -look of curious amusement. - -“No, to put pep into my drives,” answered Glennon. - -“And mystery into your curves?” - -“I suppose so.” - -“Does it do what it is supposed to do?” - -“Not that I’ve been able to notice,” said Glennon. “Still it’s a dandy -racket, and I’ll take good care of it. I really can play better with it -than with any other racket I’ve ever had in my hand. Maybe there’s -something of a wireless charm in it after all.” - -The boys played two sets and then found it was supper time. So they went -to their staterooms to get ready for the meal. In the dining room Guy -and his mother met Gunseyt, who sat down beside the boy and inquired: - -“Well, did you find your fog pirate?” - -“No, but I’ve found out who Mr. Watson is,” replied Guy as he picked up -a menu card and looked at it hungrily. - -“You have! Who is he?” - -“A detective.” - -“You don’t say! Who told you?” - -“A friend of the fog pirate.” - -“Then you did find him.” - -“No, I overheard their conversation. They were talking about Mr. -Watson.” - -“They said he was a detective?” - -“One of them did.” - -“Where from—England?” - -“I don’t think so. The voice I heard called him a secret service man. I -thought he meant an American.” - -“What’s he doing here,” inquired Gunseyt, lapsing into a matter-of-fact -manner. - -“I don’t know. The man didn’t say.” - -“Well,” admitted Gunseyt; “of course, I might have been mistaken in my -recognition of Lantry, or Watson. No man should be cock-sure about -anything. But the man who thought he recognized him as a detective might -be mistaken too. So, you see there you are. But there’s a bit of -evidence on my side that he hasn’t got on his. You saw Watson come out -of your stateroom and found he’d been ransacking your trunks.” - -“Yes—but—” - -“But what?” - -“If he’s a detective—” - -“Yes?” - -“—he might ’a’ thought I was a thief and been looking for stolen -property.” - -“Ha, ha, ha!” laughed Gunseyt. “What an imagination you’ve got! But you -imagine such impossible things.” - -“Perhaps I do,” smiled the boy. “I certainly hope it’s impossible for me -to be a thief.” - -“I think you’ve been reading too many detective stories,” interposed -Mrs. Burton, who had been listening to this conversation with more or -less impatience. “I wish you could find something to talk about that -would be more interesting to me.” - -“I should think this subject would be exciting enough to interest -anybody,” said Gunseyt with a smile. - -“It might be if there were much evidence of truth in it,” the woman -replied with a mock air of wisdom. “The trouble is you both know only a -little of what you’re talking about, and you supply the rest with your -imagination. You’d make good reporters for yellow newspapers.” - -A waiter now came for their orders, and the conversation was -interrupted. After he had left them, Mr. Gunseyt changed the subject by -saying: - -“We’re nearing our journey’s end. We’ll be in New York day after -tomorrow. I suppose you’re glad of it.” - -“Yes and no,” replied the boy slowly. “I like the trip; I think it’s -great, but I’m a little homesick.” - -“Not many boys will admit they’re homesick until they have to,” observed -Gunseyt. “They’re usually too proud.” - -“I’m past that age,” assured Guy. - -“How old are you—seventeen?” - -“No—sixteen, goin’ on seventeen, you know.” - -“Yes,” laughed Gunseyt. “I don’t want to flatter your son to such an -extent as to spoil him, Mrs. Burton,” he continued, addressing Guy’s -mother; “But he’s bright enough to be twenty.” - -“He takes after his mother,” she returned smartly. - -“I wish I’d taken the southern route,” said Gunseyt, changing the -subject again. “I don’t like being cooped up inside all the time.” - -“Same here,” agreed Guy. “The only advantage of this route is the saving -of a little time.” - -“They tell me we’re getting in the neighborhood of icebergs,” the “radio -passenger” continued. - -“The wireless operator told me we ought to see some icebergs by tomorrow -morning,” the boy said. “He’s been getting messages from other ships -going east all afternoon, and they told him there was lots of ice west -of us.” - -“I hope we don’t strike an iceberg as the Titanic did,” Mrs. Burton -remarked. - -“No danger of that,” was Gunseyt’s reassurance. “This boat is well -piloted and supplied with searchlights. One experience like that is -enough to insure the greatest caution in vessels like this for a hundred -years.” - -Guy and his mother retired early that night. Both were tired, as they -had been up late every night of the voyage thus far. Moreover, life on -an ocean liner had lost some of its novelty for them, and they were -disposed by this time to look upon the experience almost in a -matter-of-fact manner. And matter-of-fact people usually go to bed at -reasonable hours. - -Guy awoke shortly before midnight. The time he learned later, as there -was reason for its being registered in the minds of others. The -awakening was not an ordinary one, for it came with a jar that shook him -heavily, though not with great violence. For a minute or two he lay -awake, wondering what it could mean. He was sure he had not been -dreaming. He had no recollection of a dream. - -But he was still sleepy and ceased to wonder as he drifted back into -unconsciousness. How long afterward he was aroused again, he could not -tell, but this time his awakening was decidedly more startling. - -Some one was pounding heavily at the door. Guy listened a few moments -with thrills of dread at the words that came with the knocking, and then -fairly leaped out of his bunk. - -“Get up and get out o’ there as quick as you can! The ship’s sinking!” -was the fearful warning that came loudly through the panel of the -stateroom door. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - The Wreck - - -Mrs. Burton, also awakened by the alarm, was out of bed almost as soon -as her son. The latter threw open the door between their rooms and -called out to his mother, who replied that she was dressing. Hurriedly -the boy drew on a few articles of clothing, and then turned to the -electric button to “push” on the light. The button “pushed” all right, -but the room remained dark. - -“Put on the light, Guy,” said Mrs. Burton in strange, hollow tones. -Evidently she was laboring under a dreadful emotion. - -Guy tried again. He pushed the “off” button and the “on” again, but -without success. - -“It won’t work, mother,” he said. “Something’s wrong with the current.” - -At this moment there was another heavy knocking at the door and a voice -called: - -“Hey, Burton! Are you getting out? Hurry up; the ship’s filling with -water. This is Gunseyt.” - -Guy flung the door open, and the knocker entered. - -“Are you about ready?” inquired the latter. “Hurry up and I’ll help get -your mother in a lifeboat.” - -“A lifeboat!” cried Mrs. Burton. - -“Oh, there’s no immediate danger,” replied Gunseyt reassuringly. “The -ship’ll probably sink, but not for some time yet. Everybody’ll be saved. -Got any valuables you want to take along?” - -“I don’t know,” said Guy in some confusion. “We didn’t bring anything -very valuable with us, did we, mother?” - -“Throw open your trunks and look your things over in a hurry,” suggested -Gunseyt. “I’ll help you carry anything you want to the boat. I’ll strike -some matches and hold a light.” - -“You’re very kind,” said Guy appreciatively, as he opened his mother’s -trunk and his own, they being unlocked. - -“Turn everything out,” continued Gunseyt, striking a match and holding -it for a torch. “Take only a few of your most valuable things or -keepsakes. There won’t be room for much in the boat. Here, what’s this?” - -“Only those ‘wireless shoes’ I showed you,” replied the boy. “Don’t -bother with them.” - -“It’s too bad to let a present like that go to the bottom. If you -haven’t got too much to lug, you might take ’em out of the box and stick -’em in your pocket. Or I’ll take care of them for you. All I’ve got is -an overcoat. It’ll be cold in the boat.” - -“I’ll take my rubber coat,” said Guy. “Mother, you take your raincoat -and muff and a scarf for your head.” - -Guy observed in the light of Mr. Gunseyt’s matches that the latter wore -a life jacket under his unbuttoned overcoat, and this observation -enlivened him to the full seriousness of the situation. But he kept his -head, lest he throw his mother into a panic, and quietly took down two -cork jackets hanging from pegs on the wall. One he fastened around -himself and the other he carried in his hand, intending to slip it on -his mother when he found opportunity to do so without alarming her too -much. - -Mrs. Burton remained silent most of the time, working energetically and -courageously with her son, while Gunseyt held lighted matches over them. -Presently the vessel began to list perceptibly, warning them not to -waste any more time. Then something else happened that added a wilder -confusion to the critical conditions. - -Hitherto the helper of Guy and his mother appeared to be inspired not -only with great generosity, but with remarkable courage. Although he had -urged the woman and her son to make haste, his voice and manner had been -steady and reassuring. For this the boy was thankful. He was certain -that he would not lose control of himself under any circumstances, but -feared lest his mother become panic stricken. - -With the lurching of the ship, however, the “brave” Mr. Gunseyt was the -first to show signs of consternation. A cry of alarm escaped him, and he -turned and ran from the stateroom, shouting back to the others: - -“Come on—quick—to the boats! No time to lose!” - -Guy and his mother followed, the former carrying his rubber coat and a -life jacket for his mother and the latter wearing her mackintosh and -muff and a scarf around her head. Outside the stateroom, they found -their way lighted with a few lanterns that had been substituted for -electric bulbs, whose current was now dead. Gunseyt was twenty feet -ahead, making with his best speed for the exit to the outer deck. In one -hand he carried the box of “wireless shoes” and in the other a tennis -racket. - -“He must be crazy,” Guy said to himself. “That explains his strange -actions. Otherwise he would have waited to help me get mother to a -boat.” - -But it was hard for the boy to remain convinced of this interpretation. -Gunseyt had not appeared to be the sort of person at all likely to lose -his mental poise under any circumstances, however severe. Indeed, he had -seemed to possess unusual nerve. What, then, could be the explanation of -his present actions? - -The question seemed unanswerable. As he ran, the man put the racket -under one arm, opened the box, took out the shoes, threw the box away, -and pushed the “radio footgear” into his overcoat pockets. Then he -disappeared through the cabin exit. - -When Guy and his mother reached the open deck, their late would-be -helper had disappeared. But other matters of more pressing importance -were before them just now, and they dismissed him from their minds. They -started to run aft in the hope of finding someone who could tell them -what to do, when a passenger rushed past them, crying: - -“No boats here, Burton—top deck.” - -It was Glennon. He recognized Guy at a glance and tossed him the -information as he would toss a life buoy to a drowning man. Then, -realizing his passenger friend’s predicament, he stopped and said: - -“Hello, is this your mother, Burton? Let me help you.” - -Without waiting for uttered consent, Carl Glennon seized Mrs. Button by -one arm, and together the two boys almost lifted her over the carpeted -deck to the stairway and up to the boat deck. There they found two or -three hundred men assembled in the stern and watching a boat as it was -about to be lowered into the water. - -Glennon appreciated the situation at a glance. It was the last boat in -this quarter and possibly the only opportunity for saving Guy’s mother. -Several seaman were manning the block and tackle and were about to lower -away, when a voice called out: - -“Wait, haven’t you room for one more woman?” It was Carl who spoke. - -“All full,” shouted back a seaman. “Heave away.” - -“No, for God’s sake, don’t do that,” insisted Guy’s friend. “You’ve put -all the other women in boats. Don’t leave this one to perish alone.” - -Glennon was mistaken in this regard, but he believed it was true. The -appeal was effective. There was general hesitation. The ropes were -slackened. Then one of the few men whose lot it had been to enter the -boat rose to his feet and stepped out. He said not a word, but waived -the woman to his place. It was Watson, the secret service operative. - -Guy could hardly restrain a sob at the unselfishness of the man, in view -of the criminal charge the woman’s son had made against him. But Mrs. -Burton was not disposed to submit tamely to the substitution when she -saw Guy was not going to follow her into the boat. She thanked Watson -profusely for his kindness and begged him to return to his place, as she -could not think of going without her son. - -But the operative’s generosity was not half-hearted. Instead of -accepting this as final, he approached the woman and said: - -“Don’t be foolish, Mrs. Burton. Your son can get along much better -without you. If you stay here, you may be the cause of your both being -drowned. If he’s alone, he will probably be able to save himself.” - -This was an argument that could not be gainsaid, and Mrs. Burton kissed -Guy affectionately and was assisted into the boat, which was so full of -passengers that there was little comfort for any. - -“I’ll be all right,” Guy assured his mother. “I’m a good swimmer if it -comes to that, and, besides, I’ve got this cork jacket on. Here’s one -for you. Take it and put it on, though probably won’t need it. We’ll -probably find something to float on before the ship goes down. There -ought to be a lot of rafts here somewhere.” - -While the boat was being lowered, the boy’s gaze followed his mother -with an appearance of more courage and confidence than he felt. As it -touched the water Carl laid a hand on his shoulder and said: - -“Come on, Burton. We’ve got to get busy. We don’t want to depend on our -life jackets to save us in that cold water.” - -A dozen men were calling down to wife or daughter or other relative or -friend in the boat, and Guy was unable to make his voice reach his -mother intelligibly. So he waved his hand to her and turned to follow -Glennon and Watson. - -This was not an occasion for much detailed observation of surroundings, -but there were certain conditions and circumstances that impressed -themselves on Guy’s mind so indelibly that he may never forget them. It -was a clear cold night. There was no moon, but the stars shone brightly. -The ship was listing heavily to starboard and many of the passengers -were moving nervously here and there in the hope of finding a boat or -raft not yet launched. The forward end of the vessel was sinking -rapidly. Fortunately few women and children were left on the ship, so -that there was little individual helplessness to hamper the most hopeful -activities under the circumstances. - -Apparently everybody still on the sinking vessel was now on the boat -deck. The first few boats that were launched had been loaded from the -promenade, but as the ship sunk lower there was a general migration to -the boat deck. There it soon became evident that although the liner had -been equipped with enough lifeboats and rafts for an emergency of this -kind, yet half the boats were useless because the listing of the vessel -rendered it impossible to lower them. - -Naturally, in spite of the imminent danger that confronted all on board -there was a good deal of curiosity as to the cause of the sinking of the -Herculanea. At first it appeared to be another Titanic disaster, for -near the ship loomed a monster iceberg, so immense, indeed, that it -appeared more like a “mainland of ice” than an island of frozen water. -The word was circulated among the passengers that the liner had struck a -submerged projection of this huge berg. - -But Guy heard this report positively contradicted by one of the -officers, who declared that an explosion had opened a great gap in the -steamer below the water line. This officer expressed the opinion that -the vessel had struck a floating mine probably laid by a German -submarine after the United States declared war. - -Although there was general good order on board, one could not help -seeing that the feeling everywhere was tense, and little more would be -required to create a panic. The captain stood on the bridge, issuing -orders through a megaphone. He exhorted the passengers to preserve order -for their own sake. The throbbing of the big engines had ceased, but all -the mechanical power had not been killed, for one or more of the dynamos -still worked supplying electric current to some of the lighting wires -and to the wireless apparatus. From an open window of the radio house -came the thrilling sounds of the current leaping the spark gap and eager -high pitched voices. Ever since the fatal blow doomed the steamer to a -watery grave, the operator had been flashing a continuous stream of -distress messages. And this he continued to do as long as the electric -current lasted. Meanwhile assurance was passed among the remaining -passengers that a liner had caught the Herculanea’s “S. O. S.” and was -racing to the rescue. But nobody could dodge the fearful importance of -this question—Would she arrive before the sinking steamer went down? - -“Are all the boats gone?” inquired Guy, as he and Carl Watson turned to -look about them for some means of escape from the doom that seemed to be -theirs. - -“Your mother was the last person to enter the last boat,” replied Watson -solemnly. - -“Thanks to your great generosity,” said Guy, scarcely able to control -his emotion of gratefulness. - -“Look down there,” interrupted Carl, pointing toward the after end of -the main deck. “Those fellows seem to have found a supply of rafts. -Let’s go down and see what’s doing.” - -“That’s a good idea,” said Watson. “This vessel is going to sink head -down, and the farther toward the stern we can get, the safer we’ll be, -even though we’re on the lowest deck.” - -“We may be caught in a trap if we go down an inside stairway,” Guy -suggested. - -“No danger of that yet,” replied Watson. “The ship isn’t going to sink -for another half hour. Come on. Even if we have to jump into the sea, -that’s the best place to jump from because it’s the lowest.” - -They ran through an entrance and down the nearest stairway. The cabin -rooms were deserted. One could almost believe, save for the listing of -the ship, that the vessel was tied up at a dock and resting after a long -cruise. Down on the main deck near the elevator Guy observed a solitary -figure seated on a cushioned bench. An incandescent bulb was burning a -few feet away, and Guy recognized the man. It was Gunseyt. - -The boy almost gasped for breath; then quickly remembered his recent -suspicion that this strangely acting passenger was insane. Now he was -fully convinced of the truth of his suspicion, for the fellow seemed to -have no interest in saving himself. On the bench beside him, Guy beheld -the “wireless shoes” that Gunseyt had taken from the boy’s room, and in -his hands he held the tennis racket that Guy had seen in his possession -as the fellow was deserting him and his mother. Even as young Burton -gazed at him, this remarkable man strained the handle of the racket -across one knee and broke it. - -Attributing this act to nothing more than the giddy working of a -disordered mind, Guy hastened on after his companions. As they passed -out onto the open deck, they were greeted by a heavy roaring sound, like -a mighty clap of thunder, only it came not from the sky, but from the -hold of the ship. Every beam seemed to be shaken loose, and the great -vessel trembled as with a terrible convulsion. - -“We’re going down—the boilers have exploded—we’re going down!” screamed -a terror-stricken passenger, as he rushed to the side of the ship and -leaped overboard. - -Panic followed. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - S. O. S. - - -Meanwhile the other “wireless twin” was not asleep even though it was -after midnight. Back in Ferncliffe, Walter Burton was a very busy boy. - -He and Tony had been enterprisingly industrious during Guy’s absence. -Tony had made a diligent study of wireless telegraphy and was already -showing promise of early proficiency, as he was naturally quick. Walter -had received several letters from Guy, and these were all long and full -of interesting detail. The boy on the other side of the Atlantic told -all about his doings in London, the acquaintances he made, and the -sights he saw. He devoted pages to a description of how he and Artie -Fletcher “saw London in a fog,” and this letter was followed by other -lengthy ones, telling of his association with Smithers and the hotel -clerk. He described these two characters so minutely that Walter and -Tony received clear mental pictures of them. - -“Save these letters,” Guy requested in his second long writing to his -brother. “I’m telling you everything because I don’t want to forget -anything. I’m going to claim these letters as my own property when I get -back, if you don’t object. You won’t care nearly so much for them as I -do.” - -The last letter informed Walter and his father that Guy and his mother -would return on the Herculanea. It contained information also as to the -day they would start and the expected time of reaching New York. - -About a week before Guy and Mrs. Burton started on their return, the -last of the winter snows at Ferncliffe melted and spring weather -arrived. Although the coast was still dangerous, Walter and Tony got the -motor yacht in condition for a trip as soon as the weather became -sufficiently settled for safety. The craft was inspected and overhauled -from stem to stern, and with Mr. Burton’s consent, the gasoline tanks -were filled. Walter also transferred one of the wireless apparatus to -the deck house, extending several wires between the fore and aft service -masts for an aerial. - -“We’ll have everything ready for a little cruise when Guy gets back,” he -said to Tony as they worked and discussed their plans. - -After all the preparations were completed, Walter suggested to Det -Teller that they make a run out of the harbor, as the sea was calm and -there seemed to be a promise of pleasant weather; but the sailor-farmer -objected. - -“This boat doesn’t stir out of this place until your father gets back,” -he said very decidedly. “When he says ‘go’, we go, but not until.” - -That settled it, and Walter realized that he had made a foolish -suggestion. Mr. Burton had been called to New York on business the day -before and would remain there to meet his wife and Guy on their arrival -from Europe. Walter and Tony were therefore left alone in the house, as -Jetta was staying with Mrs. Teller during her mother’s absence. -Sometimes the boys ate at Mrs. Teller’s table and sometimes at Tony’s -home. - -Naturally they ran things pretty much their own way when they found -themselves sole occupants of the house. Fortunately they were even -tempered youth, and “their own way” proved to be fairly sane, so that -they did not break the windows or burn the house down. But they had a -good time after boy’s fashion, reading, playing games, talking wireless, -and going to bed when they were too tired and sleepy to stay up longer. - -In this latter respect they violated long established tradition. They -had learned that night is the best time for sending and receiving radio -messages, as the atmospheric conditions are then most favorable for the -transmission of electric waves, and they applied this information to -practice. The first night they were alone they stayed up until 10:30 -o’clock, the second night until after 11, and the third—well, they were -up until after midnight and then something happened that drove sleep -from their minds till the next succeeding sunset. - -After supper on this eventful night, Walter went to the yacht and Tony -went to the attic “den,” and, seated at their respective wireless -tables, they practiced sending and receiving for two or three hours. -Tony, of course, was still very slow, but he managed to spell out his -words with reasonable accuracy, and as Walter sent his messages in a -leisurely manner, they did very well. One of the observations sent by -Walter across the spark gap in the course of their exchange of wireless -witticisms was the following: - -“Ben Franklin contradicted himself by discovering a spark-gap in the sky -and giving that ‘early to bed, early to rise,’ advice.” - -“Why?” Tony dot-and-dashed back. - -“Because you have to stay up late to wireless well,” Walter replied. - -Shortly after ten o’clock he sent the following message to Tony: - -“Come here.” - -“Repeat,” requested the boy at the shore station, who read the message -but was in doubt as to whether he had read it correctly. - -“Come here,” Walter flashed again. - -“Why?” - -“Some fun here.” - -Tony hastened to obey the summons. - -He was soon aboard the boat, which was tied up at the wharf, and eagerly -hastened to the deck house to find out what the fun was. Walter was -sitting at the table with the receivers at his ears and his hand on the -key. Observing that he was busy, Tony said nothing, but waited. The -varying expression on the operator’s face indicated an interesting -conversation with someone. - -Tony watched and listened attentively and caught enough of his friend’s -messages to understand that the latter was engaged in a lively repartee -with another operator. Presently Walter found an opportunity to explain. - -“I’ve got an operator on a big yacht, I think,” he said. “He was casting -around for someone to talk to and picked me up. He started by calling me -an undampt landlubber, and I called him a vacuum amplifier.” - -“What’s a vacuum amplifier?” interrupted Tony, who knew little of the -technique of wireless. - -“It’s a radio monstrosity,” Walter replied. “When you make a study of -the science of wireless, you’ll learn that the vacuum tube amplifier is -an important instrument for increasing the volume of wave impulse at the -receiving end. I left out the tube and called him a vacuum amplifier, -meaning that he increased the volume of nothing. He came back weakly by -calling me a vacuum detector, playing on the idea of a vacuum detective. -That gave me just my opening for a good punch and I flashed back that I -had detected him as the emptiest vacuum tube this side of a minus -quantity.” - -“Wow!” broke in Tony again. “Did that silence him?” - -“Not yet,” answered Walter. “He called me an alternating current of sky -juice and I shot back that he was an interrupted gooseberry—” - -“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Tony, “I’ll bet he quit then.” - -“Yes, he did. But here he is again.” - -“Hello there, kindergarten,” was the next greeting from the revived -radio banterer. “How far away are you from me?” - -“How should I know?” flashed back the young amateur. “But I can make a -better guess than you can.” - -“I bet you a spark gap you can’t.” - -“That’s just like you—always dealing in nothing,” retorted Walter. “I -bet you a vacuum cleaner I can.” - -“It’s a go, Smarty.” - -“All right, Empty,” agreed Walter. “How far apart are we?” - -“Three miles.” - -“I say ten. Where are you?” - -“Two miles off Rookery Point.” - -“I win. You’re twelve miles from me. I’m near Ferncliffe. You owe me an -empty glass.” - -“I’ll be generous and put something in it. What’ll you have?” - -“Make it a gooseberry phosphate.” - -“All right but you must furnish the sugar. It costs too much now.” - -“You’re a cheap skate. When you die, your folks will go gooseburying.” - -“Good-by, kindergarten,” interrupted the twice defeated wireless wit. -“Your ma wants you to go to bed.” - -“There’s a lot doing in the air tonight,” Walter announced presently, -turning to his friend. “I’m going to see what I can pick up. Most of it -is big wave length. I’m going to tune up to it and see what’s doing. You -may listen in some of the time if you want to, Tony.” - -“You go ahead,” said the latter. “You can read faster than I can. Tell -me what’s doing whenever there’s anything interesting.” - -Meanwhile Walter’s left hand was pressing the left receiver, while his -right hand was busy with the three-slide tuning coil. Presently he -appeared to be satisfied with the adjustment, for he transferred his -right hand from the instrument to the right ear piece and pressed both -pieces hard against his ears. - -And there was good reason for this sudden eagerness of attitude on his -part. - -“Oh, Tony,” the radio eavesdropper exclaimed after a few moments of rapt -attention. “It’s two liners talking together, and one of them’s the -Herculanea, the ship mother and Guy are on.” - -“What!” shouted the astonished Tony. - -“Yes, it’s true. I spelled the name Herculanea as clear as can be. Keep -still now.” - -There was silence again for a minute or two while Walter strained every -listening nerve to catch the dots and dashes in the receivers. Then he -said: - -“Yes, its the Herculanea. I didn’t catch the name of the other liner, -but it’s warning the Herculanea to look out for icebergs.” - -“They must be way up north,” said Tony. - -“Yes, keep still. They’re talking again.” - -Walter was an intent listener again for five minutes. Then he took a -pencil from his pocket and wrote several figures on a paper tab lying on -the table. Presently he looked up at his friend and said: - -“Tony, get me that chart of the north Atlantic in the chart case. I’ve -got the location of the icebergs, and maybe I’ll get the location of the -Herculanea. I want to follow it if I can. I want to place the steamer on -the chart and follow it as long as I get messages from it.” - -Tony dashed into the pilot house and soon returned with the desired -chart, laying it on the table before Walter. - -“There’s where the icebergs are,” said the young operator, eagerly -indicating with his finger; “not far from Sable Island, two hundred -miles or more from Halifax.” - -“That’s more’n four hundred miles from here, isn’t it?” said Tony. -“Where’s the Herculanea?” - -“I don’t know. I haven’t found that out yet.” - -Walter continued to listen in silence for some time, eagerly hoping to -catch the location of the vessel, but he was disappointed. She might be -100 or 500 miles from the icebergs. He caught many messages from the -Herculanea and other ships speaking with her, but no more latitude and -longitude. - -Time passed rapidly, and the interest of Walter did not wane. In fact, -he would not have thought of going to bed at all, so long as he was able -to catch messages from the Herculanea, if Tony had not called his -attention to the lateness of the hour. - -“Walter, do you know what time it is?” asked Tony after looking at his -watch. The ship’s clock was not wound and had struck no bells all -evening. - -“I guess it’s pretty late,” replied the diligent radio listener -mechanically. - -“No, it’s early in the morning—after midnight.” - -“You don’t say. Well, we’ll have to quit soon and go to bed. But I do -hate to stop as long as I can get a message from Guy’s and mother’s -ship. Maybe Guy’s standing beside the operator right now. It’u’d be just -like him to hang around the radio room for hours at a time if they’d let -’im.” - -“He’s more likely in bed.” - -“Perhaps you’re right. Well, one more message, and I’ll quit.” - -But it was a long time coming, measured by the impatience of the -listener. The operator on the Herculanea was silent for ten minutes or -more, while Walter sat at his table, eager to receive one more message -before turning in. - -“Better give it up,” advised Tony, “He’s going to bed.” - -“I won’t believe it till I have to,” replied the other. “No, you’re -wrong,” he added suddenly. “Here he is.” - -Walter was now all eagerness again. But soon a marked change came over -his face. So startling was the change that Tony sprang forward to catch -his friend, believing him to be ill. The next instant he saw his -mistake. - -Pale and trembling, Walter gripped the receivers with both hands, while -he listened with every nerve at high tension. He uttered one or two -gasps; then he snatched up his pencil and wrote several figures on the -tab. A moment later he was shouting orders to his companion. - -“Tony, Tony!” he cried. “Run an’ wake up Det quick. Tell him to come -here right away. The Herculanea—S. O. S.—I got the message. She’s hit -something—wrecked—sinking—mother—Guy!” - -Dazed, bewildered, Tony rushed out of the cabin, onto the wharf and up -the path toward the old sailor’s house, while Walter, with ghost-like -face and rigid muscles sat listening to the appeals of distress as they -came from the operator of the doomed liner. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - The Voice of the Fog Pirate - - -Affairs were bad enough on board the Herculanea, but not quite so bad as -the cry of the terror-stricken passenger would seem to indicate. -Although she was steadily sinking lower and lower, the steamer remained -afloat half an hour after the first boiler explosion. After a hundred or -more had leaped into the sea, following the example of the first -terrified wretch, the panic subsided, and the saner ones busied -themselves at devising means of self-preservation. But it was plainly a -question of only a short time when she would tip on end and plunge -downward, so that all worked with the greatest of haste. - -Guy and his two friends kept together through the fearful excitement. A -dozen rafts, large enough and well enough buoyed to float with a burden -of from twenty-five to fifty persons each, were being launched with -greater energy than skill, and conditions now looked hopeful for those -who had leaped into the sea with life jackets, as well as for the many -who still remained on board. - -As soon as those on the boat deck observed what was going on below, -there was a general rush down to the main deck. Guy, Watson and Glennon -aided in lowering the rafts and were among the last to seek refuge -themselves on one of the floating platforms. - -So far as they were able to determine, no lives were lost in this final -abandonment of the sinking vessel. All, apparently, wore life jackets -and even those who ordinarily were unable to swim had little difficulty -in making their way to the rafts and climbing aboard. Then, as rapidly -as possible, the escaping passengers and members of the crew rowed away -from the doomed Herculanea in order not to be sucked down with her when -she plunged to the bottom of the ocean. - -The raft on which Guy and his two friends made their escape was less -than 100 hundred feet away from the ship when another boiler explosion -settled the question as to how much longer she would be afloat. The men -with the oars in their hands strained every muscle in their bodies and -limbs and succeeded in more than doubling this distance, when the great -liner plunged nose down out of sight. Even then the strength of the -oarsmen was not sufficient to stem the backward pull of the cataclysmic -current, and they were dragged almost to the very spot where the ship -sank. But although the raft was rocked violently, no damage was done, -except the tipping off of two passengers, who were soon taken aboard -again, none the worse for their ducking, if we except violent chills and -chattering teeth. - -Following the disappearance of the Herculanea beneath the surface of the -sea, more attention was given by the occupants of the rafts to their -surroundings. No doubt there had been only casual observation of the -proximity of the great iceberg on the part of anybody as long as the -ship remained afloat. Now it was the principal object of interest for -all. - -Guy told himself that he had never dreamed that there could be so mighty -a mass of ice between the arctic and antarctic circles. Naturally the -sight of this frigid monster, in the gloom of the starlit night, tended -further to depress his spirits and caused him to give way for a time to -the most wretched forebodings, and it was only after an inward struggle -that he was able to overcome them. - -A majority of those on the raft on which Guy and his friends had sought -refuge decided that it was better not to row away from the place where -the liner went down because of the expected arrival of one or more -rescue ships in a few hours. Some of the men were disposed to grumble a -little at this inactivity, but Watson, who soon assumed the role of -leader by virtue of his readiness of ideas, suggested that they take -turns at the oars and propel the craft around in a circle near the -iceberg. As everybody was wet and cold, all were eager to put their -hands to the oars, so that there was no lack of helpers in this aimless -occupation. Even the half dozen women on the raft took their turns at -the circular rowing. - -This raft was one of the larger that had been carried by the Herculanea -and supported some twenty-five passengers. The material and construction -were of a kind generally approved for life saving emergencies of this -kind. The buoys were long metal cylinders, cone shaped at each end, like -a sharpened pencil. Over these was a large platform or deck, made of -many slats of light wood, laid side by side an inch or two apart and -bound together with steel cross rods. - -In spite of the fact that they were in no immediate danger of drowning, -the shipwrecked occupants of this and all the other rafts from the -Herculanea were anything but confident of safety for themselves in their -condition and surroundings. They were all wet to the skin, and the -atmosphere and the water into which many of them had plunged when -leaving the steamer were almost as cold as ice. It seemed scarcely -possible that the constitutions of the most hardy could withstand such -exposure many hours. Moreover, the sea was by no means calm. A -considerable swell of the ocean drenched them repeatedly so that there -was little likelihood of any amelioration of their discomfort by the -drying of their clothes in the smart wind that blew. - -“It seems to me that the wind is getting stronger and the waves -heavier,” remarked one of the women, nervously addressing Guy, who clung -to some of the slats of their raft near her. - -“We can’t hang onto this raft if the sea gets much rougher,” declared -another woman. - -“If the waves are going to get much higher, we’d be much better off on -that iceberg,” declared a shivering middle-aged man to Guy’s left. - -“That isn’t a bad idea,” said a “half-drowned” seaman, who seemed to be -suffering quite as wretchedly as the women. “I move that we look for a -landing place.” - -“Are the rescue ships likely to look for anybody on the iceberg?” -questioned Guy. - -“They’ll make a good search for us all around here, never fear,” replied -the seaman. “It’s up to us to keep ourselves alive by any means possible -for several hours, and we’ll be safe. We can’t live in this ice-water, -though.” - -“How about on the ice?” inquired Watson, who had been listening -attentively to the discussion. - -“We’ll have a better chance to move around there and dry our clothes,” -replied the seaman. “We can fly signals, too, from the top of the berg, -if we can get up there. They ought to attract attention from so high a -point.” - -The seaman’s argument created a generally favorable impression, and a -little further discussion resulted in a unanimous vote to seek refuge on -the iceberg. This mountain of frozen water, being only a short rowing -distance from where the ship went down, was soon reached. But -disappointment met their first close inspection, for as far as they were -able to see, there appeared to be no “landing place.” Then they rowed in -an easterly direction along the ragged wall of ice. Another and smaller -raft, supporting some twenty passengers, followed them. - -They rowed around the eastern end of the berg and some distance along -the northern side. In spite of his great physical discomfort, Guy soon -found his interest centered again on the immensity of the floating mass -of ice, which became more and more evident as they advanced, in spite of -the darkness of the night. At last they found an ideal “beach,” sloping -down gradually to the water’s edge. The waves dashed high upon this -area, and it was evident that if they were to effect a “landing” it -could be done only by a vigorous “beaching” drive. - -The oarsmen of the larger raft took in the situation at a glance and -acted accordingly. They bent to the task with their best energy and the -raft seemed to be lifted almost out of the water in the crest of a wave. -Then down it came with a crash and a crunching, grinding sound. Some of -the passengers were literally hurled off the raft and onto the ice as -the water receded. - -“Look out! She’ll be carried back by the next wave,” shouted one of the -men. “Lay hold and we’ll save her.” - -Guy sprang forward with a score of other men to seize the raft and drag -it farther up on the “beach;” but, as he did so, a thrill of -astonishment electrified his numb physique. - -That voice! Surely it was the “squeaky-roar” of the London “fog pirate.” -But it was not so much the voice as the identity of its possessor that -astonished the boy. The man who shouted the warning stood only a few -feet away from Guy and the latter recognized him. - -It was Gunseyt. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - Captain Walter - - -Few moments in any boy’s career have been more dreadfully thrilling than -those immediately following Walter’s catching of the first distress -message from the Herculanea. That there had been a terrible accident -could not be doubted. The first three letters of the message were -well-known “S. O. S.” Then followed a rapid succession of short -sentences, relating what had occurred and giving the location of the -wrecked steamer. - -Walter sat at the table in the deck house of the Jetta listening to the -messages almost as rigidly as if he himself had been immersed into an -icy bath and frozen stiff. Not a letter escaped him. No operator, -however skillful, could have dot-and-dashed too rapidly for him now. -Every nerve, every fiber in his body was at its highest tension, and -almost the only cause that could have stolen a word from his listening -ears was the snapping of a vital cord. - -Anxiety for the safety of his mother and Guy was the zero temperature -that held him frozen to his chair and to the receivers. As the appeals -and the crisp, snappy descriptions of what had happened came to him, he -pictured the scene rapidly, instinctively, vividly. He saw his mother -and brother on a deck of the steamer, nervously awaiting their fate in -the decision of events. He heard them speak to each other, uttering -words of cheer and fondly remarking about folks at home. He saw the ship -sink lower and lower and the lifeboats descending from the davits. - -Of course they were safe unless the sea were too rough for small boats. -And such danger was improbable, for the operator had said nothing about -it in his calls for help. He had said that it was cold, but this was all -the information he had given regarding the weather. Guy saw the -passengers getting into the boats, and then an awful possibility -occurred to him. - -Suppose there were not enough boats for all! - -The Herculanea was one of the largest steamers in the world and carried -enough passengers to populate a small city. It would require many boats -to accommodate all these. Walter was somewhat reassured when he recalled -that the Titanic disaster had waked up the leading nations of the world -to the necessity of ample lifesaving facilities on all seagoing vessels, -but he could not quite dismiss his fears in this regard. - -In the midst of his near-panic of mind, Tony and Det arrived. The latter -was not excited, although Tony had aroused him from his sleep in a -manner that was enough to convince one that a war fleet had arrived from -Mars or the end of the world had come. But he found Walter in an -attitude that caused him to become more than serious, for the radio boy -was just receiving another distress call, coupled with the announcement -that the listing of the ship had rendered it impossible to launch nearly -half the boats, so that many of the passengers would have to seek safety -on rafts. - -“What’s all this about?” demanded the old sailor with a kind of awed -sternness. - -Walter did not answer at once. He was listening intently. But pretty -soon a short period of silence in the receivers gave him opportunity to -cry out: - -“Hasn’t Tony told you? The Herculanea is wrecked—going down. They’re -taking to the boats, and there’s not enough boats for all. There are -only rafts for hundreds of them.” - -“You got that message?” inquired the incredulous man. “Where is the -steamer?” - -“Off Nova Scotia, four hundred miles from here.” - -“You must be crazy! Your little amateur outfit couldn’t receive a -message from away up there.” - -“Crazy, am I?” fired back Walter. “That shows how little you know about -wireless telegraphy. This outfit can take any message that any other -outfit can take. I want you to know that I received those messages, and -they are true. Look over this boat as fast as possible and see that -she’s ready to start on a four hundred mile trip in half an hour.” - -Det stared at the boy as if he thought him mad. He wondered if he were -not still in his bed and dreaming. He could hardly believe his senses. -But the boy was in dead earnest and could not be handled lightly. He was -in a mood to give commands now, even to the grown and long experienced -Det Teller, and he must be handled like a man. - -“If the steamer’s going to sink, it’ll be at the bottom of the ocean -almost before we can get started, let alone running four hundred miles,” -objected Det. - -“I don’t care if it’s four thousand miles,” Walter shouted back. Then he -ceased to talk for a few moments while he caught another message. Pretty -soon he spoke again, but now in a pleading tone: - -“Det, Det, do get busy. This boat must start as soon as ever we can get -ready. Mother and Guy may have to float in an open boat for days. We -can’t run any unnecessary risks. Other steamers may pick them up, and -then again they may not. Tony, will you go along?” - -“Give me time to run and ask pa,” replied the boy addressed. - -“I’ll give you half an hour. By that time we’ll be gone, whether you’re -here or not. There’s no time to waste.” - -Tony was off like a shot before his friend had finished speaking. -Meanwhile Det was mechanically obeying orders. He could not well do -otherwise. He wished heartily that the boy’s father were at home. He -longed for more authority for such an undertaking. It was a time of the -year when the sea was treacherous, and it was risky business to attempt -such a trip in so small a boat. Moreover, the chances of success were so -few as to render the proposition almost foolhardy in his opinion. - -And yet, he dared not take the responsibility of opposing Walter. There -was too much at stake. Surely Mr. Burton would countenance any step, -however hazardous, taken for the purpose of rescuing two members of his -family from so great a peril. If the crew of the Jetta were lost, the -owner would have the consolation of knowing that they died heroes. - -Det decided to go. The more he thought over the matter, the less -argument he could offer against the move. He concluded that he would be -branded as a coward and an unfaithful employee of the Burton family if -he showed a disposition to hinder any rescue plan, unless he could offer -a better. He went into the engine room, made a careful survey of the -quarters, found that Walter had made practically all the preparations -necessary, and then returned to the young skipper. - -“Everything’s ready,” he announced. “I’m going to the house and tell -Mag, an’ then I’ll be right back.” - -Without waiting for an answer, he was gone. He ran all the way to the -house, burst into the bedroom where his wife lay, impatiently waiting -his return, and in excited tones and short sentences informed her what -had happened: - -“Big steamer wrecked ’way up the coast. Mrs. Burton an’ Guy on board. -We’re goin’ up there in the Jetta. Good-by. We’ll be gone several days.” - -“My gracious!” exclaimed Mrs. Teller springing out of bed and grabbing -the first article of clothing she could lay her hands on. “Wait, Det; -you’ll have to have something to eat on the way.” - -“Shiver my fence posts if I ever thought o’ that,” exclaimed the excited -farmer-sailor, “stopping in his tracks.” “I always said it was a lucky -day when I married you. First I lost my head when I fell in love, then I -ran away ’cause you broke my heart, and since the parson tied the knot -you’ve saved my life forty-’leven times over.” - -Mrs. Teller had long since been cured of her early coquettishness and it -was safe enough for her jovial husband to talk in that manner. She was -in no mood to pay any attention to nonsense just now. She loved Mrs. -Burton with the devotion of long and faithful employment, and could -think of nothing but haste and speed in assisting her husband to get -ready. - -“You’ll want some money, too,” she added, going to a dresser and turning -on an electric light over it. Then she fished a key out of a button-box -and unlocked and opened a small drawer in the upper part of the dresser. - -“Here’s all but ten dollars of last month’s salary,” she said, handing a -roll of bills to her husband. “Take it; you may need it. You may run out -of gasoline and food, and Walter won’t have any money.” - -Det took the roll and pinned it in an inside pocket of his vest. - -“I’ll have you a bag full of dinner in a jiffy,” she added, as she ran -with stockinged feet, into the kitchen. There she struck a light and -“flew about” in a manner that would have been quite satisfactory to -impatient Walter could he have seen her. - -“How’d you get the news?” she asked, seizing a pot of boiled potatoes -she intended to fry for breakfast and dumping them into an empty flour -sack. - -Det told her all he knew while she filled two sacks with promiscuous -edibles, including pies, bread, cookies, cold boiled meat, and a smoked -ham. - -“There,” she said as she finished; “you take these sacks, and I’ll carry -this basket of apples and this basket of raw potatoes, and we’ll go.” - -“You’re not going along, be you?” inquired the amazed husband as he -obeyed instructions. - -“No,” she replied, swinging the door open and stepping out. “But I would -if I could. I’ve got to stay with the children.” - -Mr. and Mrs. Teller had a son and a daughter. The former was eight years -old and the latter six. Besides these, Jetta Burton was living with them -during the absence of her parents. - -When Det and his wife reached the yacht, they met Tony and his father -just arriving on a run. Mr. Lane had been aroused as vigorously by the -story of the wreck and the peril to the two Burtons as Mr. Teller had -been. He offered no objection to his son’s accompanying Walter on his -dash to the rescue, and in a remarkably short time he and Tony were -running down the road toward the yacht’s harbor. - -Meanwhile messages had ceased to come from the Herculanea, and Walter -concluded that the electric machinery of the liner was no longer in -operation, if, indeed, the ship had not already gone down. So he left -his instruments and made a hurried survey of the preparations for -departure. Then he assigned Tony to the engine room, for the latter was -almost as well acquainted with the motive power of the yacht as he was, -and asked Det to man the stern line while he backed away from the wharf. - -“See that everything’s in good running order,” he called after Tony, as -the latter started for the engine room. “Then you c’n come back on -deck.” - -A moment later he was in the pilot house, calling to Det to release the -stern line. After this had been done, he stepped on the starter, threw -the clutch in reverse, and, by holding onto the bowline, forced the -stern away from the wharf. Then he let go his bowline and backed out far -enough to give him complete clearance, after which he reversed his wheel -and threw in the clutch, giving the boat full speed ahead. - -Mr. and Mrs. Lane stood on the wharf and watched the yacht till it was -out of sight in the darkness. Presently Tony reappeared on deck with the -report that all was running smoothly in the engine room, after which -there was little conversation on board for some time. Walter was in -possession of a bit of information that he would have been delighted to -communicate to his friends, but he decided that it was better to keep it -to himself for the present. He feared that its revelation might cause -Det and Tony to urge a return home at once, and this he would not -consent to do. The information was indeed of cheering nature, but he did -not wish to let the rescue of his mother and his brother rest on that -alone. Shortly before the operator on the Herculanea ceased to send out -calls for help, Walter caught a message from another steamer, saying -that it was hastening to the scene of the disaster. - -But this steamer might be half-way across the Atlantic and might fail to -arrive in time to be of assistance. - -“I’ll wait till we’re well on our way before I tell them about it,” -Walter resolved grimly. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - On the Iceberg - - -The raft was quickly drawn up to a safe position on the “ice shore” and -the castaways retreated still farther from the water’s edge in order to -keep well out of reach of the heaviest waves. The smaller raft was -“beached” in a similar manner, and like precaution was taken to prevent -its being washed back into the sea. - -Presently the moon arose and lighted the scene with ghastly effect. But -the ghastliness was a thing more to be remembered afterwards. It -scarcely moved their numbed senses then. Wind currents high above soon -became more active, and banks of clouds were broken up and scattered as -if by bursting shells, then chased one another across the sky, while the -big pale-yellow queen of the night rode majestically over this deep-wide -scene of dismal wilderness. - -All of the women and several of the men on the iceberg were suffering so -severely, as a result of the exposure, that it appeared likely they -would soon collapse. Their condition and the serious discomfort of -everybody else compelled a general casting about for means of relief. -True, the first impulse was one of hopelessness, but events proved that -elements were still available with which resourceful minds could combat -despair. - -The first device along this line was preceded with a discovery that, in -itself, was anything but hopeful. This discovery was announced by -Gunseyt, who exhibited more nervous anxiety over the danger of their -situation than any other member of the castaway party. Meanwhile Guy had -not fully recovered from his astonishment following his identification -of the “radio passenger” with the London “fog pirate” of the -“squeak-roar” voice. Hence the mystery of this revelation tempered -somewhat the gloom of a new disaster, disclosed by those same -“squeak-roar” tones, when Gunseyt startled everybody by announcing: - -“The rafts are spoiled; we can’t use them any more. The air cylinders -are smashed.” - -There was a general rush toward the rafts as the last alarming sentence -was finished, and a hurried inspection was made by all. Several groans -of dismay followed, also a few grumbling criticisms of the carelessness -that had characterized their landing on the ice “beach.” The drive of -the oars, reinforced by the lift and drop of the waves on which they -had ridden “shoreward,” had brought the cylinders down upon the -ice with such force as to wreck their further serviceability as -air-and-water-tight buoys. - -“Yes, he’s right,” declared Watson presently. “They’re not good for -anything any more except firewood.” - -“Then let’s build a fire and get warm,” proposed one of the men. “I’ve -got a water-tight match-safe full of matches.” - -The unanimous vote with which this proposal was speedily adopted was -pitiful in its eagerness. Then followed a general attack upon the two -rafts, which, although there was not a tool larger than a jacknife in -this iceberg camp, quickly reduced them to crumpled heaps of wood, -bended steel bars, and the battered junk of many recently well-shaped -and air-tight metal cylinders. Watson, Guy, Glennon and half a dozen -other men, who had knives in their pockets whittled away at pieces of -the deck lumber, and soon produced a pile of fairly dry shavings and -splints. - -“Now,” said Watson; “we’ll try to arrange these cylinders so that they -may be used as a sort of grate for our fire to prevent, as much as -possible, a melting of the ice under it. And, by the way, there’s -another precaution we want to take. There’s no telling how thick, or -thin, this beach of ice that we are standing on is. A fire’s bound to -melt it more or less, and that, together with our weight, might cause it -to crack and, maybe, break off. There’s a shelf up there that’s big -enough to hold us all, and a good bonfire, too. Come on, men; one more -little job, and we’ll soon be toasting.” - -The men needed no urging. A few were inclined to grumble at the delay, -but the majority were of a class well experienced in the wisdom of -“looking ahead,” and Watson’s advice prevailed. The shelf in question -was more than a hundred feet square, and was elevated eight or ten feet -higher than the area on which they were standing. Both of these areas -were comparatively smooth, probably because they were exposed to the -dash of the high waves, which filled the crevices and hollow places and -froze. - -In spite of their numbed and deep-chilled condition, the men worked with -good energy, and pretty soon a roaring blaze was shooting its eager -tongues upward and making more cheerful that desolate place. The women -were assisted to the upper shelf, and then began the work of drying -clothes and thawing out aching limbs and bodies. The drying process was -a long one. The fire was not large enough to accommodate all around it -at once near the blaze, so that it was necessary for them to “thaw” in -shifts and hold articles of clothing for one another near the heat. -However, by supplementing the benefits of the fire with vigorous -exercise they produced excellent results and finally all found -themselves feeling almost comfortable. - -But it was an occupation attended with much suffering at first. The -women and even a few of the men, who had been numbed into silence, wept -and groaned with pain as they began to “thaw.” Guy had never before -suffered such agony, particularly in his feet, which had become almost -nerveless from walking or standing on the ice in shoes soaked with -water. - -“We’ll all be having rheumatism all the rest of our lives,” he remarked -to Glennon as they stood with bare feet on bits of wood and held their -shoes and socks near the blaze. - -“We’ll be mighty lucky if we ever get out of this fix to enjoy the -blessings of rheumatism,” replied a man who overheard the prophecy. - -“Oh, we’ll be rescued all right,” was Watson’s confident assurance -uttered for its optimistic effect on his companions. “I shouldn’t be -surprised to see a ship loom up in the darkness any minute. And that -reminds me that we must keep a sharp lookout. Anybody that’s got a pair -of lusty lungs he’d like to exercise couldn’t put ’em to better use than -to let forth a big yell now and then.” - -“It couldn’t be heard very far,” declared another with half-thawed-out -pessimism. - -“Oh, yes it could. Sound travels a long distance over water. Besides,” -he added, lowering his voice so the women could not hear: “we’ve got to -figure out something else besides this fire to attract attention. -There’s only one chance in two or three that the blaze will be seen by a -passing ship. See how high the ice rises there. It completely shuts off -the light of the fire on that side.” - -Guy was startled at this suggestion. He gazed up at the great jagged -wall of ice and realized at once that Watson’s fear was no idle one. He -looked up among the scattering clouds, located the north star, and then -observed that it was the view to the south that was shut off by the -mountain of ice. A great dread possessed him as he realized that a -rescue steamer might pass within a quarter of a mile of this precarious -refuge while the officers and crew remained ignorant of the nearness of -the castaways. - -Following the suggestion of Watson, a chorus of shouts was sent out over -the water every now and then. The first attempt was a dismal failure, -resulting in such discord that every voice tended to annul, rather than -to assist, the strength and clearness of every other voice. The next and -succeeding attempts, however, were more satisfactory, being pitched in a -common key. But unfortunately the wall of ice prevented the sound from -going very far to the south, for the ship which had signaled to the -operator on the Herculanea that it was hastening to the rescue arrived -in the vicinity, picked up several boat loads, remained near the scene -of the wreck until daybreak, and then steamed away without discovering -the party on the iceberg. - -It was three hours after sun-up before the castaways succeeded in drying -all their clothes. To effect this, they had found it necessary to burn -all the wood of the smaller raft and a considerable portion of the -larger. - -Nowhere could they discover a sign of life—not a bird of any description -nor an inhabitant of the deep sporting on the surface. After the sun had -teased them a few hours with just a suggestion of warmth, the fire was -allowed to burn low to conserve the remaining fuel. The men decided to -try to keep warm with vigorous exercise, incidentally exploring their -cheerless refuge. - -But it was almost a hopeless task without food in their stomachs. The -resolute men had not exercised long before they realized that fuel must -soon be supplied for the furnaces of their bodies or the human fires in -them would die out. - -Guy realized this quite as fully as did the others. He read similar -thought in the faces of Watson and Glennon, as the three moved together -away from the rest of the castaways. But he set his teeth firmly, -resolving to die with a struggle, if indeed he must die. And it was not -easy, even under the present almost hopeless circumstances, for him to -entertain a likelihood of such finish. There must be some way out of the -predicament. - -The flat shore-like section of the iceberg where they had sought refuge -was several acres in extent. It was a “beach on a mountain coast,” being -formed as if cut into a giant hill, with a sloping wind-break on either -side. Watson and the two boys approached the slope at the western end to -discover, if possible, an ascent to some high lookout point on the berg. - -What seemed at first glance an impossible task proved much less -difficult on closer inspection. They were pleased to find just beyond -the “wind-break” a natural crevice, or depression, running up the side -of the ice-mountain and in this crevice an ascent of steps which -although crude and irregular, they could almost believe had been -fashioned by human hands. With a shout of surprise that attracted the -attention of all the other men, Watson ran around the end of the -“wind-break” near the water’s edge and began to climb this remarkable -stairway. - -Guy and Carl followed. A recent fall of snow on wet ice, succeeded by -freezing, made it possible to secure good foothold, and they ascended -rapidly. The higher they went, the more they wondered, and the more they -were inclined to believe that human hands had performed this work of ice -carpentry or masonry. - -But more surprises were in store for them. After they reached the top -landing—a considerable level area fashioned by Jack Frost and the -elements—they beheld a sight that caused them to stare with amazement -and then shout for joy. On the farther slope of the iceberg was another -flight of steps leading almost to the water’s edge, and at the foot was -all the evidence needed to convince them that both stairways were works -of men. In another area, not more than fifty feet in diameter and -running out to form another and smaller beach at the water’s edge, were -two human beings, apparently men. - -“Why, we’re not the only ones that landed on the iceberg,” exclaimed -Glennon. - -“Not so fast,” advised Watson, with a contradictory gesture. “Those -people are not from the Herculanea. See, they’re dressed in furs. If I’m -not mistaken, they’re not of our race even; they’re—” - -He hesitated before expressing the opinion in his mind and looked more -intently at the two strange inhabitants of the floating island of ice. - -“What?” Guy asked eagerly. - -“Eskimos!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - The Eskimos - - -Presently a few more of the castaways arrived at the top of the stairway -and the rest of the men were either on their way up or were hastening -toward the steps of ice. They ascended single file, as much of the -upward passage was not wide enough for two or more to walk abreast. - -Among the first to reach the upper landing was an anthropological -professor of a New England college, Dr. Olaf Anderson. He was a Dane and -had made studies of the human race in all the northern countries of -Europe and Asia and in Arctic America, including Iceland and Greenland. -No sooner did he get a view of the two fur-clad strangers a hundred and -fifty feet below than he forgot his hunger and physical weariness. Here -was something that aroused a more lively interest in him than could even -prospects of food or home. It did not take him long to verify Watson’s -suspicion. - -“Innuits!” he exclaimed. “How did they get here?” - -“You ought to explain that better than anybody else, professor,” said -Watson, who had made the acquaintance of the anthropologist on the -steamer. - -“They must have been trapped here in some way,” declared the latter. -“And in that case, they couldn’t have been here less than several -weeks.” - -“Good!” cried Watson eagerly. - -“Why ‘good’?” Guy inquired. - -“Because they couldn’t have lived here that long without food and some -way to keep warm. That means they can help us.” - -This prospect made Guy feel so cheerful that he indulged in a -mischievous reply. - -“You ought to be a detective,” he said. The boy had hitherto given -Watson no hint that he had discovered his occupation. - -“What makes you say that?” inquired the operative, looking keenly at his -young friend. - -“The way you figure things out. You’d make a good secret service man.” - -“I wonder how we happened to miss this landing place last night, and how -the rescue steamer, which must have had a searchlight, failed to see the -Eskimos,” one of the men remarked. - -“It was dark and we didn’t come this way,” replied Watson. “We started -farther toward the eastern end of the iceberg. I haven’t any doubt that -the rescue steamer has been this way and picked up the boats and rafts -without seeing the Eskimos.” - -“Probably they slept late,” suggested Prof. Anderson. “They usually do, -especially if they’ve had enough to eat.” - -“That sounds hopeful,” put in an optimistic fellow, edging his way -forward. - -“The Eskimos see us,” announced Carl. “Let’s go down there.” - -The two Innuits, as the professor learnedly preferred to call them, -seemed much excited over their discovery. They threw their hands over -their heads and, with loud cries, started as if to ascend the steps of -ice, but stopped when they saw the newcomers descending. - -The next moment four gray-haired dogs, probably awakened by the cries of -their masters, emerged from a cave in the ice and gazed curiously up -toward the new arrivals. Guy fancied that they sniffed the air hungrily. - -“We can eat them if we can’t find anything else to satisfy our -appetites,” Carl suggested; and the idea did not seem in the least -repulsive to Guy. There was hardly enough luxury on the iceberg to -encourage gastronomic fastidiousness. - -The stairway in the ice proved to have been fashioned by both nature and -man. The Eskimos, desiring access to both sides of the iceberg, -fortunately had a rude sort of pick-axe that made the work of creating -such access comparatively easy, especially since nature had half formed -the steps in advance. By the time the leaders of the visiting party had -arrived at the foot of the flight near the entrance of the Eskimos’ -cave, the last of them had reached the top landing, and a long zig-zag -line of men was descending single file. The Innuits after their first -stir of excitement, stood quietly, stoically, it seemed, waiting for -developments. Fortunately the professor could speak their language well -enough to make himself understood, and soon he was jabbering almost -glibly with the short, round faced, narrow-eyed, brown-skinned, -black-haired wanderers from the North. - -The stoicism of the Eskimos was stoicism only in general appearance, as -close attention to their eyes proved. The latter glistened with joy and -eagerness. The delight thus expressed, however, was turned to a -dull-orbed disappointment when they learned that the strangers were only -a party of shipwrecked travelers in worse straits than the two Arctic -inhabitants of the iceberg. There was not much encouragement in the -appearance of nearly half a hundred hungry men begging for something to -eat from their scanty store. - -Prof. Anderson’s conjecture as to the cause of the casting away of the -Eskimos was correct. They had been hunting with a sled and a team of -eight dogs on a field of ice off the southern coast of Greenland. Two -bears had been discovered by them on an iceberg that had become frozen -fast in the field, and the two Innuits had driven to this mountain of -solid water, where they left their dogs and sled and climbed up after -the game. - -It was then they made their discovery of the “stairway” of ice, but the -ascent was more difficult and even dangerous because of the uneven, -irregular character of the steps, which slanted “in all directions.” -However, they reached a lofty ledge, on which one of the bears was -perched, and so severely wounded him with their harpoons that he slipped -and fell, bounding down the steep and jagged ice a hundred feet or more. - -At this juncture, almost as if caused by the rebounding impacts of the -bear’s eight or nine hundred pounds, a thunderous noise rent the frosty -air, and the two Innuits knew that the ice-field was breaking. With all -possible speed they hastened down to their sled and dogs, but before -they had gone half-way, they realized the seriousness of the situation. - -The iceberg, together with a considerable section of the floe, had -broken away, leaving no solid connection with the land. - -They passed an hour or more helplessly gazing at the rapidly widening -gap between them and the mainland, and then decided that a long season -of hardship was in store for them unless someone on shore learned of -their predicament and came to their rescue. The wind was blowing almost -a gale from the land now and was steadily widening the breach. They -climbed to the highest point they could reach and erected a flag of -seal-skin between two upright spears. - -The two Eskimos, whose names were Emah and Tarmik, now made haste to -prepare quarters to protect themselves and their dogs from the severe -weather that threatened to come heavily upon them. With their “pick-axe” -and harpoons they dug a cave in a wall of ice, and by evening they had -hollowed out a room large enough to accommodate themselves and their -four-footed companions. They removed the bear’s skin and spread this and -another on the floor to sleep on. A few smaller skins they spread out -for the dogs. In the entrance they piled up blocks of ice, leaving only -sufficient opening for ventilation. Then they lighted some blubber in a -stone lamp and soon the ice-walled room was very comfortable. - -But they had a scant supply of blubber with them, and the bear they had -slain, although large, was lean. Fortunately, however, they discovered a -deposit of driftwood partly imbedded in the ice on the other side of the -iceberg after they had fashioned the rude steps of the “stairway” into a -series of safer footholds. Much of this wood they dug out and carried -over to their cave, as they feared a further breaking of the ice. - -Two days later this fear was realized. Large portions of this section of -the ice-field broke off close to the berg on both sides. On the side -where the cave had been hollowed out, only a small but well elevated -area was left in front of their lodge. - -Meanwhile they kept their flag at the top of the stairway as a signal of -distress to passing ships. But none hove in sight, and life on their -floating island became more desolate and lonely day by day. The days -grew into weeks, and they lost all reckoning of time. The weather was -stormy, snow and sleet fell, the wind blew heavy gales, and the iceberg -moved rapidly, with the currents of air and water. Bear meat was their -chief article of diet until the quarry that got them into trouble was -devoured. Then they began to kill their dogs, slaying one at a time -until only four were left. During much of this time, when the weather -permitted, they were busy with hook and line, trying to catch fish for -their larder, but they caught only a few. They would have set some traps -for birds, but after the first few days afloat none flew near the -iceberg. - -Both of the Eskimos were asleep when the Herculanea was sunk within a -cable’s length of their ice cave, and they knew nothing of the disaster -until informed by Prof. Anderson. Cooped up as they were in their walls -of frozen water, their slumbering ears had not been quickened by the -explosion of the boilers or the screams of panic-stricken passengers. -Moreover, their flag of distress fell from its anchorage, so that the -castaways did not see it in the morning. - -The professor elicited all this information from the Eskimos without a -reference to the hunger of his companions, much to the disgust and -impatience of some of the latter when they learned the nature of the, to -them, unintelligible conversation. But he did not wish to frighten the -two Greenlanders with the condition of affairs among the shipwrecked -party, and he had a professional and scientific curiosity that demanded -satisfaction almost as urgently as did the gnawing in his stomach. - -By the time the story of the two Arctic men had been drawn out with many -questions, the professor had a pretty clear idea of the extent of the -assistance that might be expected from them. Turning to his companions -he said: - -“Gentlemen, we want to be careful what we do. We must treat these -fellows with perfect justice. They have hardly enough to keep their own -souls and bodies together. Whatever assistance we get from them must be -obtained by appealing to their good nature, for they are good-natured -fellows. About all they have that can be made into food is four dogs, -and they would hardly supply one good square meal for all of us.” - -Most of the men present were intelligent and disposed to regard the -situation with calmness and fortitude. There were a few, however, who -grumbled at the words of the Danish scholar, and one of them asked with -a half-snarl: - -“What do you advise us to do?” - -“That’s a question that I propose to put to the Eskimos,” replied -Anderson. “We might ask them for food for the women, but we men can live -through another day and night without anything to eat if necessary. -We’ll follow the example of these fellows, dig a few caves in the ice, -and with a very little fire inside we can keep warm. In that way our -fuel will last several days.” - -“That’s good advice,” said Watson, with a nod of confident approval. -“Talk to them in that manner and let them know that we’re not going to -do them any harm. Ask them for suggestions, and maybe they’ll be able to -offer plans that will help us a lot.” - -The professor turned again to the Eskimos and talked with them for -several minutes. Then he reported as follows: - -“They’re willing to help us all they can. They say they’ll give us one -of the dogs if we have to have it, but suggest that we try fishing and -see what we each get.” - -“How’ll we do that?” asked the half-snarling critic who had spoken -before. “We haven’t got any tackle.” - -“The Eskimos have a good supply and will let us have several lines and -hooks and some dog meat for bait, on condition that we give them some of -our catch if we have good luck.” - -“That’s reasonable enough,” declared Watson. “Ask them for some tackle -and bait and some tools to dig a few caves.” - -The professor did as suggested and was given four strong lines with good -steel hooks and a short-handled metal tool, best described as a cross -between a hoe and a tomahawk. Where it had been manufactured would have -been hard to conjecture, unless it was a bit of native “blacksmithing.” -The handle was of walrus bone. - -“That’s fine,” exclaimed Watson, seizing the tool. “One man can cut a -big hole in the ice with it in a few hours. Come on, let’s get to work.” - -With the professor and Watson again in the lead, the visitors filed back -over the ice-mountain stairway to their own camp. There they found the -women and children huddling around the fire and looking despairingly -unhappy. - -“Cheer up,” urged Watson heartily. “We’ve brought good news. There’s a -couple of Eskimos on the other side of the iceberg, and they’ve given us -some hooks and lines to fish with and a tool to dig some caves in the -ice. We’re going to be all right now until a rescue ship finds us.” - -A full account was given to the women regarding the discovery on the -other side of the iceberg, and they became more hopeful as they watched -the energetic activities of some of the men. While several began an -attack with the Eskimo tool and other improvised implements on a wall of -ice, several others went down near the water’s edge and threw the baited -hooks as far out into the water as the lines would reach. With bits of -wood for floats, the hooks were kept ten feet or more from the wall of -ice under the water. - -Watson was proving that corpulence is not necessary for the greatest -physical efficiency in a cold climate. With his tall, angular, -“meatless” frame, he was perhaps the most vigorous in the entire party. -He was ever ready with a word of cheer or advice in an emergency. -Probably he saved one or more of the men from an uncomfortable ducking -when he offered this suggestion before the lines were thrown into the -water: - -“Everybody dig a hole in the ice to brace his feet in. If we catch any -fish here, they’re liable to be big ones, and they’ll pull us in if our -feet slip.” - -The fishermen followed this advice, using pocketknives to cut the ice -and selecting rough, jagged places in which to sink their footholds. -Then they angled for an hour without success, and some of the men began -to show signs of impatience. But these discontented ones had taken no -part in the activities of the morning, merely standing around and -scowling when they were not forced to exercise in order to keep warm. -One of them, Guy noticed, was Mr. Gunseyt, and three others were seamen. -There were six, all told, who were conspicuously dissatisfied, and they -were observed several times grouped together and conversing in a manner -that indicated no working sympathy with the rest. - -“I’m afraid we’re going to have trouble with those fellows,” Watson -remarked to Guy as the two stood watching the anglers ready to lend a -hand should a powerful fish swallow a hook. - -“I’m surprised at Mr. Gunseyt,” said Guy slowly. “And yet, I’m not -either. He’s the strangest contradiction I ever heard of. Have you -noticed that funny change in his voice lately? He doesn’t talk very much -now.” - -“Yes, I noticed it.” - -“What’s the cause of it?—any idea?” - -Watson did not answer, for something more interesting just then claimed -his attention. He sprang forward to assist one of the fishers who had -more than he could handle on his line. - -Guy followed, also forgetting Mr. Gunseyt’s voice. Fortunately the line, -consisting of tough, twisted gut-strips, “as strong as a cable,” for it -required all the strength of two men to prevent the fish from winning in -the tug of war. Slowly Watson and Potter, the latter a Baltimore -commission merchant, pulled the struggling, jerking, floundering fellow -up over the edge of the ice, and a great cheer went up as a hundred -hungry eyes beheld a silvery, brown-spotted king herring, almost four -feet long. - -“Hooray!” shouted Watson, as he pounced on the magnificent denizen of -the sea with both hands. But he was unable to hold him, and it was all -two men could do to pin the slippery fellow to the ice, while a third -cut his head off with a pocketknife! - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - A Midnight Invasion - - -Only one more fish was caught that day, and this second one was only a -seven-pounder. However, everybody had a taste, and the bones and other -refuse were saved for fuel. - -At first they had been puzzled over the question of how to obtain a -supply of drinking water, but finally some of the men produced several -tin tobacco boxes, in which they were able to melt pieces of ice. This -drinking ice had to be chipped from higher places on the berg, as the -dashing of the waves in rough weather had coated the lower parts with a -salty surface. - -The work of the cave diggers developed another pleasing surprise for the -castaways. In connection with this, it was found necessary to do -considerable planning. The shipwrecked party all realized that they must -get out of reach of high waves as soon as possible. Hence a flight of -steps was cut to a kind of platform, some twenty feet above the area on -which they had built their fire, and here was begun the labor of -hollowing out a house in the ice. - -The entrance was made only large enough to permit the passage of a man. -After this had been cut inward four or five feet, the man with the -hoe-tomahawk began to enlarge the tunnel, while two other men stood near -and pushed back the chipped ice with pieces of raft flooring. Others -behind these cleared the waste from the steps so that the way was kept -constantly open. - -Shortly after the catching of the second fish, came the announcement of -the cave diggers interesting surprise. They had cut their way into a -great natural cavern in the iceberg, large enough to accommodate all of -the castaways and keep them warm with the aid of only a little fire. It -was in fact, a sort of crevasse, with an opening at the top high above a -fairly level floor area. This opening was large enough to admit some -daylight, and all the air needed by the party, after circulation had -been rendered possible through the cutting of the entrance by the cave -diggers. As it chanced, the latter passage had been cut almost on a -level with the floor of the crevasse. - -In the course of the day the weather became somewhat warmer and there -was even pleasantness in the sun’s rays when one stood still and -received their full benefit. About noon the fire was put out in order to -save fuel. This proved to be a happy move for another reason, as it was -found that there were still enough raft boards to cover a considerable -floor space in their new refuge, and they were used for this purpose. -Several of the passengers of the rafts had brought mackintoshes and -overcoats with them when they left the liner, vaguely hopeful of being -able to use the garments later for their comfort. Guy, it will be -remembered, was one of these, and when the question arose relative to -the arrangement of sleeping quarters on the floor of the ice-cave, it -was decided to use these articles of wearing apparel to supplement the -board flooring. The Eskimos came over and offered suggestions and loaned -them a bear-skin, which the Greenlanders found they could spare. Also -they pointed out their “driftwood mine,” which, as a result of some more -hard labor, yielded a considerable supply of fuel. - -Meanwhile a constant lookout for vessels was maintained from the head of -the stairway over the iceberg. Guy and Watson had the last hour’s watch -before nightfall. But no “sail” was sighted, nor did a long black trail -from a steamer’s funnel reward their vigilance. - -That night was passed with fairly good comfort in the cave. The entrance -was almost closed with blocks of ice, only a small hole being left for -ventilation. These blocks were held in place by horizontal boards -slipped into grooves that had been cut in the “jambs” of the doorway. -There were three of these boards, or shelf-like supports, so that it was -possible to remove one section individually and crawl or creep in or out -without disturbing the others. Inside, a watch was kept constantly for -the purpose of feeding the small fire on a “grate” of metal cylinders -and to listen for a breaking of the iceberg and indications of a change -of its equilibrium. - -There was a good deal of restlessness on the part of the women and some -of the men that night, but finally they fell asleep and all was quiet -thereafter until morning. Guy and Carl awoke at daybreak and were the -first to go out and look around. There was little change in the weather -except that the air was rather colder and the sky more cloudy. However -the sun shone through a break in the east. - -Several of the men also soon emerged from the cave, bringing with them -the fishing tackle, which they baited and cast into the water. In order -that they might not have to stand long in one spot on the ice, the -fishers moved large pieces of ice near the water’s edge, anchored them -in rough places, and tied the lines around them. With the lines thus set -they were able to exercise sufficiently to keep warm and at the same -time watch for a “bite.” The lookout at the top of the stairway also was -renewed, while all who had nothing in particular to do remained much of -the time within the more comfortable confines of the cave. - -Watson was still generally recognized as leader of the shipwrecked -party, with Prof. Anderson a sort of lieutenant. Both were consulted a -good deal, and the fact that they maintained a cheerful attitude aided -much in buoying the spirits of the others. - -“I think we’re safe for several days unless we’re blown through the -Labrador Current into the Gulf Stream,” remarked Prof. Anderson on one -occasion when he and Watson and Guy and Carl were alone together. - -“I was thinking of that yesterday,” said Guy, who had read a good many -sea tales and exploration accounts. “If we get in the Gulf Stream, the -iceberg’ll begin to melt pretty fast, and before long it’ll crack and -explode and that’ll be the end of us.” - -“Yes,” agreed the professor; “but it’ll be an undermining process first. -When we get in water that is warmer than the atmosphere, the submerged -part of the iceberg will melt more rapidly than the part exposed to the -air, and as by far the greater part of the iceberg, is under water, it -needn’t take long to alter the center of gravity. When that happens, -over we go.” - -“When are we likely to hit the Gulf Stream?” asked Guy. - -“I don’t know. I might make some rough calculations as to our locality -tonight if the North Star is visible, but the result wouldn’t be -accurate. I’d be likely to miss it by a hundred miles or more. Besides, -I don’t know how far from land the Gulf Stream runs along here, so I -could easily reckon a hundred and fifty miles off. I imagine, however, -that we’re pretty near the Gulf Stream and the wind which, you notice, -is getting stronger all the time, is blowing us right towards it.” - -“Usually the icebergs follow the ocean currents, don’t they?” inquired -Watson. - -“Yes; but some times they get out of them. A strong wind may blow them -out.” - -No fish were caught that morning and the six malcontents showed new -signs of restlessness; but they did nothing save keep aloof from the -rest and look sour. About noon the lookout reported a vessel in sight -and there was a general rush to the top of the ice stairway. They built -a fire and waved their coats and yelled or screamed as lustily as they -could, but the ship was ten or twelve miles away and all their efforts -to attract attention were unavailing. - -This experience disheartened a good many, but Watson and the professor -seemed even more cheerful. - -“We don’t need to go to pieces over that,” said the former reassuringly. -“We’ve just had proof that we’re in the path of vessels, for that was a -good-sized steamer and looked as if it was following a much-traveled -course.” - -On returning to the beach they found two of the set-lines drawn taut and -swaying from side to side as if a desperate struggle were going on at -the far end of each. With no small difficulty the lines were pulled in, -a large king herring being found on one and a fair sized cod on the -other. In the course of the afternoon, this success was virtually -duplicated twice, so that a moderate supper was afforded the iceberg -Crusoes. - -While this meal gave temporary relief, it was not sufficient to answer -the heat demands of more than two score human bodies that had fasted -under such severe conditions. Hence it served conspicuously to stimulate -the discontent of the “sullen six.” They kept together and avoided the -others most of the time, so that Watson’s suspicion of trouble brewing -was kept alive constantly. - -“I don’t like the action of our friends over there,” he remarked to the -professor in the hearing of Guy and Carl not long before sundown. “I -think it’ll be wise to keep an eye on them.” - -“What do you think they’re likely to do?” inquired the professor not -very seriously. “Kill us all and eat us?” - -“Oh, no; not that bad. But they’ve got something up their sleeves.” - -Guy “went to bed” that night with the horribly humorous suggestion of -Prof. Anderson on his mind. This together with the fears earlier -expressed concerning the Gulf Stream and a breaking up and turning over -of the iceberg, prevented him for several hours from sleeping. He lay -near the entrance of the cave a few feet from the fire. Watson, the -professor, and Glennon were lying near him, all apparently asleep. On -the opposite side of the fire was the watchman. The watches were an hour -each, and during the time that Guy lay awake several men were relieved. -About midnight according to the boy’s reckoning, Gunseyt took his turn. - -During all this time Guy had not spoken to any of the men on watch. He -longed to go to sleep and lay quietly in a constant endeavor to lose -consciousness and forget the fearfulness of the ever increasing dangers -that surrounded him. But it seemed that every fibre of his nervous -system was too much alive to encourage a suggestion of slumber. He was -very hungry, too, and if it had not been for the one comfort of the warm -atmosphere of the cave, there would have been no limit to his -wretchedness, mental and physical. - -And the appearance of Mr. Gunseyt on duty did not tend to lesson his -discomfort and apprehension, but tended rather to increase the latter. -No sooner had the man whom Gunseyt relieved laid down than the new -sentinel began to look around him in a manner hardly reassuring to the -boy who watched him with half-open eyes. The man who last preceded him -fell asleep almost immediately, while the leader of the malcontents -appeared to observe this with a good deal of satisfaction. Ten minutes -elapsed, during which time the watchman kept his eyes fastened on the -man who had just lain down. Then he turned to the fire and put on some -more fuel. This done, he made a hasty examination of all the supposed -sleepers as if to find out if everybody indeed was lost in slumber. - -The inspection appeared to satisfy him. He stooped down and gently shook -one of the men, who arose quickly as if he had expected such an -awakening. Then another and another and another were awakened in like -manner, until six men stood around the fire whispering to one another -and gazing furtively at their reclining companions. Guy recognized them -as the seamen and the passengers who appeared to have accepted Gunseyt -as their leader in opposing the saner and more human will of the -majority. - -As he watched the men, he wondered that Watson and the professor had -consented to permit any of them to be on sentinel duty alone. He even -wondered why he himself had not made an objection. Probably they were -even now bent on some sort of mischief. Presently they turned to the -entrance where Gunseyt pushed out the blocks of ice in the lower section -of the doorway. Then they got down on their hands and knees, one after -another, and crawled out, after which they replaced the blocks of ice, -and Guy was unable to see what more they did. - -But the boy did not remain quiet “in his bed” after the disappearance of -the men. He arose and went to the entrance, where he pulled inward the -lower blocks of ice and peered out. He could see their shadowy forms -moving diagonally across the lower area. Then he crawled out to get a -clearer view, for the night was still cloudy and he could not see a -great distance. - -“I’ll look into this business a little before I wake anybody up,” he -decided. - -He stood at the head of the steps leading up to the cave and watched the -men as they walked down across the area toward the other side near the -water’s edge. Several times some of them looked back, while Guy hugged -the wall of ice for concealment. - -“My goodness!” - -Suddenly it dawned upon the mind of the boy what the men were up to. -They were making for the stairway over the peak of the iceberg. - -“They’re going to the Eskimos’ camp!” he muttered. “I must wake Watson.” - -He turned to carry out this purpose, but slipped and almost fell into -the arms of someone who had just risen to his feet after crawling -through the entrance. Guy recognized him. - -“Oh, Mr. Watson!” gasped the boy. “Those men!” - -“I know all about them,” replied the other grimly. “I’ve been watching -them too. Come on.” - -Watson led the way down the steps of ice. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - The “Iceberglars” - - -As they reached the foot of the steps, Guy heard a noise behind him and -turned to behold a new surprise. Several other men, including the -professor and Carl, also were coming down. - -“I thought everybody except those rascals was asleep,” he said to -Watson. - -“Not quite,” replied the operative. “We were expecting this.” - -“Why didn’t you let me in on it?” - -“Well,” said Watson apologetically, “you’re a boy, and we thought we’d -keep you out of the trouble.” - -Guy’s pride was a little hurt at this, inasmuch as Glennon, who was only -two years his senior, had been included in the “man class.” However, in -the last two years this “man-boy” had developed in physical proportions -that commanded the respect of even the big-framed Watson. - -Guy counted eight persons, including himself and Watson, in this second -party from the ice-cave. They followed the first party toward the big -stairway, moving stealthily and speaking only in whispered tones lest -the men ahead discover them. - -“Have you all been lying awake all this time?” Burton inquired after the -last man of the second party had appeared. - -“Yes,” replied Watson. “I overheard something that gave away the whole -plot.” - -“What’re they planning to do?—take the Eskimos’ dogs from them?” - -“Yes—and more. They want to feed our two arctic friends to the fishes -and take possession of their cave.” - -“And there’s going to be a fight,” said Guy apprehensively. - -“Perhaps. But maybe it won’t be necessary. The Eskimos have been warned. -The Iceberglars may step into a trap.” - -“‘Iceberglars’ is good,” laughed Glennon. - -The men ahead were out of sight soon after the other party left the -cave. View of them was shut off by a high “banister” of ice between the -lower area and the big stairway. Presently the secret service operative -and his followers rounded the end of this “banister” and could see dimly -the forms of the invaders half-way to the top. - -As rapidly as possible, those in the rear moved up the ascent and down -the other side. There was little danger of their being discovered now, -so, they climbed and descended with all the speed consistent with -safety. - -The men of evil intentions continued their advance, thoughtless of -pursuit. They reached the foot of the descent, where their movements -were less distinct, as they had arrived at a veritable pocket in the ice -with a comparatively narrow opening to sea ward. - -“They haven’t got any weapons, have they?” Guy inquired. - -“They’ve got clubs they picked out of the wreckage of the raft and -probably every one of them has a pocketknife,” Carl replied. “See?—We’ve -got clubs too.” - -“They had their clubs hidden at the foot of the stairs on the other -side,” Watson explained. “There may be a big fight pretty soon. You -better get back in the rear, Guy, as you haven’t any weapon.” - -The latter was no coward, but he could not deny that this was good -advice. So he decided to keep in the background, but to watch for an -opportunity to assist his friends. - -Watson, however, had planned to avoid a serious encounter. This feature -of his plan he had not revealed, as he did not wish any half-hearted -assistants. He knew that he could expect his men to act like real -soldiers if they enlisted with the expectation of a severe hand-to-hand -struggle. Twenty or thirty feet from the lower landing, he halted and -held out both hands as a signal for those behind to do likewise. It -appeared that the invaders were holding a council of war. - -Presently, however, activity was observed at the entrance of the Eskimo -cave, and Watson knew it was time for him to play his trump card. Guy -saw him make a sudden move with his right hand, which was followed -instantly by an explosion. He had fired a pistol in the air. - -The astonishment of the party below although of different character, -could hardly have been much greater than that of Watson’s companions. -Immediately after the discharge of the firearm, the two Eskimos appeared -at the entrance of the cave, holding the dogs in leash. The latter -howled fiercely and tugged hard to break loose. Apparently it was all -the Greenlanders could do to keep them from the intruders. The latter -were dumfounded. A quick look back and upward and another at the dogs -and the two skin-clad figures from the far north were enough to convince -each of them that further hostile movements on their part would be -dangerous. - -So they decided on a change of front. Gunseyt, who had been leader of -this move, took it on himself to “explain” the situation. Turning to the -party on the stairway, he called out in “squeak-roar” tones: - -“What’s the matter up there? Have you men turned renegade, and are you -fighting against your own race? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” - -“About the only thing on this iceberg that we’re ashamed of is you,” -Watson retorted. “We don’t want to waste any time on you either. Just -make a good resolution, now, and trot right back to your own dooryard or -we’ll instruct the Eskimos to let their dogs loose.” - -“We just came over to have a friendly visit with these Eskimos,” -declared Gunseyt, with well assumed indignation. “It’s true we were -going to ask them for some favors, but everything was to be friendly on -our part.” - -“I might ask you what you were going to do with those clubs in your -hands, but I won’t,” Watson retorted. “I know already.” - -“All right. If you know so much, there’s no use arguing with you. But we -don’t consider that we’re responsible to you for any of our actions, Mr. -Watson, and, what’s more, we don’t propose to be dictated to by you. But -I’ll say for the benefit of the others of your party that we brought -these clubs to protect ourselves against the dogs if they should become -ugly, and it seems the precaution was taken very wisely.” - -“Never mind explaining to anybody, but do as I tell you,” Watson -ordered. “I overheard your conversation with Everleigh and Little. You -go back to our side, and we’ll have a settlement of this matter -tomorrow. As for you three sailors, take my advice and don’t mix any -more than you have to with those other fellows. They’re a bad set.” - -The six invaders obeyed sullenly, retiring to the other side of the -iceberg and into the cave. They were not forced to give up their clubs, -as Watson and the professor wished to avoid any move they might be -unable to carry to success without bloodshed. However, the defenders of -the Eskimos held a conference outside after the others had disappeared. - -“We ought to have a sentinel stationed out here the rest of the night,” -Prof. Anderson suggested. “It isn’t safe to give those fellows a chance -to get the upper hand. There’s no telling what they might do.” - -“I wonder if the sailors will stick with these rascals after this,” said -a Bostonian named Hammond. - -“They’re a pretty sullen sort, and I don’t think you can expect much -civilization in them,” replied Watson. - -“Who are Everleigh and Little?” Carl inquired. “Do you know anything -about them? I hadn’t heard their names mentioned before.” - -“They’re a couple of crooks, professional gamblers, ocean card sharks, -living on steamers most of the time, playing with rich easy marks.” - -“Is Gunseyt a crook?” asked Guy. - -“Sure; he’s one of the worst—plays for big game, but not much with -cards.” - -Guy would have liked to inquire further regarding the “man with the -changeable voice,” but decided that it was not best to do so at present. -He concluded it was best to wait for an opportunity to speak alone with -Watson on the matter. - -“We’ve got to do something to protect the women here,” observed the -professor presently. “Two of them are ill already, and some of us men -are going to prove weaker than the others pretty soon. We mustn’t let -the strong override the weak, and we’ve got to conserve our resources.” - -“Let’s call a meeting in the morning and discuss the situation,” Watson -proposed. “I would suggest that nothing be said at that meeting about -what occurred tonight. Those rascals ought to be watched, but we must -not do anything to divide us into two hostile factions. We’ll appeal to -the men as men and ask for a vote on any proposed measure.” - -“That’s a good idea,” commended Prof. Anderson. - -“But the immediate question is, who is going to do sentinel duty from -now until daybreak?” Watson continued. “I’m willing to for one. Who’ll -stay out here with me to keep me from getting lonesome?” - -“I will,” Guy volunteered eagerly. - -Nobody objected to his usurping the privilege, and so it was thus -agreed. The other men accordingly reentered the cave, while Guy and -Watson began to pace up and down the area to keep warm. - -The boy had several reasons for wishing to watch with his interesting -friend. The episode just closed had put a new complexion on affairs. He -wished to have a long talk with Watson. He had numerous questions to -ask. Moreover, he felt that he would not be able to sleep now, and he -believed that he could pass a more comfortable night pacing the ice with -some one who could converse sympathetically with him. - -“Mr. Watson,” he began; “I’d like to ask you some questions.” - -“Fire away,” replied the other sentinel. “What’s on your mind?” - -“I don’t know just how to open it, but I guess I may as well be blunt. -The truth is, you’re a mystery to me. A few days ago, you know, I -thought you were a bad egg. But I’ve had good reason to change my mind. -Still, you’re a mystery, and you’ll continue to be one until you’ve told -me who you are.” - -“You’ll have to explain what you mean,” replied Watson quizzically. -“There are many ways I might tell you who I am. I might begin by telling -you my name; but you know that already, don’t you?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because you haven’t assured me that Watson is your right name. Is it?” - -“No.” - -“So far so good. Now, am I too inquisitive if I ask you what your -business is?” - -“I’m what is commonly known as a detective, but my more dignified title -is secret service operative.” - -“I thought so.” - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - “Jump as Far as You Can!” - - -“You’re a pretty smart boy,” said Watson appreciatively. “But I’m not -half so much interested in how and where you got your information as I -am in the question as to what bearing it has on conditions here.” - -“That’s easily explained,” replied Burton. “You’re the leader here. -Nearly everybody looks to you for advice. At first I thought you were a -bad actor; then I changed my opinion, but still you puzzled me. You’re -such an important person here, I wanted every doubt removed.” - -“Who told you I was a detective?” - -“I don’t know. Glennon and I overheard a conversation between two men on -the steamer. They didn’t know anybody was near, and we couldn’t see -them.” - -“One of these men was Gunseyt, wasn’t he?” inquired the operative. - -“How do you know?” - -“I don’t know; I’m asking you. And I might ask you the same question -that you asked me: How do you know?” - -“I could tell his voice, or I’ve identified it since.” - -“I thought so. Now, I’m not going to tell you how I know it, but the -other fellow was either Everleigh or Little.” - -“I shouldn’t be surprised if he was,” said Guy. “But I never would have -guessed it.” - -“It isn’t entirely a guess on my part,” assured Watson. “I have some -knowledge on the subject.” - -“Who is this fellow Gunseyt?” - -“I could tell you some interesting things about him, but not at present. -Just to ease your mind a bit, however, I’ll inform you that I took -passage on the steamer to watch him in particular and certain others -incidentally. If we ever get off this iceberg, I’m going to land him in -jail. That’s all I can say about him at present. Regarding myself, I -might tell you my true name, but I prefer to be known as Watson for the -time being and avoid complications.” - -Guy was well pleased with the interview. He felt on easier terms with -the operative now. The latter’s frankness, coupled with an unmistakable -professional shrewdness, inspired confidence and respect. - -The two paced around most of the time to keep their feet warm. Meanwhile -they suffered much from hunger, realizing that a lack of sufficient food -was rapidly telling on their ability to stand the exposure. This -inspired Guy with a suggestion that they utilize their time to double -advantage by fishing. - -“You’ve often heard that fish bite better at night than in the daytime,” -he said. “Let’s set the lines and see if we can’t surprise the others -with a big catch in the morning.” - -“That’s a good idea,” agreed the other sentinel. “Do you know, I believe -that very suggestion is going to prove our salvation.” - -Watson “made a dive” for the niche in which the fishing tackle had been -pocketed, and soon returned with the four lines and a small piece of dog -meat. In a few minutes they had baited the hooks and sunk them into the -water, fastening the other ends of the lines to large “boulders” or -projections of ice. - -Scarcely were all the lines set, it seemed, when a fierce tugging was -observed at one of them; then, a moment later, at another. Eagerly they -tried the first one and had all they could do to pull in a magnificent -herring. The other held a smaller fellow of the same kind. - -But this was not all. The second fish was hardly dragged back on the ice -when a violent jerking was observed on another line, and then on the -fourth. Their luck continued thus for an hour or more until they found -themselves almost exhausted with hard work in a weakened physical -condition. Then Guy counted their catch, and found they had twenty-six -magnificent fellows, principally cod. At first it seemed that there was -a school of king herring near the iceberg, but after half an hour’s -fishing, only cod took the hooks. - -Two happier persons than these ocean anglers could hardly have been -found anywhere. They forgot the other dangers that threatened them, for -the immediate problem of life on the iceberg had been solved. - -They continued to sink their baited lines with gratifying success until -after midnight. Then their bait gave out, and they cut a small herring -into bits and used these on the hooks. It is proverbial that codfish -will swallow almost anything, even rivaling in this respect the goat of -tin-can fame; and they surely lived up to their reputation so far as the -herring bait was concerned. - -As an experiment, Guy put a piece of serrated backbone on one of the -hooks and a “great-big” cod promptly swallowed it. - -They were undisturbed in their occupation. The would-be invaders of the -Eskimo camp did not reappear. Apparently they had decided that another -attempt would prove as futile as the first and gave it up as a bad job. -In the early hours of the morning the fish did not bite so eagerly, but -Guy and Watson angled until daybreak, resolving not to be satisfied with -any degree of success as long as there was hope for more. - -After daybreak, when most of the ice cave lodgers had appeared, another -count was made, and it was found that they had sixty-nine as fine fish -as any sportsman could wish to catch. The delight of the hungry -castaways would be hard to describe. They almost went wild over the -display of finny food. They overwhelmed the two fishers with -congratulations and could hardly wait for the cooking of their -breakfast. - -That was a joyful repast. It put new life into everyone. Those who had -shown signs of serious illness seemed to revive, and the general air of -cheerfulness was remarkable. Even Gunseyt and his “pals” took a more -“possible” and optimistic view of things. - -After breakfast, Watson, Prof. Anderson, Burton and Glennon went over to -the Eskimo camp to announce their success and to offer them a share of -the catch. But the Greenlanders had not been asleep to the opportunity. -They also had discovered the school and had caught a supply greater than -their needs for as long a time as the iceberg could remain habitable. - -The fish continued to bite fairly well during the day and by nightfall -the number “in cold storage” was seventy-five, after everybody had had -as much as he could eat. Early in the day the professor declared that if -the temperature would only remain below freezing and the iceberg did not -drift into warm water, there was little reason why they could not live -on their floating island for several days yet. This must mean that they -surely would be rescued. - -But these apprehended possibilities were just what happened. On the -afternoon following the big catch they did drift into warmer water and -the temperature did rise. Tiny streams were soon running down the sides -of the mountain of ice. Everybody was alive to the peril and the lookout -for vessels was maintained more keenly and nervously. Three ships were -sighted, and frantic efforts were made to attract attention, but without -happy result. Only one vessel approached within five miles of the -iceberg, and that was a liner, which plowed past as grandly as if it -disdained even to take notice of so insignificant a thing as a mass of -ice half a mile long and several hundred feet high in places. - -“They’d never see us unless someone aboard happened to be looking this -way with glasses,” observed Glennon. “I’m afraid our chances are pretty -slim.” - -And to make matters worse, on the next day the temperature rose still -higher and the water became still warmer. Watson and Guy slept a few -hours that day and on the succeeding night they took up their watch with -set lines again. They caught thirty fish; but the atmosphere became -scarcely any cooler before sunrise, a fact that made it seem foolish to -angle for more than were needed for a very few meals. - -“This means we’ve got to attract somebody’s attention mighty quick,” -Watson declared as day was breaking. “No doubt the water has already -undermined this berg to a dangerous extent and a little more will finish -the business.” - -The operative was not given to making forecasts of trouble unless there -was imminent danger ahead. But Guy resolved as on several other -occasions not to become panic stricken. They still possessed their life -jackets, and in a mild atmosphere and temperate sea, they could hope -still to live some hours. - -Although it did not become as warm that day as had been anticipated, -they all put on their life jackets and continued to wear them. The women -who had been ill showed signs of physical improvement, and the men by -virtue of plenty to eat, retained most of their normal strength. This -was a fortunate condition of affairs, as it was hardly to be expected -that so many persons could withstand such exposure so successfully. - -On the next night a watch was kept for a different reason from that -which inspired the first. The fear that Gunseyt would attempt another -invasion of the Eskimo quarters had vanished. No one any longer had -appetite for dog steak inasmuch as plenty of fish was on hand. But there -was imminent danger of the iceberg’s breaking in numerous places, and it -was deemed wise to be constantly on the alert lest the occupants of the -cave be drowned there like rats in a trap. - -All day a strong north wind had blown, driving the mass of ice as well -as many others in the neighborhood, rapidly southward. In the night the -wind grew stronger and the waves higher. Every now and then could be -heard the splash of tons of ice breaking off and plunging into the sea. -But the equilibrium of the berg was not disturbed, and morning dawned, -with the inhabitants of the ice-island still safe. - -As the day advanced the temperature continued to rise, the ice melted -more and more, and greater pieces fell and more thunderous splashes were -heard. However, the stairway in the ice was not seriously impaired, so -that they were able to maintain their lofty lookout without interruption -or inconvenience. - -Three or four miles off to the northwest they saw and heard the breaking -up of an iceberg half the size of the one on which they had taken -refuge. It seemed to split in two right in the middle, while the reports -of its explosion sounded like a naval battle. Occasional inspection was -made of the faring of the Eskimos, but they proved as fortunate as the -larger party in escaping injury from the falling ice. Meanwhile the -fishing continued with fairly good success, so that the food question -gave them only secondary concern. - -About noon of their fourth day on the iceberg it was decided that the -cave must be abandoned, and those who were inside were called out and -warned against returning. The discussion convinced them also that they -must leave the “shore” area and climb to a loftier position, as the -falling ice rendered the “beach” a place of much danger. Several huge -pieces had struck so near to some of the men that they narrowly escaped -serious injury or death. - -Accordingly the entire party sought greater safety on the upper landing -of the big stairway. Their fish, of which they had nearly a hundred, -were removed to this spot, also such fuel as they had been able to -conserve from all sources. - -The camp of the Eskimos seemed to be fairly safe, for there were no -great overhanging projections threatening to fall and crush them. Over -the entrance of the other “grotto,” however, there was a huge bluff, or -“forehead,” that frowned threateningly, and it was principally to escape -this, when it should fall, that the migration aloft was made. - -An hour after they moved upward, the “forehead” fell with a ponderous -crash. Hundreds of tons of ice were let loose, and so great was the mass -and the gap left in its place, that Guy expected the berg to shift its -center of gravity and roll over at once. He braced himself for the -expected, but the expected did not come. The area and the front of the -cave itself were demolished. - -The women did not scream. Their recent experience had almost deprived -them of acute sensibility. No one suffered from cold now; but 50 degrees -below zero could hardly have made them more numb than did the seeming -certainty of their fate. - -The question of the advisability of their taking to the water at once, -with their life jackets around them, was discussed, but nobody argued -strongly in favor of the proposition. Such a move, all were agreed, must -be a last resort for the preservation of their lives. In the water the -chance of their being spied and picked up by a passing vessel must be -very small. From a high point on the iceberg they could keep a much -better lookout and also fly a flag of distress. This they decided was -their best hope, although now desperately slim. - -Of course they realized that there was grave danger of their being -dragged under the iceberg when it rolled over, or of meeting even a more -terrible fate if caught in the violence of an explosion of the ice. -However, they decided that they could guard against such danger only -with the most cautious watchfulness. Fortunately, on either side of the -elevation on which they stood was a rough irregular ridge of ice, which -would afford an excellent foothold by means of which they could keep -from slipping off until the iceberg had tipped to an angle of 45 degrees -or more from the perpendicular. - -For an hour after moving to the head of the stairway, they stood and -watched and listened to the exploding and crashing of the ice. Meanwhile -the Eskimos, realizing the impending danger, joined them. Finally Watson -observed a slight northward listing of the mass. “It’s coming,” he said -to himself. Others observed the ominous change, and only the appearance -of an unexpected hope averted a panic. - -This hope consisted of a tiny speck on the surface of the ocean several -miles to the northeast. One of the women was first to see it, and with -an hysterical cry she pointed toward the object. - -“It’s a boat,” said one of the seamen after gazing eagerly for a minute -or two. “But what’s she doing way out here. She can’t be more’n sixty or -seventy feet long.” - -Nevertheless, even so small a vessel was a Godsend to the hope-forsaken -castaways. Oh, if they could only attract her attention! - -They shouted, they screamed, they pulled off their coats and waved them -frantically. Two of the men started a fire with some driftwood, raft -decking and fish bones that had been preserved for just such purpose as -this. For twenty minutes or more they were held in an agony of -uncertainty, while the iceberg tipped almost to an unsafe angle. Then -the thrill of hope grew stronger and stronger as they saw and realized -that the boat was headed directly toward them. Nearer and nearer it -came. Now it was so near that the forms of persons on board could be -distinguished. A little nearer, and yes, they had seen the castaways and -were signaling to them. - -The upper landing of the icy stairway was now a scene of the wildest -joy. Men hugged each other and wept. Indeed, the women were not more -hysterical than their male companions. But while the boat was about half -a mile distant and the castaways were almost reaching out to be received -in the arms of friends, the long expected climax came. - -The breaking of the ice had continued with frequent splittings and -splashes, but these noises were almost unnoticed after the purpose of -the rescuers had been determined. Guy was one of the few quieter ones. -But there was a singular reason for his silence. He was gazing intently -at the little vessel, wondering, doubting his sense of vision—yes, no, -yes—could it be possible? - -Just as he was about to give vent to a new shout of joy, a cry of -another kind from one of the women checked its utterance. The cause -needed no explaining. It was immediately evident. At last the floating -island was slowly rolling over. - -“Everybody jump out as far as possible before we slip off,” shouted -Watson. - -Guy saw the operative instructing one of the women how to leap. The -professor instructed another. Everybody tried to keep his balance as -long as possible. It was a mighty turning of a mighty mass and took some -little time. Now it seemed impossible longer to keep from slipping. - -“Keep your heads and jump far out,” shouted Watson. “Now, jump.” - -How many made the leap successfully, Guy could not see. The next moment -he was in the water, while a terrific Niagara of noise filled his ears. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - Searching the Sea - - -The Jetta was built for both speed and rough weather. She was fifty feet -long, and her other proportions carried with them lines of beauty and -grace, as well as “a good pair of heels.” She had a six-cylinder, -200-horse power gasoline engine, capable of driving the yacht, on a -smooth sea, at the rate of 22 miles an hour. - -Architecturally the little vessel was designed with a view to practical -use of all the space within her. Just back of the fore peak was the -galley, with sink, ice box, cooking stove, and various other “food -factory” accessories and conveniences. Abaft this layout was a large -cabin, with Pullman berths on either side. Amidships were two -staterooms, with lockers and berths, and back of these was the engine -room, flanked by two large fuel tanks and locker batteries. Overhead was -a large well-glazed deck house, connecting directly with the galley and -serving conveniently as a combined observation cabin and dining saloon. -A forward portion of the deck house was partitioned off for the pilot -and contained steering wheel, engine controls, chart case, log, ship’s -clock, thermometers, barometer, compass and sextant. - -There was little conversation on board the Jetta for several hours -following her midnight departure. After getting her started and seeing -that all was running well, Walter turned the engine over to Tony and -returned to his wireless instruments. There, with receivers to his ears, -he waited eagerly for new messages regarding the wrecked steamer and her -passengers. Occasionally he would call down through the speaking tube to -find out if everything was going well in the engine room, and Tony would -always inquire if he had caught any new messages of importance. Finally -Walter, in reply to one of these questions, revealed his hopeful secret -by remarking casually: - -“Nothing new of much importance. There’s a steamer hurrying to the -rescue, but she’s over a hundred miles away from the Herculanea, and -it’ll take her several hours to reach the wreck. By that time it’ll be -all over, and all they can do is pick up the boats.” - -“It’ll take us two days and one night at least to reach the wreck,” said -Tony. “What do you expect to find then?” - -“To tell the truth, I don’t really expect to find anything. But I’m -going to search the sea all around, and if we’re unsuccessful, we’ll at -least have the satisfaction of knowing we did our best.” - -But Walter did not tell Tony all that was in his mind. He had a great -fear that he would find a number of rafts supporting the bodies of many -passengers who had succumbed to starvation and exposure, and that two of -them would prove to be his mother’s and Guy’s. He preferred, however, to -keep this fear to himself, for he knew that neither Tony nor Det could -offer him any reassurance. - -The wireless information regarding the Herculanea was too clear and -definite to allow of much doubt. The operator had said that a great hole -had been blown by some mysterious explosion in the forward part of the -ship and that she was rapidly filling and going down. At first it was -believed that she had struck an iceberg, as the Titanic had done, but -investigation proved this impossible and indicated almost beyond -question that a floating contact mine had caused the disaster. - -During the night the Jetta kept well out from the shore in order to -avoid running onto rocks. True, there was a strong head-light in the -bow, but Det did not wish to depend on this and his limited knowledge of -the coast to carry them on safely. In the daytime they continued along -in sight of the shore until they reached Halifax, where they stopped for -gasoline and some additional provisions. They also inquired for news -regarding the Herculanea and were astonished at the ignorance of -everybody to whom they spoke on the subject. Walter bought a copy of -every newspaper he could find but not a line did any of them contain -concerning the wreck. Deeply mystified, he returned to the yacht. - -From Halifax they proceeded northward and in a few hours were out of -sight of land. Shortly before noon Walter caught several messages from -the rescue ship, which had reached the scene of the disaster, picked up -several boats and rafts loaded with passengers and was making for New -York. This was good news in itself, but was accompanied with the -announcement that a considerable number of the passengers and crew had -perished. - -Then followed a long succession of messages from the rescued to -relatives and friends ashore. Walter listened eagerly to these, hoping -to catch one from his mother and brother. For half an hour he suffered -the keenest of hoping and despairing suspense: then came the following, -addressed to Mr. Burton: - -“Mrs. Burton safe. Guy missing.” - -A great thrill of joy leaped into Walter’s heart and mind as he read the -first three words of this message; then the reaction of the last two -words depressed him almost as violently. What had become of his brother? -The message gave no hint. How he longed to be able to flash back a -message to his mother that he was racing over the sea to search for Guy! - -After leaving Halifax, no more land was sighted on the outward course. -Fortunately the sea was not very rough any of the time. On the second -night a rather stiff breeze blew from the north, but the waves did not -rise very high, and the progress of the Jetta was little impeded. Next -day and the following night the wind blew still stronger, but the yacht -still rode jauntily over the swell of the ocean. - -On the second day they reached, as they believed, the vicinity of the -disaster, but darkness gathered before they could make any headway with -their search. Then they arranged to pass the night in much needed rest -and sleep. Det had the first watch, Tony the second, and Walter the -third. Before daybreak Walter prepared breakfast and then called his -companions. By the time they had eaten, it was light enough to begin -their hunt for survivors of the wreck. - -From one of the lockers in the cabin, Walter produced a pair of strong -binoculars, and with these he swept the ocean in all directions, but -found nothing of interest. There was a little ice here and there, but no -icebergs were discovered. Then Det made calculations again and decided -that they ought to proceed thirty miles to the southeast in order to -reach the exact latitude and longitude specified by the Herculanea -operator. - -The course of the Jetta was accordingly set in that direction. On -account of the increasing amount of ice, it was deemed safest to run at -a moderate rate of speed so that three hours elapsed before the old -sailor announced that they had reached approximately the locality sought -for. Meanwhile Walter continued to sweep the sea with the glasses and -discovered a large iceberg off to the southwest and several smaller ones -to the east and northeast. - -“That’s a whopper off there,” declared Det, as he gazed through the -glasses at the largest one. “I think we’d better make toward it. The -wireless messages mentioned a big iceberg near the wreck, you say.” - -“Do you think that’s the one?” inquired Tony. - -“More’n likely. You see, the wreck happened about here, and the wind is -from the north. So it couldn’t ’a’ been any of those to the east or -northeast.” - -“But what’s the use following the iceberg?” Tony asked. “The wind -wouldn’t blow them in that direction unless they had a sail.” - -“That’s true; but what’s to have prevented them from rigging up a sail? -Anyway, it’s the most likely direction for them to take as it’s toward -home. I’ve got an idea that if we find anybody at all, we’ll find ’em on -the other side o’ that berg.” - -The element of doubt in Det’s words, made Walter gloomy. The vision of -so much sea with nothing else in sight but ice and icebergs and a -birdless sky rendered him the more susceptible of hopelessness. - -“If we find anything—” he began, and then stopped. He had had in mind to -conclude the sentence, “it’ll be dead bodies,” but a lump came up in his -throat, and he could go no further. - -And before they had proceeded much farther, his fear was realized. -Presently Walter’s glasses brought to his vision numerous small dark -objects on the water, and in less than half an hour they were moving -among half a hundred human bodies buoyed up with life jackets. - -There was little conversation now on board the Jetta. Tony, utterly -discouraged, remained in the engine room most of the time. Walter and -Det looked at each other with dull, heavy eyes. Must they examine all -those bodies, or many of them, until they discovered the one whom they -had come to rescue? - -“I can’t do it,” was all that Walter could say. “Let’s hunt farther, go -around to the other side of that iceberg and then come back here -if—if—we have to.” - -Det’s only reply was a reduction of speed. Then he looked ahead -carefully to avoid striking any of the floating bodies. Pretty soon -Walter observed a small raft—the only raft in sight—a hundred feet -distant, with two bodies lying on it. The face of one was toward him, -and a chill of dread seized him as he recognized, or thought he -recognized, the features. - -He signaled his suspicion to Det, who nodded his head. The yacht ran -close to the raft and stopped, and Tony rushed on deck to see what had -happened. Walter leaned over the rail and gazed at the face. Then he -straightened up and announced with evident relief: - -“That isn’t Guy.” - -Det and Tony also agreed that the body of the young man on the raft was -not that of their missing friend. But it was of about the same size, and -the facial contour, though not the features, was similar to that of -Walter’s brother. - -Det put on full speed again. The run around the berg was uneventful, -except that it revealed to them, far to the southward, another and far -greater mountain of ice, which they had not observed before. Walter -scanned the sea as far as his glasses would reach, south, east, and -west, but without fruitful result. Then he said: - -“We’ve got just about enough time to go back and examine those bodies -before dark. Let’s do that and in the morning start toward home, running -farther to the south than we ran on our way here.” - -Just as they were about to start back for the sea-surface graveyard, -Tony reported trouble with the engine, and Walter and Det made an -investigation. The engine was spitting and coughing and behaved as if -something was choking it. An examination of the carburetor disclosed -that the latter was flooding and considerable gas was being wasted. - -Walter turned off the petcock on the feed line and then set to work to -find out what was the cause of the flooding. He removed the carburetor -and took it apart. Then he and Det looked over each part carefully to -discover if there was any dirt or other interference preventing the -closing of the needle valve. No trouble of this nature was disclosed. -Walter then substituted a new needle valve, reassembled the carburetor, -and put it back in position. As he turned on the gasoline, everything -seemed to be O K; so he started the engine, but half a minute later it -choked again. - -In this manner they worked over the engine several hours, taking the -carburetor apart half a dozen times. The last time they discovered the -real cause of the trouble, which consisted of several metal filings in -the hole in which the needle valve was intended to fit. - -All this consumed much precious time, and when at last they had the -engine apparently in good working order again, it was dark; so they -decided to defer the examination of the bodies of the shipwreck victims -until morning. After supper they arranged watches and prepared to pass -the night as comfortably as might be under the circumstances. - -Although the boy skipper instructed his companions to call him for the -last watch, they did not obey his command. After he had turned in, they -altered the program, dividing the night into two watches, one for each. -They knew that Walter was in need of mental and physical rest and -determined that he should have it in spite of himself. And so the latter -was much surprised, though refreshed, when he was awakened at daybreak -with the announcement that breakfast was ready. - -After breakfast it was discovered that more work was needed on the -engine. Several of the spark plugs were dirty, and the oil had thickened -in the commutator, resulting in poor contact between the roller and the -points. Hence, the sun was several hours high before they got back to -the area of floating bodies. - -The examination of these bodies consumed more than an hour, and the -relief of all may be realized as a look into the face of the last -established the fact that Guy was not among them. - -“I might have known we wouldn’t find him here,” Walter declared. “Guy’s -not the boy to die without making a mighty big effort to save himself, -and I bet we’ll find him yet—alive.” - -“There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about,” Tony remarked; “and that -is why there isn’t a regular regiment of sharks here devouring these -bodies.” - -But he had hardly spoken when he wished he had not given utterance to -the thought. A pained expression on Walter’s face indicated plainly the -suggestion that was moving in his mind. Perhaps a number of sharks -already had been there and departed and Guy’s body was one of those that -had been devoured, or possibly he had been eaten alive! - -Det offered no expert explanation of Tony’s “wonder.” He felt that the -subject had better be dropped; so he said: - -“Well, now that we’ve finished, let’s go and find Guy floating on a raft -or in a boat.” - -This was a cheerful suggestion, and Walter, with an effort, drove the -shark theory out of his mind. The yacht was turned to the southwest, and -the journey in search of a live brother was begun. They had not -proceeded many boat-lengths, however, when Det stopped again at the side -of the raft on which lay the body which had appeared so much like that -of Guy on the day before. - -“What’s the matter?” Walter inquired apprehensively. - -“Nothing,” replied the old sailor; “only I’m a little curious about that -note book. I saw it there yesterday, but thought it a waste of time to -look into it.” - -As he finished speaking, he stepped over the rail and onto the raft and -took from the rigid left hand of the corpse a small, red-leather-bound -book. Then he stepped back onto the deck of the Jetta and examined the -object of his curiosity. The leather was welted and warped as a result -of wetting. The leaves were celluloid, and there was pencil writing on -them. - -Walter looked over Det’s shoulder as the latter turned the leaves and -read. Tony also stood near and watched the proceeding. Presently he -started forward in wondering eagerness when he saw the young skipper’s -eyes almost pop out of his head with joy. The latter unable longer to -contain his ecstasy, exclaimed: - -“Det! Tony! I know where Guy is. He’s on the big iceberg that was near -the Herculanea when she went down.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - The Rescue - - -Following is the entry in the notebook that aroused Walter’s eagerness -and enthusiasm: - -“My name is Edward Kilcrane. My home is in Richmond, Virginia. - -“After the last two boiler explosions, I jumped into the sea with -hundreds of others. There were several rafts floating about, and I -managed to get on this one with half a dozen other men. We came near -being swamped in the suction when the Herculanea went down. - -“I wasn’t long in discovering I had broken my right leg. It struck -something hard as I hit the water, probably a piece of ice or an edge of -the raft. So I was nearly helpless. Four of the other men also were -injured in some way. Ours was a regular hospital raft. - -“I saw two rafts paddle up to the iceberg and try to find a landing -place. But they didn’t find any, so they moved along the edge and around -the east end and disappeared. I hope they landed on the other side. We -would have followed them, only we couldn’t. The oars that belonged to -our raft had been torn off when it was tossed overboard probably. Anyway -they were gone. I heard a man on one of the rafts suggest that they land -on the ice and try to dry their clothes and keep warm by running -around. - -“There isn’t much more to tell. My fingers are getting so numb I can’t -write much more anyway. Two men on this raft got discouraged and slid -off and drowned themselves. I think another will follow soon. - -“There’s $200 in my inside coat pocket. Send it to my mother, Mrs. Helen -Kilcrane, Richmond, Virginia. - -“I’ll have to quit.” - -The last few lines were almost illegible. No doubt an icy paralysis was -gripping the young man as he wrote. His difficulty became more and more -evident as he neared the end. - -“Yes, the chances looked good for finding Guy on the iceberg,” said Tony -as he finished reading. “But why didn’t we see them when we sailed -around it?” - -“I don’t believe that’s the iceberg they landed on,” replied Walter. “I -believe it’s the one farther on.” - -“I’ve been thinking that way myself,” Det interposed. “I believe that -farthest one is the one near which the Herculanea sunk.” - -“Let’s make a run for it as fast as we can,” proposed Walter. - -“I’m agreeable,” said Det. “But first let’s get that money in this man’s -pocket so’s we can send it to ’is mother. I think he deserves that much -attention, don’t you, for giving us this valuable tip.” - -“He certainly does,” Walter admitted. Then as if in apology for his -thoughtlessness, he stepped down onto the raft and began a search for -the money. He soon drew out a long bill book, opened it, and found -several bills of large denomination. Then he returned aboard. - -There being no occasion for further delay, the Jetta was started again, -and soon she was running full speed to the southwest. In order to make -certain regarding the possibility of there being any of the shipwrecked -party on the first iceberg, the yacht was run around it, but no sign of -life was discovered. Indeed, there appeared to be no place on which a -man could have found footing near the water line. Then they dashed on -toward the farther berg at full speed, as the intervening sea was -comparatively free of ice. - -“That ice is melting very fast,” observed Walter as the yacht bounded -along, cutting through the crests of the waves in a manner that -indicated much power and much gasoline explosion. “It’s lucky we’re no -later, for in a few days more there mightn’t be much left for them to -stand on.” - -Walter had rather an unscientific conception of icebergs, and perhaps it -was fortunate for his peace of mind that such was the case. He knew -nothing of the manner in which a mountain of frozen water goes to -pieces, or he would have realized that danger is imminent at any time to -a person cast away on one. Det, however, knew all about this; he was -familiar with the shifting of the center of gravity, caused principally -by the rapid melting under the water line, and of the possibility that -the great mass would roll over any minute. But he said nothing of this -danger, hoping only that fortune would not prove so cruel as to place -success seemingly within their grasp and then snatch it tantalizingly -away. - -That the iceberg ahead was a gigantic affair was evident at first view. -It was nearly an hour’s run from the one first visited. Five hundred -feet high in places and half a mile long, it presented an imposing -appearance miles distant. - -Walter soon trained his binoculars on it, and in a short time he had -found signs of life. Eagerly he announced this discovery, and Det -snatched the glasses from him and made a careful inspection. Yes, there -could be no mistake. Tiny objects could be discerned moving about on a -small plateau near one end. Det was certain they were human beings. - -In half an hour the iceberg Crusoes could be distinguished plainly, -also, of course, the fire they had built. - -About this time Det began to realize the imminent danger not only to -those on the iceberg, but to the little yacht itself and its crew, and -he warned his companions of what was likely soon to take place. The -sound of breaking and falling ice grew more and more distinct. Great -spurs and bulky projections, weighing many tons each, broke loose with -cracking, crushing noises and thundered into the water, churning it like -a sea-coast avalanche. And the little yacht must run the risk of being -crushed by one of these masses in order to get close enough to effect a -rescue. - -Walter, Det and Tony have since agreed that fortune really worked -happily not only for most of the endangered castaways, but also for the -safety of the yacht. But before this was realized, the crew of the Jetta -suffered mental tortures that no words can describe. Walter had -discovered Guy among those on the iceberg and had announced this -discovery to his companions. He could almost feel his brother’s arms -around him and hear a sob of joy at their reunion, when he saw the great -mass of ice begin slowly to tip over toward the yacht. - -It was indeed wonderful that most of those perched on the overturning -mass survived the ordeal. But there were several elements favoring their -escape. First, they were standing on the highest point of their section -of the iceberg so that when they leaped into the water there was no -higher projection to reach over and strike them; second, they all wore -life jackets; third, most of them followed the advice and example of -Watson, to leap out as far as possible when the top of the mass rendered -it impossible longer to maintain their foothold. - -Of course Walter’s first thought was of his brother, and he kept his -eyes glued to the spot where he believed he saw Guy strike the water. -The Jetta stopped fifty feet from the berg, where Det surveyed the scene -to determine who was most in need of assistance. - -Nobody appeared to be in danger of sinking, but several were evidently -unconscious. The bravery and thoughtfulness of some of the men was -heroic. The heads of two unconscious men were being held up by two -others who had escaped serious injury. Another man, almost helpless, was -being assisted by one of the women. This man was Professor Anderson, who -in attempting to aid a woman, failed to make the best of his own -“safety-first” opportunities and was knocked almost senseless by -striking the water flat on his left side. The woman who came to his -rescue seemed to have the strength of a man. In her earlier years she -had been an athlete and a swimmer with a record. Her leap from the -iceberg had been one of the most skillful and spectacular of the whole -dramatic scene as viewed from the deck of the Jetta. The woman whom the -professor tried to assist made a floundering leap and was knocked -unconscious. - -Walter soon discovered his brother holding the head of the latter woman -above the water. With a heart full of thankfulness he sent a cry of -cheer to Guy, who was slowly swimming toward the Jetta, dragging his -human burden with him. - -The work of rescue now progressed rapidly. Men and women were pulled and -hoisted over the railing on all sides, and presently the little craft -was thickly populated with dripping, shivering figures, including the -two Eskimos and their dogs. - -The yacht was now converted into a hospital. Three of the men and two of -the women had been killed and their bodies, buoyed with the life -jackets, were taken aboard. Then without further delay, the homeward -journey was begun. - -Det remained at the wheel. Tony performed the duties of galley -superintendent, and Walter assumed the position of head nurse. All of -the surviving women and seven of the men were either severely injured or -on the verge of pneumonia, and it was necessary that they be given the -best of care. - -That night Walter had another opportunity to use the wireless outfit on -the yacht with heroic effect. About nine o’clock the lights of a large -steamer were sighted in the southeast, and the yacht’s course was shaped -to run as near to the big ship as possible. Walter, meanwhile, was busy -with receivers at his ears and hands operating the key and tuning -sliders. He must quit the field of amateur wireless sender for a short -time and invade the commercial wireless world on the high sea. - -Guy stood near his brother, eagerly watching the latter’s every -movement. After a minute or two of critical inspection, he offered a -bold suggestion, one generally held to be a grave violation of -governmental limitation of the rights of radio amateurs: - -“Why don’t you tighten the coupling of your oscillating circuit?” - -Walter looked up at his brother with grim intelligence. - -“I was just thinking of that,” he shouted back. - -Without further delay he did what is often done on board sinking -vessels, what, indeed, was probably done by the operator of the -Herculanea when the latter sent out his calls for help. The effect was -so to reduce the amplitude of the outgoing ether waves that they might -be received over a wide receiving range. - -“He got it!” exclaimed the boy operator. “He’s trying to answer.” - -There was more tuning of wave lengths for a minute or two and finally -Walter got this message to the liner: - -“We are a small yacht with forty survivors of the Herculanea wreck. We -need help. Will you take us on board?” - -Almost immediately came the question: - -“Where are you?” - -“A few miles off your port bow,” Walter answered. - -“Come this way,” was the ship’s next message. “Will answer in a few -minutes.” - -Walter waited three minutes with the receivers at his ears. Then came -the following. - -“Come aboard. We’ll stop for you.” - -It requires something of a sensation to stop a big liner in mid-ocean. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - Taking the “Wireless” Out of “Wireless Shoes” - - -In ten minutes the Jetta was alongside the Atlantic liner, Manhattan, -and an officer descended into the yacht to make an inspection. A glance -satisfied him, and he gave orders for receiving the rescued castaways on -board the steamer. - -The captain invited the crew of the yacht also to accept passage to New -York, promising to take the Jetta in tow. This plan was satisfactory to -Walter and his two companions and was adopted. The dead bodies on the -yacht were then taken aboard and treated with embalming preservatives. - -The Manhattan was due at New York on the second day following. The -rescued castaways were offered every convenience that ingenuity and -generosity could devise. The injured and the ill were given medical -attention, while the others were reinvigorated with hot baths and fresh -clothing, a “swell feed,” according to Glennon and “the most comfortable -staterooms they ever slept in.” - -Walter, Tony, and Det, not being in particular need of revival and -refreshment, were kept busy until late in the night reciting their -accounts of the rescue. And it was not long before they were commonly -pronounced heroes of the first water by the passengers. Particularly was -this honor extended to Walter, for Det and Tony insisted that he be -given all the credit due him. - -“If that boy doesn’t get a Carnegie medal, we ought to blow the whole -board of trustees up with T N T,” declared one large, red-faced, -ungentle gentleman, swelling as if to burst with indignation at the -failure of the hero board to appear magically on the spot and make its -award before anybody else thought about it. - -Next morning those of the rescued iceberg Crusoes who were able to leave -their rooms became objects of further attention, and new features of the -disaster were brought out in reply to more questions. It was not long, -too, before special interest was directed to Guy, for if he and his -mother had not been on the Herculanea, Walter and Tony and Det would not -have made their dash to the rescue, and all these castaways would have -perished. - -Second only to the “wireless twins” as characters of interest in this -midocean drama were the two Eskimos. Tarmik and Emah were dazed with the -wonder of their new surroundings. They had never dreamed of such -richness, such magnificence of nautical architecture and equipment. It -was like being transported from a desert to paradise. Professor -Anderson, who had recovered from his injuries, was pressed into service -as an interpreter, and the two fur-clad Greenlanders were kept busy -answering questions until they exhibited signs of weariness. - -Gunseyt also established a reputation as an interesting story teller. He -added a number of odd touches to the general narrative, thus creating a -demand for his “edition” of the account. But he said nothing about his -attempted invasion of the Eskimo camp, and nobody else saw fit to create -any useless gossip on the subject. Guy listened to him on several -occasions and remarked to his brother about the change in the man’s -voice. When they found an opportunity to converse together without -interruption, Walter asked: - -“Have you any idea why he’s being followed by a detective?” - -“Not the slightest,” answered Guy, “I thought he was crazy just before -the ship went down.” - -“Why—what did he do?” - -Guy described the actions of Gunseyt from the time he appeared at the -Burton stateroom and offered his assistance to the time when he was -observed in solitary retreat on the sinking ship with the “wireless -shoes” and the tennis racket. This account included a short description -and history of the “wireless shoes” and Gunseyt’s strange interest in -them. - -“That’s funny,” said Walter. “No wonder you thought he was crazy. Didn’t -he act queer on the iceberg?” - -“Not exactly, but he proved himself a rascal.” - -Guy then related the attempted invasion of the Eskimo camp with Gunseyt -as leader. - -“Who did that London man tell you to express the ‘wireless shoes’ to?” -asked his brother. - -“A man named Pickett.” - -“Pickett!” exclaimed Walter. “Does he live in New York?” - -“Yes.” - -“And his first name—do you remember it? Was it Stanley?” - -“How did you know?” demanded the astonished Guy. - -“I bet I’ve got a clew to the mystery,” returned Walter eagerly. -“Pickett’s the name of the man who sat behind you and mother on the -train when you left Ferncliffe. Didn’t I tell you his name in one of my -letters?” - -“No, I don’t think you did. I don’t remember it.” - -“I must ’a’ forgotten. I intended to. How about the tennis racket—where -did he get that, do you suppose?” - -“I haven’t any idea, unless—” - -Guy suddenly became deeply thoughtful. - -“Unless what?” his brother asked. - -Guy looked at Walter with a composite expression—doubt, surprise, -wonder, expectancy. - -“Say, Walt, I’m beginning to wake up,” he announced. “There’s something -in this business that looks funnier and funnier the more I think of it. -Gunseyt played tennis on the Herculanea, but he didn’t have a racket of -his own. Anyway, he used one belonging to the ship. But Glennon had one, -and it was given to him by the same man that gave me the shoes. Moreover -it, was a ‘wireless racket’—like the shoes—to put pep in your arm.” - -“No!” exclaimed Walter. - -“Yes,” Guy insisted. “Come on, I’m going to find Carl Glennon and ask -him some questions. We never talked the matter over because we didn’t -suspect anything; at least I didn’t. Now, I’ve got something in my -mind.” - -“So have I,” said Walter; “and everything you say only makes me more -certain of it.” - -The brothers hunted fifteen minutes before they found the young man in a -veranda cafe where several passengers were listening to the story he had -told “forty-’leven times.” Guy interrupted with an apology and informed -the narrator that he wished to speak to him. Glennon excused himself and -walked away with the two Burtons. - -“We’re in a puzzle over that fellow Gunseyt,” began Guy as they took -seats in a farther corner of the room. “We’re satisfied that there’s -something deep in him, and we want to ask you some questions.” - -“Fire away,” said Glennon. “I’m as much interested as you are. In my -opinion he’s a rascal and ought to be jugged.” - -“I wanted to ask you about that tennis racket that Smithers gave you. Do -you know what became of it?” - -“I suppose a mermaid’s got it battin’ codfish balls over a fish net.” - -“But suppose the racket was broken before it went down—what then?” - -“I don’t know what you mean.” - -“Didn’t you see Gunseyt near the elevator just before you and Watson and -I ran out on the open deck?” - -“Was that Gunseyt? I saw a man there.” - -“And didn’t you see him break a racket over his knee?” - -“Yes, I did,” said Glennon, “and I wondered what he was doing that for.” - -“Well,” continued Guy, “now that you know who he was, whose racket do -you suppose he had?” - -“Why? Did he have mine?” - -“That’s my guess. Do you know how he got it?” - -“I saw him near my stateroom when I ran out to see what was the matter. -I left my door open in my hurry, I suppose. I know I didn’t lock it.” - -“That explains it all. Everything’s cleared up to my satisfaction.” - -“But what does all this mean?” inquired the mystified Glennon. “I seem -to have run up against a Chinese puzzle.” - -“It’s as simple as A B C, after my wise brother here gave my sleepy head -a thump and woke me up,” replied Guy. “Mr. Gunseyt is probably a friend -of Mr. Smithers of London.” - -“Yes.” - -“And also of a Mr. Pickett of New York.” - -“I don’t know him.” - -“We’ll tell you more about him later. But he’s also a friend of -Everleigh and Little, as we know positively.” - -“Yes.” - -“And soon after the Herculanea started, Gunseyt made the acquaintance of -you and me.” - -“Yes.” - -“And you and I were acquainted with Mr. Smithers.” - -“Yes.” - -“And Mr. Smithers had given you a wireless tennis racket as a present?” - -“He did.” - -“And me a pair of ‘wireless shoes’ to express to Mr. Pickett at New -York.” - -“Well?” - -“And after it was found that the ship was sinking, Mr. Gunseyt got -possession of your racket and the shoes.” - -“Yes, that’s all very interesting, but still I don’t see the -conclusion,” said Glennon blankly. - -“It’s coming,” assured Guy. “You and I both saw him break the handle off -the racket. I saw something else that I wasn’t sure of at the time. But -now I’m certain of it. He’d torn the heels off the shoes.” - -“You don’t say!” - -“Yes, I do. And there was a detective, Mr. Watson, on his track all this -time.” - -“My goodness!” - -“It’s about time for you to get excited. Here’s something more to excite -you: Let me remind you that Mr. Smithers is a jeweler.” - -Glennon made a pass with one hand before his eyes as if dazed. - -“You don’t mean that Smithers and Gunseyt—” he began with a gasp. - -“Here comes Watson; let’s see what he says about it,” interrupted Guy, -as he signaled the operative to approach. “I bet he’ll say the -‘wireless’ part of those shoes and that racket was a fake. I don’t -believe, anyway, that the electro-magnetic current picked up by a -wireless receiving instrument is strong enough to have any effect in an -induction coil.” - -“I thought there was something funny in that,” Walter remarked. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - The Why of the “Squeak-Roar Voice” - - -“Yes, Gunseyt is a smuggler; so is Smithers and so is Pickett. We’ve -been on their trail a long time, but couldn’t get the goods on them; and -now after they were almost in my grasp, the goods have disappeared.” - -This mournful statement was made by Watson after Guy had presented his -deductions and asked a point-blank question regarding the occupation of -the man with the “funny” voice. - -“They’re smuggling diamonds and Indian rubies into the United States,” -the operative continued; “and they’re big ones at the business. Many of -the gems are stolen, too, and it’s safer to dispose of them in America. -No doubt they’ve brought over several million dollars’ worth, and on -this trip they were using you boys to help them at their game to confuse -the authorities. The heels of those shoes were filled with gems; so was -the handle of the tennis racket.” - -“One thing I don’t understand,” said Glennon, “is why Smithers should -have made me a present of that racket. Why didn’t he give it to me to -give to Pickett the same as he planned to get the shoes into Pickett’s -hands.” - -“I never try to explain positively the working of a criminal’s mind,” -replied Watson. “But you can often make a pretty safe guess at it after -you’ve been studying them a while. The smartest of ’em make the most -ridiculous mistakes and go to the silliest extremes sometimes to avoid -detection.” - -“And how did Gunseyt expect to get possession of the diamonds again,” -was Glennon’s next question. - -“Oh, there were a hundred ways of doing that. He could have stopped at a -hotel near your home, kept up an acquaintance with you, borrowed the -racket, and returned it minus the stones.” - -“There’s one thing I’d like to find out,” said Guy; “and that is, what -caused the change in his voice?” - -“You’d think,” said Glennon, who was something of a musician, “that some -mischief had got busy in his voice box and tangled the bass and treble -strings together.” - -“Suppose you ask him,” suggested Watson, addressing Guy. - -“I’m going to ask him the first chance I get, and I’m going to look for -the chance,” announced Guy determinedly. - -Half an hour later Guy found an opportunity to speak with Gunseyt. The -latter was seated alone in a smoking room, and the boy sauntered up and -addressed him familiarly. - -“I suppose you’ll be glad when this voyage is finished,” he said. “It -hasn’t been full of fun all the time.” - -“No, it hasn’t,” replied Gunseyt cheerfully. “But I don’t mind, now that -the hardships are over. It’s been an experience I’ll never forget. And -among the things I won’t forget is the manner in which I was treated on -the iceberg.” - -Guy did not wish to discuss this affair; so he merely remarked that it -was “unfortunate” and continued: - -“I’ve got a question to ask you, Mr. Gunseyt, and I hope you won’t think -it impertinent. It’s caused a good deal of talk and we’re all curious to -know what the answer is.” - -“Fire away,” roared the other with comical explosiveness. “I don’t know -of any question I’m afraid to hear, but I may not answer this one. I’ll -either answer it or tell you it’s none of your business.” The last -sentence was finished with a spasmodic high pitch that sounded uncanny -to the boy, who returned: - -“It isn’t any of my business. I come only as a curiosity seeker.” - -“That’s fair enough. I like frank people. What’s your question?” - -“What caused the change in your voice?” - -“Oh, is that all?” laughed Gunseyt. “I’m glad it’s so easy to answer. -It’s caused by an alteration of the acoustics of my mouth.” - -Guy stared at the man with a puzzled look. He was uncertain whether the -fellow was making fun of him. - -“That’s the truth,” assured the other. “My voice has always been the -discomfort of my life. For years it branded me as a curiosity wherever I -went. I consulted many throat specialists and they informed me that the -trouble rested in the roof of my mouth. That’s what caused the squeak. -An operation, they said, wouldn’t do any good. My voice was otherwise -naturally heavy. - -“Well, one specialist observed that several of my molars had been -extracted and suggested a remedy. He said that a plate could be made to -hold some false teeth and at the same time alter the acoustics of my -mouth in such a manner as to stop the squeak. I consented to the plan, -and the plate was made. It was a success. - -“When I jumped from the wrecked ship, I got my mouth full of sea water -and nearly strangled. While struggling to catch my breath I coughed the -plate out and it sank while my voice rose to a high pitch again. Does -that explain the mystery?” - -“Perfectly,” replied Guy. “Thank you very much. That’s an interesting -story; I’ll tell it to the others and quiet their curiosity.” - -Guy found his brother and Watson and Glennon again and told them of his -interview. - -“That may be a straight story,” said Watson. “I’m glad to get it. But I -wonder he didn’t say that the plate in his mouth was a wireless plate.” - -Walter, Guy, and Glennon laughed at this remark. - -“This is a good time for general explanation of mysteries, isn’t it?” -Guy suggested. “There are several matters I’d like to have you explain, -just for entertainment.” - -“Fire away,” said Watson. “I suppose for one thing you’d like to know -where I got the key to your stateroom door.” - -“Then you were the burglar, after all?” - -“I was that villain,” replied that operative with a smart smile. “I -found the key in the door, and watched my opportunity to enter and -search the room.” - -“Then that was all a bluff you put up when you came to our room and -called me down,” said Guy. - -“Pure and simple. I wanted to see what Gunseyt was doing there.” - -Little of importance occurred during the rest of the voyage. They -arrived at New York early in the morning two days later and were met at -the landing by a throng of men, women and children. Information of the -rescue of most of the castaways on the iceberg had been communicated by -wireless, and the Burton boys found their father and mother among the -foremost in the crowd. - -The scene at the landing was pathetic and thrilling. Not only were many -relatives and friends of the rescued present, but also numerous -relatives and friends of many that perished. Cheers, congratulations, -happy faces, hysterical laughter, and sad tearful eyes and subdued, -hopeless utterances were heard and seen on every hand. Guy and Walter -were hurried to a hotel where their story was listened to eagerly by Mr. -and Mrs. Burton. - -Then came the newspaper ordeal. It was an odd and enigmatical affair. -The reporters were there, at the landing and the hotel, in good numbers; -but they were the most unimaginative, unindustrious congregation of -press representatives that ever assembled with instructions to “soft -pedal” a story. Mr. and Mrs. Burton knew the meaning of their “lazy -manner” and smiled wisely at the disgust of some of the interviewed. - -“What does this all mean?” demanded the big red-faced man, who had -decreed a conditional extermination for the Carnegie medal dispensers -after hearing the story of Walter’s heroism. “Didn’t you cheap, -two-by-four pencil pushers bring photographers along to take pictures of -that wireless hero?” - -The identity of this challenger of the scribes and advance critic of the -hero fund trustees was then revealed for the first time to Walter and -Guy. He was one Amos Wiltshire of Vermont, a business acquaintance of -Mr. Burton’s. His last choleric invective was directed at the “sleepy” -newspaper reporters at the landing, from which place he accompanied the -Burtons to their hotel. There the father of the wireless heroes -explained the situation to Mr. Wiltshire and the boys as follows: - -“You see the government officials felt that the situation was extremely -delicate. There was enough evidence to convince them beyond reasonable -doubt that the Herculanea was sunk by a floating German mine. It looked -as if the mine was planted over here by a German U-boat before we got -into the war, and the authorities were afraid of public wrath if as much -publicity were given this affair as was given the sinking of the -Lusitania. We are still nominally at war with Germany, you see, and many -believe we ought not to have stopped fighting when we did, but have -continued the drive all the way to Berlin. It was feared, at least, that -the treaty negotiations would be seriously interfered with by a -reawakening of public anger. So it was decided to ask all the newspapers -of the country to tone the story down. By common consent, therefore, it -was censored, and every paper limited its space for the affair to a few -sticks of very mildly worded news.” - -As for the two Eskimos, a collection was taken for them among the -iceberg survivors, and they were sent back to Greenland, each with a -large trunkful of fishing tackle and hunting outfit, on a government -vessel patrolling the northern seas. - -Walter, Guy, Tony and Det went home on the Jetta, while Mr. and Mrs. -Burton returned by rail. The water trip required two days, the -intervening night being passed at a Massachusetts port. - -On the night following their arrival at Ferncliffe, the climax of these -adventures of the radio boys was reached. With spirit of romance still -very much alive, they decided to sleep on the yacht. Before turning in, -Walter and Guy sat at the wireless table and talked over their -experiences for several hours. They even caught some messages from -passing ships as Walter had done on a never-to-be-forgotten occasion. Of -course, it was long after boy bed-hours before they were asleep on the -two deck house cots. - -About midnight Guy awoke. What was the cause of his awakening he did not -know, but he soon found reason for keeping his eyes open and his ears -sharply attentive. He heard the sound of a footstep on the deck, and -glancing through the open doorway he saw the form of a man. - -It was moonlight and Guy could distinguish the fellow’s features fairly -well. One look at his face almost caused the boy to cry out with -astonishment. In spite of the fact that the man’s goatee and mustache -had been removed, Guy recognized the countenance of Mr. Gunseyt. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - The Fog Pirate at the Bobstay - - -Suddenly Guy was thrilled with a romantic explanation. The diamonds! But -where? - -Apparently the visitor had no suspicion of the presence of anyone else -on the yacht. He did not look into the place where the boys lay. He -moved straight ahead as if bound for a certain point and disappeared -around the port side of the deck house. - -Guy arose and went to his sleeping brother and shook him gently. Walter -awoke and sat up. - -“Keep still, Walt,” whispered Guy. “There’s somebody on the boat. It’s -Gunseyt.” - -“What!”—also whispered. - -“Yes, it is. I just saw him.” - -“How could you recognize him in the dark?” - -“It’s moonlight, and he’s got ways and actions you couldn’t mistake. -He’s shaved off his mustache and goatee, but I know him anyway.” - -“What does he want here?” - -“The diamonds, I suppose. You know Watson said he’d got rid of them -somewhere at sea.” - -“Hid ’em on this boat?” - -“Must ’ave. Watson was asleep. He ought to ’ave guessed the truth.” - -While this whispered conversation was going on, the boys slipped on -their trousers and were soon ready to move silently out on the deck and -watch the movements of the midnight visitor. They walked around to -starboard of the deck house and to the forward end. Here they stopped. -Mr. Gunseyt was in plain view and busy. He was on his knees at the bow, -pulling up from the water something attached with a small rope to the -bobstay chain. While still engaged in this strange occupation he cast -behind him a look of instinctive watchfulness and saw the boys almost as -soon they saw him. - -With a cry of alarm and rage, the man cut the rope with a knife and -sprang to his feet. That voice was the last needed evidence to remove -any remaining doubt from Guy’s mind as to the fellow’s identity. It was -the voice of the “fog pirate.” - -Gunseyt held in one hand a small package, dripping wet. With the other -hand he drew a pistol. - -The boys now realized that they were in a dangerous position and began -to back away, while the intruder moved toward the wharf. But suddenly -there was a second change in the situation. Another man appeared on the -scene. - -This new arrival also had a pistol. He stepped out of the shadow of the -bluff, pointed his weapon at the smuggler, and commanded: - -“Drop that gun, or I’ll shoot.” - -A great shudder shook Gunseyt. A gasp escaped his lips, and he dropped -his firearm. As it hit the deck the man on the wharf said: - -“Pick up his gun, boys, and stand ready to help if he gets ugly.” - -Walter sprang forward and snatched up the weapon. Then the newcomer -stepped aboard and snapped a pair of “bracelets” on the wrists of -Gunseyt. - -“I’m a secret service man,” he announced as he secured the prisoner. - -“Did Mr. Watson send you?” Guy inquired. - -“Yes.” - -“Why didn’t he come himself?” - -“He’d ’ave been recognized, and there’d ’ave been nothing doing. I -followed this man from New York. Watson couldn’t ’ave done that. By the -way, he told me to tell you his name isn’t Watson. It’s just plain John -Smith.” - -“Our story’s finished,” said Guy quickly, turning to his brother. - -“What story?” the latter inquired blankly. - -“What story, you simp! Why, your story and mine. You’re the chief hero, -and I’m the second. Think of it! Trip to Europe, mysterious man on the -train, Pickett—his confederate in London, Smithers—their agent on the -steamer, Gunseyt—the detective—the wreck—the iceberg—radio—rescue—and -now, the arrest of the leading villain. I’d been wondering if it ’u’d -ever be our luck to have this adventure finished so we could be real -heroes of a novel.” - -“If it’s ever written,” returned Walter dubiously. “And it isn’t quite -finished, too. There are Smithers and Pickett to be arrested. Suppose -they’re never caught.” - -“That doesn’t make a particle of difference,” declared Guy. “The jewels -have been found in the cleverest hiding place—tied to the bobstay—and -the most interesting villain is arrested. How do you like that for a -compliment, Mr. Gunseyt, ‘most interesting villain’?” - -But the smuggler was not in appreciative mood. He only snarled. - -The secret service man introduced himself as Mr. Hunt. Then he made note -of the names of the boys, informed them that they would hear from the -department of justice later, and left with the package of smuggled -treasure in one hand and leading his handcuffed prisoner with the other. - - * * * * * - -Guy spoke truly when he remarked that his and Walter’s story was -finished. There were indeed a few odds and ends of the tangles of -mysteries to be cleared up, but all this required time and did not come -with the rapidity of succeeding melodramatic chapters. Gunseyt was -convicted and sent to a federal prison after several months’ delay. From -some mysterious source he obtained all the money he needed to pay the -expenses of his defense, but Walter and Guy were not much puzzled over -the mystery. Stanley Pickett also was arrested, but was discharged -because of a lack of evidence to convict. However, almost as these words -are being written, there comes announcement that he has been taken into -custody on another similar charge. - -Mr. Smithers is still at large in London, a “respectable jeweler” in -Bond street. Artie Fletcher had something to say regarding the gentleman -in several letters written to Guy, and as one of those letters is of -particular interest at this point, we reproduce it here: - -“Dear Guy—When I got your letter telling of the arrest of those two -smugglers, I just couldn’t rest until I’d sprung it on Smithers. I saw -things differently and a lot of explanations flashed before me like a -bobby’s light in a fog. Smithers had left the hotel, but I went to his -store and presented myself to him. He pretended not to know me, but I -grinned in his face and said: - -“‘Oh, come, now, Mr. Tennis Racket Wireless Shoes, you know me very -well. Have you forgot the time you fixed it up with one Gunseyt of the -funny voice, him to hold up the young American, Guy Burton, in the fog, -so you could jump in sudden with a pistol and save him from being -robbed?’ - -“He turned as pale as a ghost, and I knew I’d hit him where it hurt. But -I didn’t stop there. I gave him another before he could recover. - -“‘Gunseyt and Pickett have both been arrested in America,’ I said. - -“You ought to have seen him. I thought he was going to collapse. Then he -pulled himself together and flew into a rage and after me. I knew what -was best for Artie and cut sticks. He didn’t catch me. - -“What do you think happened next day? I was discharged at the hotel. I -know Smithers did it, although no explanation was given to me. - -“But it was the best thing for me that ever happened, and I hope it will -prove the worst for Smithers. I went to a detective agency and told the -boss my story. He was interested right away. I found they’d been -watching Smithers for somebody over on your side, maybe the government. -I told them I wanted to be a detective, hardly expecting it would do me -any good; but, Guy, the boss, after a secret confab with somebody else, -offered me a job and told me if I made good on this smuggling case, he’d -keep me. - -“I thought, from the way the chief talked, he was going to make me one -of his star ‘sick-’em dogs’, but he didn’t. He gave me only a position -as clerk, with a salary four shillings less than I got at the hotel. But -I didn’t care for salary, just so I had enough to live on. It was just -the opportunity for me. And I haven’t forgotten, Guy, that I owe a whole -lot of it to you. - -“They really needed a boy in the office and to run errands, but I soon -found out that the reason I got the job was because of what I knew about -Smithers. And I’m having some real detective work to do. They’re after -Smithers hard, but they haven’t been able to get the goods on him. I -hope before long I’ll land him. If I do, you may be sure I’ll let you -know right away.” - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE*** - - -******* This file should be named 62000-0.txt or 62000-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/0/0/62000 - - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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W. -Duffield</h1> -<p>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 <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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.</p> -<p>Title: Radio Boys in the Secret Service</p> -<p> Cast Away on an Iceberg</p> -<p>Author: J. W. Duffield</p> -<p>Release Date: May 2, 2020 [eBook #62000]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by Roger Frank<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/radioboysinsecre00duff"> - https://archive.org/details/radioboysinsecre00duff</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<h1>Radio Boys in the Secret Service</h1> -<div class='figcenter' style='width:80%; max-width:425px;'> -<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' style='width:100%;height:auto;' /> -<p class='caption'>Radio Boys in the Secret Service</p> -</div> -<div class='section'> -<div style='text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;'> -<div style='font-size:1.4em;'>RADIO BOYS</div> -<div style='font-size:1.2em;'>IN THE</div> -<div style='font-size:1.4em;margin-bottom:0.7em;'>SECRET SERVICE</div> -<div style='font-style:italic;'>or,</div> -<div style='font-size:1.2em;margin-bottom:0.7em;font-style:italic;'>Cast Away on an Iceberg</div> -<div>BY</div> -<div style='font-size:1.2em;margin-bottom:2em;'>J. W. DUFFIELD</div> -<div>M. A. DONOHUE & CO.</div> -<div>CHICAGO NEW YORK</div> -</div> -</div> -<div class='section'> -<div style='text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;'> -<div style='font-size:1.1em;'>THE RADIO BOYS SERIES </div> -</div> -<div style='text-align:center; margin-top:0.5em; margin-bottom:0.5em'> -<div style='display:inline-block; text-align:left;'> -<div class='cbline'>RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE</div> -<div class='cbline'> or, Cast Away on an Iceberg.</div> -<div class='cbline'>RADIO BOYS IN THE FLYING SERVICE</div> -<div class='cbline'> or, Held For Ransom by Mexican Bandits.</div> -<div class='cbline'>RADIO BOYS IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS</div> -<div class='cbline'> or, The Yankee-Canadian Wireless Trail.</div> -<div class='cbline'>RADIO BOYS UNDER THE SEA</div> -<div class='cbline'> or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure.</div> -</div> -</div> -<div style='text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;'> -<div>COPYRIGHT 1922, BY M. A. DONOHUE & CO.</div> -<div style='font-size:0.8em;'>MADE IN U. S. A. </div> -</div> -</div> -<div class='section'> -<table class='toc tcenter' summary="" style='margin-bottom:3em'> -<thead> -<tr> -<th colspan='2' style='font-weight:normal;padding-bottom:1em;'>CONTENTS</th> -</tr> -</thead> -<tbody> -<tr><td class='c1'>I</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chI'>Wireless Twins</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>II</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chII'>On the Way to London</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>III</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chIII'>The Mysterious Man Again</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>IV</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chIV'>Seeing London in a Fog</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>V.</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chV'>Highwayman No. 2 and Mr. Smithers</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>VI</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chVI'>Artie’s “Failure” as a Detective</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>VII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chVII'>“Wireless Shoes”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>VIII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chVIII'>A Suspicious Intruder</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>IX</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chIX'>A Puzzling Situation</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>X</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chX'>The Voice with the “Squeak and Roar”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XI</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXI'>“The Ship Is Sinking!”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXII'>The Wreck</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XIII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXIII'>S. O. S.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XIV</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXIV'>The Voice of the Fog Pirate</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XV</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXV'>Captain Walter</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XVI</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXVI'>On the Iceberg</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XVII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXVII'>The Eskimos</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XVIII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXVIII'>A Midnight Invasion</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XIX</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXIX'>The “Iceberglars”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XX</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXX'>“Jump as Far as You Can!”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XXI</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXXI'>Searching the Sea</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XXII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXXII'>The Rescue</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XXIII</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXXIII'>Taking the “Wireless” Out of “Wireless Shoes”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XXIV</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXXIV'>The Why of the “Squeak-Roar Voice”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='c1'>XXV</td><td class='c2'><a href='#chXXV'>The Fog Pirate at the Bobstay</a></td></tr> -</tbody> -</table> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chI' title='Wireless Twins'>CHAPTER I<br />Wireless Twins</h2> -</div> -<p>“Good-by and good luck, Guy,” said Walter Burton as his twin brother, -with small traveling bag in one hand and amber glasses protecting his -supersensitive eyes, was about to step aboard a south-bound train at the -Ferncliffe station one clear, crisp winter-end day. “Send me a wireless -message from Europe, and I’ll be listening in and catch it.”</p> -<p>“I’d like to, Walt,” was Guy’s smiling answer; “but I’m afraid that -would be extravagant. I’ll tell you what I’ll do, though. When we get to -New York, I’ll hunt up Vacuum Tube and send you a message from his -station. You know he invited us to come and see him any time we were in -New York.”</p> -<p>“All right,” agreed Walter. “When’ll you send it?”</p> -<p>“At 4 o’clock tomorrow if he’s home.”</p> -<p>“Good. I’ll watch for it. I’ll call V T and tell’m you’re coming. Good -luck. Good-by.”</p> -<p>This hearty exchange of parting cheer between the sturdy, bright-eyed -Walter and his equally sturdy, but “sick-eyed” brother was one incident -in a general round of farewells that marked the departure of Guy Burton -and his mother for England. Guy had been suffering several weeks with a -severe infection of the eyes, resulting from the “flu,” and it was -decided to put him under the care of a London specialist as the most -hopeful move for saving his sight.</p> -<p>A local physician advised that this be done, and the boy’s father -resolved to waste no time. Urgent business made it almost impossible for -him to accompany his son, and a family council resulted in the selection -of Mrs. Burton as traveling companion for Guy.</p> -<p>During a period of more than two weeks the latter had been unable to -endure the optical strain of light, and most of this time he remained -indoors with his eyes bandaged. Meanwhile Walter did all he could to -cheer his “blind” brother. He read to him a good deal and in other ways -endeavored to make his own eyes do the work of four. Every day he led -Guy to their attic “den” where one of their wireless sets was installed, -and then he would proceed to the other radio station over their -workshop, and in these positions they would send and receive radio -messages, not only between themselves, but in communication with other -amateurs near and far away.</p> -<p>The Burton twins were 16 years old. Their father, active in two -professions, banking and farming, was one of the leading business men in -the New England community in which he lived, but he found time to -exercise real interest in the sports and aspirations of his two sons. -Both of the latter were mechanically inclined, and this inclination was -encouraged by the busy business man in many practical ways.</p> -<p>Walter was ambitious to become an electrical engineer. There was hardly -anything in popular electrical affairs that he did not know something -about. It was he who first suggested that they take up the study of -wireless and install radio instruments in their home. Guy’s ambition was -not so definitely formed as that of his brother, but his enthusiasm over -the proposition was scarcely less than that of Walter. They had an ideal -boys’ workshop, which they built themselves, and on the roof of this -15×20 frame structure was a cupola-like inclosure, which they used as -one of their wireless stations. The other, it has been noted, was in -their attic den. The aerials over these two stations, by their -conspicuous loftiness, advertised the brothers widely as the “wireless -twins of Ferncliffe.”</p> -<p>The workshop of the twins was equipped with an outfit of tools and -machinery that might well arouse the wonder and admiration of any -ambitious boy. The machinery consisted principally of turning lathe, -scroll saw and drill, operated with belts, pulleys, shafts and electric -motor. The boys not only planned and constructed their shop building, -but they wired it electrically and installed and connected the -machinery. And when completed, it proved to be no mere toy shop, but a -very useful boy institution for repair and construction work about the -Burton home.</p> -<p>The boys had received their wireless apparatus as Christmas presents a -little more than a year before and immediately set them up. They learned -the radio alphabet and soon were laboriously spelling out words to each -other. In a few months they had acquired a considerable addition to -their vocabulary and spoke of spark gaps, aerials, transformers, keys, -helices, tuning coils, condensers, and detectors with something of the -ready familiarity of old timers. They were especially elated when they -found themselves catching signals from distant wireless operators. This -became more and more frequent, as they lived on the coast and not a few -passing ships were supplied with radio outfits.</p> -<p>The Burton home was a sort of country seat near the outskirts of the -city and was bordered on the east by half a mile of seashore. A small -natural harbor added much to the curious interest of the surroundings, -being sufficient to accommodate comfortably the 50-foot power yacht -owned by Mr. Burton. This harbor was well sheltered by hilly -projections, except at one point where the shore dropped down almost to -the level of the sea and afforded a good landing place. Here a quay had -been built for the yacht. So well protected with bluffs was the cove -that the heaviest gales hardly rocked the little vessel in its mooring. -Under the brow of the largest bluff had been constructed a -pile-supported shed for sheltering the boat in winter.</p> -<p>Ferncliffe is a manufacturing and fishing seaboard town. Half a mile -from the Burton home are the municipal docks, where fishing boats tie up -and where steamers stop to receive or unload passengers and freight. In -the summer months a considerable business of this kind is done.</p> -<p>The house in which the Burtons lived was a large, square, comfortable, -white frame dwelling, rather southern in style. Mr. Burton had several -men in his employ constantly. One of these was Det Teller, half-sailor, -half-farmer, who had worked for the banker-farmer several years. Det was -an interesting character. He knew “everything and the whole world.” He -had been around the world twice as a seaman and was skilled in the tying -of sailors’ knots and the weaving of sailors’ yarns.</p> -<p>His nickname was a “short” for Deuteronomy. Det’s father had been very -religious and had given bible names to all his children. The retired -sailor was now fifty years old. Six years previously he had discovered -in a servant of the Burton family a former girl schoolmate with whom he -had been in love twenty-odd years before, and he married her and entered -Mr. Burton’s employ as farm foreman. A house was built especially for -them on the premises.</p> -<p>Det was really a bright and valuable fellow. In six years he had learned -“all about” his employer’s business and could “run any branch of it -except the bank.” He was a short, long-armed, broad-shouldered, powerful -man, whose natural alertness and jovial disposition seemed not to have -been affected seriously by the burden of two score years and ten.</p> -<p>Mr. Burton had owned the yacht, Jetta, for two seasons. It had been -named for the boys’ five-year old sister. Det was mate and part of the -crew of the vessel, and during the outing months of the year his -capacity of farm foreman was almost forgotten, or left in other hands. -Originally intended only as a private pleasure craft, the Jetta, under -the enterprising ambition of the “wireless twins,” had become, in the -last summer, a recognized excursion boat, identified inseparably with -the outing happiness of many of the inhabitants of Ferncliffe and -neighboring towns. Guy and Walter made up the complement of the crew and -acted as joint skippers who usually followed the instructions of the -mate. Mr. Burton was merely owner and made no attempt to interfere with -the management of the craft when aboard with the mate and one or both of -the young captains.</p> -<p>On the morning when Guy and his mother boarded the train for New York -city, another passenger of peculiar interest here bought a ticket for -the same destination. He was a tall, thin, sharp-eyed, well-dressed man, -wearing a high-crowned derby hat and large angular trowel-shaped patent -leather shoes. He had had business in Ferncliffe and stopped several -days at the Chenoweth House, the best hotel of the place. On the day of -his arrival he had read with interest the following local item in the -Ferncliffe Gazette:</p> -<p>“H. G. Burton has decided to send his son Guy to London for treatment of -his eyes. Guy and his mother will sail from New York in a week. The -boy’s eyes will be treated by the famous Dr. Sprague.”</p> -<p>The stranger had registered at the hotel as Stanley Picket of New York. -He had planned to return home on the day when he read the above item, -but the information it contained caused him to alter his plan. He -remained in Ferncliffe until Mrs. Burton and Guy started for New York, -when as we have seen, the train bore him also as a passenger.</p> -<p>Walter and Guy noticed the tall, well-dressed man on the platform before -the train pulled in, little dreaming what an important part he was -destined to play in their affairs within the next few months.</p> -<p>The boy with the amber glasses and his mother boarded the train and took -possession of a seat. Soon afterward the tall man with the high-crowned -derby and the trowel-shaped patent leathers sat down in the seat just -behind them, and the train moved away from the depot.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chII' title='On the Way To London'>CHAPTER II<br />On the Way to London</h2> -</div> -<p>The trip to New York was begun early in the morning in order that they -might reach their sailing point before dark. To Guy this part of the -journey was monotonous, as he could not read and his mother advised him -not to sit next to the window and look out, fearing lest the light -injure his eyes, in spite of his amber glasses. The day was clear and -bright, and the sun’s rays were reflected glitteringly from the clean, -white snow on the ground.</p> -<p>Guy and his mother would have been greatly astonished if they had known -of the interest in them entertained by the man in the next seat behind. -Several times on the way between Ferncliffe and Boston, Guy got up and -moved about, and two or three times he casually observed the -prepossessing stranger. But the latter seemed always to be buried in a -newspaper or book and oblivious to all about him.</p> -<p>The truth, however, was that Mr. Pickett took much more interest in the -conversation of Mrs. Burton and her son than in his reading. While -appearing to be reading most of the time, his occupation in this respect -was largely a pretense, at least when the two in front of him spoke -loudly enough for him to hear. Now and then he would turn a leaf for -appearance sake, but not always did his eyes follow the printed line -from one page to the next. However, his reading was not wholly -affectation for occasionally he would turn back to pick up the thread of -the narrative.</p> -<p>At Boston they changed cars, and again Mr. Pickett managed to get a seat -immediately behind the two London-bound travelers. Once the amusing -prattle of a baby a few seats back caused Guy to turn suddenly, and he -was startled to observe the sharp eyes of the stranger staring at him -with curious contemplation.</p> -<p>So deeply did the incident impress the boy that he turned again and -looked at the man, but the latter was once more buried in his book. Guy -then told himself that he must have misunderstood the gaze, that it -probably was one of meditation or abstraction.</p> -<p>“Maybe he’s some professor of anatomy trying to figure out the diameter -of a bonehead,” mused the boy. “I wonder who he is. It’s funny he -happened to get the seat just behind us both times. Well, I’ll remember -him anyway if I ever see him again.”</p> -<p>At New York Guy took a last curious look at the man with the -high-crowned derby and then forgot him for the time being. The latter -saw the boy and his mother enter a taxi and drive away, but he made no -further attempt to watch their movements.</p> -<p>Mr. Pickett was a middle-aged bachelor living at a hotel near Central -Park. Before starting for this place he ate supper at a restaurant. On -arriving at the hotel he went direct to his room and wrote a letter, -which he addressed to one A. Little in London. It was as follows:</p> -<div style='margin:1em 10%;'> -<p style='text-indent:0'>“My dear Little.</p> -<p>“About the time this letter reaches you there will arrive in London a -Mrs. H. G. Burton and her son, Guy. The kid is coming over to have his -eyes treated. They’ll probably remain several weeks and will then return -to New York direct. They will stop at the Morley hotel. By the way, the -kid is bugs over wireless telegraphy. That’s his weakness. Maybe this -will interest you professionally.</p> -<p style='text-align:right'>“O. P. Q.”</p> -</div> -<p>This letter was mailed as soon as finished, but another letter, written -by another person, who had been secretly watching every move of Mr. -Pickett, accompanied it in the same mail across the Atlantic. It was -addressed to one W. W. Watson in London.</p> -<p>A. Little received the Pickett letter and delivered it to one -Christopher Gunseyt, who, in turn, delivered it to another, J. C. -Smithers, a Bond street jeweler. Meanwhile Watson received the other -letter and also got busy. He observed secretly the passing along of the -Pickett letter from Little to Gunseyt and from Gunseyt to Smithers. -Then, by a series of cleverly camouflaged moves, he managed to relieve -Smithers of the mysterious missive in such manner that the latter never -missed it.</p> -<p>In the meantime, Guy and his mother registered for rooms at a New York -hotel. Their steamer would sail on the following day, and their order -for tickets and staterooms on the liner had been placed through a local -agent at Ferncliffe.</p> -<p>Mrs. Burton had a friend in the city whom she wished to see on the -afternoon of the day following their arrival at New York, and Guy had -promised to send his brother a wireless message at 4 p. m. In the -morning he telephoned to his wireless acquaintance, “V T,” whom, by the -way, he had never met personally; indeed, he did not know “V T’s” name. -They had often exchanged greetings by wireless, but had never introduced -themselves, except by their amateur radio calls. “V T” had, however, -given the Burton boys his telephone number and requested them to call -him up when they came to New York.</p> -<p>As a result of Guy’s telephone call, the latter received a visit from “V -T” at the hotel. The New York amateur introduced himself as Harry -Taylor.</p> -<p>“I’m glad to know your name,” Guy remarked as they started for Harry’s -home, “my brother and I usually spoke of you as Vacuum Tube, but we’ll -be more respectful hereafter.”</p> -<p>Guy was delighted with his “new-old acquaintance.” He was with him most -of the afternoon while his mother visited her friend. At 4 o’clock he -called Walter and talked with the latter half an hour. Then he bade -Harry good-by and returned to the hotel.</p> -<p>That evening Guy and his mother went aboard the liner. Early next -morning the steamer floated from the harbor with the tide and stood out -to sea.</p> -<p>Little of more than ordinary tourist’s interest occurred in the course -of the voyage, which was completed on schedule time, in spite of two -days and one night of very rough weather. The first stop was at -Queenstown. The steamer did not go up into Cork Harbor, but lay out in -the offing, having signaled by wireless for a lighter. After -disembarking a number of passengers and delivering and receiving several -bags of mail, the liner continued on toward Fishguard and Liverpool.</p> -<p>The vessel finally anchored near the mouth of the River Mersey and the -passengers were transferred to Liverpool by lighter. Their baggage was -“examined” by inspectors in a most ridiculously indifferent manner, it -seemed to Guy, and then they were hustled aboard a fast express train -for London.</p> -<p>Talk about speed! The train, with its odd compartments and -widely-separated coaches, flew over that 175 miles to the metropolis of -the world in two-and-a-half hours.</p> -<p>“I can’t see that we’ve got so much on the English,” observed Guy as the -train sped on like a Chicago-New York Century Flyer. “I don’t see why we -should call the English slow.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chIII' title='The Mysterious Man Again'>CHAPTER III<br />The Mysterious Man Again</h2> -</div> -<p>Walter Burton missed his brother for many reasons during the latter’s -absence. Guy was always a good companion. Out of school, Walter scarcely -knew what to do with himself. Heretofore all his pleasures and all his -labors had been shared by the other twin. They had always gone to school -together, shoveled snow together, worked in the shop together, and -studied wireless together.</p> -<p>In this occupation, or amusement, Walter was now almost lost. He called -“V T” and informed the latter of Guy’s plan and was waiting with -receivers at his ears when his brother’s call came from New York. But -for several days thereafter he neglected his hobby entirely, not even -caring to amuse himself by catching messages from any commercial or -amateur source.</p> -<p>Nevertheless, Walter was deeply interested in everything wireless. The -thrill and excitement of “talking” electric waves, impelled with -air-splitting leaps of the current across the spark-gap, had often -enlivened his daydreams with radio visions, and it was hardly to be -expected that he would long remain idle, in view of the allurements and -possibilities at hand.</p> -<p>A quarter of a mile from the Burton home lived another boy, Anthony -Lane, who chummed a good deal with the “wireless twins.” Anthony, or -Tony, as he was familiarly called, was a poor boy, but this fact made no -difference with Walter or Guy; “he was the right kind of stuff,” and -that was all they cared for. He was one of the best ball players at -school, could row and swim like a sailor and a fish, and, although -strong and clever, was never known to act the bully.</p> -<p>This boy had manifested a deep interest in wireless telegraphy as soon -as he saw the apparatus of the Burton boys in operation. He learned the -Morse alphabet and practiced on the instruments of his friends at their -invitation. Up to the time when Guy left for Europe, however, he had not -acquired much skill and was therefore unable to fill, in this respect, -the vacancy left by the absent brother. But one day Walter said to his -friend:</p> -<p>“Tony, do you want to learn wireless so well that no operator can -dot-and-dash away from you?”</p> -<p>“You bet I do,” was the other’s reply. “I often thought I would, but I -couldn’t afford to buy an outfit like yours.”</p> -<p>“Then come over and live with me while Guy’s gone. I’m awful lonesome.”</p> -<p>“I’ll see what ma says,” answered Tony.</p> -<p>The result was as Walter suggested. Tony had a few chores to do home -every evening, for his father owned several acres and kept a cow, pigs, -and chickens. After this work was done, he was permitted to “go over to -Walter’s” and remain there until morning, when he must return and do -chores again. Meanwhile he devoted all his spare moments to wireless -practice, even when Walter was not at liberty to “talk” with him.</p> -<p>One afternoon as the boys were returning home from school discussing -some newly-developed feature of interest in their hobby, the subject was -suddenly changed by the appearance before them of one who has figured -earlier in this narrative. He was the man with the tall derby hat and -the trowel-shaped patent leathers.</p> -<p>“Did you notice that fellow?” Walter asked in a low tone as they passed -the man of conspicuous foot and headgear.</p> -<p>“I saw him, but didn’t have much to say to ’im,” replied Tony, smiling -at his friend’s startled manner. “Who is he—a detective lookin’ for -violators of the amateur wavelength law?”</p> -<p>“You’re makin’ fun o’ me. But you won’t be so gay when I tell you all -about him.”</p> -<p>“What is it?” asked Tony a little more seriously.</p> -<p>“You remember when Guy an’ mother went away—you were at the depot; that -man was there, too. Didn’t you see ’im?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know. What did he do?—steal a glass of buttermilk from the -cowcatcher?”</p> -<p>“You won’t take this seriously at all, Tony. But just wait till you come -over tonight and I’ll show you a letter from Guy that’ll surprise you.”</p> -<p>“What’s it about?” asked Tony, his levity gone.</p> -<p>“Never mind now. You made fun o’ me, and I’m going to keep you guessing -awhile.”</p> -<p>It was Guy’s first long letter since leaving Ferncliffe that Walter -showed to his friend that evening. The missive had arrived the day -before and was postmarked London. It contained much detail concerning -the voyage and the absent brother’s first impressions of the city on the -Thames.</p> -<p>After performing this traveler’s duty, Guy became more personal and told -of incidents more intimately affecting himself and his mother. He began -this part of his letter with an account of the peculiar actions of the -man with the high-crowned derby and the trowel-shaped patent leathers, -writing in part as follows:</p> -<p>“After we reached New York, we lost sight of him, and I forgot all about -him for several days. But he came back to my mind on the ship, and I -couldn’t help thinking of his funny actions. I’m sure now that he was -interested in what mother and I were talking about. I can’t forget the -way I caught him looking at me once when I turned around and faced him -in the car. And it’s mightly funny, too, his getting the seat just -behind us on both trains. I can’t believe it just happened that way, -though I thought so at first.”</p> -<p>“Now, what do you think?” asked Walter as his friend finished reading -the letter.</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” replied the other dubiously. “Guy hasn’t explained why -this fellow should be so interested in him and your mother.”</p> -<p>“He might ’a’ been a pickpocket,” suggested Walter.</p> -<p>“Yes, but he didn’t get anything. And if he’s a confidence man, he -didn’t try his game on them.”</p> -<p>“No, he didn’t,” Walter admitted slowly.</p> -<p>“You’d better give it up,” advised the wiseheaded Tony. “Even if the -fellow was interested in Guy and your mother, it didn’t amount to much. -He didn’t do anything, and they’re a long way from him now.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I was just worked up over the mystery,” Walter assured his friend. -“I wasn’t afraid of anything serious.”</p> -<p>The mystery, however, would not leave his mind, and he grew impatient -because of the persistence with which it haunted him. Next afternoon as -the boys were on their way home from school again, Guy called a halt in -front of the Chenoweth House, saying:</p> -<p>“Wait here a minute, Tony. I want to see the hotel clerk.”</p> -<p>Walter entered the hotel and was out of his friend’s sight a few -minutes. When he returned, he said:</p> -<p>“I guess there’s nothing to it.”</p> -<p>“Nothing to what?” inquired Tony.</p> -<p>“That man Guy wrote about. He’s a traveling jewelry salesman. I thought -he might be stopping here, and he was; but he’s gone now.”</p> -<p>“Were you thinking about him yet?” exclaimed Tony. “I told you there was -nothing to it. What’s ’is name?”</p> -<p>“Stanley Pickett.”</p> -<p>“Forget ’im.”</p> -<p>Walter did—for a few weeks.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chIV' title='Seeing London In a Fog'>CHAPTER IV<br />Seeing London in a Fog</h2> -</div> -<p>London!</p> -<p>Guy forgot all about his poor eyesight, except to regret occasionally -that he was forced to take his first view of that great city through -colored glasses. The Old World had been almost a mystic hemisphere to -his mind from his earliest reading days. In his younger boyhood he had -entertained some elusive and confusing ideas concerning persons and -things far removed from his daily association. He had wondered if so -great a man as the president of the United States were real flesh and -blood, and even now he could not dismiss lightly some of his myth-fed -mental pictures of Europe, as if the latter were located on a distant -and doubtful-natured planet of another universe.</p> -<p>“Does the grass that grows over there look like the grass that grows on -our lawn?” was the question that had come to him sometimes as he studied -in school the history of the country over which hung the storied glamour -of King Arthur and Robin Hood. And when he for the first time got near -enough to a patch of little green blades in London to pluck one and -examine it, he felt a flush of confusion at the foolishness of the act.</p> -<p>Guy was impressed with the immensity of the city before they reached the -railroad terminal, but that impression became a prolonged thrill of -metropolitan wonder as he and his mother left the train and moved -through the throng of many nationalities toward the long line of cabs -waiting for passengers. Here he noticed a marked distinction between the -old and new world. New York with its dash and go, its modern buildings -and sunny people; London old and grim, brooding thru its veil of smoke -and soot on its antiquated buildings and solemn people.</p> -<p>Their hotel they found to be a favorite stopping place for Americans and -excellently located for visitors wishing to see the city. Guy and his -mother were soon comfortably provided for and sought refreshments and -rest after their journey’s end.</p> -<p>On the following day they set out to meet the specialist, Dr. Sprague. -They found him at one of the big hospitals of the city. He had been -informed of their coming, but was unable to make an examination of the -boy’s eyes that day. They had to be content with an appointment two days -later.</p> -<p>Guy made friends rapidly wherever he went, and in London several such -acquaintances contributed much to the interest of his visit. One of -these was a clerk of the hotel, two years older than the young American. -This clerk, whose name was Arthur Fletcher, made his friendship doubly -acceptable to Guy by reason of his volunteered usefulness. He knew -London like a book and was ever ready with his information when needed.</p> -<p>Occasionally Guy and Arthur would go out to see London by night. During -these walks the former plied his English friend with questions so -industriously that his own fund of information grew rapidly. The second -of these occasions proved particularly memorable.</p> -<p>It was early March and pleasant weather when the fogs lifted or were -blown away. London has little low temperature, even in the middle of -winter, the most disagreeable feature of the atmosphere being its heavy, -smoke-laden mists. On the evening in question a thick fog had settled -over the city, making it difficult for one to distinguish the features -of another even under a street-light and at “how-de-do” proximity.</p> -<p>Guy still wore his amber glasses, which caused the vapor to look weird -in lighted places. He had been receiving daily treatments to strengthen -his eyes, and it was uncertain as yet whether he would have to undergo -an operation. Mrs. Burton would have protested against his going out in -the fog, but the specialist had said that he need take no particular -precautions, except that he must not read and he must not lose sleep.</p> -<p>“I’ll show you London in a fog,” said Artie, as he was familiarly known -because of a constitutional suggestion of effeminacy in him. -Nevertheless, in spite of this appearance, he was a vigorous youth.</p> -<p>“We won’t see much London, I’m afraid,” laughed Guy.</p> -<p>“We’ll see London in its nightgown,” said the clerk. “The city looks -like a ghost now. An’ there’s some ghostly things goin’ on in this -village, you can bet safe.”</p> -<p>It was like wading in thin water over-head deep—this is what it was in -fact. In ten minutes Guy had lost all reckoning of the points of the -compass.</p> -<p>“We’re goin’ to have some fun tonight,” said Artie as he stepped along -briskly. “We’ll get over on some o’ the quieter streets an’ see what we -find there.”</p> -<p>“What do you mean?” inquired Guy.</p> -<p>“Do you know where we are right now?” asked Artie evasively.</p> -<p>“Why, no, not exactly.”</p> -<p>“What direction are we from Trafalgar square?”</p> -<p>“East, aren’t we?”</p> -<p>“You’re wrong. You’re lost.”</p> -<p>“I guess I am,” admitted Guy with a laugh.</p> -<p>“That’s what I brought you out for—to get you lost,” Artie announced -gayly. “It’s part o’ seein’ London in a fog. We’re on Shaftsbury avenue, -going towards Piccadilly. I’ll get you lost again in a minute.”</p> -<p>Suddenly Guy saw the waving of a light before them like the swath of a -scythe in a hay field. It swung across their path.</p> -<p>“What’s that?” asked the young American.</p> -<p>“That’s a ‘bobby’,” replied the clerk.</p> -<p>“A ‘bobby’?”</p> -<p>“Yes—a policeman. You call ’em ‘cops’ in New York. He’s lookin’ for -strangers in the fog and steerin’ ’em clear o’ the rocks.”</p> -<p>They continued to “wade” through the mist several squares, passing two -other “bobbies” on the way. Meanwhile Guy found himself wondering what -would be the next number on the program.</p> -<p>“I wonder if it’s going to be like hazing freshmen,” he mused. “If it -is, I’ll take my medicine without a squirm. It’ll be all right, jus’ so -he doesn’t walk me into the Thames.”</p> -<p>There were a good many pedestrians moving up and down Charing Cross -road. They seemed not to be inconvenienced by the fog, passing one -another like fish in water. Guy could not see them, but he could hear -their footsteps, which seemed firm and unhesitating, and he heard no -collisions or evidences of such.</p> -<p>“How does it happen that nobody runs into anybody else?” inquired the -young American as he walked along with one hand on his companion’s arm.</p> -<p>“Oh, everybody’s used to it,” replied Artie with an air of experience. -“I can dodge an express train if I don’t see it till it’s two feet -away.”</p> -<p>“You’re very clever,” assured Guy with laughing sarcasm. “But suppose -the fellow comin’ your way is a green one, like me—what then?”</p> -<p>“I’ve got to be smart enough for both. There—see? If that guy hadn’t -known ’is business, you’d both had your headlights pushed in.”</p> -<p>The American youth’s awkwardness produced a choleric grunt from a portly -individual who proved to be surprisingly agile. Artie caught his -companion by the sleeve and jerked him aside. The pass was effected -without a touch.</p> -<p>“You’ll learn how to do it after a few more narrow escapes,” assured the -hotel clerk. “Take this advice—never get excited and always turn to the -left.”</p> -<p>“To the left?”</p> -<p>“Yes, haven’t you noticed? Everybody takes the left side of the sidewalk -here, and the drivers take the left side of the street.”</p> -<p>“I thought there was something funny, but I didn’t figure out what it -was,” laughed Guy. “This is where everybody stands on his head, isn’t -it?”</p> -<p>“If it is, we hop along on our hair pretty well, don’t we? You know the -man ’at uses his head to get along in the world, gets along a lot -better.”</p> -<p>“Don’t people who live here ever get lost in the fog?”</p> -<p>“No, that’s another case of usin’ our head, or part of it. We smell -directions here. Didn’t you ever hear that an Englishman can make his -nose work farther than any other nationality on earth?”</p> -<p>Presently they turned into a cross street, where they did not meet so -many people. They advanced one square and a half; then suddenly Artie -called a halt.</p> -<p>“Stan’ still an’ keep quiet,” he whispered, gripping Guy’s arm -warningly. “Don’t make a sound.”</p> -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked the other boy, also in a whisper.</p> -<p>“There’s trouble ahead. Listen.”</p> -<p>Both were silent for some moments, during which they heard voices -seemingly not more than twenty feet ahead. One was a gruff, heavy voice -and was giving orders. The other vibrated in trembling, whining tones, -begging for mercy.</p> -<p>“Don’t take my money, don’t take my money,” it pleaded. “It’s all I’ve -got in the world, and I’ll starve.”</p> -<p>“Oh, stow that,” was the merciless answer. “You’ve got plenty where that -come from, you old miser. Move out in the middle of the street an’ don’t -make another sound or—”</p> -<p>The rest of the sentence, presumably expressing a threat, was inaudible -to the boys. Guy’s sympathy was aroused at once.</p> -<p>“We ought to help ’im,” he suggested.</p> -<p>“We’re not going to get mixed up in it,” replied Artie. “Leave it to -me.”</p> -<p>The victim seemed cowed into silence, for he ceased his whimpering. As -the highwayman drove him out of the way of pedestrians, their footsteps -could be heard on the pavement.</p> -<p>“Run, pal! The bobbies is comin’.”</p> -<p>This cry of warning came from Artie and was intended evidently for the -hold-up man. The ruse was successful, for, with an oath, the footpad -dashed away, his rapidly pattering shoes on the pavement giving evidence -of his panic.</p> -<p>“That’s the way to handle a case o’ that kind, an’ you don’t get into -trouble,” said Artie wisely.</p> -<p>“We’ll be held up next,” warned Guy, as they continued on their way, -leaving the “miser” to take care of himself.</p> -<p>“Not much chance,” was the clerk’s reply. “They don’t stop two together, -especially boys who ain’t supposed to carry a lot o’ money anyway.”</p> -<p>But Artie’s confidence proved unwarranted. After the boys had proceeded -two blocks farther, a man suddenly stepped up and covered them with a -pistol, commanding gruffly:</p> -<p>“Quick, now, out in the street! I’ll shoot if you make a sound.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chV' title='Highwayman No. 2 And Mr. Smithers'>CHAPTER V<br />Highwayman No. 2 and Mr. Smithers</h2> -</div> -<p>There was nothing for Guy and Artie to do but obey. The highwayman spoke -and acted as if he meant business. He flashed a strong pocket electric -light, illuminating the fog around them. The muzzle of the pistol had an -ominous appearance, and the better part of valor seemed to be caution. -The fellow was of medium height and build, and his voice was one of the -strangest Guy had ever heard. Later Artie described it as a “combination -of a squeak and a roar.” At first Guy believed this footpad to be the -one whom Artie had frightened a few minutes before, but the difference -in their voices convinced him otherwise.</p> -<p>“Perhaps they’re working together,” he concluded.</p> -<p>“We’ll go,” said Artie with surprising coolness, in response to the -highwayman’s command, as he stepped from the sidewalk to the pavement. -“Come on, Guy.”</p> -<p>The latter followed, and presently the man ordered them to halt.</p> -<p>“Now, spill out,” he commanded, still covering them with the light and -the pistol. “Turn all your pockets inside out.”</p> -<p>But the “honk” of a horn was now heard a short distance away. A motor -car was approaching.</p> -<p>“Get over to this side till it passes,” was the highwayman’s next -instruction.</p> -<p>They obeyed, and the motor went slowly by. Guy would have called for -help, but the weapon warned him to keep silence. Presently the boys were -ordered back into the middle of the street.</p> -<p>“Now,” continued the man, whose face could not be seen clearly because -it was behind the light; “out with your valu’bles. Jus’ drop ’em on the -pavement an’ move on. It won’t hurt me to pick ’em up. Any gentleman -ought to be willin’ to bend ’is aristycratic back once in a while, you -know.”</p> -<p>“You’d be a heap better off if you’d bend your back with a pick an’ -shovel,” retorted Artie boldly.</p> -<p>“Shut your trap, sissy,” the highwayman ordered. “You don’t look as if -you ever overworked a muscle, ’cept your tongue. You better glue that up -ag’in the roof o’ your mouth when you’re in the presence of gentlemen o’ -my class—you might get into trouble. But I ain’t got no more time to -waste. Pull your coats off first an’ drop ’em. I won’t take ’em away, -and if you come back here in the morning, you may find ’em ag’in.”</p> -<p>Guy wondered at the term “sissy” applied to his companion. It was not -light enough for the highwayman to distinguish the effeminate features -of the hotel clerk, and the latter’s voice was not girlish.</p> -<p>“I haven’t got any money,” declared Artie as he took off his coat and -dropped it to the pavement.</p> -<p>“No, I don’t suppose you have,” the footpad replied; “but I don’t want -to miss any chances. You might have a ‘tuppence’ sewed up in the lining -o’ yo’r wais’co’t, you know. Now, off with that, too.”</p> -<p>Meanwhile Guy had been on the alert for a favorable opportunity to make -a dash away in the fog, but the highwayman was watchful. Neither of the -boys had enough valuables on his person to make it worth while to risk -the boring of a bullet through him in order to save them.</p> -<p>But suddenly there was an interruption to proceedings. Without the least -warning, a hand shot out in the fog, grasped the wrist of the hand that -held the pistol, and in a twinkling the weapon was wrested away.</p> -<p>“Help, lads! Get ’im by the legs!”</p> -<p>This instruction came from the rescuer sharply and vigorously. Both boys -sprang forward to obey, but they were too late. The highwayman broke -loose and disappeared in the darkness.</p> -<p>“Blast the luck!” exclaimed the new arrival, picking himself up from the -pavement where he had fallen in the scuffle. “He was too slippery for -me. But my jiu-jitsu training came in good anyway,” he added as he -reached for the highwayman’s pistol, which he had dropped.</p> -<p>“It’s funny that gun didn’t go off when it fell,” said Artie.</p> -<p>“It’s too bad you didn’t keep it in your hand when you took it away from -him,” said Guy regretfully. “You could ’ave turned it on ’im, and he -wouldn’t ’a’ dared to run.”</p> -<p>“I didn’t want to shoot ’im,” replied the rescuer. “I wouldn’t like to -go through life without the consciousness of having killed a man.”</p> -<p>“Well, he ought to have a bullet in his leg anyhow,” declared Artie. “I -don’t believe in letting such fellows get off scot free.”</p> -<p>“I’m satisfied as it is,” volunteered Guy, who was not of a vindictive -nature. “He got a good scare an’ no money. But we haven’t thanked this -gentleman for what he did.”</p> -<p>“Give me a swift kick, will you, Guy?” exclaimed Artie in disgust. “I’m -ashamed o’ myself. You’ll go back to America convinced that we English -are just as slow as they say we are.”</p> -<p>“No danger of that,” assured Guy “You’ve shown me a pretty lively time -tonight. Is this what you meant by seeing London in a fog?”</p> -<p>“Not exactly, though I expected something to happen to show you what a -fog means to us.”</p> -<p>“That’s when most of our hold-ups occur—in a fog,” explained the -rescuer. “A highwayman is safer in one of our fogs than he would be in -your Rocky Mountains. But I must be moving along.”</p> -<p>“We wish to thank you for rescuing us Mister—! May we ask your name?”</p> -<p>“Smithers—J. C. Smithers. I’m living at the Morley hotel.”</p> -<p>“Why, that’s where we’re stopping—I mean I am. My friend here works -there.”</p> -<p>“Is that so?” returned Smithers in tone of surprise. “I’m pleased to -hear it. Where were you bound for?”</p> -<p>“Nowhere in particular,” replied Artie. “We were jus’ takin’ a walk.”</p> -<p>“Seein’ London in a fog, eh? So was I—taking a constitutional. But I -guess I’ve had enough and will go back. Come in and see me any -time—tomorrow evening if you will.”</p> -<p>“We surely will,” promised Guy. “We’re not likely to forget very soon -what you did for us.”</p> -<p>“Oh, that’s nothing,” assured Smithers modestly. “It was easy to do. I -had all the advantage. By the way, you haven’t told me your names yet.”</p> -<p>“Beg your pardon,” said Artie. “This is Guy Burton. He’s from the United -States. My name is Arthur Fletcher. I’m a clerk at the Morley. I think I -remember you. You came to the hotel yesterday, didn’t you?”</p> -<p>“Yes, you’ve got a good memory.”</p> -<p>The boys decided they had seen enough of London in a fog for one evening -and returned with Smithers to the hotel. As they were about to separate -in the lobby, their new acquaintance repeated his invitation to them to -call at his room the following evening.</p> -<p>Guy said nothing about his adventure to his mother that night. He -decided that it would make her nervous and that it would be better to -tell his story in the morning. But at the breakfast table, where he -related his experience, he found his mother possessed of more nerve than -he expected. To be sure, she was startled, but as her son had suffered -no physical injury, she took the matter coolly and advised him to go out -no more on foggy nights.</p> -<p>That evening Guy and Artie called at the room of Smithers. The latter -proved to be a striking combination of shrewdness, smiles and nervous -alertness. He was rather stout and his eyes were small, black and keen. -He received the boys with a warm welcome, unnecessarily warm, it seemed -to Guy.</p> -<p>“Awfully glad to see you lads,” he said, seizing them in turn by the -hand. “Come right in an’ make yourselves at home.”</p> -<p>“Making themselves at home” consisted of taking seats offered by -Smithers, who produced a box of cigars and invited his guests to help -themselves. The latter, however, not being addicted to the habit, -declined.</p> -<p>“Wise lads, very wise,” declared the host warmly. “Nearly everybody -smokes, but nearly everybody is foolish, too. My only regret is that I -must smoke alone tonight.”</p> -<p>“I use’ to smoke, but my doctor told me I mus’ quit,” explained Artie. -“He said it was likely to give me a London fog on the brain.”</p> -<p>“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Smithers. “That’s a good one. I suppose he was -afraid if you got fog on the brain, you might be held up.”</p> -<p>“Yes, he was afraid my business ability would be held up.”</p> -<p>“Good! Excellent! There’s a great lesson for smokers in that. Isn’t it -so, Mr. Burton? I haven’t a doubt I’d be a millionaire if I hadn’t been -addicted to the weed. I had excellent natural business ability. As it -is, I’m only moderately well-to-do. What are your views on the subject, -Mr. Burton?”</p> -<p>“I’m in a funny position on the subject of smoking,” said Guy. “I don’t -believe it’s good for a fellow, and yet, I can’t believe it puts a -London fog in everybody’s brain an’ holds up his business ability. My -father smokes, and they say he’s the best business man in Ferncliffe.”</p> -<p>“Mebby he’d be another Baron Rothschild if he didn’t smoke,” suggested -Artie.</p> -<p>“Didn’t Rothschild smoke?—an’, supposing he did, what’u’d he ’a’ been if -he hadn’t?” was Guy’s logical inquiry.</p> -<p>“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Smithers again. “Great idea, Burton.”</p> -<p>“If Rothschild did smoke, he might ’a’ owned half o’ England by quittin’ -before he began,” declared Artie sophistically.</p> -<p>“Desist, lads, desist,” implored Smithers with mock concern. “If you -produce any more such stunning logic, I won’t be able to sleep any more -until I’ve sworn off smoking. And I don’t want to do that. It’s the -chief care-killer of a bachelor.”</p> -<p>“Are you a bachelor?” inquired Artie, somewhat embarrassed.</p> -<p>“Dear me, yes. Don’t these quarters look like it—eh, Burton?”</p> -<p>“Then you live in London?” Artie continued.</p> -<p>“Certainly—I’m in business here,” looking at Guy as he spoke.</p> -<p>Smithers apparently did his best to make the evening pleasant for the -boys, but he seemed to be much more interested in Guy than he was in -Artie. In fact Guy told himself that the way in which the man ignored -the hotel clerk at times was extremely uncivil. They discussed the -holdup of the night before, and the rescuer produced the weapon he had -taken from the highwayman. This proved to be an old-fashioned -thumb-cock, with a five-chamber cylinder.</p> -<p>“Why didn’t it go off when it dropped on the pavement?” asked Guy.</p> -<p>“It was only half-cocked an’ couldn’t,” replied the host.</p> -<p>“He’s a funny highwayman,” declared Artie. “He must ’a’ wanted to get -caught.”</p> -<p>“Maybe he had a tender conscience and was afraid he might shoot by -accident—eh, Burton?” suggested Smithers with a smile.</p> -<p>As the boys were about to leave, the man extended to them a warm -invitation to call again any time he was in. Guy, however, felt -embarrassed because the hospitality seemed to be directed principally at -him.</p> -<p>“He’s a fine man, isn’t he?” observed Artie as they waited for an -elevator.</p> -<p>“Seems to be all right,” answered Guy.</p> -<p>“Seems to be?” exclaimed Artie reproachfully. “It’s funny you’re so cool -about it when he’s so much interested in you. You’re the one he wants to -call again.”</p> -<p>“That’s just what I don’t like about it. He’s a nice fellow and all -that; but it isn’t very polite for a host to give all his attention to -one when two invited callers are present.”</p> -<p>“You’re a queer one!” exclaimed Artie. “That didn’t bother me any. -You’re a rich man’s son, an’ I’m only a hotel clerk. That’s the reason -he was more interested in you.”</p> -<p>It was Guy’s turn to be astonished. He had not thought of this aspect of -the affair.</p> -<p>“I’m surprised at you,” he said reproachfully. “I don’t believe he -thought of such a thing. If he did, I haven’t any use for ’im.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chVI' title='Artie’s “Failure” as a Detective'>CHAPTER VI<br />Artie’s “Failure” as a Detective</h2> -</div> -<p>Smithers did not allow his acquaintance with Guy Burton to wax cold -during the latter’s stay in London. He was diligent in his efforts to -make himself agreeable to the young American. Guy learned from -incidental sources that the man was proprietor of a jewelry store in -Bond street and was credited with doing a large business. Bond street is -the center of the retail jewelry trade in London and has many fine -stores.</p> -<p>This jeweler owned a motor car and passed much of his leisure time -wearing out tires and pavements. On the Saturday afternoon following the -adventure with the highwayman in the fog, he asked Guy to take a spin -with him, and the invitation was accepted. They got an early start and -bowled over the boulevards to the southwest, passing through Batterson -Park and Wimbledon Park east to Bromley, and back to Trafalgar Square by -way of Greenwich. The car was a low, torpedo-shaped machine, which -skimmed along the ground as if racing to the destruction of a foreign -fleet. The owner took much delight in the “dangerous” appearance of his -“Shark,” as he named the car.</p> -<p>“This is my hobby,” he remarked as they spun along at a rate that caused -Guy to fear they would be arrested for speeding. “Every Englishman has a -hobby, you know.”</p> -<p>“I thought most Englishmen’s hobby was riding horses,” replied Guy. “I -was a little surprised to find the automobiles crowding the horses off -the earth here just the same as in the United States.”</p> -<p>“Sure they are. Before long there won’t be any horses in London at all.”</p> -<p>“Will Englishmen hunt foxes in automobiles?” asked Guy with seeming -innocence.</p> -<p>“Hardly,” laughed Smithers. “There’ll always be horses for the -sportsmen. But as a useful animal, the horse has seen his best days -here. By the way, have you got a hobby? I suppose if you have, it’s a -wild one, since you live in an Indian country,” he added with a twinkle.</p> -<p>“Not so very,” assured Guy. “But I’ve a sort of a hobby that’s full of -thrills.”</p> -<p>“I thought so. What is it?”</p> -<p>“Wireless Telegraphy.”</p> -<p>“Good! Got an outfit?”</p> -<p>“Yes, two of ’em—my brother and I have. We’re gettin’ to be experts. My -brother’s better’n I am. We got interested in wireless during the war, -reading about how amateurs helped the government spot wireless spies.”</p> -<p>Smithers listened eagerly to Guy’s statement and asked him a good many -questions. The latter was an enthusiast and was glad to keep the -discussion going as long as his companion did not appear to be bored.</p> -<p>“How’re you getting along with your doctor?” inquired the man finally -after they had exhausted the wireless subject.</p> -<p>“Fine. I won’t have to have an operation. Dr. Sprague has done some -great work on my eyes.”</p> -<p>“I congratulate you. How long do you expect to remain in London yet?”</p> -<p>“Two or three weeks.”</p> -<p>“Going back to New York direct?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“I didn’t know but you’d travel on the continent before returning.”</p> -<p>“No, we didn’t come prepared for that. Besides, mother’s in a hurry to -get back. She’d like to visit some of the war scenes, but she’d want the -whole family along.”</p> -<p>“How many in your family?”</p> -<p>“Five—two boys, a girl, and father an’ mother.”</p> -<p>It was seven o’clock when they reached the hotel again, and both were -hungry. Mrs. Burton had already dined and Smithers insisted on Guy’s -eating with him. As they left the dining room they met Artie Fletcher in -the lobby, where they passed the time of day (or night), and then the -jeweler left the boys together and went to his room.</p> -<p>Guy told his friend about his drive with Smithers and remarked that he -wished Artie might have accompanied them. But the young clerk had a -story to tell of an interesting experience of his own that afternoon.</p> -<p>“I’m glad I didn’t go,” he said. “Anyway, I had to work an’ couldn’t. -But you can’t guess who I saw today.”</p> -<p>“I give up. Who was it?”</p> -<p>“Mr. Highwayman of the mysterious mist.”</p> -<p>“What!”</p> -<p>“That polite gentleman who shoved a gun in our faces and asked for our -bonds an’ mortgages.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say!”</p> -<p>Artie laughed.</p> -<p>“I knew you’d be excited,” he said.</p> -<p>“How do you know who it was?” asked Guy incredulously. “We couldn’t see -’is face in the fog.”</p> -<p>“I recognized ’is voice.”</p> -<p>“Is that all?”</p> -<p>“No, but that’s enough. Two men never had his voice—a combination of a -squeak and a roar. You couldn’t miss it among a million.”</p> -<p>“I remember it all right,” said Guy. “But that isn’t proof enough. You -couldn’t have ’im arrested on that.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I wasn’t thinking of having ’im arrested. He didn’t get anything -from us. I only had some fun with ’im.”</p> -<p>“How? What kind o’ looking fellow was he?”</p> -<p>“That’s the funny part about ’im. He looks like a gentleman—prosperous. -Quite dignified; wears fine clothes, a diamond ring and a dandy -solitaire stud.”</p> -<p>“Where’d you see ’im?”</p> -<p>“At the desk. He came in an’ asked for—who’d you think he asked -for?—Guess.”</p> -<p>“Me,” laughed Guy.</p> -<p>“No, you’re not important enough. Guess again.”</p> -<p>“Mr. Smithers?”</p> -<p>“Right.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say! What’d he want to see him for?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know. But I made use of a guess to have some fun.”</p> -<p>“What was it?”</p> -<p>“That he wanted to get ’is revolver back. I might ’a’ lost my job if I -hadn’t been mighty careful.”</p> -<p>“What’d you do?”</p> -<p>“When he came to the desk and asked for Smithers, I was sure who he was -right away. If I’d stopped to think, I might not ’a’ been so sure, and -I’m glad now I didn’t stop.”</p> -<p>“What did you do?” repeated Guy impatiently.</p> -<p>“I leaned over—this way—so my face almost touched his, and said: ‘Say, -mister, did you lose a revolver in the fog the other night?’”</p> -<p>“What did he do?”</p> -<p>“I thought he was going to drop,” replied Artie with a smart air. “I -jumped back quick so ’t could look at ’im, an’ ’is face got as pale as a -corpse. He spit out a few noises, an’ then sputtered:</p> -<p>“‘Did I lose a revolver in the fog? What makes you ask that question?’</p> -<p>“‘I was just wondering if you owned the one Mr. Smithers found,’ I -replied.</p> -<p>“He was cool now and got his color back.</p> -<p>“‘Did Smithers find a gun?’ he asked; and I told him to ask Smithers -when he saw ’im.”</p> -<p>“Wha’ ’d he say?” inquired Guy, as Artie paused in his narrative.</p> -<p>“He said he would, but he denied he’d lost a gun. Smithers wasn’t in, so -he said he’d come back again and went away.”</p> -<p>“You’re sure he’s the highwayman?”</p> -<p>“You’ve got all the evidence I have. What do you think about it?”</p> -<p>“It looks funny. What are you going to do about it?”</p> -<p>“Oh, nothing I guess. Let’s go an’ see Smithers.”</p> -<p>“All right, if it isn’t too late.”</p> -<p>“It’s only twenty minutes to nine. He won’t go to bed for an hour yet.”</p> -<p>They found Smithers in his room reading a newspaper. He seemed -delighted, as usual, to see them, calling out heartily:</p> -<p>“Come in, lads, an’ make yourselves at home. I tell you an old bachelor -like me gets mighty lonesome sometimes. Think I’ll get married or adopt -a family. What’s on your mind?”</p> -<p>“We’ve got some important news for you—that is, Artie has,” said Guy. -“That’s why we called so late—thought you’d like to know it. He saw the -man today who tried to hold us up.”</p> -<p>“What!”</p> -<p>There could be no doubt that Smithers was interested. He exhibited more -astonishment than Guy had shown at Artie’s information; he sprang to his -feet, then sank back into his seat and broke into a laugh.</p> -<p>“You don’t mean he tried to hold you up again?” he inquired, turning to -Artie.</p> -<p>“No,” was the clerk’s smiling answer. “He wanted his gun back, I -suppose.”</p> -<p>“His gun back?”</p> -<p>“Yes, he came to the desk and asked for you.”</p> -<p>“Asked for me!”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“How could he know I had ’is gun?”</p> -<p>“I told ’im.”</p> -<p>“Oh, but I don’t understand. How’d you know he was the highwayman? Did -he tell you so?”</p> -<p>“Hardly. He only said he wanted to see you, and—”</p> -<p>“Before or after you told ’im I’d found a gun?”</p> -<p>“Before.”</p> -<p>“But how’d he know me?” asked Smithers with a seemingly puzzled air.</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” replied Artie. “That’s what mystifies us.”</p> -<p>“How’d you know who he was?”</p> -<p>“I recognized ’is voice.”</p> -<p>“Oh,” responded Smithers meditatively. Then turning to Guy he added:</p> -<p>“Your friend is very expert in the identification of voices. He ought to -belong to Scotland Yard. Are you as clever in that line?”</p> -<p>“No, I’m sure I couldn’t do as well as he did,” replied Guy. “I couldn’t -say positively I’d never heard a voice like the highwayman’s. I think -Artie’s got sharper ears ’n I have.”</p> -<p>“You didn’t tell ’im you recognized ’im as the highwayman, did you?” -asked Smithers, addressing the clerk.</p> -<p>“Oh, no,” replied the latter with a wise blink. “I only asked ’im if -he’d lost a revolver in the fog, an’ told ’im you found one.”</p> -<p>“But I didn’t.”</p> -<p>“Well, you picked it up after it was dropped, so I didn’t tell such an -awful big fib.”</p> -<p>“Wha’ ’d he say?”</p> -<p>“He said it wasn’t his an’ walked out.”</p> -<p>“So you believe he was the highwayman, do you?” asked the jeweler with a -look of amusement.</p> -<p>“He must ’a’ been.”</p> -<p>“Suppose you should find out he’s a good friend o’ mine—what then?”</p> -<p>“I—I don’t know,” stammered Artie. “I didn’t think o’ that. Is he?”</p> -<p>“I didn’t say he was—I don’t know,” laughed Smithers. “But your -suspicion is so very improbable, I wanted to find out how certain you -were of your evidence. I’m pretty well acquainted at Scotland Yard an’ -happen to know they’re looking for keen, shrewd men all the time. I was -going to recommend you for a job over there, but I’m afraid I can’t now. -If my suggestion that this fellow might be a friend o’ mine hadn’t -weakened you so, I’d take you over and have ’em give you a trial; but, -as it is, I’m afraid you’re only a dreamer. A sharp rascal could bluff -you too easy.”</p> -<p>Artie’s face showed evidence of his disappointment. He really had -entertained fond ambition of becoming a detective, but now it seemed -that all such hope must be cast aside. He had a serious weakness: He -wasn’t sure of himself.</p> -<p>“Have you got a friend with a voice like this man’s?” inquired Artie -with a suggestion of unsteadiness in his utterance and realizing as he -spoke that he was continuing the weakness of which he had been accused.</p> -<p>“I don’t know what kind o’ voice he’s got,” replied Smithers sharply; -“but that doesn’t make any difference. If your detective sense were of -high order, you wouldn’t hesitate to make a positive charge against him -even though you knew him to be my brother. I’m very sorry, my boy, for I -was beginning to think I’d discovered a genius in you.”</p> -<p>“I’ll think it over an’ tell you tomorrow how certain I am,” announced -Artie in as business-like manner as he could command. Then he arose from -his chair and moved toward the door, fingering the hem of his coat -nervously.</p> -<p>“Oh, my! no; that wouldn’t do any good,” advised Smithers, also rising. -“The great secret of a successful life as a detective,”—speaking very -impressively—“rests in knowing a thing beyond a doubt and of knowing -immediately that you know it. Come an’ see me anytime—you’re always -welcome—but forget that detective business. You’re a fine fellow, but as -a sleuth I’m afraid you’d prove to be a false alarm.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chVII' title='“Wireless Shoes”'>CHAPTER VII<br />“Wireless Shoes”</h2> -</div> -<p>Two more weeks elapsed, and Guy was authorized by the specialist to -“throw away” his glasses. This he did joyfully, for now he would be able -to see something of London in its natural colors. He had heard much of -the great city’s buildings, black from the smoke-laden fog, but was now -pleased to find that they were not nearly so unsightly as they had been -described to him.</p> -<p>His association with Smithers continued with more or less intimacy up to -the time of the departure for Liverpool to take passage for America. The -man persisted in making himself agreeable in a sort of inconsequential -manner, and the boy could see no reason for repelling his friendly -advances, inasmuch as they seemed to be genuine. Indeed, the Bond street -jeweler was cunningly skilled in the art of affability and could, on -occasion, advance his purpose by making himself useful as well as -entertaining.</p> -<p>On the last Saturday of Guy’s sojourn in London, Smithers invited him to -take another motor ride, this time through other parts of the city and -adjoining suburbs. As they were spinning back toward the hotel in the -evening, the conversation turned upon Guy’s expected departure for -America a few days later.</p> -<p>“What day are you going to leave?” asked the jewel merchant, introducing -the subject.</p> -<p>“Wednesday,” Guy replied.</p> -<p>“Well, I’m sorry you’re going, but glad your eyes are all right. Hope -you come back some time again. When you do, look me up, and I’ll be at -your service. I’m a lonesome fellow when alone and like to pick up folks -and give ’em a good time.”</p> -<p>“I’ve appreciated your kindness,” the boy responded warmly. “I wish I -could return the favor.”</p> -<p>“Oh, it’s nothing, nothing at all. You’re perfectly welcome. I took a -personal pleasure in doing it. But, by the way, you can do me a favor if -you will. Maybe you’ll be a little interested in the idea, too, as it -has a kind of affinity for your hobby. I have a friend in New York who -is troubled with rheumatism in the feet, and I want to send him a pair -of wireless shoes.”</p> -<p>“Wireless shoes!” exclaimed Guy. “That’s a new one on me.”</p> -<p>“It will be a new one on my friend, too,” declared Smithers with an -eager twinkle in his eyes. “But seriously, it’s a very good thing, and I -want my friend to get the benefit of it without having to wait until -we’ve protected all our rights with patents.”</p> -<p>“Why don’t you express them to your friend right from here?” asked Guy.</p> -<p>“That’s just the point that I want you to help me get around. I’m afraid -to put a pair of those shoes in the hands of anybody here in England. I -know we’re being watched by persons who wouldn’t hesitate to steal the -idea from us. You see, the revenue officers make a close inspection of -all such shipments, and I’m afraid they’d ask embarrassing questions if -I tried to send the shoes as you suggest. There’s no telling what might -happen, for the persons who are watching us have good government -connections. The best way to get around this danger, it seems to me, is -to have some trustworthy person take the shoes to America and there -express them to my friend. There’d be no revenue charge on a personal -item of that kind.”</p> -<p>“That’s very interesting,” said Guy; “and I’ll be glad to do anything I -can to help you get the shoes to your friend. But aren’t you putting too -much confidence in me? I might make a blunder of some kind that would -give your secret away.”</p> -<p>“I’m not afraid of that,” assured Smithers. “The only way you could do -me any harm is by purposely betraying me, and I’ll risk that without any -fear whatever. Of course, if it would inconvenience you any—”</p> -<p>“No inconvenience at all,” interrupted Guy reassuringly. “You can depend -on me to take care of the matter without fail. But I admit I’m curious -to know why you call them wireless shoes.”</p> -<p>“Because they are strictly wireless shoes, operating on the same -principle as wireless telegraphy.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say. But, understand, I’m not asking you to reveal your -secret to me. Of course, you wouldn’t do it if I asked you to.”</p> -<p>“No, not all of it,” Smithers replied. “But I’m glad to tell you this -much: Inside the heels are small induction coils. The antenna consists -of a wire belt with fine flexible wires running down inside the trouser -legs and coupling with wire posts at the tops of the shoes. This antenna -is sensitive to wireless waves constantly pulsating in the ether. When -the connections are complete, the induction coil is thrown into action -by the wireless waves received, and a condition of electro-magnetism is -produced. One necessary connection is made by pressing the bare sole of -the foot against two electrodes on the inner side of the sole of each -shoe, so that each foot gets the benefit of the wireless waves and the -electric reaction. That sounds like the whole secret, doesn’t it, but -there’s another important element I’m holding back.”</p> -<p>“The idea’s clever,” said the boy with a smile of amused interest. “I’ll -be glad to take a pair and express them to your friend in New York, and -I hope they’ll cure his rheumatism.”</p> -<p>And so when Guy and his mother started for Liverpool, the former had in -his trunk a box containing a pair of seemingly ordinary, well made shoes -and a detached arrangement of insulated wires and belt antenna. On a -card in his purse, he had also, as a memorandum, the name and New York -address of Stanley Pickett, to whom Smithers had requested him to -express the shoes.</p> -<p>Guy was especially sorry to part with Artie Fletcher. It seemed like -saying good-by to a chum of years. Of course, they agreed to write to -each other, and Artie promised to be careful when out in the fog and to -inform Guy if he saw or heard anything more of the highwayman of the -“funny voice.”</p> -<p>The liner, Herculanea, on which Mrs. Burton and her son took passage at -Liverpool was larger than the one on which they had made their first -voyage, affording a greater variety of service, convenience, and -entertainment. Guy found a new general pleasure on this trip, in that he -was permitted to view things without colored glasses. It seemed almost -like traveling on a new sea, in a new world, among a new kind of people -and on a new kind of ship.</p> -<p>On the first day out, a chance incident caused him to make the -acquaintance of the second mate, and in the conversation that followed, -Guy disclosed his interest in wireless telegraphy. The officer was -sociable and obliging and introduced the boy to the operator in the -radio house near the bridge. The latter, too, proved to be a -good-natured fellow, although perpetually busy, and allowed the “radio -boy” to listen in several times.</p> -<p>Guy made another acquaintance also while the steamer was passing from -Liverpool to Queensland. It was with a man who occupied a stateroom next -to his. This passenger was a very talkative fellow, with a peculiar -knack of seeming to say a good deal every time he spoke. He was -straight-built, of medium height and weight, wore a mustache and goatee, -and bore himself with the manner of one subconsciously wise. Guy was -well impressed with him at first because he was lively and interesting.</p> -<p>“I dropped a bunch of keys somewhere around here,” were the words with -which this passenger first addressed himself to Burton. The latter had -just come out of his stateroom and was moving toward the stairway to -join his mother on the promenade when “the man next door” spoke to him.</p> -<p>“I didn’t see them,” Guy replied, delaying just long enough to be -courteous and then moving on.</p> -<p>He reached the promenade and found his mother where he had left her, one -of a group of some twenty passengers, all watching the shifting scene -between them and the English shore. The steamer was plowing through St. -George’s channel, and the dominant feature of the scene consisted of -vessels of all sorts, big and small, and seemingly without number.</p> -<p>A few minutes later the stateroom neighbor of the Burtons approached and -took a seat near the boy. The latter did not observe him at once, but -when he did, the man greeted him with a careless smile that inspired -confidence and familiarity:</p> -<p>“Did you find your keys?” inquired Guy.</p> -<p>“Yes, thank you,” was the reply. “I’d dropped ’em in my stateroom.”</p> -<p>“You’re lucky.”</p> -<p>“You’re right, I’m lucky. I’d ’ave missed a very important wireless -message if I hadn’t found that key.”</p> -<p>“Is that so!” Guy returned with puzzled curiosity. “You interest me, for -I have a wireless outfit at home and I can’t see how the loss of a key -could ’ave caused you to miss a wireless message.”</p> -<p>“Oh,” replied the strange fellow; “that’s easily explained. You see I’m -on a business trip to America, and the business success of myself and my -partner depends to a considerable extent on the schemes we resort to for -the sake of economy. Now, it’s important that I receive a telegram from -my partner every day, but not important that I should answer those -telegrams. So I’ve provided myself with a wireless receiving set, and -every day at an agreed time I am at my station to get his message. I -just got today’s message which I’d ’ave missed if I hadn’t been able to -find my keys.”</p> -<p>“Do you mean that you have an indoor receiving outfit set up in your -stateroom?” Guy demanded in astonishment.</p> -<p>“That’s exactly what I do mean,” replied the “radio man.”</p> -<p>“You don’t mean to say that you expect to receive messages from England -with an indoor set all the way across the Atlantic ocean,” Guy continued -with increasing wonder.</p> -<p>“I certainly do,” was the others reply. “I’ve done it many times on -trips to America. But of course there are not many receiving sets like -mine. It’s almost an invention in itself. My partner was with the -British signal service in France, and he had a good deal of experience -with V-shaped antennae on scouting automobiles for locating German -wireless stations. Connected with those antennae were loading coils, -sufficient to give very small antennae the receiving range of aerials a -hundred feet long or more.”</p> -<p>“Excuse my inquisitiveness,” said Guy, “but do you maintain a sending -station in England? I don’t see where the economy comes in.”</p> -<p>“Very simply matter,” answered the “radio man,” “we have a secret ally -who is an operator for a certain mercantile station. He sends the -messages to me in secret code. I always know his wave length and never -miss.”</p> -<p>“That’s interesting,” Guy remarked at the close of this explanation, but -the tone of his voice did not indicate much enthusiasm. He felt -considerable doubt as to the propriety of the method employed by Gunseyt -and his partner in getting free trans-Atlantic wireless service.</p> -<p>“Come in and look my set over any time,” said the radio trickster. -“Here’s my card. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”</p> -<p>“Guy Burton,” answered the boy, glancing at the card on which was -printed the name Christopher Gunseyt and the address London. “This is my -mother, Mr. Gunseyt,” he added; for Mrs. Burton had been an attentive -listener to the conversation.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chVIII' title='A Suspicious Intruder'>CHAPTER VIII<br />A Suspicious Intruder</h2> -</div> -<p>Guy made mental note of one peculiarity in Mr. Gunseyt; the tone of his -voice was slightly strained, and the fluency of his speech seemed to -have been accomplished after long practiced effort to overcome a -difficulty of some kind. The boy was unable to explain this to his own -satisfaction. He could not convince himself that it was due entirely to -a natural impediment or physical defect.</p> -<p>In the afternoon Guy made the acquaintance of an interesting, tall, -square-built, large-featured man in the gymnasium. The latter introduced -himself as Henry Watson of Cincinnati. They played handball together for -more than an hour.</p> -<p>“I was sitting a few feet away from you and that fellow Gunseyt while -you were talking wireless with him,” Watson remarked during one of their -resting periods. “He had quite a stunning story to tell, didn’t he?”</p> -<p>“Yes, he had,” Guy agreed. “I’m going in and have a look at his outfit -the first opportunity.”</p> -<p>“Did he tell you what business he’s in?” asked Watson.</p> -<p>“No, he didn’t; I felt like asking him, but checked my curiosity.”</p> -<p>At the close of their last game they sat down and continued their talk -along other lines.</p> -<p>“Been traveling on the continent?” inquired Watson.</p> -<p>“No; we were in London all the time,” replied Guy. “I was having my eyes -treated.”</p> -<p>“Where did you stop?”</p> -<p>“At the Morley hotel.”</p> -<p>“Is that so?” said Watson with a shade of surprise. “I have a friend -living there—Smithers is his name. Didn’t happen to meet him, did you?”</p> -<p>“The jeweler? Yes, I met him, got well acquainted with him. Very -accommodating fellow.”</p> -<p>“Yes, he’s a jolly old bachelor,” replied Watson meditatively. “I’ve -known him for ten years, more or less, I’m in the wholesale jewelry -business and have had occasion to visit London and Paris and one or two -other European cities every year, except during the war.”</p> -<p>After exercising a while in the gym, they visited the shower baths and -then returned to the promenade deck. There they separated, and soon -afterward Guy came upon Mr. Gunseyt lounging alone in one of the -sheltered corners. His hat was tipped slightly over his eyes and he -looked as if he was on the verge of a doze.</p> -<p>“Hello, my young radio friend,” he called out, sitting up straight as he -caught sight of the boy. “When are you coming in to have a look at my -wireless?”</p> -<p>“Any time you say,” answered Guy.</p> -<p>“Come on now.”</p> -<p>“All right.”</p> -<p>They went to Gunseyt’s stateroom, and there Guy found the man’s -receiving set apparently all that it was represented to be. The -cabineted outfit was mounted on a table, near which was a collapsible -frame standard supporting a rather elaborate loop antenna. The owner of -this outfit gave his guest a more or less learned lecture on its strong -points of usefulness, and invited the boy to “listen in” a few minutes. -Then they returned to the sheltered corner where Guy had found Gunseyt -in a mood of mid-day drowsiness.</p> -<p>There they sat down and engaged in a rambling conversation on subjects -incident to a trans-oceanic trip. Guy was enthusiastic over the -accommodations on board the Herculanea and spoke warmly of the athletic -refreshment he and Watson had enjoyed in the gymnasium.</p> -<p>“Who’s Watson?” asked Gunseyt.</p> -<p>“He’s a tall, big-boned man who sat near you and me when you first told -me about your radio set,” Guy replied.</p> -<p>“That fellow? His name isn’t Watson. It’s Lantry, and he’s a crook, or -I’m badly mistaken. I suspect he’s one of those card sharks that live on -the ocean and bleed the rich, sporty passengers. If he isn’t that, he’s -something else not classed with good citizenship.”</p> -<p>“What makes you think that?” asked the astonished Guy. “He seems to be a -very fine man.”</p> -<p>“Of course he does. The best of them always do. He’s traveling under a -false name. And I know something more about him, but I don’t like to -tell it because I can’t prove my story. There’s some things you can know -in this world, my boy, but it’s safer to keep ’em to yourself. My advice -to you is to give Mr. Lantry, alias Watson, a wide berth, or lock your -money in an iron trunk and throw the key overboard.”</p> -<p>“He wouldn’t get much from me if he did get into my trunk or my -pockets,” replied the boy. “I’m not afraid of him.”</p> -<p>“Well, be careful anyway. Such fellows have got a surprise for you at -every turn. They’re not safe to get mixed up with under ordinary -circumstances.”</p> -<p>“Would one of those big gamblers pick your pocket?”</p> -<p>“Oh, perhaps not. They’d rather get your ‘spon’ legitimately. That’s -safer, you know. But I’m not saying positively this fellow’s a card -shark. I’ll tell you, though, what he’s been if you’ll promise not to -breathe a word to anybody. He could make a lot of trouble for me for -circulating stories about him that I couldn’t prove in a court of law.”</p> -<p>“I’m not a gossip,” reassured the boy a little proudly.</p> -<p>“Well, be sure you keep this to yourself. If by accident it does you any -good, I’m glad to pass you the information. I don’t know what his game -is now, but he used to be a fog pirate.”</p> -<p>“A what?”</p> -<p>“A fog pirate, a London fog pirate. That’s a highwayman, or footpad, who -works his game under cover of the fog.”</p> -<p>“How do you know Watson, or Lantry, has been a fog pirate?” inquired -Guy, with peculiar interest because of “fog pirate” experiences of his -own.</p> -<p>“He was pointed out to me as such by a man who knows London street life -from West End to Woolwich. That man told me Lantry was king of the fog -pirates.”</p> -<p>“You’re sure there’s no mistake about it?”</p> -<p>“Absolutely. And he’s the nerviest gent of the mist that ever lived. -Likes to hobnob with swells on dough borrowed in the fog.”</p> -<p>“I’m much obliged to you for telling me this,” said Guy appreciatively. -“I’ll look out that he doesn’t try any game on me.”</p> -<p>“Always be on your guard wherever you go,” advised Gunseyt, settling -back in his seat as if to indicate that he had said all he cared to say -on this subject. “There are sharpers all around you. Even a lot of the -biggest guns will try to do you if you’re big enough game to make it -worth their while.”</p> -<p>“I’ll watch out,” was the boy’s assurance as he walked away.</p> -<p>Next day Guy met Watson in the gymnasium again. At first he was inclined -to avoid him because of the light in which the large-featured man had -been pictured by Gunseyt. But a hearty greeting forced the boy’s -geniality to the surface and constrained him to be polite.</p> -<p>“Hello, Burton,” cried Watson, ceasing his vicious jabs at a punching -bag. “How’s your nautical demeanor?”</p> -<p>“On even keel,” replied Guy. “Engine’s oiled, pilot’s sober and the -fireman’s shovelin’ coal.”</p> -<p>“Good! You’re an up-to-date seaman. I presume this isn’t your first -trip?”</p> -<p>“First across the ocean; but my father owns a yacht, and I can run it -better than he can.”</p> -<p>“How’s your radio friend, Gunseyt? Great name he’s got, isn’t it? That -goatee of his ought to make a good direction finder, oughtn’t it?”</p> -<p>“I think I’d change my name if I had one like that,” laughed the boy.</p> -<p>“Why?”</p> -<p>“Because it attracts too much attention. It sounds too much like a joke -nom-de-plume of a war correspondent.”</p> -<p>“Ha-ha-ha,” roared Watson. “I hadn’t thought of that. If you were going -to change your name from Gunseyt, what name would you choose?”</p> -<p>“If I were going to change my name right now, I’d change it to Lantry.”</p> -<p>Guy looked keenly at the large-featured man as he made this reply. He -was watching for a sudden change in his countenance, indicating surprise -or confusion; but he was disappointed. The only expression he beheld was -one of curiosity.</p> -<p>“Why would you change it to that?” Watson inquired.</p> -<p>“It’s the first that came to my mind. Mr. Gunseyt was telling me a story -of a man named Lantry.”</p> -<p>“Was Lantry another radio shark?”</p> -<p>“No, Mr. Lantry, he said, was a fog pirate.”</p> -<p>“A fog pirate! What’s that?”</p> -<p>If Watson was pretending innocence, he did it cleverly. Guy was unable -to detect a suggestion of duplicity in his manner.</p> -<p>“That’s what I wanted to know when he used the term to me,” said the -boy. “He explained that it’s a footpad in London who holds up people in -the fog.”</p> -<p>“How did he happen to tell you about Lantry? Did he know him?”</p> -<p>“He seemed to. He said the man had been pointed out to him as a fog -pirate.”</p> -<p>At the close of this conversation Guy was more puzzled than ever -regarding Watson. The latter’s face seemed honest enough, but it -exhibited a shrewdness of expression that determined the boy to keep on -his guard. However, there was little timidity in Guy, and he could see -no reason why he should avoid the man during the short period of their -voyage.</p> -<p>But the next day something happened that put a new complexion on matters -and seemed to make action with regard to this strange man necessary. The -weather had been warm and fair during the first day out, and passengers -could pass the time on the open decks with comfort. But the steamer took -a northern route, and soon it became cold and stormy and everybody kept -under cover. The reading rooms, the smokers, the parlors, and the -lounges and various sheltered places of recreation, rest and amusement -were well patronized.</p> -<p>In the middle of the afternoon of the day in question, Guy left his -mother writing letters in a drawing-room and started for his stateroom -to get a book. When he was about fifty feet away from his number, he was -startled to see a man step hastily out of his mother’s room, which -adjoined his own, close the door, and walk rapidly away.</p> -<p>At first Guy thought the man must be an employee of the steamer, but a -second glance assured him that this could not be. All the ship’s -attendants were in uniform, and this person was not so attired. -Moreover, the boy was certain he recognized the intruder.</p> -<p>But the man did not turn his face toward Guy after a first hurried -glance in the latter’s direction. He moved with long strides toward the -nearest stairway. Guy observed that he was tall, squarely built, and -carried no superfluous flesh.</p> -<p>“I’ll follow him and make sure,” resolved the boy, starting after the -retreating figure. “If anything’s been stolen, I want to know who took -it.”</p> -<p>Guy pursued the man up the stairway to the next deck above. The fellow -ran up the stairs, two steps at a bound, and when the boy reached the -next upper landing, he fancied he saw the fugitive enter a cafe. Guy -entered also, but the man had disappeared.</p> -<p>Vexed at being thus outwitted, young Burton left the cafe and searched -the neighborhood unsuccessfully. Then he returned to his stateroom, the -door of which he found locked. He unlocked the door and entered. Inside -all was not in the orderly condition in which it had been left an hour -or two earlier.</p> -<p>Guy and his mother occupied adjoining staterooms. Each of these, owing -to architectural necessity in its peculiar position, was constructed and -fitted for the accommodation of but one passenger. A door between the -two rooms indicated that they were intended occasionally to be used as a -suite.</p> -<p>The door was open, as Guy and his mother had left it. On a chair in his -mother’s room, the boy found his mother’s valise, which he remembered -distinctly she had left on the floor. He took hold of the handle and was -about to lift, when it fell open. Probably the intruder had attempted to -clasp it, but failed, in his haste to depart.</p> -<p>A protruding piece of linen under the lid of his trunk in his own room -next attracted the boy’s attention. He took hold of the lid and lifted. -It was unlocked. Guy was certain he had locked the trunk before leaving -the room two hours earlier.</p> -<p>Inside the trunk he found new evidence of meddling. The box containing -the “wireless shoe” outfit had been opened. The paper in which it had -been wrapped was removed and tucked under other contents of the trunk. -Apparently the man had hoped to find valuables in this box.</p> -<p>Guy made a through examination of all his belongings, which were in -considerable disorder, but nothing had been stolen. Then he left the -room, locked the door, and started for the place where he had left his -mother.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chIX' title='A Puzzling Situation'>CHAPTER IX<br />A Puzzling Situation</h2> -</div> -<p>On hearing her son’s story, Mrs. Burton hastened to her stateroom, -entering with Guy through his room. But nothing of hers appeared to have -been stolen. However, she was certain that her steamer trunk had been -opened, although she found it locked. The contents were not in the order -she had left them. Then Guy tried the door of his mother’s room, but it -also was locked.</p> -<p>“I’m sure the fellow was Watson, or Lantry,” Guy declared after they had -convinced themselves that nothing had been stolen.</p> -<p>“Who are Watson and Lantry?” his mother inquired.</p> -<p>“I forgot you didn’t know. I didn’t tell you what Mr. Gunseyt told me -about one of the passengers. That passenger calls himself Watson, but -Mr. Gunseyt says his name is Lantry and he used to be a fog pirate.”</p> -<p>“What is a fog pirate?”</p> -<p>Guy told his mother all that the “radio passenger” had told him in this -relation and then added:</p> -<p>“I’m certain that Watson, or Lantry, is the man who entered our rooms. I -didn’t get a good look at his face, but I know his form so well I don’t -believe I could be mistaken.”</p> -<p>Guy decided that a complaint ought to be made for the protection of the -other passengers, as well as themselves; so he sought out the second -mate and related the affair to him. The officer listened attentively, -asked several questions, and then assured the boy that the matter would -be looked into.</p> -<p>An hour later Guy found Mr. Gunseyt in a smoking room and told him what -had occurred. The latter was not easily surprised but he showed -considerable interest in this affair.</p> -<p>“Didn’t you lock your door when you left your stateroom?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Yes,” replied Guy.</p> -<p>“Then how did he get in?”</p> -<p>“That’s what puzzles me. He must ’ave unlocked the door; but how did he -do it? Do you think he bribed the steward who takes care of the room?”</p> -<p>“It isn’t likely,” said Gunseyt thoughtfully. “And I don’t see how he -could have picked the lock. The locks on these stateroom doors are no -common ones. Have you any idea who the fellow was?”</p> -<p>In telling his story, Guy had omitted all reference to Watson. He could -not take oath as to the identity of the intruder, although morally -certain of his recognition, and he did not wish to do the man an -injustice by erroneously advertising him. He had told the second mate -his suspicion, but that was to aid the ship’s officers in protecting the -other passengers from similar, and perhaps more serious, visits. -However, he decided that, because of the seemingly well-founded warning -received from Mr. Gunseyt, the latter was entitled to all the -information he could give.</p> -<p>“I believe he’s the man you warned me about the other day,” replied Guy.</p> -<p>Gunseyt looked more interested.</p> -<p>“Who?—Lantry?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“I’m not surprised. I told you what kind of a fellow he was, didn’t I? -But I didn’t suppose he’d commit common burglary. I thought he was too -brainy a villain for that.”</p> -<p>“But you said he was a fog pirate.”</p> -<p>“To be sure. That’s a far more intellectual occupation than burglary.”</p> -<p>“Why?”</p> -<p>“Because its safer. The most intellectual criminals in the world are the -ones who commit crimes in the safest manner. But, say! I’ve got an -idea.”</p> -<p>“Yes?”</p> -<p>“Did your mother and you each have a key to your staterooms?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Have you both got them now?”</p> -<p>“I have mine.”</p> -<p>“How about your mother?”</p> -<p>“We never thought of that. I’ll go and find out.”</p> -<p>Guy found his mother and put the question to her. She thought rapidly a -few moments, then replied:</p> -<p>“No, I’m afraid I’ve lost it. Haven’t you got it?”</p> -<p>“No,” the boy answered. “When did you have it last?”</p> -<p>“Just before luncheon, I think. I left my key in the door on the -outside, and we came out through your room.”</p> -<p>“Then somebody stole your key. Of course, it was Watson. But maybe he -left it in the lock—I didn’t notice—I’ll go and see.”</p> -<p>Guy went to his mother’s room and found the key in the lock. Then he -hurried back and reported his discovery. Soon afterward he met Gunseyt -again and told him the latest development of the key mystery.</p> -<p>“That explains the whole affair,” declared the man with the goatee. -“Now, you see, my advice to look out for Watson was good advice, wasn’t -it?”</p> -<p>“Yes, it was,” admitted the boy.</p> -<p>“Of course. I’m not in the habit of handing out poor advice. I’d rather -keep my mouth shut. You’re sure you didn’t lose anything?”</p> -<p>“Oh, there’s nothing missing, so far as we could discover.”</p> -<p>“What all did he get into?”</p> -<p>“Everything, it seemed. I suppose he was looking for money and didn’t -care for anything else?”</p> -<p>“Turned everything inside out and opened every bundle, box, and package -in the room, eh?”</p> -<p>“Pretty near,” said the boy, moved to the interest of detail by this -suggestion. “It seemed he saw me coming and hurried away without putting -things back as he found them. There was a box in my trunk, wrapped in -paper. He took the paper off and tucked it under some of the other -things when he found he had to leave in a hurry, I suppose.”</p> -<p>“What was in the box?” asked Gunseyt, leaning back lazily on the sofa.</p> -<p>“A pair of electric shoes I’m taking to New York as a present to a man -from a friend of his in London. They’re supposed to cure rheumatism.”</p> -<p>“It would be an extraordinary thief who’d steal anything of that sort,” -Gunseyt remarked.</p> -<p>“Yes, I guess he wasn’t much interested when he saw what was in the box. -He could hardly be expected to know they were wireless shoes!”</p> -<p>“Wireless shoes!” exclaimed the man. “That’s a good one. I thought you -called them electric shoes.”</p> -<p>“I did,” answered the boy. “I used that term because it might explain -itself. Wireless slipped off my tongue next in an unguarded moment. I -suppose I’ll have to give you a lecture now on perpetual electricity in -order to make myself clear.”</p> -<p>Guy now proceeded to explain the wireless theory of the rheumatic cure -shoes, as it had been explained to him by Smithers. This he felt was no -violation of confidence, as he had gathered from the Bond street jeweler -that the idea could not be successfully stolen without a careful -examination of the inclosed mechanism of the “radio footgear.”</p> -<p>“That’s a great idea if it’ll work,” declared Gunseyt. “And even if it -doesn’t work it’s interesting enough to be amusing. I’m going to come to -your room and have a look at them before we get to New York if you don’t -mind.”</p> -<p>“Come any time I’m in,” was Guy’s invitation as he walked away.</p> -<p>“I’ll be in tonight,” the man called out after him.</p> -<p>“All right; I’ll look for you,” returned the boy hospitably.</p> -<p>True to his promise, Gunseyt called at Guy’s stateroom in the evening. -The latter produced the “wireless shoes” and the visitor examined them -with apparently deep interest. Mrs. Burton was present and expressed a -good deal of amusement over “such nonsense.” Gunseyt however, endeavored -gently to argue her into a more serious view of the subject.</p> -<p>In the midst of this discussion came a knock on the door, followed by -remarkable actions on the part of Gunseyt. With rapid, nervous -movements, he jammed the shoes back into the box and laid it on a table -in a remote corner of the room.</p> -<p>Guy was astonished. Mrs. Burton also observed the act and wondered at -it. The boy opened the door.</p> -<p>The new caller was the large-featured man, Watson or Lantry. His -appearance furnished a new surprise for Mrs. Burton and her son, for -they had naturally presumed that he would be inclined to avoid them -rather than seek their company after recent doings.</p> -<p>“Excuse me,” began the alleged “fog pirate,” “May I come in?”</p> -<p>Watson, alias Lantry, or vice versa took the want of a denial for a -permission and entered. Guy’s astonishment had momentarily deprived him -of the power of speech.</p> -<p>“I’ll explain my call in a few words,” announced the newcomer in tones -of no gentleness. “The captain says you’ve accused me of entering this -room in your absence. I’m a good deal put out with this charge and come -here to learn why you made it.”</p> -<p>The boy’s answer came with confusion.</p> -<p>“Well, I—I was certain it was you,” he replied. “The man I saw come out -of mother’s room looked just like you.”</p> -<p>“Is that your only reason for thinking it was me?”</p> -<p>“Yes—no! I’m not at liberty to give you any other reason.”</p> -<p>“Not at liberty! That’s funny. Do you realize the seriousness of making -such a charge without being able to prove it? I thought better of you, -Burton, than that. I refer you to the captain of this vessel, who knows -me and will assure you that I am all right.”</p> -<p>“If my son has made a mistake, he will make any amends in his power,” -interposed Mrs. Burton. “It was an unfortunate affair and he became -excited.”</p> -<p>“Why didn’t the captain let us know I’d made a mistake when he heard my -complaint?” asked Guy.</p> -<p>“I don’t know. Who did you complain to?”</p> -<p>“The second mate.”</p> -<p>“He told the captain, I suppose. You’ll hear from headquarters all -right. Have you said anything to anybody but the second mate?”</p> -<p>“Only the gentleman here, Mr. Gunseyt.”</p> -<p>“I hope, sir, you don’t attach any credence to this boy’s mistake,” said -Watson, turning to the first visitor.</p> -<p>“I don’t attach any credence to any mistake,” replied the other smartly. -“This is no affair of mine, anyway, and I usually keep my mouth shut -about other people’s business. Don’t let me give you any uneasiness.”</p> -<p>“You misunderstood me, sir,” replied Watson haughtily. “I’m not in the -least uneasy, rest assured of that.”</p> -<p>“I’ll see the captain in the morning and if he tells me I’ve made a -mistake, I’ll come and apologize to you,” Guy volunteered. “That’s fair, -isn’t it?”</p> -<p>“Quite fair. With that understanding, I’ll bid you goodnight.”</p> -<p>Watson went out and closed the door, and Guy turned to the first -visitor, saying:</p> -<p>“It must have been a mistake. He’s surely all right.”</p> -<p>“You’d ’ave sworn he was the man that entered your room, wouldn’t you?” -asked Gunseyt.</p> -<p>“Almost. I was about as sure of it as I could be, I thought.”</p> -<p>“Then don’t you let him buffalo you. He’s as smooth and clever as they -make ’em. He’s a crook dyed in the wool, and I know it. But you’re not -at liberty to repeat this, because I can’t prove it any more than you -can prove that he entered your stateroom while you were out. You know -now what it means to know something without being able to back it up -with evidence. But it’s nothing to me. I’m only telling you this to put -you on your guard.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chX' title='The Voice with the “Squeak And Roar”'>CHAPTER X<br />The Voice with the “Squeak and Roar”</h2> -</div> -<p>Next morning Guy went to Captain Harding and told him of the visit of -Watson and the protest he had made. The master of the ship looked at the -boy with a smile, half of concern, half of amusement, and replied:</p> -<p>“You surely have made a mistake, young man. I’ve known Mr. Watson for -several years. He’s all right. I’ll give you my word as a man absolutely -that he neither committed nor attempted to commit a burglary.”</p> -<p>“I’m satisfied now that I did him an injustice,” said Guy. “I’ll go and -apologize to him. But I wonder who the burglar could ’ave been.”</p> -<p>“If I get further information on the subject, you’ll hear from me,” -assured the captain. “We have a detective on board.”</p> -<p>An hour later Guy found Watson in the smoking room and told him what the -captain had said:</p> -<p>“I’m sorry I made the mistake,” the boy added. “But if you knew how much -that fellow looked like you—”</p> -<p>“So I’ve got a double on board, have I?” interrupted the man of the -large features. “Well, I’d like to meet him for two reasons: one is -because he got me into an unpleasant tangle, and the other is curiosity. -If you meet him, catch onto his coat-tail and hold fast till I come.”</p> -<p>“I don’t know about that,” laughed Guy. “I got into trouble over one -mistake, and I don’t want to make another. I think I’ll let my burglar -escape.”</p> -<p>“What did my friend, Mr. Gunseyt, have to say after I left your -stateroom last night?”</p> -<p>“Nothing that would do you any good to hear.”</p> -<p>“I infer from your answer that he didn’t say anything very complimentary -about me.”</p> -<p>“I can’t tell you anything he said. I practically promised not to.”</p> -<p>“But he told you that I was the burglar, didn’t he?” insisted Watson -with a peculiar smile.</p> -<p>“How do you know that?”</p> -<p>“Oh, I know a good deal more than you suspect. He told you to look out -for me and avoid me. He said I was a bad man and not a safe fellow to -associate with. He informed you also that he and I didn’t meet for the -first time on this steamer.”</p> -<p>Guy was astonished. Where had this man gathered his information? Had he -been eavesdropping?</p> -<p>“You’ve got the best of me,” the boy admitted. “How did you find all -that out?”</p> -<p>“I’m a student of psychology, phrenology, physiognomy, telepathy, and -several other oligies and pathies in that category,” replied the man -with a mysterious wink. “You know what that means, I suppose.”</p> -<p>“Not very clearly, I am afraid,” admitted Guy.</p> -<p>“No? You’re too young. But you’ll learn ’em some day if you’re going to -be a man of affairs. And I never studied them in books either. I know a -little about some other things—criminology, human nature, and what -certain kinds of men will do under certain circumstances and -conditions.”</p> -<p>Guy looked puzzled. Most of this was Greek to him. Watson came to his -rescue.</p> -<p>“I know Mr. Gunseyt,” he said.</p> -<p>“Are you personally acquainted with him?”</p> -<p>“Yes and no. He thinks he knows me, but I know him a lot better.”</p> -<p>“Where did you meet him?”</p> -<p>“Where? Let me see. I’ve almost forgotten, it’s been so long. In London, -I guess.”</p> -<p>“How did he happen to make such an impression on you that you have to -use a dictionary of jawbreakers to explain it?”</p> -<p>“That’s an anthropocomical question, my boy, and requires an answer that -I do not wish to give at present.”</p> -<p>The man was becoming facetiously mysterious again, and Guy grew -impatient.</p> -<p>“I suppose next you’ll be advising me to avoid him,” suggested the -latter.</p> -<p>“Not at all. On the contrary, I’d be sorry to produce such an effect. He -won’t do you any harm.”</p> -<p>“Then he isn’t a bad man?”</p> -<p>“Is there any reason why you should think so?”</p> -<p>“No, I guess not.”</p> -<p>Guy was more mystified than ever. Half an hour later he told his mother -of the developments of the morning, and she advised him to give Messrs. -Watson and Gunseyt both a wide berth.</p> -<p>“They may both be confidence men working together, while they appear to -be enemies,” she advised him.</p> -<p>This suggestion startled the boy. It had not occurred to him before. -However, a few moments’ thought caused him to reply:</p> -<p>“I can’t believe it. The captain said he knew absolutely that Watson was -all right, and he wouldn’t have said that if he hadn’t known what he was -talking about.”</p> -<p>In spite of his mother’s advice, Guy could not resist the temptation to -seek out Mr. Gunseyt again and inform him what the captain had said -about Mr. Watson. The “radio rogue” looked mildly surprised, screwed up -one eye meditatively, and said:</p> -<p>“Well, of course, there’s always possibility of a mistake, but I can’t -believe there are two men in the world that look and act as much alike -as Watson and Lantry. However, it’s nothing to me, and I hope, for your -friend’s sake, I’m wrong.”</p> -<p>“He’s no friend of mine,” assured the boy. “I never met him before and I -don’t care if I never meet him again. I came near wishing I hadn’t met -him at all.”</p> -<p>The steamer was still plowing through cold northern waters and -correspondingly cold atmosphere. The passengers remained under cover -most of the time after the ship left the Gulf Stream, for the weather -was fitfully inclement and the cabin walls were comfortable protection -from cold and rain. For those who insisted on open-air exercise, the -promenade deck afforded the best convenience.</p> -<p>Guy was fond of open air, summer and winter. So he was seen frequently -walking the promenade. Usually he was not alone, for he found -acquaintances readily. There were a number of boys in the first class -passenger section who got together every day in the gymnasium, or tennis -or ball courts, and Guy was one of that number. Another, Carl Glennon, -son of a Brooklyn lawyer, also was fond of the promenade, and he and Guy -met frequently. He had finished high school the year before and his -father had given him his choice between going to college and seeing the -world. He had chosen the latter, with a view to taking a business -position after finishing his travels.</p> -<p>On the afternoon of the fifth day out from Liverpool, Guy met Carl on -the promenade, and the latter greeted him thus:</p> -<p>“Hello, Burton. I hear somebody broke into your stateroom. Did he take -anything?”</p> -<p>“No. How did you hear anything about it?”</p> -<p>“The burglar told me.”</p> -<p>“What!”</p> -<p>“I should have said the alleged and exonerated burglar.”</p> -<p>“Mr. Watson?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>Glennon smiled at Guy’s bewilderment.</p> -<p>“That’s funny,” the latter remarked. “I didn’t think he’d say anything -about it.”</p> -<p>“He seemed to take it as a joke.”</p> -<p>“He did? He didn’t talk that way to me.”</p> -<p>“No. He said he was pretty angry at first, but he got over it when he -found out who put the suspicion into your mind.”</p> -<p>“Nobody put the suspicion into my mind. I saw the man come out of -mother’s stateroom and thought I recognized him. But who did Mr. Watson -mean?”</p> -<p>“A man named Gunseyt. You know him, I suppose.”</p> -<p>“Yes, I know him in a way, about the same as I know you,” Guy explained. -“I met him on the boat.”</p> -<p>“So did I. Odd chap, isn’t he?”</p> -<p>Meanwhile the boys made the course of the promenade once and doubled -back, walking briskly and inhaling deep breaths of the keen air. Then -they sat down on a bench near the open entrance of a sheltered corner. -Neither spoke for several moments, and Guy had reason soon to be glad of -their silence.</p> -<p>Presently they heard voices inside and a familiar name was uttered in a -manner that caused them to be all attention in an instant.</p> -<p>“I tell you I know the fellow Watson,” said a voice that was strange to -both listeners. “He’s a secret service man as sure as you’re a foot -high.”</p> -<p>“Did you ever meet him before?” inquired another voice, the sound of -which almost caused Guy to leap from his seat. Glennon caught him by the -sleeve and implored silence in a low whisper. The first speaker was -replying:</p> -<p>“No, but I’ve seen him in court; I’ve heard him testify. He’s an ocean -ferret, spends most of his time on ocean liners. He’s hooked up several -old pals of mine.”</p> -<p>“Is his name Watson?” inquired the voice that had startled Guy.</p> -<p>“You can bet it ain’t. He’s got a dozen names and two dozen disguises.”</p> -<p>“I’ve been suspecting him. I haven’t been asleep. Is he disguised now?”</p> -<p>“In his dress and manner, yes. That’s one of the best disguises ever -heard of. False whiskers and a wig ain’t in it. A good actor can change -his personality so you’d never know him, even if one eye’s in his chin -and the other’s in his forehead. This fellow’s togged up like an -American merchant and carries himself like the owner of the world. Very -sarcastic and snaps you up with a wise grin every time he gets a -chance.”</p> -<p>Guy had observed this peculiarity in Watson on some occasions, while on -others it seemed entirely wanting. But if it was assumed with a purpose -this variation was now explained.</p> -<p>The conversation of the two men now dropped to an undertone and the boys -were unable to hear any more. They strained their ears unsuccessfully -several minutes; then Guy arose and whispered to his companion:</p> -<p>“Come on.”</p> -<p>They stole softly away, and when at a safe distance, the younger boy -said:</p> -<p>“I know one of those men, I’m sure. I want to tell you about him an’ -then go back and see what kind o’ looking fellow he is.”</p> -<p>“If you know him, why don’t you know what kind o’ looking fellow he is?” -inquired Glennon logically.</p> -<p>“Because I never saw him, that is, I never had a good look at his face. -The only time I ever saw him was in a London fog.”</p> -<p>“Then how do you know you know him?”</p> -<p>“I know his voice. He’s a fog pirate. He held up a friend and me a few -weeks ago.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say! Did he get much?”</p> -<p>“Didn’t get anything. Another man happened along as he was making us -empty our pockets and knocked his gun out of his hand.”</p> -<p>“Good! Did the fellow get away?”</p> -<p>“Yes; he bolted. But I remember his voice here. You’d remember it a -hundred years, wouldn’t you? The boy who was held up with me called it a -half-squeak, half-roar.”</p> -<p>“He hit it pretty good, if this is the fellow,” nodded Glennon. “What’re -you going to do about it?”</p> -<p>“Oh, nothing. I’ve just got a curiosity to see what kind of looking guy -he is. Let’s go back now and walk in just as if we were happening that -way.”</p> -<p>The boys turned and retraced their steps to the shelter. On entering the -place, Guy looked eagerly for a view of the man with the familiar voice -but he was unrewarded.</p> -<p>The place was empty.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXI' title='“The Ship is Sinking!”'>CHAPTER XI<br />“The Ship Is Sinking!”</h2> -</div> -<p>“Why, they’re gone! Where did they go so sudden!”</p> -<p>Guy gazed helplessly at his companion. Glennon looked sharply here and -there and along the promenade, while the other boy continued:</p> -<p>“They didn’t have time to get out o’ sight so quick. They must be hiding -near.”</p> -<p>“I guess not,” said the older boy quietly. “No place to hide around -here. They probably dodged into the smoker or cafe.”</p> -<p>“That’s it,” agreed Burton, rushing out.</p> -<p>He led the way into the cafe, whose entrance was near the shelter. -Inside, however, he stopped short with a look of disgust and said in a -low tone to Glennon:</p> -<p>“There’s a dozen men in here and probably as many more in the smoker. I -don’t know how I’m going to pick him out unless I hear him talk.”</p> -<p>“Yes, you’re probably up against it,” agreed Glennon. “I think your fog -pirate’s escaped you.”</p> -<p>“Well, anyway, I’m going to have a good look at the face of every one in -here.”</p> -<p>The inspection in the cafe was soon finished, and then the boys passed -into the smoker. There were eight men in this room, and one of them was -an acquaintance of the boys, Mr. Gunseyt.</p> -<p>The younger “fog pirate” hunter was a little startled at coming so -unexpectedly upon this man under the circumstances, but after the first -thrill of surprise, he dismissed as ridiculous the vague suspicion that -came to him. Why shouldn’t the “wireless passenger” be here as well as -anywhere else? He was ubiquitous, as well as “all-wise” and “acquainted -with everybody.”</p> -<p>“Hello, boys,” he called as the two entered the smoker. “Where you -going? You look as if you’re looking for somebody.”</p> -<p>“We are,” answered Guy, approaching the man and speaking in tones -intended only for Gunseyt.</p> -<p>“Who is it?—another burglar?”</p> -<p>“Not exactly. It’s the fog pirate this time.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say! He hasn’t been performing any more deeds of the mist, -has he?”</p> -<p>“If you mean Mr. Watson, no. He surely isn’t the man this time. I -recognized his voice.”</p> -<p>“You did? What does he look like?”</p> -<p>“That’s the trouble—I didn’t see him. I heard him talk, and he had the -same old voice, that squeaky-roar. He was with another man, and they -came in here, we think. You didn’t see them, did you?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” replied Gunseyt inconsequentially. “Just came in myself. -I thought I saw one or two men enter the cafe a few minutes ago, but I -guess they passed through. Ask the waiters.”</p> -<p>“I guess it isn’t worth while,” said Guy to his companion as he and -Glennon walked away. “I’ve lost my man, and I may as well give up. They -probably heard or saw us while we were listening and ducked when we -left. If that’s the case, they wouldn’t be likely to stop here.”</p> -<p>Glennon was not sufficiently interested to urge further search, and Guy -proposed that they play a set in the tennis courts. The older boy agreed -and went to his stateroom for his racket. Guy had none and applied for -one belonging to the steamer.</p> -<p>“This is a peach of a racket,” Carl remarked as he returned with the -object thus referred to. “It was given to me by a man in London. He must -have paid a fancy price for it. Your friend Gunseyt nearly had a fit -over it yesterday.”</p> -<p>“It must be a dandy to affect him so,” said Guy, examining the object of -interest. “He seldom reaches the boiling over anything.”</p> -<p>“Oh, it wasn’t as bad as that. I didn’t mean he kicked the deck -overhead. But he said I was mighty lucky to have a friend like -Smithers.”</p> -<p>“Smithers! Who’s he?”</p> -<p>“The man who gave me the racket.”</p> -<p>“In London?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“I met a man of that name there. He’s the one that rescued me and a -friend from the fog pirate. He’s a jeweler.”</p> -<p>“So’s this one,” exclaimed Carl. “They must be the same man. Did your -man have a store in Bond street?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“What kind o’ looking fellow was he?—kind o’ stout with sharp, black -eyes?”</p> -<p>“That’s him,” said Guy eagerly. “It’s a wonder I didn’t meet you with -him or hear him speak about you. He told me all about himself and his -friends, I thought. Were you with him much?”</p> -<p>“Quite a good deal. We took several motor rides together.”</p> -<p>“So did we.”</p> -<p>“And he didn’t give you a racket?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“Nor anything else?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“I got the idea that he was fond of giving presents to his friends.”</p> -<p>“I guess he is, but I suppose I wasn’t a good enough friend. He gave me -a present to take to a friend of his in New York.”</p> -<p>“What was it—a tennis racket?”</p> -<p>“No, a pair of wireless shoes.”</p> -<p>“Wireless shoes!” Glennon exclaimed with a laugh of surprise. “Well -that’s a good one. I bet I know what he did that for. The fellow you’re -to turn them over to is a sprinter, and the shoes are intended to make -him sprint faster.”</p> -<p>“No, you’re mistaken. They’re not sprinting shoes; they’re intended to -cure rheumatism.”</p> -<p>“Quite an idea. Let’s see, how do they work? Probably with induction -coil and antennae concealed somewhere—eh?”</p> -<p>“How in the world do you know that?” Guy demanded in astonishment.</p> -<p>“Oh, I’m a radio enthusiast,” Glennon replied. “I’ve got a set at home -and what the neighbors call a set of wire clothesline between our house -and the garage. Besides, I’ve had some wireless experience with this -fellow Smithers. This racket he gave me is a wireless racket.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say!” exclaimed Guy. “How does it work?”</p> -<p>“Very simply. Some of the strings, if you’ll observe closely, are of -wire. They constitute the antennae. In the handle is an induction coil. -The circuit is closed when I grip the handle over two electrodes on -either side.”</p> -<p>“What did Smithers give it to you for—rheumatism?” inquired Guy with a -look of curious amusement.</p> -<p>“No, to put pep into my drives,” answered Glennon.</p> -<p>“And mystery into your curves?”</p> -<p>“I suppose so.”</p> -<p>“Does it do what it is supposed to do?”</p> -<p>“Not that I’ve been able to notice,” said Glennon. “Still it’s a dandy -racket, and I’ll take good care of it. I really can play better with it -than with any other racket I’ve ever had in my hand. Maybe there’s -something of a wireless charm in it after all.”</p> -<p>The boys played two sets and then found it was supper time. So they went -to their staterooms to get ready for the meal. In the dining room Guy -and his mother met Gunseyt, who sat down beside the boy and inquired:</p> -<p>“Well, did you find your fog pirate?”</p> -<p>“No, but I’ve found out who Mr. Watson is,” replied Guy as he picked up -a menu card and looked at it hungrily.</p> -<p>“You have! Who is he?”</p> -<p>“A detective.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say! Who told you?”</p> -<p>“A friend of the fog pirate.”</p> -<p>“Then you did find him.”</p> -<p>“No, I overheard their conversation. They were talking about Mr. -Watson.”</p> -<p>“They said he was a detective?”</p> -<p>“One of them did.”</p> -<p>“Where from—England?”</p> -<p>“I don’t think so. The voice I heard called him a secret service man. I -thought he meant an American.”</p> -<p>“What’s he doing here,” inquired Gunseyt, lapsing into a matter-of-fact -manner.</p> -<p>“I don’t know. The man didn’t say.”</p> -<p>“Well,” admitted Gunseyt; “of course, I might have been mistaken in my -recognition of Lantry, or Watson. No man should be cock-sure about -anything. But the man who thought he recognized him as a detective might -be mistaken too. So, you see there you are. But there’s a bit of -evidence on my side that he hasn’t got on his. You saw Watson come out -of your stateroom and found he’d been ransacking your trunks.”</p> -<p>“Yes—but—”</p> -<p>“But what?”</p> -<p>“If he’s a detective—”</p> -<p>“Yes?”</p> -<p>“—he might ’a’ thought I was a thief and been looking for stolen -property.”</p> -<p>“Ha, ha, ha!” laughed Gunseyt. “What an imagination you’ve got! But you -imagine such impossible things.”</p> -<p>“Perhaps I do,” smiled the boy. “I certainly hope it’s impossible for me -to be a thief.”</p> -<p>“I think you’ve been reading too many detective stories,” interposed -Mrs. Burton, who had been listening to this conversation with more or -less impatience. “I wish you could find something to talk about that -would be more interesting to me.”</p> -<p>“I should think this subject would be exciting enough to interest -anybody,” said Gunseyt with a smile.</p> -<p>“It might be if there were much evidence of truth in it,” the woman -replied with a mock air of wisdom. “The trouble is you both know only a -little of what you’re talking about, and you supply the rest with your -imagination. You’d make good reporters for yellow newspapers.”</p> -<p>A waiter now came for their orders, and the conversation was -interrupted. After he had left them, Mr. Gunseyt changed the subject by -saying:</p> -<p>“We’re nearing our journey’s end. We’ll be in New York day after -tomorrow. I suppose you’re glad of it.”</p> -<p>“Yes and no,” replied the boy slowly. “I like the trip; I think it’s -great, but I’m a little homesick.”</p> -<p>“Not many boys will admit they’re homesick until they have to,” observed -Gunseyt. “They’re usually too proud.”</p> -<p>“I’m past that age,” assured Guy.</p> -<p>“How old are you—seventeen?”</p> -<p>“No—sixteen, goin’ on seventeen, you know.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” laughed Gunseyt. “I don’t want to flatter your son to such an -extent as to spoil him, Mrs. Burton,” he continued, addressing Guy’s -mother; “But he’s bright enough to be twenty.”</p> -<p>“He takes after his mother,” she returned smartly.</p> -<p>“I wish I’d taken the southern route,” said Gunseyt, changing the -subject again. “I don’t like being cooped up inside all the time.”</p> -<p>“Same here,” agreed Guy. “The only advantage of this route is the saving -of a little time.”</p> -<p>“They tell me we’re getting in the neighborhood of icebergs,” the “radio -passenger” continued.</p> -<p>“The wireless operator told me we ought to see some icebergs by tomorrow -morning,” the boy said. “He’s been getting messages from other ships -going east all afternoon, and they told him there was lots of ice west -of us.”</p> -<p>“I hope we don’t strike an iceberg as the Titanic did,” Mrs. Burton -remarked.</p> -<p>“No danger of that,” was Gunseyt’s reassurance. “This boat is well -piloted and supplied with searchlights. One experience like that is -enough to insure the greatest caution in vessels like this for a hundred -years.”</p> -<p>Guy and his mother retired early that night. Both were tired, as they -had been up late every night of the voyage thus far. Moreover, life on -an ocean liner had lost some of its novelty for them, and they were -disposed by this time to look upon the experience almost in a -matter-of-fact manner. And matter-of-fact people usually go to bed at -reasonable hours.</p> -<p>Guy awoke shortly before midnight. The time he learned later, as there -was reason for its being registered in the minds of others. The -awakening was not an ordinary one, for it came with a jar that shook him -heavily, though not with great violence. For a minute or two he lay -awake, wondering what it could mean. He was sure he had not been -dreaming. He had no recollection of a dream.</p> -<p>But he was still sleepy and ceased to wonder as he drifted back into -unconsciousness. How long afterward he was aroused again, he could not -tell, but this time his awakening was decidedly more startling.</p> -<p>Some one was pounding heavily at the door. Guy listened a few moments -with thrills of dread at the words that came with the knocking, and then -fairly leaped out of his bunk.</p> -<p>“Get up and get out o’ there as quick as you can! The ship’s sinking!” -was the fearful warning that came loudly through the panel of the -stateroom door.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXII' title='The Wreck'>CHAPTER XII<br />The Wreck</h2> -</div> -<p>Mrs. Burton, also awakened by the alarm, was out of bed almost as soon -as her son. The latter threw open the door between their rooms and -called out to his mother, who replied that she was dressing. Hurriedly -the boy drew on a few articles of clothing, and then turned to the -electric button to “push” on the light. The button “pushed” all right, -but the room remained dark.</p> -<p>“Put on the light, Guy,” said Mrs. Burton in strange, hollow tones. -Evidently she was laboring under a dreadful emotion.</p> -<p>Guy tried again. He pushed the “off” button and the “on” again, but -without success.</p> -<p>“It won’t work, mother,” he said. “Something’s wrong with the current.”</p> -<p>At this moment there was another heavy knocking at the door and a voice -called:</p> -<p>“Hey, Burton! Are you getting out? Hurry up; the ship’s filling with -water. This is Gunseyt.”</p> -<p>Guy flung the door open, and the knocker entered.</p> -<p>“Are you about ready?” inquired the latter. “Hurry up and I’ll help get -your mother in a lifeboat.”</p> -<p>“A lifeboat!” cried Mrs. Burton.</p> -<p>“Oh, there’s no immediate danger,” replied Gunseyt reassuringly. “The -ship’ll probably sink, but not for some time yet. Everybody’ll be saved. -Got any valuables you want to take along?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” said Guy in some confusion. “We didn’t bring anything -very valuable with us, did we, mother?”</p> -<p>“Throw open your trunks and look your things over in a hurry,” suggested -Gunseyt. “I’ll help you carry anything you want to the boat. I’ll strike -some matches and hold a light.”</p> -<p>“You’re very kind,” said Guy appreciatively, as he opened his mother’s -trunk and his own, they being unlocked.</p> -<p>“Turn everything out,” continued Gunseyt, striking a match and holding -it for a torch. “Take only a few of your most valuable things or -keepsakes. There won’t be room for much in the boat. Here, what’s this?”</p> -<p>“Only those ‘wireless shoes’ I showed you,” replied the boy. “Don’t -bother with them.”</p> -<p>“It’s too bad to let a present like that go to the bottom. If you -haven’t got too much to lug, you might take ’em out of the box and stick -’em in your pocket. Or I’ll take care of them for you. All I’ve got is -an overcoat. It’ll be cold in the boat.”</p> -<p>“I’ll take my rubber coat,” said Guy. “Mother, you take your raincoat -and muff and a scarf for your head.”</p> -<p>Guy observed in the light of Mr. Gunseyt’s matches that the latter wore -a life jacket under his unbuttoned overcoat, and this observation -enlivened him to the full seriousness of the situation. But he kept his -head, lest he throw his mother into a panic, and quietly took down two -cork jackets hanging from pegs on the wall. One he fastened around -himself and the other he carried in his hand, intending to slip it on -his mother when he found opportunity to do so without alarming her too -much.</p> -<p>Mrs. Burton remained silent most of the time, working energetically and -courageously with her son, while Gunseyt held lighted matches over them. -Presently the vessel began to list perceptibly, warning them not to -waste any more time. Then something else happened that added a wilder -confusion to the critical conditions.</p> -<p>Hitherto the helper of Guy and his mother appeared to be inspired not -only with great generosity, but with remarkable courage. Although he had -urged the woman and her son to make haste, his voice and manner had been -steady and reassuring. For this the boy was thankful. He was certain -that he would not lose control of himself under any circumstances, but -feared lest his mother become panic stricken.</p> -<p>With the lurching of the ship, however, the “brave” Mr. Gunseyt was the -first to show signs of consternation. A cry of alarm escaped him, and he -turned and ran from the stateroom, shouting back to the others:</p> -<p>“Come on—quick—to the boats! No time to lose!”</p> -<p>Guy and his mother followed, the former carrying his rubber coat and a -life jacket for his mother and the latter wearing her mackintosh and -muff and a scarf around her head. Outside the stateroom, they found -their way lighted with a few lanterns that had been substituted for -electric bulbs, whose current was now dead. Gunseyt was twenty feet -ahead, making with his best speed for the exit to the outer deck. In one -hand he carried the box of “wireless shoes” and in the other a tennis -racket.</p> -<p>“He must be crazy,” Guy said to himself. “That explains his strange -actions. Otherwise he would have waited to help me get mother to a -boat.”</p> -<p>But it was hard for the boy to remain convinced of this interpretation. -Gunseyt had not appeared to be the sort of person at all likely to lose -his mental poise under any circumstances, however severe. Indeed, he had -seemed to possess unusual nerve. What, then, could be the explanation of -his present actions?</p> -<p>The question seemed unanswerable. As he ran, the man put the racket -under one arm, opened the box, took out the shoes, threw the box away, -and pushed the “radio footgear” into his overcoat pockets. Then he -disappeared through the cabin exit.</p> -<p>When Guy and his mother reached the open deck, their late would-be -helper had disappeared. But other matters of more pressing importance -were before them just now, and they dismissed him from their minds. They -started to run aft in the hope of finding someone who could tell them -what to do, when a passenger rushed past them, crying:</p> -<p>“No boats here, Burton—top deck.”</p> -<p>It was Glennon. He recognized Guy at a glance and tossed him the -information as he would toss a life buoy to a drowning man. Then, -realizing his passenger friend’s predicament, he stopped and said:</p> -<p>“Hello, is this your mother, Burton? Let me help you.”</p> -<p>Without waiting for uttered consent, Carl Glennon seized Mrs. Button by -one arm, and together the two boys almost lifted her over the carpeted -deck to the stairway and up to the boat deck. There they found two or -three hundred men assembled in the stern and watching a boat as it was -about to be lowered into the water.</p> -<p>Glennon appreciated the situation at a glance. It was the last boat in -this quarter and possibly the only opportunity for saving Guy’s mother. -Several seaman were manning the block and tackle and were about to lower -away, when a voice called out:</p> -<p>“Wait, haven’t you room for one more woman?” It was Carl who spoke.</p> -<p>“All full,” shouted back a seaman. “Heave away.”</p> -<p>“No, for God’s sake, don’t do that,” insisted Guy’s friend. “You’ve put -all the other women in boats. Don’t leave this one to perish alone.”</p> -<p>Glennon was mistaken in this regard, but he believed it was true. The -appeal was effective. There was general hesitation. The ropes were -slackened. Then one of the few men whose lot it had been to enter the -boat rose to his feet and stepped out. He said not a word, but waived -the woman to his place. It was Watson, the secret service operative.</p> -<p>Guy could hardly restrain a sob at the unselfishness of the man, in view -of the criminal charge the woman’s son had made against him. But Mrs. -Burton was not disposed to submit tamely to the substitution when she -saw Guy was not going to follow her into the boat. She thanked Watson -profusely for his kindness and begged him to return to his place, as she -could not think of going without her son.</p> -<p>But the operative’s generosity was not half-hearted. Instead of -accepting this as final, he approached the woman and said:</p> -<p>“Don’t be foolish, Mrs. Burton. Your son can get along much better -without you. If you stay here, you may be the cause of your both being -drowned. If he’s alone, he will probably be able to save himself.”</p> -<p>This was an argument that could not be gainsaid, and Mrs. Burton kissed -Guy affectionately and was assisted into the boat, which was so full of -passengers that there was little comfort for any.</p> -<p>“I’ll be all right,” Guy assured his mother. “I’m a good swimmer if it -comes to that, and, besides, I’ve got this cork jacket on. Here’s one -for you. Take it and put it on, though probably won’t need it. We’ll -probably find something to float on before the ship goes down. There -ought to be a lot of rafts here somewhere.”</p> -<p>While the boat was being lowered, the boy’s gaze followed his mother -with an appearance of more courage and confidence than he felt. As it -touched the water Carl laid a hand on his shoulder and said:</p> -<p>“Come on, Burton. We’ve got to get busy. We don’t want to depend on our -life jackets to save us in that cold water.”</p> -<p>A dozen men were calling down to wife or daughter or other relative or -friend in the boat, and Guy was unable to make his voice reach his -mother intelligibly. So he waved his hand to her and turned to follow -Glennon and Watson.</p> -<p>This was not an occasion for much detailed observation of surroundings, -but there were certain conditions and circumstances that impressed -themselves on Guy’s mind so indelibly that he may never forget them. It -was a clear cold night. There was no moon, but the stars shone brightly. -The ship was listing heavily to starboard and many of the passengers -were moving nervously here and there in the hope of finding a boat or -raft not yet launched. The forward end of the vessel was sinking -rapidly. Fortunately few women and children were left on the ship, so -that there was little individual helplessness to hamper the most hopeful -activities under the circumstances.</p> -<p>Apparently everybody still on the sinking vessel was now on the boat -deck. The first few boats that were launched had been loaded from the -promenade, but as the ship sunk lower there was a general migration to -the boat deck. There it soon became evident that although the liner had -been equipped with enough lifeboats and rafts for an emergency of this -kind, yet half the boats were useless because the listing of the vessel -rendered it impossible to lower them.</p> -<p>Naturally, in spite of the imminent danger that confronted all on board -there was a good deal of curiosity as to the cause of the sinking of the -Herculanea. At first it appeared to be another Titanic disaster, for -near the ship loomed a monster iceberg, so immense, indeed, that it -appeared more like a “mainland of ice” than an island of frozen water. -The word was circulated among the passengers that the liner had struck a -submerged projection of this huge berg.</p> -<p>But Guy heard this report positively contradicted by one of the -officers, who declared that an explosion had opened a great gap in the -steamer below the water line. This officer expressed the opinion that -the vessel had struck a floating mine probably laid by a German -submarine after the United States declared war.</p> -<p>Although there was general good order on board, one could not help -seeing that the feeling everywhere was tense, and little more would be -required to create a panic. The captain stood on the bridge, issuing -orders through a megaphone. He exhorted the passengers to preserve order -for their own sake. The throbbing of the big engines had ceased, but all -the mechanical power had not been killed, for one or more of the dynamos -still worked supplying electric current to some of the lighting wires -and to the wireless apparatus. From an open window of the radio house -came the thrilling sounds of the current leaping the spark gap and eager -high pitched voices. Ever since the fatal blow doomed the steamer to a -watery grave, the operator had been flashing a continuous stream of -distress messages. And this he continued to do as long as the electric -current lasted. Meanwhile assurance was passed among the remaining -passengers that a liner had caught the Herculanea’s “S. O. S.” and was -racing to the rescue. But nobody could dodge the fearful importance of -this question—Would she arrive before the sinking steamer went down?</p> -<p>“Are all the boats gone?” inquired Guy, as he and Carl Watson turned to -look about them for some means of escape from the doom that seemed to be -theirs.</p> -<p>“Your mother was the last person to enter the last boat,” replied Watson -solemnly.</p> -<p>“Thanks to your great generosity,” said Guy, scarcely able to control -his emotion of gratefulness.</p> -<p>“Look down there,” interrupted Carl, pointing toward the after end of -the main deck. “Those fellows seem to have found a supply of rafts. -Let’s go down and see what’s doing.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good idea,” said Watson. “This vessel is going to sink head -down, and the farther toward the stern we can get, the safer we’ll be, -even though we’re on the lowest deck.”</p> -<p>“We may be caught in a trap if we go down an inside stairway,” Guy -suggested.</p> -<p>“No danger of that yet,” replied Watson. “The ship isn’t going to sink -for another half hour. Come on. Even if we have to jump into the sea, -that’s the best place to jump from because it’s the lowest.”</p> -<p>They ran through an entrance and down the nearest stairway. The cabin -rooms were deserted. One could almost believe, save for the listing of -the ship, that the vessel was tied up at a dock and resting after a long -cruise. Down on the main deck near the elevator Guy observed a solitary -figure seated on a cushioned bench. An incandescent bulb was burning a -few feet away, and Guy recognized the man. It was Gunseyt.</p> -<p>The boy almost gasped for breath; then quickly remembered his recent -suspicion that this strangely acting passenger was insane. Now he was -fully convinced of the truth of his suspicion, for the fellow seemed to -have no interest in saving himself. On the bench beside him, Guy beheld -the “wireless shoes” that Gunseyt had taken from the boy’s room, and in -his hands he held the tennis racket that Guy had seen in his possession -as the fellow was deserting him and his mother. Even as young Burton -gazed at him, this remarkable man strained the handle of the racket -across one knee and broke it.</p> -<p>Attributing this act to nothing more than the giddy working of a -disordered mind, Guy hastened on after his companions. As they passed -out onto the open deck, they were greeted by a heavy roaring sound, like -a mighty clap of thunder, only it came not from the sky, but from the -hold of the ship. Every beam seemed to be shaken loose, and the great -vessel trembled as with a terrible convulsion.</p> -<p>“We’re going down—the boilers have exploded—we’re going down!” screamed -a terror-stricken passenger, as he rushed to the side of the ship and -leaped overboard.</p> -<p>Panic followed.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXIII' title='S. O. S.'>CHAPTER XIII<br />S. O. S.</h2> -</div> -<p>Meanwhile the other “wireless twin” was not asleep even though it was -after midnight. Back in Ferncliffe, Walter Burton was a very busy boy.</p> -<p>He and Tony had been enterprisingly industrious during Guy’s absence. -Tony had made a diligent study of wireless telegraphy and was already -showing promise of early proficiency, as he was naturally quick. Walter -had received several letters from Guy, and these were all long and full -of interesting detail. The boy on the other side of the Atlantic told -all about his doings in London, the acquaintances he made, and the -sights he saw. He devoted pages to a description of how he and Artie -Fletcher “saw London in a fog,” and this letter was followed by other -lengthy ones, telling of his association with Smithers and the hotel -clerk. He described these two characters so minutely that Walter and -Tony received clear mental pictures of them.</p> -<p>“Save these letters,” Guy requested in his second long writing to his -brother. “I’m telling you everything because I don’t want to forget -anything. I’m going to claim these letters as my own property when I get -back, if you don’t object. You won’t care nearly so much for them as I -do.”</p> -<p>The last letter informed Walter and his father that Guy and his mother -would return on the Herculanea. It contained information also as to the -day they would start and the expected time of reaching New York.</p> -<p>About a week before Guy and Mrs. Burton started on their return, the -last of the winter snows at Ferncliffe melted and spring weather -arrived. Although the coast was still dangerous, Walter and Tony got the -motor yacht in condition for a trip as soon as the weather became -sufficiently settled for safety. The craft was inspected and overhauled -from stem to stern, and with Mr. Burton’s consent, the gasoline tanks -were filled. Walter also transferred one of the wireless apparatus to -the deck house, extending several wires between the fore and aft service -masts for an aerial.</p> -<p>“We’ll have everything ready for a little cruise when Guy gets back,” he -said to Tony as they worked and discussed their plans.</p> -<p>After all the preparations were completed, Walter suggested to Det -Teller that they make a run out of the harbor, as the sea was calm and -there seemed to be a promise of pleasant weather; but the sailor-farmer -objected.</p> -<p>“This boat doesn’t stir out of this place until your father gets back,” -he said very decidedly. “When he says ‘go’, we go, but not until.”</p> -<p>That settled it, and Walter realized that he had made a foolish -suggestion. Mr. Burton had been called to New York on business the day -before and would remain there to meet his wife and Guy on their arrival -from Europe. Walter and Tony were therefore left alone in the house, as -Jetta was staying with Mrs. Teller during her mother’s absence. -Sometimes the boys ate at Mrs. Teller’s table and sometimes at Tony’s -home.</p> -<p>Naturally they ran things pretty much their own way when they found -themselves sole occupants of the house. Fortunately they were even -tempered youth, and “their own way” proved to be fairly sane, so that -they did not break the windows or burn the house down. But they had a -good time after boy’s fashion, reading, playing games, talking wireless, -and going to bed when they were too tired and sleepy to stay up longer.</p> -<p>In this latter respect they violated long established tradition. They -had learned that night is the best time for sending and receiving radio -messages, as the atmospheric conditions are then most favorable for the -transmission of electric waves, and they applied this information to -practice. The first night they were alone they stayed up until 10:30 -o’clock, the second night until after 11, and the third—well, they were -up until after midnight and then something happened that drove sleep -from their minds till the next succeeding sunset.</p> -<p>After supper on this eventful night, Walter went to the yacht and Tony -went to the attic “den,” and, seated at their respective wireless -tables, they practiced sending and receiving for two or three hours. -Tony, of course, was still very slow, but he managed to spell out his -words with reasonable accuracy, and as Walter sent his messages in a -leisurely manner, they did very well. One of the observations sent by -Walter across the spark gap in the course of their exchange of wireless -witticisms was the following:</p> -<p>“Ben Franklin contradicted himself by discovering a spark-gap in the sky -and giving that ‘early to bed, early to rise,’ advice.”</p> -<p>“Why?” Tony dot-and-dashed back.</p> -<p>“Because you have to stay up late to wireless well,” Walter replied.</p> -<p>Shortly after ten o’clock he sent the following message to Tony:</p> -<p>“Come here.”</p> -<p>“Repeat,” requested the boy at the shore station, who read the message -but was in doubt as to whether he had read it correctly.</p> -<p>“Come here,” Walter flashed again.</p> -<p>“Why?”</p> -<p>“Some fun here.”</p> -<p>Tony hastened to obey the summons.</p> -<p>He was soon aboard the boat, which was tied up at the wharf, and eagerly -hastened to the deck house to find out what the fun was. Walter was -sitting at the table with the receivers at his ears and his hand on the -key. Observing that he was busy, Tony said nothing, but waited. The -varying expression on the operator’s face indicated an interesting -conversation with someone.</p> -<p>Tony watched and listened attentively and caught enough of his friend’s -messages to understand that the latter was engaged in a lively repartee -with another operator. Presently Walter found an opportunity to explain.</p> -<p>“I’ve got an operator on a big yacht, I think,” he said. “He was casting -around for someone to talk to and picked me up. He started by calling me -an undampt landlubber, and I called him a vacuum amplifier.”</p> -<p>“What’s a vacuum amplifier?” interrupted Tony, who knew little of the -technique of wireless.</p> -<p>“It’s a radio monstrosity,” Walter replied. “When you make a study of -the science of wireless, you’ll learn that the vacuum tube amplifier is -an important instrument for increasing the volume of wave impulse at the -receiving end. I left out the tube and called him a vacuum amplifier, -meaning that he increased the volume of nothing. He came back weakly by -calling me a vacuum detector, playing on the idea of a vacuum detective. -That gave me just my opening for a good punch and I flashed back that I -had detected him as the emptiest vacuum tube this side of a minus -quantity.”</p> -<p>“Wow!” broke in Tony again. “Did that silence him?”</p> -<p>“Not yet,” answered Walter. “He called me an alternating current of sky -juice and I shot back that he was an interrupted gooseberry—”</p> -<p>“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Tony, “I’ll bet he quit then.”</p> -<p>“Yes, he did. But here he is again.”</p> -<p>“Hello there, kindergarten,” was the next greeting from the revived -radio banterer. “How far away are you from me?”</p> -<p>“How should I know?” flashed back the young amateur. “But I can make a -better guess than you can.”</p> -<p>“I bet you a spark gap you can’t.”</p> -<p>“That’s just like you—always dealing in nothing,” retorted Walter. “I -bet you a vacuum cleaner I can.”</p> -<p>“It’s a go, Smarty.”</p> -<p>“All right, Empty,” agreed Walter. “How far apart are we?”</p> -<p>“Three miles.”</p> -<p>“I say ten. Where are you?”</p> -<p>“Two miles off Rookery Point.”</p> -<p>“I win. You’re twelve miles from me. I’m near Ferncliffe. You owe me an -empty glass.”</p> -<p>“I’ll be generous and put something in it. What’ll you have?”</p> -<p>“Make it a gooseberry phosphate.”</p> -<p>“All right but you must furnish the sugar. It costs too much now.”</p> -<p>“You’re a cheap skate. When you die, your folks will go gooseburying.”</p> -<p>“Good-by, kindergarten,” interrupted the twice defeated wireless wit. -“Your ma wants you to go to bed.”</p> -<p>“There’s a lot doing in the air tonight,” Walter announced presently, -turning to his friend. “I’m going to see what I can pick up. Most of it -is big wave length. I’m going to tune up to it and see what’s doing. You -may listen in some of the time if you want to, Tony.”</p> -<p>“You go ahead,” said the latter. “You can read faster than I can. Tell -me what’s doing whenever there’s anything interesting.”</p> -<p>Meanwhile Walter’s left hand was pressing the left receiver, while his -right hand was busy with the three-slide tuning coil. Presently he -appeared to be satisfied with the adjustment, for he transferred his -right hand from the instrument to the right ear piece and pressed both -pieces hard against his ears.</p> -<p>And there was good reason for this sudden eagerness of attitude on his -part.</p> -<p>“Oh, Tony,” the radio eavesdropper exclaimed after a few moments of rapt -attention. “It’s two liners talking together, and one of them’s the -Herculanea, the ship mother and Guy are on.”</p> -<p>“What!” shouted the astonished Tony.</p> -<p>“Yes, it’s true. I spelled the name Herculanea as clear as can be. Keep -still now.”</p> -<p>There was silence again for a minute or two while Walter strained every -listening nerve to catch the dots and dashes in the receivers. Then he -said:</p> -<p>“Yes, its the Herculanea. I didn’t catch the name of the other liner, -but it’s warning the Herculanea to look out for icebergs.”</p> -<p>“They must be way up north,” said Tony.</p> -<p>“Yes, keep still. They’re talking again.”</p> -<p>Walter was an intent listener again for five minutes. Then he took a -pencil from his pocket and wrote several figures on a paper tab lying on -the table. Presently he looked up at his friend and said:</p> -<p>“Tony, get me that chart of the north Atlantic in the chart case. I’ve -got the location of the icebergs, and maybe I’ll get the location of the -Herculanea. I want to follow it if I can. I want to place the steamer on -the chart and follow it as long as I get messages from it.”</p> -<p>Tony dashed into the pilot house and soon returned with the desired -chart, laying it on the table before Walter.</p> -<p>“There’s where the icebergs are,” said the young operator, eagerly -indicating with his finger; “not far from Sable Island, two hundred -miles or more from Halifax.”</p> -<p>“That’s more’n four hundred miles from here, isn’t it?” said Tony. -“Where’s the Herculanea?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know. I haven’t found that out yet.”</p> -<p>Walter continued to listen in silence for some time, eagerly hoping to -catch the location of the vessel, but he was disappointed. She might be -100 or 500 miles from the icebergs. He caught many messages from the -Herculanea and other ships speaking with her, but no more latitude and -longitude.</p> -<p>Time passed rapidly, and the interest of Walter did not wane. In fact, -he would not have thought of going to bed at all, so long as he was able -to catch messages from the Herculanea, if Tony had not called his -attention to the lateness of the hour.</p> -<p>“Walter, do you know what time it is?” asked Tony after looking at his -watch. The ship’s clock was not wound and had struck no bells all -evening.</p> -<p>“I guess it’s pretty late,” replied the diligent radio listener -mechanically.</p> -<p>“No, it’s early in the morning—after midnight.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say. Well, we’ll have to quit soon and go to bed. But I do -hate to stop as long as I can get a message from Guy’s and mother’s -ship. Maybe Guy’s standing beside the operator right now. It’u’d be just -like him to hang around the radio room for hours at a time if they’d let -’im.”</p> -<p>“He’s more likely in bed.”</p> -<p>“Perhaps you’re right. Well, one more message, and I’ll quit.”</p> -<p>But it was a long time coming, measured by the impatience of the -listener. The operator on the Herculanea was silent for ten minutes or -more, while Walter sat at his table, eager to receive one more message -before turning in.</p> -<p>“Better give it up,” advised Tony, “He’s going to bed.”</p> -<p>“I won’t believe it till I have to,” replied the other. “No, you’re -wrong,” he added suddenly. “Here he is.”</p> -<p>Walter was now all eagerness again. But soon a marked change came over -his face. So startling was the change that Tony sprang forward to catch -his friend, believing him to be ill. The next instant he saw his -mistake.</p> -<p>Pale and trembling, Walter gripped the receivers with both hands, while -he listened with every nerve at high tension. He uttered one or two -gasps; then he snatched up his pencil and wrote several figures on the -tab. A moment later he was shouting orders to his companion.</p> -<p>“Tony, Tony!” he cried. “Run an’ wake up Det quick. Tell him to come -here right away. The Herculanea—S. O. S.—I got the message. She’s hit -something—wrecked—sinking—mother—Guy!”</p> -<p>Dazed, bewildered, Tony rushed out of the cabin, onto the wharf and up -the path toward the old sailor’s house, while Walter, with ghost-like -face and rigid muscles sat listening to the appeals of distress as they -came from the operator of the doomed liner.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXIV' title='The Voice of the Fog Pirate'>CHAPTER XIV<br />The Voice of the Fog Pirate</h2> -</div> -<p>Affairs were bad enough on board the Herculanea, but not quite so bad as -the cry of the terror-stricken passenger would seem to indicate. -Although she was steadily sinking lower and lower, the steamer remained -afloat half an hour after the first boiler explosion. After a hundred or -more had leaped into the sea, following the example of the first -terrified wretch, the panic subsided, and the saner ones busied -themselves at devising means of self-preservation. But it was plainly a -question of only a short time when she would tip on end and plunge -downward, so that all worked with the greatest of haste.</p> -<p>Guy and his two friends kept together through the fearful excitement. A -dozen rafts, large enough and well enough buoyed to float with a burden -of from twenty-five to fifty persons each, were being launched with -greater energy than skill, and conditions now looked hopeful for those -who had leaped into the sea with life jackets, as well as for the many -who still remained on board.</p> -<p>As soon as those on the boat deck observed what was going on below, -there was a general rush down to the main deck. Guy, Watson and Glennon -aided in lowering the rafts and were among the last to seek refuge -themselves on one of the floating platforms.</p> -<p>So far as they were able to determine, no lives were lost in this final -abandonment of the sinking vessel. All, apparently, wore life jackets -and even those who ordinarily were unable to swim had little difficulty -in making their way to the rafts and climbing aboard. Then, as rapidly -as possible, the escaping passengers and members of the crew rowed away -from the doomed Herculanea in order not to be sucked down with her when -she plunged to the bottom of the ocean.</p> -<p>The raft on which Guy and his two friends made their escape was less -than 100 hundred feet away from the ship when another boiler explosion -settled the question as to how much longer she would be afloat. The men -with the oars in their hands strained every muscle in their bodies and -limbs and succeeded in more than doubling this distance, when the great -liner plunged nose down out of sight. Even then the strength of the -oarsmen was not sufficient to stem the backward pull of the cataclysmic -current, and they were dragged almost to the very spot where the ship -sank. But although the raft was rocked violently, no damage was done, -except the tipping off of two passengers, who were soon taken aboard -again, none the worse for their ducking, if we except violent chills and -chattering teeth.</p> -<p>Following the disappearance of the Herculanea beneath the surface of the -sea, more attention was given by the occupants of the rafts to their -surroundings. No doubt there had been only casual observation of the -proximity of the great iceberg on the part of anybody as long as the -ship remained afloat. Now it was the principal object of interest for -all.</p> -<p>Guy told himself that he had never dreamed that there could be so mighty -a mass of ice between the arctic and antarctic circles. Naturally the -sight of this frigid monster, in the gloom of the starlit night, tended -further to depress his spirits and caused him to give way for a time to -the most wretched forebodings, and it was only after an inward struggle -that he was able to overcome them.</p> -<p>A majority of those on the raft on which Guy and his friends had sought -refuge decided that it was better not to row away from the place where -the liner went down because of the expected arrival of one or more -rescue ships in a few hours. Some of the men were disposed to grumble a -little at this inactivity, but Watson, who soon assumed the role of -leader by virtue of his readiness of ideas, suggested that they take -turns at the oars and propel the craft around in a circle near the -iceberg. As everybody was wet and cold, all were eager to put their -hands to the oars, so that there was no lack of helpers in this aimless -occupation. Even the half dozen women on the raft took their turns at -the circular rowing.</p> -<p>This raft was one of the larger that had been carried by the Herculanea -and supported some twenty-five passengers. The material and construction -were of a kind generally approved for life saving emergencies of this -kind. The buoys were long metal cylinders, cone shaped at each end, like -a sharpened pencil. Over these was a large platform or deck, made of -many slats of light wood, laid side by side an inch or two apart and -bound together with steel cross rods.</p> -<p>In spite of the fact that they were in no immediate danger of drowning, -the shipwrecked occupants of this and all the other rafts from the -Herculanea were anything but confident of safety for themselves in their -condition and surroundings. They were all wet to the skin, and the -atmosphere and the water into which many of them had plunged when -leaving the steamer were almost as cold as ice. It seemed scarcely -possible that the constitutions of the most hardy could withstand such -exposure many hours. Moreover, the sea was by no means calm. A -considerable swell of the ocean drenched them repeatedly so that there -was little likelihood of any amelioration of their discomfort by the -drying of their clothes in the smart wind that blew.</p> -<p>“It seems to me that the wind is getting stronger and the waves -heavier,” remarked one of the women, nervously addressing Guy, who clung -to some of the slats of their raft near her.</p> -<p>“We can’t hang onto this raft if the sea gets much rougher,” declared -another woman.</p> -<p>“If the waves are going to get much higher, we’d be much better off on -that iceberg,” declared a shivering middle-aged man to Guy’s left.</p> -<p>“That isn’t a bad idea,” said a “half-drowned” seaman, who seemed to be -suffering quite as wretchedly as the women. “I move that we look for a -landing place.”</p> -<p>“Are the rescue ships likely to look for anybody on the iceberg?” -questioned Guy.</p> -<p>“They’ll make a good search for us all around here, never fear,” replied -the seaman. “It’s up to us to keep ourselves alive by any means possible -for several hours, and we’ll be safe. We can’t live in this ice-water, -though.”</p> -<p>“How about on the ice?” inquired Watson, who had been listening -attentively to the discussion.</p> -<p>“We’ll have a better chance to move around there and dry our clothes,” -replied the seaman. “We can fly signals, too, from the top of the berg, -if we can get up there. They ought to attract attention from so high a -point.”</p> -<p>The seaman’s argument created a generally favorable impression, and a -little further discussion resulted in a unanimous vote to seek refuge on -the iceberg. This mountain of frozen water, being only a short rowing -distance from where the ship went down, was soon reached. But -disappointment met their first close inspection, for as far as they were -able to see, there appeared to be no “landing place.” Then they rowed in -an easterly direction along the ragged wall of ice. Another and smaller -raft, supporting some twenty passengers, followed them.</p> -<p>They rowed around the eastern end of the berg and some distance along -the northern side. In spite of his great physical discomfort, Guy soon -found his interest centered again on the immensity of the floating mass -of ice, which became more and more evident as they advanced, in spite of -the darkness of the night. At last they found an ideal “beach,” sloping -down gradually to the water’s edge. The waves dashed high upon this -area, and it was evident that if they were to effect a “landing” it -could be done only by a vigorous “beaching” drive.</p> -<p>The oarsmen of the larger raft took in the situation at a glance and -acted accordingly. They bent to the task with their best energy and the -raft seemed to be lifted almost out of the water in the crest of a wave. -Then down it came with a crash and a crunching, grinding sound. Some of -the passengers were literally hurled off the raft and onto the ice as -the water receded.</p> -<p>“Look out! She’ll be carried back by the next wave,” shouted one of the -men. “Lay hold and we’ll save her.”</p> -<p>Guy sprang forward with a score of other men to seize the raft and drag -it farther up on the “beach;” but, as he did so, a thrill of -astonishment electrified his numb physique.</p> -<p>That voice! Surely it was the “squeaky-roar” of the London “fog pirate.” -But it was not so much the voice as the identity of its possessor that -astonished the boy. The man who shouted the warning stood only a few -feet away from Guy and the latter recognized him.</p> -<p>It was Gunseyt.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXV' title='Captain Walter'>CHAPTER XV<br />Captain Walter</h2> -</div> -<p>Few moments in any boy’s career have been more dreadfully thrilling than -those immediately following Walter’s catching of the first distress -message from the Herculanea. That there had been a terrible accident -could not be doubted. The first three letters of the message were -well-known “S. O. S.” Then followed a rapid succession of short -sentences, relating what had occurred and giving the location of the -wrecked steamer.</p> -<p>Walter sat at the table in the deck house of the Jetta listening to the -messages almost as rigidly as if he himself had been immersed into an -icy bath and frozen stiff. Not a letter escaped him. No operator, -however skillful, could have dot-and-dashed too rapidly for him now. -Every nerve, every fiber in his body was at its highest tension, and -almost the only cause that could have stolen a word from his listening -ears was the snapping of a vital cord.</p> -<p>Anxiety for the safety of his mother and Guy was the zero temperature -that held him frozen to his chair and to the receivers. As the appeals -and the crisp, snappy descriptions of what had happened came to him, he -pictured the scene rapidly, instinctively, vividly. He saw his mother -and brother on a deck of the steamer, nervously awaiting their fate in -the decision of events. He heard them speak to each other, uttering -words of cheer and fondly remarking about folks at home. He saw the ship -sink lower and lower and the lifeboats descending from the davits.</p> -<p>Of course they were safe unless the sea were too rough for small boats. -And such danger was improbable, for the operator had said nothing about -it in his calls for help. He had said that it was cold, but this was all -the information he had given regarding the weather. Guy saw the -passengers getting into the boats, and then an awful possibility -occurred to him.</p> -<p>Suppose there were not enough boats for all!</p> -<p>The Herculanea was one of the largest steamers in the world and carried -enough passengers to populate a small city. It would require many boats -to accommodate all these. Walter was somewhat reassured when he recalled -that the Titanic disaster had waked up the leading nations of the world -to the necessity of ample lifesaving facilities on all seagoing vessels, -but he could not quite dismiss his fears in this regard.</p> -<p>In the midst of his near-panic of mind, Tony and Det arrived. The latter -was not excited, although Tony had aroused him from his sleep in a -manner that was enough to convince one that a war fleet had arrived from -Mars or the end of the world had come. But he found Walter in an -attitude that caused him to become more than serious, for the radio boy -was just receiving another distress call, coupled with the announcement -that the listing of the ship had rendered it impossible to launch nearly -half the boats, so that many of the passengers would have to seek safety -on rafts.</p> -<p>“What’s all this about?” demanded the old sailor with a kind of awed -sternness.</p> -<p>Walter did not answer at once. He was listening intently. But pretty -soon a short period of silence in the receivers gave him opportunity to -cry out:</p> -<p>“Hasn’t Tony told you? The Herculanea is wrecked—going down. They’re -taking to the boats, and there’s not enough boats for all. There are -only rafts for hundreds of them.”</p> -<p>“You got that message?” inquired the incredulous man. “Where is the -steamer?”</p> -<p>“Off Nova Scotia, four hundred miles from here.”</p> -<p>“You must be crazy! Your little amateur outfit couldn’t receive a -message from away up there.”</p> -<p>“Crazy, am I?” fired back Walter. “That shows how little you know about -wireless telegraphy. This outfit can take any message that any other -outfit can take. I want you to know that I received those messages, and -they are true. Look over this boat as fast as possible and see that -she’s ready to start on a four hundred mile trip in half an hour.”</p> -<p>Det stared at the boy as if he thought him mad. He wondered if he were -not still in his bed and dreaming. He could hardly believe his senses. -But the boy was in dead earnest and could not be handled lightly. He was -in a mood to give commands now, even to the grown and long experienced -Det Teller, and he must be handled like a man.</p> -<p>“If the steamer’s going to sink, it’ll be at the bottom of the ocean -almost before we can get started, let alone running four hundred miles,” -objected Det.</p> -<p>“I don’t care if it’s four thousand miles,” Walter shouted back. Then he -ceased to talk for a few moments while he caught another message. Pretty -soon he spoke again, but now in a pleading tone:</p> -<p>“Det, Det, do get busy. This boat must start as soon as ever we can get -ready. Mother and Guy may have to float in an open boat for days. We -can’t run any unnecessary risks. Other steamers may pick them up, and -then again they may not. Tony, will you go along?”</p> -<p>“Give me time to run and ask pa,” replied the boy addressed.</p> -<p>“I’ll give you half an hour. By that time we’ll be gone, whether you’re -here or not. There’s no time to waste.”</p> -<p>Tony was off like a shot before his friend had finished speaking. -Meanwhile Det was mechanically obeying orders. He could not well do -otherwise. He wished heartily that the boy’s father were at home. He -longed for more authority for such an undertaking. It was a time of the -year when the sea was treacherous, and it was risky business to attempt -such a trip in so small a boat. Moreover, the chances of success were so -few as to render the proposition almost foolhardy in his opinion.</p> -<p>And yet, he dared not take the responsibility of opposing Walter. There -was too much at stake. Surely Mr. Burton would countenance any step, -however hazardous, taken for the purpose of rescuing two members of his -family from so great a peril. If the crew of the Jetta were lost, the -owner would have the consolation of knowing that they died heroes.</p> -<p>Det decided to go. The more he thought over the matter, the less -argument he could offer against the move. He concluded that he would be -branded as a coward and an unfaithful employee of the Burton family if -he showed a disposition to hinder any rescue plan, unless he could offer -a better. He went into the engine room, made a careful survey of the -quarters, found that Walter had made practically all the preparations -necessary, and then returned to the young skipper.</p> -<p>“Everything’s ready,” he announced. “I’m going to the house and tell -Mag, an’ then I’ll be right back.”</p> -<p>Without waiting for an answer, he was gone. He ran all the way to the -house, burst into the bedroom where his wife lay, impatiently waiting -his return, and in excited tones and short sentences informed her what -had happened:</p> -<p>“Big steamer wrecked ’way up the coast. Mrs. Burton an’ Guy on board. -We’re goin’ up there in the Jetta. Good-by. We’ll be gone several days.”</p> -<p>“My gracious!” exclaimed Mrs. Teller springing out of bed and grabbing -the first article of clothing she could lay her hands on. “Wait, Det; -you’ll have to have something to eat on the way.”</p> -<p>“Shiver my fence posts if I ever thought o’ that,” exclaimed the excited -farmer-sailor, “stopping in his tracks.” “I always said it was a lucky -day when I married you. First I lost my head when I fell in love, then I -ran away ’cause you broke my heart, and since the parson tied the knot -you’ve saved my life forty-’leven times over.”</p> -<p>Mrs. Teller had long since been cured of her early coquettishness and it -was safe enough for her jovial husband to talk in that manner. She was -in no mood to pay any attention to nonsense just now. She loved Mrs. -Burton with the devotion of long and faithful employment, and could -think of nothing but haste and speed in assisting her husband to get -ready.</p> -<p>“You’ll want some money, too,” she added, going to a dresser and turning -on an electric light over it. Then she fished a key out of a button-box -and unlocked and opened a small drawer in the upper part of the dresser.</p> -<p>“Here’s all but ten dollars of last month’s salary,” she said, handing a -roll of bills to her husband. “Take it; you may need it. You may run out -of gasoline and food, and Walter won’t have any money.”</p> -<p>Det took the roll and pinned it in an inside pocket of his vest.</p> -<p>“I’ll have you a bag full of dinner in a jiffy,” she added, as she ran -with stockinged feet, into the kitchen. There she struck a light and -“flew about” in a manner that would have been quite satisfactory to -impatient Walter could he have seen her.</p> -<p>“How’d you get the news?” she asked, seizing a pot of boiled potatoes -she intended to fry for breakfast and dumping them into an empty flour -sack.</p> -<p>Det told her all he knew while she filled two sacks with promiscuous -edibles, including pies, bread, cookies, cold boiled meat, and a smoked -ham.</p> -<p>“There,” she said as she finished; “you take these sacks, and I’ll carry -this basket of apples and this basket of raw potatoes, and we’ll go.”</p> -<p>“You’re not going along, be you?” inquired the amazed husband as he -obeyed instructions.</p> -<p>“No,” she replied, swinging the door open and stepping out. “But I would -if I could. I’ve got to stay with the children.”</p> -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Teller had a son and a daughter. The former was eight years -old and the latter six. Besides these, Jetta Burton was living with them -during the absence of her parents.</p> -<p>When Det and his wife reached the yacht, they met Tony and his father -just arriving on a run. Mr. Lane had been aroused as vigorously by the -story of the wreck and the peril to the two Burtons as Mr. Teller had -been. He offered no objection to his son’s accompanying Walter on his -dash to the rescue, and in a remarkably short time he and Tony were -running down the road toward the yacht’s harbor.</p> -<p>Meanwhile messages had ceased to come from the Herculanea, and Walter -concluded that the electric machinery of the liner was no longer in -operation, if, indeed, the ship had not already gone down. So he left -his instruments and made a hurried survey of the preparations for -departure. Then he assigned Tony to the engine room, for the latter was -almost as well acquainted with the motive power of the yacht as he was, -and asked Det to man the stern line while he backed away from the wharf.</p> -<p>“See that everything’s in good running order,” he called after Tony, as -the latter started for the engine room. “Then you c’n come back on -deck.”</p> -<p>A moment later he was in the pilot house, calling to Det to release the -stern line. After this had been done, he stepped on the starter, threw -the clutch in reverse, and, by holding onto the bowline, forced the -stern away from the wharf. Then he let go his bowline and backed out far -enough to give him complete clearance, after which he reversed his wheel -and threw in the clutch, giving the boat full speed ahead.</p> -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Lane stood on the wharf and watched the yacht till it was -out of sight in the darkness. Presently Tony reappeared on deck with the -report that all was running smoothly in the engine room, after which -there was little conversation on board for some time. Walter was in -possession of a bit of information that he would have been delighted to -communicate to his friends, but he decided that it was better to keep it -to himself for the present. He feared that its revelation might cause -Det and Tony to urge a return home at once, and this he would not -consent to do. The information was indeed of cheering nature, but he did -not wish to let the rescue of his mother and his brother rest on that -alone. Shortly before the operator on the Herculanea ceased to send out -calls for help, Walter caught a message from another steamer, saying -that it was hastening to the scene of the disaster.</p> -<p>But this steamer might be half-way across the Atlantic and might fail to -arrive in time to be of assistance.</p> -<p>“I’ll wait till we’re well on our way before I tell them about it,” -Walter resolved grimly.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXVI' title='On the Iceberg'>CHAPTER XVI<br />On the Iceberg</h2> -</div> -<p>The raft was quickly drawn up to a safe position on the “ice shore” and -the castaways retreated still farther from the water’s edge in order to -keep well out of reach of the heaviest waves. The smaller raft was -“beached” in a similar manner, and like precaution was taken to prevent -its being washed back into the sea.</p> -<p>Presently the moon arose and lighted the scene with ghastly effect. But -the ghastliness was a thing more to be remembered afterwards. It -scarcely moved their numbed senses then. Wind currents high above soon -became more active, and banks of clouds were broken up and scattered as -if by bursting shells, then chased one another across the sky, while the -big pale-yellow queen of the night rode majestically over this deep-wide -scene of dismal wilderness.</p> -<p>All of the women and several of the men on the iceberg were suffering so -severely, as a result of the exposure, that it appeared likely they -would soon collapse. Their condition and the serious discomfort of -everybody else compelled a general casting about for means of relief. -True, the first impulse was one of hopelessness, but events proved that -elements were still available with which resourceful minds could combat -despair.</p> -<p>The first device along this line was preceded with a discovery that, in -itself, was anything but hopeful. This discovery was announced by -Gunseyt, who exhibited more nervous anxiety over the danger of their -situation than any other member of the castaway party. Meanwhile Guy had -not fully recovered from his astonishment following his identification -of the “radio passenger” with the London “fog pirate” of the -“squeak-roar” voice. Hence the mystery of this revelation tempered -somewhat the gloom of a new disaster, disclosed by those same -“squeak-roar” tones, when Gunseyt startled everybody by announcing:</p> -<p>“The rafts are spoiled; we can’t use them any more. The air cylinders -are smashed.”</p> -<p>There was a general rush toward the rafts as the last alarming sentence -was finished, and a hurried inspection was made by all. Several groans -of dismay followed, also a few grumbling criticisms of the carelessness -that had characterized their landing on the ice “beach.” The drive of -the oars, reinforced by the lift and drop of the waves on which they had -ridden “shoreward,” had brought the cylinders down upon the ice with -such force as to wreck their further serviceability as -air-and-water-tight buoys.</p> -<p>“Yes, he’s right,” declared Watson presently. “They’re not good for -anything any more except firewood.”</p> -<p>“Then let’s build a fire and get warm,” proposed one of the men. “I’ve -got a water-tight match-safe full of matches.”</p> -<p>The unanimous vote with which this proposal was speedily adopted was -pitiful in its eagerness. Then followed a general attack upon the two -rafts, which, although there was not a tool larger than a jacknife in -this iceberg camp, quickly reduced them to crumpled heaps of wood, -bended steel bars, and the battered junk of many recently well-shaped -and air-tight metal cylinders. Watson, Guy, Glennon and half a dozen -other men, who had knives in their pockets whittled away at pieces of -the deck lumber, and soon produced a pile of fairly dry shavings and -splints.</p> -<p>“Now,” said Watson; “we’ll try to arrange these cylinders so that they -may be used as a sort of grate for our fire to prevent, as much as -possible, a melting of the ice under it. And, by the way, there’s -another precaution we want to take. There’s no telling how thick, or -thin, this beach of ice that we are standing on is. A fire’s bound to -melt it more or less, and that, together with our weight, might cause it -to crack and, maybe, break off. There’s a shelf up there that’s big -enough to hold us all, and a good bonfire, too. Come on, men; one more -little job, and we’ll soon be toasting.”</p> -<p>The men needed no urging. A few were inclined to grumble at the delay, -but the majority were of a class well experienced in the wisdom of -“looking ahead,” and Watson’s advice prevailed. The shelf in question -was more than a hundred feet square, and was elevated eight or ten feet -higher than the area on which they were standing. Both of these areas -were comparatively smooth, probably because they were exposed to the -dash of the high waves, which filled the crevices and hollow places and -froze.</p> -<p>In spite of their numbed and deep-chilled condition, the men worked with -good energy, and pretty soon a roaring blaze was shooting its eager -tongues upward and making more cheerful that desolate place. The women -were assisted to the upper shelf, and then began the work of drying -clothes and thawing out aching limbs and bodies. The drying process was -a long one. The fire was not large enough to accommodate all around it -at once near the blaze, so that it was necessary for them to “thaw” in -shifts and hold articles of clothing for one another near the heat. -However, by supplementing the benefits of the fire with vigorous -exercise they produced excellent results and finally all found -themselves feeling almost comfortable.</p> -<p>But it was an occupation attended with much suffering at first. The -women and even a few of the men, who had been numbed into silence, wept -and groaned with pain as they began to “thaw.” Guy had never before -suffered such agony, particularly in his feet, which had become almost -nerveless from walking or standing on the ice in shoes soaked with -water.</p> -<p>“We’ll all be having rheumatism all the rest of our lives,” he remarked -to Glennon as they stood with bare feet on bits of wood and held their -shoes and socks near the blaze.</p> -<p>“We’ll be mighty lucky if we ever get out of this fix to enjoy the -blessings of rheumatism,” replied a man who overheard the prophecy.</p> -<p>“Oh, we’ll be rescued all right,” was Watson’s confident assurance -uttered for its optimistic effect on his companions. “I shouldn’t be -surprised to see a ship loom up in the darkness any minute. And that -reminds me that we must keep a sharp lookout. Anybody that’s got a pair -of lusty lungs he’d like to exercise couldn’t put ’em to better use than -to let forth a big yell now and then.”</p> -<p>“It couldn’t be heard very far,” declared another with half-thawed-out -pessimism.</p> -<p>“Oh, yes it could. Sound travels a long distance over water. Besides,” -he added, lowering his voice so the women could not hear: “we’ve got to -figure out something else besides this fire to attract attention. -There’s only one chance in two or three that the blaze will be seen by a -passing ship. See how high the ice rises there. It completely shuts off -the light of the fire on that side.”</p> -<p>Guy was startled at this suggestion. He gazed up at the great jagged -wall of ice and realized at once that Watson’s fear was no idle one. He -looked up among the scattering clouds, located the north star, and then -observed that it was the view to the south that was shut off by the -mountain of ice. A great dread possessed him as he realized that a -rescue steamer might pass within a quarter of a mile of this precarious -refuge while the officers and crew remained ignorant of the nearness of -the castaways.</p> -<p>Following the suggestion of Watson, a chorus of shouts was sent out over -the water every now and then. The first attempt was a dismal failure, -resulting in such discord that every voice tended to annul, rather than -to assist, the strength and clearness of every other voice. The next and -succeeding attempts, however, were more satisfactory, being pitched in a -common key. But unfortunately the wall of ice prevented the sound from -going very far to the south, for the ship which had signaled to the -operator on the Herculanea that it was hastening to the rescue arrived -in the vicinity, picked up several boat loads, remained near the scene -of the wreck until daybreak, and then steamed away without discovering -the party on the iceberg.</p> -<p>It was three hours after sun-up before the castaways succeeded in drying -all their clothes. To effect this, they had found it necessary to burn -all the wood of the smaller raft and a considerable portion of the -larger.</p> -<p>Nowhere could they discover a sign of life—not a bird of any description -nor an inhabitant of the deep sporting on the surface. After the sun had -teased them a few hours with just a suggestion of warmth, the fire was -allowed to burn low to conserve the remaining fuel. The men decided to -try to keep warm with vigorous exercise, incidentally exploring their -cheerless refuge.</p> -<p>But it was almost a hopeless task without food in their stomachs. The -resolute men had not exercised long before they realized that fuel must -soon be supplied for the furnaces of their bodies or the human fires in -them would die out.</p> -<p>Guy realized this quite as fully as did the others. He read similar -thought in the faces of Watson and Glennon, as the three moved together -away from the rest of the castaways. But he set his teeth firmly, -resolving to die with a struggle, if indeed he must die. And it was not -easy, even under the present almost hopeless circumstances, for him to -entertain a likelihood of such finish. There must be some way out of the -predicament.</p> -<p>The flat shore-like section of the iceberg where they had sought refuge -was several acres in extent. It was a “beach on a mountain coast,” being -formed as if cut into a giant hill, with a sloping wind-break on either -side. Watson and the two boys approached the slope at the western end to -discover, if possible, an ascent to some high lookout point on the berg.</p> -<p>What seemed at first glance an impossible task proved much less -difficult on closer inspection. They were pleased to find just beyond -the “wind-break” a natural crevice, or depression, running up the side -of the ice-mountain and in this crevice an ascent of steps which -although crude and irregular, they could almost believe had been -fashioned by human hands. With a shout of surprise that attracted the -attention of all the other men, Watson ran around the end of the -“wind-break” near the water’s edge and began to climb this remarkable -stairway.</p> -<p>Guy and Carl followed. A recent fall of snow on wet ice, succeeded by -freezing, made it possible to secure good foothold, and they ascended -rapidly. The higher they went, the more they wondered, and the more they -were inclined to believe that human hands had performed this work of ice -carpentry or masonry.</p> -<p>But more surprises were in store for them. After they reached the top -landing—a considerable level area fashioned by Jack Frost and the -elements—they beheld a sight that caused them to stare with amazement -and then shout for joy. On the farther slope of the iceberg was another -flight of steps leading almost to the water’s edge, and at the foot was -all the evidence needed to convince them that both stairways were works -of men. In another area, not more than fifty feet in diameter and -running out to form another and smaller beach at the water’s edge, were -two human beings, apparently men.</p> -<p>“Why, we’re not the only ones that landed on the iceberg,” exclaimed -Glennon.</p> -<p>“Not so fast,” advised Watson, with a contradictory gesture. “Those -people are not from the Herculanea. See, they’re dressed in furs. If I’m -not mistaken, they’re not of our race even; they’re—”</p> -<p>He hesitated before expressing the opinion in his mind and looked more -intently at the two strange inhabitants of the floating island of ice.</p> -<p>“What?” Guy asked eagerly.</p> -<p>“Eskimos!”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXVII' title='The Eskimos'>CHAPTER XVII<br />The Eskimos</h2> -</div> -<p>Presently a few more of the castaways arrived at the top of the stairway -and the rest of the men were either on their way up or were hastening -toward the steps of ice. They ascended single file, as much of the -upward passage was not wide enough for two or more to walk abreast.</p> -<p>Among the first to reach the upper landing was an anthropological -professor of a New England college, Dr. Olaf Anderson. He was a Dane and -had made studies of the human race in all the northern countries of -Europe and Asia and in Arctic America, including Iceland and Greenland. -No sooner did he get a view of the two fur-clad strangers a hundred and -fifty feet below than he forgot his hunger and physical weariness. Here -was something that aroused a more lively interest in him than could even -prospects of food or home. It did not take him long to verify Watson’s -suspicion.</p> -<p>“Innuits!” he exclaimed. “How did they get here?”</p> -<p>“You ought to explain that better than anybody else, professor,” said -Watson, who had made the acquaintance of the anthropologist on the -steamer.</p> -<p>“They must have been trapped here in some way,” declared the latter. -“And in that case, they couldn’t have been here less than several -weeks.”</p> -<p>“Good!” cried Watson eagerly.</p> -<p>“Why ‘good’?” Guy inquired.</p> -<p>“Because they couldn’t have lived here that long without food and some -way to keep warm. That means they can help us.”</p> -<p>This prospect made Guy feel so cheerful that he indulged in a -mischievous reply.</p> -<p>“You ought to be a detective,” he said. The boy had hitherto given -Watson no hint that he had discovered his occupation.</p> -<p>“What makes you say that?” inquired the operative, looking keenly at his -young friend.</p> -<p>“The way you figure things out. You’d make a good secret service man.”</p> -<p>“I wonder how we happened to miss this landing place last night, and how -the rescue steamer, which must have had a searchlight, failed to see the -Eskimos,” one of the men remarked.</p> -<p>“It was dark and we didn’t come this way,” replied Watson. “We started -farther toward the eastern end of the iceberg. I haven’t any doubt that -the rescue steamer has been this way and picked up the boats and rafts -without seeing the Eskimos.”</p> -<p>“Probably they slept late,” suggested Prof. Anderson. “They usually do, -especially if they’ve had enough to eat.”</p> -<p>“That sounds hopeful,” put in an optimistic fellow, edging his way -forward.</p> -<p>“The Eskimos see us,” announced Carl. “Let’s go down there.”</p> -<p>The two Innuits, as the professor learnedly preferred to call them, -seemed much excited over their discovery. They threw their hands over -their heads and, with loud cries, started as if to ascend the steps of -ice, but stopped when they saw the newcomers descending.</p> -<p>The next moment four gray-haired dogs, probably awakened by the cries of -their masters, emerged from a cave in the ice and gazed curiously up -toward the new arrivals. Guy fancied that they sniffed the air hungrily.</p> -<p>“We can eat them if we can’t find anything else to satisfy our -appetites,” Carl suggested; and the idea did not seem in the least -repulsive to Guy. There was hardly enough luxury on the iceberg to -encourage gastronomic fastidiousness.</p> -<p>The stairway in the ice proved to have been fashioned by both nature and -man. The Eskimos, desiring access to both sides of the iceberg, -fortunately had a rude sort of pick-axe that made the work of creating -such access comparatively easy, especially since nature had half formed -the steps in advance. By the time the leaders of the visiting party had -arrived at the foot of the flight near the entrance of the Eskimos’ -cave, the last of them had reached the top landing, and a long zig-zag -line of men was descending single file. The Innuits after their first -stir of excitement, stood quietly, stoically, it seemed, waiting for -developments. Fortunately the professor could speak their language well -enough to make himself understood, and soon he was jabbering almost -glibly with the short, round faced, narrow-eyed, brown-skinned, -black-haired wanderers from the North.</p> -<p>The stoicism of the Eskimos was stoicism only in general appearance, as -close attention to their eyes proved. The latter glistened with joy and -eagerness. The delight thus expressed, however, was turned to a -dull-orbed disappointment when they learned that the strangers were only -a party of shipwrecked travelers in worse straits than the two Arctic -inhabitants of the iceberg. There was not much encouragement in the -appearance of nearly half a hundred hungry men begging for something to -eat from their scanty store.</p> -<p>Prof. Anderson’s conjecture as to the cause of the casting away of the -Eskimos was correct. They had been hunting with a sled and a team of -eight dogs on a field of ice off the southern coast of Greenland. Two -bears had been discovered by them on an iceberg that had become frozen -fast in the field, and the two Innuits had driven to this mountain of -solid water, where they left their dogs and sled and climbed up after -the game.</p> -<p>It was then they made their discovery of the “stairway” of ice, but the -ascent was more difficult and even dangerous because of the uneven, -irregular character of the steps, which slanted “in all directions.” -However, they reached a lofty ledge, on which one of the bears was -perched, and so severely wounded him with their harpoons that he slipped -and fell, bounding down the steep and jagged ice a hundred feet or more.</p> -<p>At this juncture, almost as if caused by the rebounding impacts of the -bear’s eight or nine hundred pounds, a thunderous noise rent the frosty -air, and the two Innuits knew that the ice-field was breaking. With all -possible speed they hastened down to their sled and dogs, but before -they had gone half-way, they realized the seriousness of the situation.</p> -<p>The iceberg, together with a considerable section of the floe, had -broken away, leaving no solid connection with the land.</p> -<p>They passed an hour or more helplessly gazing at the rapidly widening -gap between them and the mainland, and then decided that a long season -of hardship was in store for them unless someone on shore learned of -their predicament and came to their rescue. The wind was blowing almost -a gale from the land now and was steadily widening the breach. They -climbed to the highest point they could reach and erected a flag of -seal-skin between two upright spears.</p> -<p>The two Eskimos, whose names were Emah and Tarmik, now made haste to -prepare quarters to protect themselves and their dogs from the severe -weather that threatened to come heavily upon them. With their “pick-axe” -and harpoons they dug a cave in a wall of ice, and by evening they had -hollowed out a room large enough to accommodate themselves and their -four-footed companions. They removed the bear’s skin and spread this and -another on the floor to sleep on. A few smaller skins they spread out -for the dogs. In the entrance they piled up blocks of ice, leaving only -sufficient opening for ventilation. Then they lighted some blubber in a -stone lamp and soon the ice-walled room was very comfortable.</p> -<p>But they had a scant supply of blubber with them, and the bear they had -slain, although large, was lean. Fortunately, however, they discovered a -deposit of driftwood partly imbedded in the ice on the other side of the -iceberg after they had fashioned the rude steps of the “stairway” into a -series of safer footholds. Much of this wood they dug out and carried -over to their cave, as they feared a further breaking of the ice.</p> -<p>Two days later this fear was realized. Large portions of this section of -the ice-field broke off close to the berg on both sides. On the side -where the cave had been hollowed out, only a small but well elevated -area was left in front of their lodge.</p> -<p>Meanwhile they kept their flag at the top of the stairway as a signal of -distress to passing ships. But none hove in sight, and life on their -floating island became more desolate and lonely day by day. The days -grew into weeks, and they lost all reckoning of time. The weather was -stormy, snow and sleet fell, the wind blew heavy gales, and the iceberg -moved rapidly, with the currents of air and water. Bear meat was their -chief article of diet until the quarry that got them into trouble was -devoured. Then they began to kill their dogs, slaying one at a time -until only four were left. During much of this time, when the weather -permitted, they were busy with hook and line, trying to catch fish for -their larder, but they caught only a few. They would have set some traps -for birds, but after the first few days afloat none flew near the -iceberg.</p> -<p>Both of the Eskimos were asleep when the Herculanea was sunk within a -cable’s length of their ice cave, and they knew nothing of the disaster -until informed by Prof. Anderson. Cooped up as they were in their walls -of frozen water, their slumbering ears had not been quickened by the -explosion of the boilers or the screams of panic-stricken passengers. -Moreover, their flag of distress fell from its anchorage, so that the -castaways did not see it in the morning.</p> -<p>The professor elicited all this information from the Eskimos without a -reference to the hunger of his companions, much to the disgust and -impatience of some of the latter when they learned the nature of the, to -them, unintelligible conversation. But he did not wish to frighten the -two Greenlanders with the condition of affairs among the shipwrecked -party, and he had a professional and scientific curiosity that demanded -satisfaction almost as urgently as did the gnawing in his stomach.</p> -<p>By the time the story of the two Arctic men had been drawn out with many -questions, the professor had a pretty clear idea of the extent of the -assistance that might be expected from them. Turning to his companions -he said:</p> -<p>“Gentlemen, we want to be careful what we do. We must treat these -fellows with perfect justice. They have hardly enough to keep their own -souls and bodies together. Whatever assistance we get from them must be -obtained by appealing to their good nature, for they are good-natured -fellows. About all they have that can be made into food is four dogs, -and they would hardly supply one good square meal for all of us.”</p> -<p>Most of the men present were intelligent and disposed to regard the -situation with calmness and fortitude. There were a few, however, who -grumbled at the words of the Danish scholar, and one of them asked with -a half-snarl:</p> -<p>“What do you advise us to do?”</p> -<p>“That’s a question that I propose to put to the Eskimos,” replied -Anderson. “We might ask them for food for the women, but we men can live -through another day and night without anything to eat if necessary. -We’ll follow the example of these fellows, dig a few caves in the ice, -and with a very little fire inside we can keep warm. In that way our -fuel will last several days.”</p> -<p>“That’s good advice,” said Watson, with a nod of confident approval. -“Talk to them in that manner and let them know that we’re not going to -do them any harm. Ask them for suggestions, and maybe they’ll be able to -offer plans that will help us a lot.”</p> -<p>The professor turned again to the Eskimos and talked with them for -several minutes. Then he reported as follows:</p> -<p>“They’re willing to help us all they can. They say they’ll give us one -of the dogs if we have to have it, but suggest that we try fishing and -see what we each get.”</p> -<p>“How’ll we do that?” asked the half-snarling critic who had spoken -before. “We haven’t got any tackle.”</p> -<p>“The Eskimos have a good supply and will let us have several lines and -hooks and some dog meat for bait, on condition that we give them some of -our catch if we have good luck.”</p> -<p>“That’s reasonable enough,” declared Watson. “Ask them for some tackle -and bait and some tools to dig a few caves.”</p> -<p>The professor did as suggested and was given four strong lines with good -steel hooks and a short-handled metal tool, best described as a cross -between a hoe and a tomahawk. Where it had been manufactured would have -been hard to conjecture, unless it was a bit of native “blacksmithing.” -The handle was of walrus bone.</p> -<p>“That’s fine,” exclaimed Watson, seizing the tool. “One man can cut a -big hole in the ice with it in a few hours. Come on, let’s get to work.”</p> -<p>With the professor and Watson again in the lead, the visitors filed back -over the ice-mountain stairway to their own camp. There they found the -women and children huddling around the fire and looking despairingly -unhappy.</p> -<p>“Cheer up,” urged Watson heartily. “We’ve brought good news. There’s a -couple of Eskimos on the other side of the iceberg, and they’ve given us -some hooks and lines to fish with and a tool to dig some caves in the -ice. We’re going to be all right now until a rescue ship finds us.”</p> -<p>A full account was given to the women regarding the discovery on the -other side of the iceberg, and they became more hopeful as they watched -the energetic activities of some of the men. While several began an -attack with the Eskimo tool and other improvised implements on a wall of -ice, several others went down near the water’s edge and threw the baited -hooks as far out into the water as the lines would reach. With bits of -wood for floats, the hooks were kept ten feet or more from the wall of -ice under the water.</p> -<p>Watson was proving that corpulence is not necessary for the greatest -physical efficiency in a cold climate. With his tall, angular, -“meatless” frame, he was perhaps the most vigorous in the entire party. -He was ever ready with a word of cheer or advice in an emergency. -Probably he saved one or more of the men from an uncomfortable ducking -when he offered this suggestion before the lines were thrown into the -water:</p> -<p>“Everybody dig a hole in the ice to brace his feet in. If we catch any -fish here, they’re liable to be big ones, and they’ll pull us in if our -feet slip.”</p> -<p>The fishermen followed this advice, using pocketknives to cut the ice -and selecting rough, jagged places in which to sink their footholds. -Then they angled for an hour without success, and some of the men began -to show signs of impatience. But these discontented ones had taken no -part in the activities of the morning, merely standing around and -scowling when they were not forced to exercise in order to keep warm. -One of them, Guy noticed, was Mr. Gunseyt, and three others were seamen. -There were six, all told, who were conspicuously dissatisfied, and they -were observed several times grouped together and conversing in a manner -that indicated no working sympathy with the rest.</p> -<p>“I’m afraid we’re going to have trouble with those fellows,” Watson -remarked to Guy as the two stood watching the anglers ready to lend a -hand should a powerful fish swallow a hook.</p> -<p>“I’m surprised at Mr. Gunseyt,” said Guy slowly. “And yet, I’m not -either. He’s the strangest contradiction I ever heard of. Have you -noticed that funny change in his voice lately? He doesn’t talk very much -now.”</p> -<p>“Yes, I noticed it.”</p> -<p>“What’s the cause of it?—any idea?”</p> -<p>Watson did not answer, for something more interesting just then claimed -his attention. He sprang forward to assist one of the fishers who had -more than he could handle on his line.</p> -<p>Guy followed, also forgetting Mr. Gunseyt’s voice. Fortunately the line, -consisting of tough, twisted gut-strips, “as strong as a cable,” for it -required all the strength of two men to prevent the fish from winning in -the tug of war. Slowly Watson and Potter, the latter a Baltimore -commission merchant, pulled the struggling, jerking, floundering fellow -up over the edge of the ice, and a great cheer went up as a hundred -hungry eyes beheld a silvery, brown-spotted king herring, almost four -feet long.</p> -<p>“Hooray!” shouted Watson, as he pounced on the magnificent denizen of -the sea with both hands. But he was unable to hold him, and it was all -two men could do to pin the slippery fellow to the ice, while a third -cut his head off with a pocketknife!</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXVIII' title='A Midnight Invasion'>CHAPTER XVIII<br />A Midnight Invasion</h2> -</div> -<p>Only one more fish was caught that day, and this second one was only a -seven-pounder. However, everybody had a taste, and the bones and other -refuse were saved for fuel.</p> -<p>At first they had been puzzled over the question of how to obtain a -supply of drinking water, but finally some of the men produced several -tin tobacco boxes, in which they were able to melt pieces of ice. This -drinking ice had to be chipped from higher places on the berg, as the -dashing of the waves in rough weather had coated the lower parts with a -salty surface.</p> -<p>The work of the cave diggers developed another pleasing surprise for the -castaways. In connection with this, it was found necessary to do -considerable planning. The shipwrecked party all realized that they must -get out of reach of high waves as soon as possible. Hence a flight of -steps was cut to a kind of platform, some twenty feet above the area on -which they had built their fire, and here was begun the labor of -hollowing out a house in the ice.</p> -<p>The entrance was made only large enough to permit the passage of a man. -After this had been cut inward four or five feet, the man with the -hoe-tomahawk began to enlarge the tunnel, while two other men stood near -and pushed back the chipped ice with pieces of raft flooring. Others -behind these cleared the waste from the steps so that the way was kept -constantly open.</p> -<p>Shortly after the catching of the second fish, came the announcement of -the cave diggers interesting surprise. They had cut their way into a -great natural cavern in the iceberg, large enough to accommodate all of -the castaways and keep them warm with the aid of only a little fire. It -was in fact, a sort of crevasse, with an opening at the top high above a -fairly level floor area. This opening was large enough to admit some -daylight, and all the air needed by the party, after circulation had -been rendered possible through the cutting of the entrance by the cave -diggers. As it chanced, the latter passage had been cut almost on a -level with the floor of the crevasse.</p> -<p>In the course of the day the weather became somewhat warmer and there -was even pleasantness in the sun’s rays when one stood still and -received their full benefit. About noon the fire was put out in order to -save fuel. This proved to be a happy move for another reason, as it was -found that there were still enough raft boards to cover a considerable -floor space in their new refuge, and they were used for this purpose. -Several of the passengers of the rafts had brought mackintoshes and -overcoats with them when they left the liner, vaguely hopeful of being -able to use the garments later for their comfort. Guy, it will be -remembered, was one of these, and when the question arose relative to -the arrangement of sleeping quarters on the floor of the ice-cave, it -was decided to use these articles of wearing apparel to supplement the -board flooring. The Eskimos came over and offered suggestions and loaned -them a bear-skin, which the Greenlanders found they could spare. Also -they pointed out their “driftwood mine,” which, as a result of some more -hard labor, yielded a considerable supply of fuel.</p> -<p>Meanwhile a constant lookout for vessels was maintained from the head of -the stairway over the iceberg. Guy and Watson had the last hour’s watch -before nightfall. But no “sail” was sighted, nor did a long black trail -from a steamer’s funnel reward their vigilance.</p> -<p>That night was passed with fairly good comfort in the cave. The entrance -was almost closed with blocks of ice, only a small hole being left for -ventilation. These blocks were held in place by horizontal boards -slipped into grooves that had been cut in the “jambs” of the doorway. -There were three of these boards, or shelf-like supports, so that it was -possible to remove one section individually and crawl or creep in or out -without disturbing the others. Inside, a watch was kept constantly for -the purpose of feeding the small fire on a “grate” of metal cylinders -and to listen for a breaking of the iceberg and indications of a change -of its equilibrium.</p> -<p>There was a good deal of restlessness on the part of the women and some -of the men that night, but finally they fell asleep and all was quiet -thereafter until morning. Guy and Carl awoke at daybreak and were the -first to go out and look around. There was little change in the weather -except that the air was rather colder and the sky more cloudy. However -the sun shone through a break in the east.</p> -<p>Several of the men also soon emerged from the cave, bringing with them -the fishing tackle, which they baited and cast into the water. In order -that they might not have to stand long in one spot on the ice, the -fishers moved large pieces of ice near the water’s edge, anchored them -in rough places, and tied the lines around them. With the lines thus set -they were able to exercise sufficiently to keep warm and at the same -time watch for a “bite.” The lookout at the top of the stairway also was -renewed, while all who had nothing in particular to do remained much of -the time within the more comfortable confines of the cave.</p> -<p>Watson was still generally recognized as leader of the shipwrecked -party, with Prof. Anderson a sort of lieutenant. Both were consulted a -good deal, and the fact that they maintained a cheerful attitude aided -much in buoying the spirits of the others.</p> -<p>“I think we’re safe for several days unless we’re blown through the -Labrador Current into the Gulf Stream,” remarked Prof. Anderson on one -occasion when he and Watson and Guy and Carl were alone together.</p> -<p>“I was thinking of that yesterday,” said Guy, who had read a good many -sea tales and exploration accounts. “If we get in the Gulf Stream, the -iceberg’ll begin to melt pretty fast, and before long it’ll crack and -explode and that’ll be the end of us.”</p> -<p>“Yes,” agreed the professor; “but it’ll be an undermining process first. -When we get in water that is warmer than the atmosphere, the submerged -part of the iceberg will melt more rapidly than the part exposed to the -air, and as by far the greater part of the iceberg, is under water, it -needn’t take long to alter the center of gravity. When that happens, -over we go.”</p> -<p>“When are we likely to hit the Gulf Stream?” asked Guy.</p> -<p>“I don’t know. I might make some rough calculations as to our locality -tonight if the North Star is visible, but the result wouldn’t be -accurate. I’d be likely to miss it by a hundred miles or more. Besides, -I don’t know how far from land the Gulf Stream runs along here, so I -could easily reckon a hundred and fifty miles off. I imagine, however, -that we’re pretty near the Gulf Stream and the wind which, you notice, -is getting stronger all the time, is blowing us right towards it.”</p> -<p>“Usually the icebergs follow the ocean currents, don’t they?” inquired -Watson.</p> -<p>“Yes; but some times they get out of them. A strong wind may blow them -out.”</p> -<p>No fish were caught that morning and the six malcontents showed new -signs of restlessness; but they did nothing save keep aloof from the -rest and look sour. About noon the lookout reported a vessel in sight -and there was a general rush to the top of the ice stairway. They built -a fire and waved their coats and yelled or screamed as lustily as they -could, but the ship was ten or twelve miles away and all their efforts -to attract attention were unavailing.</p> -<p>This experience disheartened a good many, but Watson and the professor -seemed even more cheerful.</p> -<p>“We don’t need to go to pieces over that,” said the former reassuringly. -“We’ve just had proof that we’re in the path of vessels, for that was a -good-sized steamer and looked as if it was following a much-traveled -course.”</p> -<p>On returning to the beach they found two of the set-lines drawn taut and -swaying from side to side as if a desperate struggle were going on at -the far end of each. With no small difficulty the lines were pulled in, -a large king herring being found on one and a fair sized cod on the -other. In the course of the afternoon, this success was virtually -duplicated twice, so that a moderate supper was afforded the iceberg -Crusoes.</p> -<p>While this meal gave temporary relief, it was not sufficient to answer -the heat demands of more than two score human bodies that had fasted -under such severe conditions. Hence it served conspicuously to stimulate -the discontent of the “sullen six.” They kept together and avoided the -others most of the time, so that Watson’s suspicion of trouble brewing -was kept alive constantly.</p> -<p>“I don’t like the action of our friends over there,” he remarked to the -professor in the hearing of Guy and Carl not long before sundown. “I -think it’ll be wise to keep an eye on them.”</p> -<p>“What do you think they’re likely to do?” inquired the professor not -very seriously. “Kill us all and eat us?”</p> -<p>“Oh, no; not that bad. But they’ve got something up their sleeves.”</p> -<p>Guy “went to bed” that night with the horribly humorous suggestion of -Prof. Anderson on his mind. This together with the fears earlier -expressed concerning the Gulf Stream and a breaking up and turning over -of the iceberg, prevented him for several hours from sleeping. He lay -near the entrance of the cave a few feet from the fire. Watson, the -professor, and Glennon were lying near him, all apparently asleep. On -the opposite side of the fire was the watchman. The watches were an hour -each, and during the time that Guy lay awake several men were relieved. -About midnight according to the boy’s reckoning, Gunseyt took his turn.</p> -<p>During all this time Guy had not spoken to any of the men on watch. He -longed to go to sleep and lay quietly in a constant endeavor to lose -consciousness and forget the fearfulness of the ever increasing dangers -that surrounded him. But it seemed that every fibre of his nervous -system was too much alive to encourage a suggestion of slumber. He was -very hungry, too, and if it had not been for the one comfort of the warm -atmosphere of the cave, there would have been no limit to his -wretchedness, mental and physical.</p> -<p>And the appearance of Mr. Gunseyt on duty did not tend to lesson his -discomfort and apprehension, but tended rather to increase the latter. -No sooner had the man whom Gunseyt relieved laid down than the new -sentinel began to look around him in a manner hardly reassuring to the -boy who watched him with half-open eyes. The man who last preceded him -fell asleep almost immediately, while the leader of the malcontents -appeared to observe this with a good deal of satisfaction. Ten minutes -elapsed, during which time the watchman kept his eyes fastened on the -man who had just lain down. Then he turned to the fire and put on some -more fuel. This done, he made a hasty examination of all the supposed -sleepers as if to find out if everybody indeed was lost in slumber.</p> -<p>The inspection appeared to satisfy him. He stooped down and gently shook -one of the men, who arose quickly as if he had expected such an -awakening. Then another and another and another were awakened in like -manner, until six men stood around the fire whispering to one another -and gazing furtively at their reclining companions. Guy recognized them -as the seamen and the passengers who appeared to have accepted Gunseyt -as their leader in opposing the saner and more human will of the -majority.</p> -<p>As he watched the men, he wondered that Watson and the professor had -consented to permit any of them to be on sentinel duty alone. He even -wondered why he himself had not made an objection. Probably they were -even now bent on some sort of mischief. Presently they turned to the -entrance where Gunseyt pushed out the blocks of ice in the lower section -of the doorway. Then they got down on their hands and knees, one after -another, and crawled out, after which they replaced the blocks of ice, -and Guy was unable to see what more they did.</p> -<p>But the boy did not remain quiet “in his bed” after the disappearance of -the men. He arose and went to the entrance, where he pulled inward the -lower blocks of ice and peered out. He could see their shadowy forms -moving diagonally across the lower area. Then he crawled out to get a -clearer view, for the night was still cloudy and he could not see a -great distance.</p> -<p>“I’ll look into this business a little before I wake anybody up,” he -decided.</p> -<p>He stood at the head of the steps leading up to the cave and watched the -men as they walked down across the area toward the other side near the -water’s edge. Several times some of them looked back, while Guy hugged -the wall of ice for concealment.</p> -<p>“My goodness!”</p> -<p>Suddenly it dawned upon the mind of the boy what the men were up to. -They were making for the stairway over the peak of the iceberg.</p> -<p>“They’re going to the Eskimos’ camp!” he muttered. “I must wake Watson.”</p> -<p>He turned to carry out this purpose, but slipped and almost fell into -the arms of someone who had just risen to his feet after crawling -through the entrance. Guy recognized him.</p> -<p>“Oh, Mr. Watson!” gasped the boy. “Those men!”</p> -<p>“I know all about them,” replied the other grimly. “I’ve been watching -them too. Come on.”</p> -<p>Watson led the way down the steps of ice.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXIX' title='The “Iceberglars”'>CHAPTER XIX<br />The “Iceberglars”</h2> -</div> -<p>As they reached the foot of the steps, Guy heard a noise behind him and -turned to behold a new surprise. Several other men, including the -professor and Carl, also were coming down.</p> -<p>“I thought everybody except those rascals was asleep,” he said to -Watson.</p> -<p>“Not quite,” replied the operative. “We were expecting this.”</p> -<p>“Why didn’t you let me in on it?”</p> -<p>“Well,” said Watson apologetically, “you’re a boy, and we thought we’d -keep you out of the trouble.”</p> -<p>Guy’s pride was a little hurt at this, inasmuch as Glennon, who was only -two years his senior, had been included in the “man class.” However, in -the last two years this “man-boy” had developed in physical proportions -that commanded the respect of even the big-framed Watson.</p> -<p>Guy counted eight persons, including himself and Watson, in this second -party from the ice-cave. They followed the first party toward the big -stairway, moving stealthily and speaking only in whispered tones lest -the men ahead discover them.</p> -<p>“Have you all been lying awake all this time?” Burton inquired after the -last man of the second party had appeared.</p> -<p>“Yes,” replied Watson. “I overheard something that gave away the whole -plot.”</p> -<p>“What’re they planning to do?—take the Eskimos’ dogs from them?”</p> -<p>“Yes—and more. They want to feed our two arctic friends to the fishes -and take possession of their cave.”</p> -<p>“And there’s going to be a fight,” said Guy apprehensively.</p> -<p>“Perhaps. But maybe it won’t be necessary. The Eskimos have been warned. -The Iceberglars may step into a trap.”</p> -<p>“‘Iceberglars’ is good,” laughed Glennon.</p> -<p>The men ahead were out of sight soon after the other party left the -cave. View of them was shut off by a high “banister” of ice between the -lower area and the big stairway. Presently the secret service operative -and his followers rounded the end of this “banister” and could see dimly -the forms of the invaders half-way to the top.</p> -<p>As rapidly as possible, those in the rear moved up the ascent and down -the other side. There was little danger of their being discovered now, -so, they climbed and descended with all the speed consistent with -safety.</p> -<p>The men of evil intentions continued their advance, thoughtless of -pursuit. They reached the foot of the descent, where their movements -were less distinct, as they had arrived at a veritable pocket in the ice -with a comparatively narrow opening to sea ward.</p> -<p>“They haven’t got any weapons, have they?” Guy inquired.</p> -<p>“They’ve got clubs they picked out of the wreckage of the raft and -probably every one of them has a pocketknife,” Carl replied. “See?—We’ve -got clubs too.”</p> -<p>“They had their clubs hidden at the foot of the stairs on the other -side,” Watson explained. “There may be a big fight pretty soon. You -better get back in the rear, Guy, as you haven’t any weapon.”</p> -<p>The latter was no coward, but he could not deny that this was good -advice. So he decided to keep in the background, but to watch for an -opportunity to assist his friends.</p> -<p>Watson, however, had planned to avoid a serious encounter. This feature -of his plan he had not revealed, as he did not wish any half-hearted -assistants. He knew that he could expect his men to act like real -soldiers if they enlisted with the expectation of a severe hand-to-hand -struggle. Twenty or thirty feet from the lower landing, he halted and -held out both hands as a signal for those behind to do likewise. It -appeared that the invaders were holding a council of war.</p> -<p>Presently, however, activity was observed at the entrance of the Eskimo -cave, and Watson knew it was time for him to play his trump card. Guy -saw him make a sudden move with his right hand, which was followed -instantly by an explosion. He had fired a pistol in the air.</p> -<p>The astonishment of the party below although of different character, -could hardly have been much greater than that of Watson’s companions. -Immediately after the discharge of the firearm, the two Eskimos appeared -at the entrance of the cave, holding the dogs in leash. The latter -howled fiercely and tugged hard to break loose. Apparently it was all -the Greenlanders could do to keep them from the intruders. The latter -were dumfounded. A quick look back and upward and another at the dogs -and the two skin-clad figures from the far north were enough to convince -each of them that further hostile movements on their part would be -dangerous.</p> -<p>So they decided on a change of front. Gunseyt, who had been leader of -this move, took it on himself to “explain” the situation. Turning to the -party on the stairway, he called out in “squeak-roar” tones:</p> -<p>“What’s the matter up there? Have you men turned renegade, and are you -fighting against your own race? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”</p> -<p>“About the only thing on this iceberg that we’re ashamed of is you,” -Watson retorted. “We don’t want to waste any time on you either. Just -make a good resolution, now, and trot right back to your own dooryard or -we’ll instruct the Eskimos to let their dogs loose.”</p> -<p>“We just came over to have a friendly visit with these Eskimos,” -declared Gunseyt, with well assumed indignation. “It’s true we were -going to ask them for some favors, but everything was to be friendly on -our part.”</p> -<p>“I might ask you what you were going to do with those clubs in your -hands, but I won’t,” Watson retorted. “I know already.”</p> -<p>“All right. If you know so much, there’s no use arguing with you. But we -don’t consider that we’re responsible to you for any of our actions, Mr. -Watson, and, what’s more, we don’t propose to be dictated to by you. But -I’ll say for the benefit of the others of your party that we brought -these clubs to protect ourselves against the dogs if they should become -ugly, and it seems the precaution was taken very wisely.”</p> -<p>“Never mind explaining to anybody, but do as I tell you,” Watson -ordered. “I overheard your conversation with Everleigh and Little. You -go back to our side, and we’ll have a settlement of this matter -tomorrow. As for you three sailors, take my advice and don’t mix any -more than you have to with those other fellows. They’re a bad set.”</p> -<p>The six invaders obeyed sullenly, retiring to the other side of the -iceberg and into the cave. They were not forced to give up their clubs, -as Watson and the professor wished to avoid any move they might be -unable to carry to success without bloodshed. However, the defenders of -the Eskimos held a conference outside after the others had disappeared.</p> -<p>“We ought to have a sentinel stationed out here the rest of the night,” -Prof. Anderson suggested. “It isn’t safe to give those fellows a chance -to get the upper hand. There’s no telling what they might do.”</p> -<p>“I wonder if the sailors will stick with these rascals after this,” said -a Bostonian named Hammond.</p> -<p>“They’re a pretty sullen sort, and I don’t think you can expect much -civilization in them,” replied Watson.</p> -<p>“Who are Everleigh and Little?” Carl inquired. “Do you know anything -about them? I hadn’t heard their names mentioned before.”</p> -<p>“They’re a couple of crooks, professional gamblers, ocean card sharks, -living on steamers most of the time, playing with rich easy marks.”</p> -<p>“Is Gunseyt a crook?” asked Guy.</p> -<p>“Sure; he’s one of the worst—plays for big game, but not much with -cards.”</p> -<p>Guy would have liked to inquire further regarding the “man with the -changeable voice,” but decided that it was not best to do so at present. -He concluded it was best to wait for an opportunity to speak alone with -Watson on the matter.</p> -<p>“We’ve got to do something to protect the women here,” observed the -professor presently. “Two of them are ill already, and some of us men -are going to prove weaker than the others pretty soon. We mustn’t let -the strong override the weak, and we’ve got to conserve our resources.”</p> -<p>“Let’s call a meeting in the morning and discuss the situation,” Watson -proposed. “I would suggest that nothing be said at that meeting about -what occurred tonight. Those rascals ought to be watched, but we must -not do anything to divide us into two hostile factions. We’ll appeal to -the men as men and ask for a vote on any proposed measure.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good idea,” commended Prof. Anderson.</p> -<p>“But the immediate question is, who is going to do sentinel duty from -now until daybreak?” Watson continued. “I’m willing to for one. Who’ll -stay out here with me to keep me from getting lonesome?”</p> -<p>“I will,” Guy volunteered eagerly.</p> -<p>Nobody objected to his usurping the privilege, and so it was thus -agreed. The other men accordingly reentered the cave, while Guy and -Watson began to pace up and down the area to keep warm.</p> -<p>The boy had several reasons for wishing to watch with his interesting -friend. The episode just closed had put a new complexion on affairs. He -wished to have a long talk with Watson. He had numerous questions to -ask. Moreover, he felt that he would not be able to sleep now, and he -believed that he could pass a more comfortable night pacing the ice with -some one who could converse sympathetically with him.</p> -<p>“Mr. Watson,” he began; “I’d like to ask you some questions.”</p> -<p>“Fire away,” replied the other sentinel. “What’s on your mind?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know just how to open it, but I guess I may as well be blunt. -The truth is, you’re a mystery to me. A few days ago, you know, I -thought you were a bad egg. But I’ve had good reason to change my mind. -Still, you’re a mystery, and you’ll continue to be one until you’ve told -me who you are.”</p> -<p>“You’ll have to explain what you mean,” replied Watson quizzically. -“There are many ways I might tell you who I am. I might begin by telling -you my name; but you know that already, don’t you?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know.”</p> -<p>“Why not?”</p> -<p>“Because you haven’t assured me that Watson is your right name. Is it?”</p> -<p>“No.”</p> -<p>“So far so good. Now, am I too inquisitive if I ask you what your -business is?”</p> -<p>“I’m what is commonly known as a detective, but my more dignified title -is secret service operative.”</p> -<p>“I thought so.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXX' title='“Jump as Far as You Can!”'>CHAPTER XX<br />“Jump as Far as You Can!”</h2> -</div> -<p>“You’re a pretty smart boy,” said Watson appreciatively. “But I’m not -half so much interested in how and where you got your information as I -am in the question as to what bearing it has on conditions here.”</p> -<p>“That’s easily explained,” replied Burton. “You’re the leader here. -Nearly everybody looks to you for advice. At first I thought you were a -bad actor; then I changed my opinion, but still you puzzled me. You’re -such an important person here, I wanted every doubt removed.”</p> -<p>“Who told you I was a detective?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know. Glennon and I overheard a conversation between two men on -the steamer. They didn’t know anybody was near, and we couldn’t see -them.”</p> -<p>“One of these men was Gunseyt, wasn’t he?” inquired the operative.</p> -<p>“How do you know?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know; I’m asking you. And I might ask you the same question -that you asked me: How do you know?”</p> -<p>“I could tell his voice, or I’ve identified it since.”</p> -<p>“I thought so. Now, I’m not going to tell you how I know it, but the -other fellow was either Everleigh or Little.”</p> -<p>“I shouldn’t be surprised if he was,” said Guy. “But I never would have -guessed it.”</p> -<p>“It isn’t entirely a guess on my part,” assured Watson. “I have some -knowledge on the subject.”</p> -<p>“Who is this fellow Gunseyt?”</p> -<p>“I could tell you some interesting things about him, but not at present. -Just to ease your mind a bit, however, I’ll inform you that I took -passage on the steamer to watch him in particular and certain others -incidentally. If we ever get off this iceberg, I’m going to land him in -jail. That’s all I can say about him at present. Regarding myself, I -might tell you my true name, but I prefer to be known as Watson for the -time being and avoid complications.”</p> -<p>Guy was well pleased with the interview. He felt on easier terms with -the operative now. The latter’s frankness, coupled with an unmistakable -professional shrewdness, inspired confidence and respect.</p> -<p>The two paced around most of the time to keep their feet warm. Meanwhile -they suffered much from hunger, realizing that a lack of sufficient food -was rapidly telling on their ability to stand the exposure. This -inspired Guy with a suggestion that they utilize their time to double -advantage by fishing.</p> -<p>“You’ve often heard that fish bite better at night than in the daytime,” -he said. “Let’s set the lines and see if we can’t surprise the others -with a big catch in the morning.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good idea,” agreed the other sentinel. “Do you know, I believe -that very suggestion is going to prove our salvation.”</p> -<p>Watson “made a dive” for the niche in which the fishing tackle had been -pocketed, and soon returned with the four lines and a small piece of dog -meat. In a few minutes they had baited the hooks and sunk them into the -water, fastening the other ends of the lines to large “boulders” or -projections of ice.</p> -<p>Scarcely were all the lines set, it seemed, when a fierce tugging was -observed at one of them; then, a moment later, at another. Eagerly they -tried the first one and had all they could do to pull in a magnificent -herring. The other held a smaller fellow of the same kind.</p> -<p>But this was not all. The second fish was hardly dragged back on the ice -when a violent jerking was observed on another line, and then on the -fourth. Their luck continued thus for an hour or more until they found -themselves almost exhausted with hard work in a weakened physical -condition. Then Guy counted their catch, and found they had twenty-six -magnificent fellows, principally cod. At first it seemed that there was -a school of king herring near the iceberg, but after half an hour’s -fishing, only cod took the hooks.</p> -<p>Two happier persons than these ocean anglers could hardly have been -found anywhere. They forgot the other dangers that threatened them, for -the immediate problem of life on the iceberg had been solved.</p> -<p>They continued to sink their baited lines with gratifying success until -after midnight. Then their bait gave out, and they cut a small herring -into bits and used these on the hooks. It is proverbial that codfish -will swallow almost anything, even rivaling in this respect the goat of -tin-can fame; and they surely lived up to their reputation so far as the -herring bait was concerned.</p> -<p>As an experiment, Guy put a piece of serrated backbone on one of the -hooks and a “great-big” cod promptly swallowed it.</p> -<p>They were undisturbed in their occupation. The would-be invaders of the -Eskimo camp did not reappear. Apparently they had decided that another -attempt would prove as futile as the first and gave it up as a bad job. -In the early hours of the morning the fish did not bite so eagerly, but -Guy and Watson angled until daybreak, resolving not to be satisfied with -any degree of success as long as there was hope for more.</p> -<p>After daybreak, when most of the ice cave lodgers had appeared, another -count was made, and it was found that they had sixty-nine as fine fish -as any sportsman could wish to catch. The delight of the hungry -castaways would be hard to describe. They almost went wild over the -display of finny food. They overwhelmed the two fishers with -congratulations and could hardly wait for the cooking of their -breakfast.</p> -<p>That was a joyful repast. It put new life into everyone. Those who had -shown signs of serious illness seemed to revive, and the general air of -cheerfulness was remarkable. Even Gunseyt and his “pals” took a more -“possible” and optimistic view of things.</p> -<p>After breakfast, Watson, Prof. Anderson, Burton and Glennon went over to -the Eskimo camp to announce their success and to offer them a share of -the catch. But the Greenlanders had not been asleep to the opportunity. -They also had discovered the school and had caught a supply greater than -their needs for as long a time as the iceberg could remain habitable.</p> -<p>The fish continued to bite fairly well during the day and by nightfall -the number “in cold storage” was seventy-five, after everybody had had -as much as he could eat. Early in the day the professor declared that if -the temperature would only remain below freezing and the iceberg did not -drift into warm water, there was little reason why they could not live -on their floating island for several days yet. This must mean that they -surely would be rescued.</p> -<p>But these apprehended possibilities were just what happened. On the -afternoon following the big catch they did drift into warmer water and -the temperature did rise. Tiny streams were soon running down the sides -of the mountain of ice. Everybody was alive to the peril and the lookout -for vessels was maintained more keenly and nervously. Three ships were -sighted, and frantic efforts were made to attract attention, but without -happy result. Only one vessel approached within five miles of the -iceberg, and that was a liner, which plowed past as grandly as if it -disdained even to take notice of so insignificant a thing as a mass of -ice half a mile long and several hundred feet high in places.</p> -<p>“They’d never see us unless someone aboard happened to be looking this -way with glasses,” observed Glennon. “I’m afraid our chances are pretty -slim.”</p> -<p>And to make matters worse, on the next day the temperature rose still -higher and the water became still warmer. Watson and Guy slept a few -hours that day and on the succeeding night they took up their watch with -set lines again. They caught thirty fish; but the atmosphere became -scarcely any cooler before sunrise, a fact that made it seem foolish to -angle for more than were needed for a very few meals.</p> -<p>“This means we’ve got to attract somebody’s attention mighty quick,” -Watson declared as day was breaking. “No doubt the water has already -undermined this berg to a dangerous extent and a little more will finish -the business.”</p> -<p>The operative was not given to making forecasts of trouble unless there -was imminent danger ahead. But Guy resolved as on several other -occasions not to become panic stricken. They still possessed their life -jackets, and in a mild atmosphere and temperate sea, they could hope -still to live some hours.</p> -<p>Although it did not become as warm that day as had been anticipated, -they all put on their life jackets and continued to wear them. The women -who had been ill showed signs of physical improvement, and the men by -virtue of plenty to eat, retained most of their normal strength. This -was a fortunate condition of affairs, as it was hardly to be expected -that so many persons could withstand such exposure so successfully.</p> -<p>On the next night a watch was kept for a different reason from that -which inspired the first. The fear that Gunseyt would attempt another -invasion of the Eskimo quarters had vanished. No one any longer had -appetite for dog steak inasmuch as plenty of fish was on hand. But there -was imminent danger of the iceberg’s breaking in numerous places, and it -was deemed wise to be constantly on the alert lest the occupants of the -cave be drowned there like rats in a trap.</p> -<p>All day a strong north wind had blown, driving the mass of ice as well -as many others in the neighborhood, rapidly southward. In the night the -wind grew stronger and the waves higher. Every now and then could be -heard the splash of tons of ice breaking off and plunging into the sea. -But the equilibrium of the berg was not disturbed, and morning dawned, -with the inhabitants of the ice-island still safe.</p> -<p>As the day advanced the temperature continued to rise, the ice melted -more and more, and greater pieces fell and more thunderous splashes were -heard. However, the stairway in the ice was not seriously impaired, so -that they were able to maintain their lofty lookout without interruption -or inconvenience.</p> -<p>Three or four miles off to the northwest they saw and heard the breaking -up of an iceberg half the size of the one on which they had taken -refuge. It seemed to split in two right in the middle, while the reports -of its explosion sounded like a naval battle. Occasional inspection was -made of the faring of the Eskimos, but they proved as fortunate as the -larger party in escaping injury from the falling ice. Meanwhile the -fishing continued with fairly good success, so that the food question -gave them only secondary concern.</p> -<p>About noon of their fourth day on the iceberg it was decided that the -cave must be abandoned, and those who were inside were called out and -warned against returning. The discussion convinced them also that they -must leave the “shore” area and climb to a loftier position, as the -falling ice rendered the “beach” a place of much danger. Several huge -pieces had struck so near to some of the men that they narrowly escaped -serious injury or death.</p> -<p>Accordingly the entire party sought greater safety on the upper landing -of the big stairway. Their fish, of which they had nearly a hundred, -were removed to this spot, also such fuel as they had been able to -conserve from all sources.</p> -<p>The camp of the Eskimos seemed to be fairly safe, for there were no -great overhanging projections threatening to fall and crush them. Over -the entrance of the other “grotto,” however, there was a huge bluff, or -“forehead,” that frowned threateningly, and it was principally to escape -this, when it should fall, that the migration aloft was made.</p> -<p>An hour after they moved upward, the “forehead” fell with a ponderous -crash. Hundreds of tons of ice were let loose, and so great was the mass -and the gap left in its place, that Guy expected the berg to shift its -center of gravity and roll over at once. He braced himself for the -expected, but the expected did not come. The area and the front of the -cave itself were demolished.</p> -<p>The women did not scream. Their recent experience had almost deprived -them of acute sensibility. No one suffered from cold now; but 50 degrees -below zero could hardly have made them more numb than did the seeming -certainty of their fate.</p> -<p>The question of the advisability of their taking to the water at once, -with their life jackets around them, was discussed, but nobody argued -strongly in favor of the proposition. Such a move, all were agreed, must -be a last resort for the preservation of their lives. In the water the -chance of their being spied and picked up by a passing vessel must be -very small. From a high point on the iceberg they could keep a much -better lookout and also fly a flag of distress. This they decided was -their best hope, although now desperately slim.</p> -<p>Of course they realized that there was grave danger of their being -dragged under the iceberg when it rolled over, or of meeting even a more -terrible fate if caught in the violence of an explosion of the ice. -However, they decided that they could guard against such danger only -with the most cautious watchfulness. Fortunately, on either side of the -elevation on which they stood was a rough irregular ridge of ice, which -would afford an excellent foothold by means of which they could keep -from slipping off until the iceberg had tipped to an angle of 45 degrees -or more from the perpendicular.</p> -<p>For an hour after moving to the head of the stairway, they stood and -watched and listened to the exploding and crashing of the ice. Meanwhile -the Eskimos, realizing the impending danger, joined them. Finally Watson -observed a slight northward listing of the mass. “It’s coming,” he said -to himself. Others observed the ominous change, and only the appearance -of an unexpected hope averted a panic.</p> -<p>This hope consisted of a tiny speck on the surface of the ocean several -miles to the northeast. One of the women was first to see it, and with -an hysterical cry she pointed toward the object.</p> -<p>“It’s a boat,” said one of the seamen after gazing eagerly for a minute -or two. “But what’s she doing way out here. She can’t be more’n sixty or -seventy feet long.”</p> -<p>Nevertheless, even so small a vessel was a Godsend to the hope-forsaken -castaways. Oh, if they could only attract her attention!</p> -<p>They shouted, they screamed, they pulled off their coats and waved them -frantically. Two of the men started a fire with some driftwood, raft -decking and fish bones that had been preserved for just such purpose as -this. For twenty minutes or more they were held in an agony of -uncertainty, while the iceberg tipped almost to an unsafe angle. Then -the thrill of hope grew stronger and stronger as they saw and realized -that the boat was headed directly toward them. Nearer and nearer it -came. Now it was so near that the forms of persons on board could be -distinguished. A little nearer, and yes, they had seen the castaways and -were signaling to them.</p> -<p>The upper landing of the icy stairway was now a scene of the wildest -joy. Men hugged each other and wept. Indeed, the women were not more -hysterical than their male companions. But while the boat was about half -a mile distant and the castaways were almost reaching out to be received -in the arms of friends, the long expected climax came.</p> -<p>The breaking of the ice had continued with frequent splittings and -splashes, but these noises were almost unnoticed after the purpose of -the rescuers had been determined. Guy was one of the few quieter ones. -But there was a singular reason for his silence. He was gazing intently -at the little vessel, wondering, doubting his sense of vision—yes, no, -yes—could it be possible?</p> -<p>Just as he was about to give vent to a new shout of joy, a cry of -another kind from one of the women checked its utterance. The cause -needed no explaining. It was immediately evident. At last the floating -island was slowly rolling over.</p> -<p>“Everybody jump out as far as possible before we slip off,” shouted -Watson.</p> -<p>Guy saw the operative instructing one of the women how to leap. The -professor instructed another. Everybody tried to keep his balance as -long as possible. It was a mighty turning of a mighty mass and took some -little time. Now it seemed impossible longer to keep from slipping.</p> -<p>“Keep your heads and jump far out,” shouted Watson. “Now, jump.”</p> -<p>How many made the leap successfully, Guy could not see. The next moment -he was in the water, while a terrific Niagara of noise filled his ears.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXXI' title='Searching the Sea'>CHAPTER XXI<br />Searching the Sea</h2> -</div> -<p>The Jetta was built for both speed and rough weather. She was fifty feet -long, and her other proportions carried with them lines of beauty and -grace, as well as “a good pair of heels.” She had a six-cylinder, -200-horse power gasoline engine, capable of driving the yacht, on a -smooth sea, at the rate of 22 miles an hour.</p> -<p>Architecturally the little vessel was designed with a view to practical -use of all the space within her. Just back of the fore peak was the -galley, with sink, ice box, cooking stove, and various other “food -factory” accessories and conveniences. Abaft this layout was a large -cabin, with Pullman berths on either side. Amidships were two -staterooms, with lockers and berths, and back of these was the engine -room, flanked by two large fuel tanks and locker batteries. Overhead was -a large well-glazed deck house, connecting directly with the galley and -serving conveniently as a combined observation cabin and dining saloon. -A forward portion of the deck house was partitioned off for the pilot -and contained steering wheel, engine controls, chart case, log, ship’s -clock, thermometers, barometer, compass and sextant.</p> -<p>There was little conversation on board the Jetta for several hours -following her midnight departure. After getting her started and seeing -that all was running well, Walter turned the engine over to Tony and -returned to his wireless instruments. There, with receivers to his ears, -he waited eagerly for new messages regarding the wrecked steamer and her -passengers. Occasionally he would call down through the speaking tube to -find out if everything was going well in the engine room, and Tony would -always inquire if he had caught any new messages of importance. Finally -Walter, in reply to one of these questions, revealed his hopeful secret -by remarking casually:</p> -<p>“Nothing new of much importance. There’s a steamer hurrying to the -rescue, but she’s over a hundred miles away from the Herculanea, and -it’ll take her several hours to reach the wreck. By that time it’ll be -all over, and all they can do is pick up the boats.”</p> -<p>“It’ll take us two days and one night at least to reach the wreck,” said -Tony. “What do you expect to find then?”</p> -<p>“To tell the truth, I don’t really expect to find anything. But I’m -going to search the sea all around, and if we’re unsuccessful, we’ll at -least have the satisfaction of knowing we did our best.”</p> -<p>But Walter did not tell Tony all that was in his mind. He had a great -fear that he would find a number of rafts supporting the bodies of many -passengers who had succumbed to starvation and exposure, and that two of -them would prove to be his mother’s and Guy’s. He preferred, however, to -keep this fear to himself, for he knew that neither Tony nor Det could -offer him any reassurance.</p> -<p>The wireless information regarding the Herculanea was too clear and -definite to allow of much doubt. The operator had said that a great hole -had been blown by some mysterious explosion in the forward part of the -ship and that she was rapidly filling and going down. At first it was -believed that she had struck an iceberg, as the Titanic had done, but -investigation proved this impossible and indicated almost beyond -question that a floating contact mine had caused the disaster.</p> -<p>During the night the Jetta kept well out from the shore in order to -avoid running onto rocks. True, there was a strong head-light in the -bow, but Det did not wish to depend on this and his limited knowledge of -the coast to carry them on safely. In the daytime they continued along -in sight of the shore until they reached Halifax, where they stopped for -gasoline and some additional provisions. They also inquired for news -regarding the Herculanea and were astonished at the ignorance of -everybody to whom they spoke on the subject. Walter bought a copy of -every newspaper he could find but not a line did any of them contain -concerning the wreck. Deeply mystified, he returned to the yacht.</p> -<p>From Halifax they proceeded northward and in a few hours were out of -sight of land. Shortly before noon Walter caught several messages from -the rescue ship, which had reached the scene of the disaster, picked up -several boats and rafts loaded with passengers and was making for New -York. This was good news in itself, but was accompanied with the -announcement that a considerable number of the passengers and crew had -perished.</p> -<p>Then followed a long succession of messages from the rescued to -relatives and friends ashore. Walter listened eagerly to these, hoping -to catch one from his mother and brother. For half an hour he suffered -the keenest of hoping and despairing suspense: then came the following, -addressed to Mr. Burton:</p> -<p>“Mrs. Burton safe. Guy missing.”</p> -<p>A great thrill of joy leaped into Walter’s heart and mind as he read the -first three words of this message; then the reaction of the last two -words depressed him almost as violently. What had become of his brother? -The message gave no hint. How he longed to be able to flash back a -message to his mother that he was racing over the sea to search for Guy!</p> -<p>After leaving Halifax, no more land was sighted on the outward course. -Fortunately the sea was not very rough any of the time. On the second -night a rather stiff breeze blew from the north, but the waves did not -rise very high, and the progress of the Jetta was little impeded. Next -day and the following night the wind blew still stronger, but the yacht -still rode jauntily over the swell of the ocean.</p> -<p>On the second day they reached, as they believed, the vicinity of the -disaster, but darkness gathered before they could make any headway with -their search. Then they arranged to pass the night in much needed rest -and sleep. Det had the first watch, Tony the second, and Walter the -third. Before daybreak Walter prepared breakfast and then called his -companions. By the time they had eaten, it was light enough to begin -their hunt for survivors of the wreck.</p> -<p>From one of the lockers in the cabin, Walter produced a pair of strong -binoculars, and with these he swept the ocean in all directions, but -found nothing of interest. There was a little ice here and there, but no -icebergs were discovered. Then Det made calculations again and decided -that they ought to proceed thirty miles to the southeast in order to -reach the exact latitude and longitude specified by the Herculanea -operator.</p> -<p>The course of the Jetta was accordingly set in that direction. On -account of the increasing amount of ice, it was deemed safest to run at -a moderate rate of speed so that three hours elapsed before the old -sailor announced that they had reached approximately the locality sought -for. Meanwhile Walter continued to sweep the sea with the glasses and -discovered a large iceberg off to the southwest and several smaller ones -to the east and northeast.</p> -<p>“That’s a whopper off there,” declared Det, as he gazed through the -glasses at the largest one. “I think we’d better make toward it. The -wireless messages mentioned a big iceberg near the wreck, you say.”</p> -<p>“Do you think that’s the one?” inquired Tony.</p> -<p>“More’n likely. You see, the wreck happened about here, and the wind is -from the north. So it couldn’t ’a’ been any of those to the east or -northeast.”</p> -<p>“But what’s the use following the iceberg?” Tony asked. “The wind -wouldn’t blow them in that direction unless they had a sail.”</p> -<p>“That’s true; but what’s to have prevented them from rigging up a sail? -Anyway, it’s the most likely direction for them to take as it’s toward -home. I’ve got an idea that if we find anybody at all, we’ll find ’em on -the other side o’ that berg.”</p> -<p>The element of doubt in Det’s words, made Walter gloomy. The vision of -so much sea with nothing else in sight but ice and icebergs and a -birdless sky rendered him the more susceptible of hopelessness.</p> -<p>“If we find anything—” he began, and then stopped. He had had in mind to -conclude the sentence, “it’ll be dead bodies,” but a lump came up in his -throat, and he could go no further.</p> -<p>And before they had proceeded much farther, his fear was realized. -Presently Walter’s glasses brought to his vision numerous small dark -objects on the water, and in less than half an hour they were moving -among half a hundred human bodies buoyed up with life jackets.</p> -<p>There was little conversation now on board the Jetta. Tony, utterly -discouraged, remained in the engine room most of the time. Walter and -Det looked at each other with dull, heavy eyes. Must they examine all -those bodies, or many of them, until they discovered the one whom they -had come to rescue?</p> -<p>“I can’t do it,” was all that Walter could say. “Let’s hunt farther, go -around to the other side of that iceberg and then come back here -if—if—we have to.”</p> -<p>Det’s only reply was a reduction of speed. Then he looked ahead -carefully to avoid striking any of the floating bodies. Pretty soon -Walter observed a small raft—the only raft in sight—a hundred feet -distant, with two bodies lying on it. The face of one was toward him, -and a chill of dread seized him as he recognized, or thought he -recognized, the features.</p> -<p>He signaled his suspicion to Det, who nodded his head. The yacht ran -close to the raft and stopped, and Tony rushed on deck to see what had -happened. Walter leaned over the rail and gazed at the face. Then he -straightened up and announced with evident relief:</p> -<p>“That isn’t Guy.”</p> -<p>Det and Tony also agreed that the body of the young man on the raft was -not that of their missing friend. But it was of about the same size, and -the facial contour, though not the features, was similar to that of -Walter’s brother.</p> -<p>Det put on full speed again. The run around the berg was uneventful, -except that it revealed to them, far to the southward, another and far -greater mountain of ice, which they had not observed before. Walter -scanned the sea as far as his glasses would reach, south, east, and -west, but without fruitful result. Then he said:</p> -<p>“We’ve got just about enough time to go back and examine those bodies -before dark. Let’s do that and in the morning start toward home, running -farther to the south than we ran on our way here.”</p> -<p>Just as they were about to start back for the sea-surface graveyard, -Tony reported trouble with the engine, and Walter and Det made an -investigation. The engine was spitting and coughing and behaved as if -something was choking it. An examination of the carburetor disclosed -that the latter was flooding and considerable gas was being wasted.</p> -<p>Walter turned off the petcock on the feed line and then set to work to -find out what was the cause of the flooding. He removed the carburetor -and took it apart. Then he and Det looked over each part carefully to -discover if there was any dirt or other interference preventing the -closing of the needle valve. No trouble of this nature was disclosed. -Walter then substituted a new needle valve, reassembled the carburetor, -and put it back in position. As he turned on the gasoline, everything -seemed to be O K; so he started the engine, but half a minute later it -choked again.</p> -<p>In this manner they worked over the engine several hours, taking the -carburetor apart half a dozen times. The last time they discovered the -real cause of the trouble, which consisted of several metal filings in -the hole in which the needle valve was intended to fit.</p> -<p>All this consumed much precious time, and when at last they had the -engine apparently in good working order again, it was dark; so they -decided to defer the examination of the bodies of the shipwreck victims -until morning. After supper they arranged watches and prepared to pass -the night as comfortably as might be under the circumstances.</p> -<p>Although the boy skipper instructed his companions to call him for the -last watch, they did not obey his command. After he had turned in, they -altered the program, dividing the night into two watches, one for each. -They knew that Walter was in need of mental and physical rest and -determined that he should have it in spite of himself. And so the latter -was much surprised, though refreshed, when he was awakened at daybreak -with the announcement that breakfast was ready.</p> -<p>After breakfast it was discovered that more work was needed on the -engine. Several of the spark plugs were dirty, and the oil had thickened -in the commutator, resulting in poor contact between the roller and the -points. Hence, the sun was several hours high before they got back to -the area of floating bodies.</p> -<p>The examination of these bodies consumed more than an hour, and the -relief of all may be realized as a look into the face of the last -established the fact that Guy was not among them.</p> -<p>“I might have known we wouldn’t find him here,” Walter declared. “Guy’s -not the boy to die without making a mighty big effort to save himself, -and I bet we’ll find him yet—alive.”</p> -<p>“There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about,” Tony remarked; “and that -is why there isn’t a regular regiment of sharks here devouring these -bodies.”</p> -<p>But he had hardly spoken when he wished he had not given utterance to -the thought. A pained expression on Walter’s face indicated plainly the -suggestion that was moving in his mind. Perhaps a number of sharks -already had been there and departed and Guy’s body was one of those that -had been devoured, or possibly he had been eaten alive!</p> -<p>Det offered no expert explanation of Tony’s “wonder.” He felt that the -subject had better be dropped; so he said:</p> -<p>“Well, now that we’ve finished, let’s go and find Guy floating on a raft -or in a boat.”</p> -<p>This was a cheerful suggestion, and Walter, with an effort, drove the -shark theory out of his mind. The yacht was turned to the southwest, and -the journey in search of a live brother was begun. They had not -proceeded many boat-lengths, however, when Det stopped again at the side -of the raft on which lay the body which had appeared so much like that -of Guy on the day before.</p> -<p>“What’s the matter?” Walter inquired apprehensively.</p> -<p>“Nothing,” replied the old sailor; “only I’m a little curious about that -note book. I saw it there yesterday, but thought it a waste of time to -look into it.”</p> -<p>As he finished speaking, he stepped over the rail and onto the raft and -took from the rigid left hand of the corpse a small, red-leather-bound -book. Then he stepped back onto the deck of the Jetta and examined the -object of his curiosity. The leather was welted and warped as a result -of wetting. The leaves were celluloid, and there was pencil writing on -them.</p> -<p>Walter looked over Det’s shoulder as the latter turned the leaves and -read. Tony also stood near and watched the proceeding. Presently he -started forward in wondering eagerness when he saw the young skipper’s -eyes almost pop out of his head with joy. The latter unable longer to -contain his ecstasy, exclaimed:</p> -<p>“Det! Tony! I know where Guy is. He’s on the big iceberg that was near -the Herculanea when she went down.”</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXXII' title='The Rescue'>CHAPTER XXII<br />The Rescue</h2> -</div> -<p>Following is the entry in the notebook that aroused Walter’s eagerness -and enthusiasm:</p> -<p>“My name is Edward Kilcrane. My home is in Richmond, Virginia.</p> -<p>“After the last two boiler explosions, I jumped into the sea with -hundreds of others. There were several rafts floating about, and I -managed to get on this one with half a dozen other men. We came near -being swamped in the suction when the Herculanea went down.</p> -<p>“I wasn’t long in discovering I had broken my right leg. It struck -something hard as I hit the water, probably a piece of ice or an edge of -the raft. So I was nearly helpless. Four of the other men also were -injured in some way. Ours was a regular hospital raft.</p> -<p>“I saw two rafts paddle up to the iceberg and try to find a landing -place. But they didn’t find any, so they moved along the edge and around -the east end and disappeared. I hope they landed on the other side. We -would have followed them, only we couldn’t. The oars that belonged to -our raft had been torn off when it was tossed overboard probably. Anyway -they were gone. I heard a man on one of the rafts suggest that they land -on the ice and try to dry their clothes and keep warm by running -around.</p> -<p>“There isn’t much more to tell. My fingers are getting so numb I can’t -write much more anyway. Two men on this raft got discouraged and slid -off and drowned themselves. I think another will follow soon.</p> -<p>“There’s $200 in my inside coat pocket. Send it to my mother, Mrs. Helen -Kilcrane, Richmond, Virginia.</p> -<p>“I’ll have to quit.”</p> -<p>The last few lines were almost illegible. No doubt an icy paralysis was -gripping the young man as he wrote. His difficulty became more and more -evident as he neared the end.</p> -<p>“Yes, the chances looked good for finding Guy on the iceberg,” said Tony -as he finished reading. “But why didn’t we see them when we sailed -around it?”</p> -<p>“I don’t believe that’s the iceberg they landed on,” replied Walter. “I -believe it’s the one farther on.”</p> -<p>“I’ve been thinking that way myself,” Det interposed. “I believe that -farthest one is the one near which the Herculanea sunk.”</p> -<p>“Let’s make a run for it as fast as we can,” proposed Walter.</p> -<p>“I’m agreeable,” said Det. “But first let’s get that money in this man’s -pocket so’s we can send it to ’is mother. I think he deserves that much -attention, don’t you, for giving us this valuable tip.”</p> -<p>“He certainly does,” Walter admitted. Then as if in apology for his -thoughtlessness, he stepped down onto the raft and began a search for -the money. He soon drew out a long bill book, opened it, and found -several bills of large denomination. Then he returned aboard.</p> -<p>There being no occasion for further delay, the Jetta was started again, -and soon she was running full speed to the southwest. In order to make -certain regarding the possibility of there being any of the shipwrecked -party on the first iceberg, the yacht was run around it, but no sign of -life was discovered. Indeed, there appeared to be no place on which a -man could have found footing near the water line. Then they dashed on -toward the farther berg at full speed, as the intervening sea was -comparatively free of ice.</p> -<p>“That ice is melting very fast,” observed Walter as the yacht bounded -along, cutting through the crests of the waves in a manner that -indicated much power and much gasoline explosion. “It’s lucky we’re no -later, for in a few days more there mightn’t be much left for them to -stand on.”</p> -<p>Walter had rather an unscientific conception of icebergs, and perhaps it -was fortunate for his peace of mind that such was the case. He knew -nothing of the manner in which a mountain of frozen water goes to -pieces, or he would have realized that danger is imminent at any time to -a person cast away on one. Det, however, knew all about this; he was -familiar with the shifting of the center of gravity, caused principally -by the rapid melting under the water line, and of the possibility that -the great mass would roll over any minute. But he said nothing of this -danger, hoping only that fortune would not prove so cruel as to place -success seemingly within their grasp and then snatch it tantalizingly -away.</p> -<p>That the iceberg ahead was a gigantic affair was evident at first view. -It was nearly an hour’s run from the one first visited. Five hundred -feet high in places and half a mile long, it presented an imposing -appearance miles distant.</p> -<p>Walter soon trained his binoculars on it, and in a short time he had -found signs of life. Eagerly he announced this discovery, and Det -snatched the glasses from him and made a careful inspection. Yes, there -could be no mistake. Tiny objects could be discerned moving about on a -small plateau near one end. Det was certain they were human beings.</p> -<p>In half an hour the iceberg Crusoes could be distinguished plainly, -also, of course, the fire they had built.</p> -<p>About this time Det began to realize the imminent danger not only to -those on the iceberg, but to the little yacht itself and its crew, and -he warned his companions of what was likely soon to take place. The -sound of breaking and falling ice grew more and more distinct. Great -spurs and bulky projections, weighing many tons each, broke loose with -cracking, crushing noises and thundered into the water, churning it like -a sea-coast avalanche. And the little yacht must run the risk of being -crushed by one of these masses in order to get close enough to effect a -rescue.</p> -<p>Walter, Det and Tony have since agreed that fortune really worked -happily not only for most of the endangered castaways, but also for the -safety of the yacht. But before this was realized, the crew of the Jetta -suffered mental tortures that no words can describe. Walter had -discovered Guy among those on the iceberg and had announced this -discovery to his companions. He could almost feel his brother’s arms -around him and hear a sob of joy at their reunion, when he saw the great -mass of ice begin slowly to tip over toward the yacht.</p> -<p>It was indeed wonderful that most of those perched on the overturning -mass survived the ordeal. But there were several elements favoring their -escape. First, they were standing on the highest point of their section -of the iceberg so that when they leaped into the water there was no -higher projection to reach over and strike them; second, they all wore -life jackets; third, most of them followed the advice and example of -Watson, to leap out as far as possible when the top of the mass rendered -it impossible longer to maintain their foothold.</p> -<p>Of course Walter’s first thought was of his brother, and he kept his -eyes glued to the spot where he believed he saw Guy strike the water. -The Jetta stopped fifty feet from the berg, where Det surveyed the scene -to determine who was most in need of assistance.</p> -<p>Nobody appeared to be in danger of sinking, but several were evidently -unconscious. The bravery and thoughtfulness of some of the men was -heroic. The heads of two unconscious men were being held up by two -others who had escaped serious injury. Another man, almost helpless, was -being assisted by one of the women. This man was Professor Anderson, who -in attempting to aid a woman, failed to make the best of his own -“safety-first” opportunities and was knocked almost senseless by -striking the water flat on his left side. The woman who came to his -rescue seemed to have the strength of a man. In her earlier years she -had been an athlete and a swimmer with a record. Her leap from the -iceberg had been one of the most skillful and spectacular of the whole -dramatic scene as viewed from the deck of the Jetta. The woman whom the -professor tried to assist made a floundering leap and was knocked -unconscious.</p> -<p>Walter soon discovered his brother holding the head of the latter woman -above the water. With a heart full of thankfulness he sent a cry of -cheer to Guy, who was slowly swimming toward the Jetta, dragging his -human burden with him.</p> -<p>The work of rescue now progressed rapidly. Men and women were pulled and -hoisted over the railing on all sides, and presently the little craft -was thickly populated with dripping, shivering figures, including the -two Eskimos and their dogs.</p> -<p>The yacht was now converted into a hospital. Three of the men and two of -the women had been killed and their bodies, buoyed with the life -jackets, were taken aboard. Then without further delay, the homeward -journey was begun.</p> -<p>Det remained at the wheel. Tony performed the duties of galley -superintendent, and Walter assumed the position of head nurse. All of -the surviving women and seven of the men were either severely injured or -on the verge of pneumonia, and it was necessary that they be given the -best of care.</p> -<p>That night Walter had another opportunity to use the wireless outfit on -the yacht with heroic effect. About nine o’clock the lights of a large -steamer were sighted in the southeast, and the yacht’s course was shaped -to run as near to the big ship as possible. Walter, meanwhile, was busy -with receivers at his ears and hands operating the key and tuning -sliders. He must quit the field of amateur wireless sender for a short -time and invade the commercial wireless world on the high sea.</p> -<p>Guy stood near his brother, eagerly watching the latter’s every -movement. After a minute or two of critical inspection, he offered a -bold suggestion, one generally held to be a grave violation of -governmental limitation of the rights of radio amateurs:</p> -<p>“Why don’t you tighten the coupling of your oscillating circuit?”</p> -<p>Walter looked up at his brother with grim intelligence.</p> -<p>“I was just thinking of that,” he shouted back.</p> -<p>Without further delay he did what is often done on board sinking -vessels, what, indeed, was probably done by the operator of the -Herculanea when the latter sent out his calls for help. The effect was -so to reduce the amplitude of the outgoing ether waves that they might -be received over a wide receiving range.</p> -<p>“He got it!” exclaimed the boy operator. “He’s trying to answer.”</p> -<p>There was more tuning of wave lengths for a minute or two and finally -Walter got this message to the liner:</p> -<p>“We are a small yacht with forty survivors of the Herculanea wreck. We -need help. Will you take us on board?”</p> -<p>Almost immediately came the question:</p> -<p>“Where are you?”</p> -<p>“A few miles off your port bow,” Walter answered.</p> -<p>“Come this way,” was the ship’s next message. “Will answer in a few -minutes.”</p> -<p>Walter waited three minutes with the receivers at his ears. Then came -the following.</p> -<p>“Come aboard. We’ll stop for you.”</p> -<p>It requires something of a sensation to stop a big liner in mid-ocean.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXXIII' title='Taking the “Wireless” Out of “Wireless Shoes”'>CHAPTER XXIII<br />Taking the “Wireless” Out of “Wireless Shoes”</h2> -</div> -<p>In ten minutes the Jetta was alongside the Atlantic liner, Manhattan, -and an officer descended into the yacht to make an inspection. A glance -satisfied him, and he gave orders for receiving the rescued castaways on -board the steamer.</p> -<p>The captain invited the crew of the yacht also to accept passage to New -York, promising to take the Jetta in tow. This plan was satisfactory to -Walter and his two companions and was adopted. The dead bodies on the -yacht were then taken aboard and treated with embalming preservatives.</p> -<p>The Manhattan was due at New York on the second day following. The -rescued castaways were offered every convenience that ingenuity and -generosity could devise. The injured and the ill were given medical -attention, while the others were reinvigorated with hot baths and fresh -clothing, a “swell feed,” according to Glennon and “the most comfortable -staterooms they ever slept in.”</p> -<p>Walter, Tony, and Det, not being in particular need of revival and -refreshment, were kept busy until late in the night reciting their -accounts of the rescue. And it was not long before they were commonly -pronounced heroes of the first water by the passengers. Particularly was -this honor extended to Walter, for Det and Tony insisted that he be -given all the credit due him.</p> -<p>“If that boy doesn’t get a Carnegie medal, we ought to blow the whole -board of trustees up with T N T,” declared one large, red-faced, -ungentle gentleman, swelling as if to burst with indignation at the -failure of the hero board to appear magically on the spot and make its -award before anybody else thought about it.</p> -<p>Next morning those of the rescued iceberg Crusoes who were able to leave -their rooms became objects of further attention, and new features of the -disaster were brought out in reply to more questions. It was not long, -too, before special interest was directed to Guy, for if he and his -mother had not been on the Herculanea, Walter and Tony and Det would not -have made their dash to the rescue, and all these castaways would have -perished.</p> -<p>Second only to the “wireless twins” as characters of interest in this -midocean drama were the two Eskimos. Tarmik and Emah were dazed with the -wonder of their new surroundings. They had never dreamed of such -richness, such magnificence of nautical architecture and equipment. It -was like being transported from a desert to paradise. Professor -Anderson, who had recovered from his injuries, was pressed into service -as an interpreter, and the two fur-clad Greenlanders were kept busy -answering questions until they exhibited signs of weariness.</p> -<p>Gunseyt also established a reputation as an interesting story teller. He -added a number of odd touches to the general narrative, thus creating a -demand for his “edition” of the account. But he said nothing about his -attempted invasion of the Eskimo camp, and nobody else saw fit to create -any useless gossip on the subject. Guy listened to him on several -occasions and remarked to his brother about the change in the man’s -voice. When they found an opportunity to converse together without -interruption, Walter asked:</p> -<p>“Have you any idea why he’s being followed by a detective?”</p> -<p>“Not the slightest,” answered Guy, “I thought he was crazy just before -the ship went down.”</p> -<p>“Why—what did he do?”</p> -<p>Guy described the actions of Gunseyt from the time he appeared at the -Burton stateroom and offered his assistance to the time when he was -observed in solitary retreat on the sinking ship with the “wireless -shoes” and the tennis racket. This account included a short description -and history of the “wireless shoes” and Gunseyt’s strange interest in -them.</p> -<p>“That’s funny,” said Walter. “No wonder you thought he was crazy. Didn’t -he act queer on the iceberg?”</p> -<p>“Not exactly, but he proved himself a rascal.”</p> -<p>Guy then related the attempted invasion of the Eskimo camp with Gunseyt -as leader.</p> -<p>“Who did that London man tell you to express the ‘wireless shoes’ to?” -asked his brother.</p> -<p>“A man named Pickett.”</p> -<p>“Pickett!” exclaimed Walter. “Does he live in New York?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“And his first name—do you remember it? Was it Stanley?”</p> -<p>“How did you know?” demanded the astonished Guy.</p> -<p>“I bet I’ve got a clew to the mystery,” returned Walter eagerly. -“Pickett’s the name of the man who sat behind you and mother on the -train when you left Ferncliffe. Didn’t I tell you his name in one of my -letters?”</p> -<p>“No, I don’t think you did. I don’t remember it.”</p> -<p>“I must ’a’ forgotten. I intended to. How about the tennis racket—where -did he get that, do you suppose?”</p> -<p>“I haven’t any idea, unless—”</p> -<p>Guy suddenly became deeply thoughtful.</p> -<p>“Unless what?” his brother asked.</p> -<p>Guy looked at Walter with a composite expression—doubt, surprise, -wonder, expectancy.</p> -<p>“Say, Walt, I’m beginning to wake up,” he announced. “There’s something -in this business that looks funnier and funnier the more I think of it. -Gunseyt played tennis on the Herculanea, but he didn’t have a racket of -his own. Anyway, he used one belonging to the ship. But Glennon had one, -and it was given to him by the same man that gave me the shoes. Moreover -it, was a ‘wireless racket’—like the shoes—to put pep in your arm.”</p> -<p>“No!” exclaimed Walter.</p> -<p>“Yes,” Guy insisted. “Come on, I’m going to find Carl Glennon and ask -him some questions. We never talked the matter over because we didn’t -suspect anything; at least I didn’t. Now, I’ve got something in my -mind.”</p> -<p>“So have I,” said Walter; “and everything you say only makes me more -certain of it.”</p> -<p>The brothers hunted fifteen minutes before they found the young man in a -veranda cafe where several passengers were listening to the story he had -told “forty-’leven times.” Guy interrupted with an apology and informed -the narrator that he wished to speak to him. Glennon excused himself and -walked away with the two Burtons.</p> -<p>“We’re in a puzzle over that fellow Gunseyt,” began Guy as they took -seats in a farther corner of the room. “We’re satisfied that there’s -something deep in him, and we want to ask you some questions.”</p> -<p>“Fire away,” said Glennon. “I’m as much interested as you are. In my -opinion he’s a rascal and ought to be jugged.”</p> -<p>“I wanted to ask you about that tennis racket that Smithers gave you. Do -you know what became of it?”</p> -<p>“I suppose a mermaid’s got it battin’ codfish balls over a fish net.”</p> -<p>“But suppose the racket was broken before it went down—what then?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know what you mean.”</p> -<p>“Didn’t you see Gunseyt near the elevator just before you and Watson and -I ran out on the open deck?”</p> -<p>“Was that Gunseyt? I saw a man there.”</p> -<p>“And didn’t you see him break a racket over his knee?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I did,” said Glennon, “and I wondered what he was doing that for.”</p> -<p>“Well,” continued Guy, “now that you know who he was, whose racket do -you suppose he had?”</p> -<p>“Why? Did he have mine?”</p> -<p>“That’s my guess. Do you know how he got it?”</p> -<p>“I saw him near my stateroom when I ran out to see what was the matter. -I left my door open in my hurry, I suppose. I know I didn’t lock it.”</p> -<p>“That explains it all. Everything’s cleared up to my satisfaction.”</p> -<p>“But what does all this mean?” inquired the mystified Glennon. “I seem -to have run up against a Chinese puzzle.”</p> -<p>“It’s as simple as A B C, after my wise brother here gave my sleepy head -a thump and woke me up,” replied Guy. “Mr. Gunseyt is probably a friend -of Mr. Smithers of London.”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“And also of a Mr. Pickett of New York.”</p> -<p>“I don’t know him.”</p> -<p>“We’ll tell you more about him later. But he’s also a friend of -Everleigh and Little, as we know positively.”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“And soon after the Herculanea started, Gunseyt made the acquaintance of -you and me.”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“And you and I were acquainted with Mr. Smithers.”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“And Mr. Smithers had given you a wireless tennis racket as a present?”</p> -<p>“He did.”</p> -<p>“And me a pair of ‘wireless shoes’ to express to Mr. Pickett at New -York.”</p> -<p>“Well?”</p> -<p>“And after it was found that the ship was sinking, Mr. Gunseyt got -possession of your racket and the shoes.”</p> -<p>“Yes, that’s all very interesting, but still I don’t see the -conclusion,” said Glennon blankly.</p> -<p>“It’s coming,” assured Guy. “You and I both saw him break the handle off -the racket. I saw something else that I wasn’t sure of at the time. But -now I’m certain of it. He’d torn the heels off the shoes.”</p> -<p>“You don’t say!”</p> -<p>“Yes, I do. And there was a detective, Mr. Watson, on his track all this -time.”</p> -<p>“My goodness!”</p> -<p>“It’s about time for you to get excited. Here’s something more to excite -you: Let me remind you that Mr. Smithers is a jeweler.”</p> -<p>Glennon made a pass with one hand before his eyes as if dazed.</p> -<p>“You don’t mean that Smithers and Gunseyt—” he began with a gasp.</p> -<p>“Here comes Watson; let’s see what he says about it,” interrupted Guy, -as he signaled the operative to approach. “I bet he’ll say the -‘wireless’ part of those shoes and that racket was a fake. I don’t -believe, anyway, that the electro-magnetic current picked up by a -wireless receiving instrument is strong enough to have any effect in an -induction coil.”</p> -<p>“I thought there was something funny in that,” Walter remarked.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXXIV' title='The Why of the “Squeak-Roar Voice”'>CHAPTER XXIV<br />The Why of the “Squeak-Roar Voice”</h2> -</div> -<p>“Yes, Gunseyt is a smuggler; so is Smithers and so is Pickett. We’ve -been on their trail a long time, but couldn’t get the goods on them; and -now after they were almost in my grasp, the goods have disappeared.”</p> -<p>This mournful statement was made by Watson after Guy had presented his -deductions and asked a point-blank question regarding the occupation of -the man with the “funny” voice.</p> -<p>“They’re smuggling diamonds and Indian rubies into the United States,” -the operative continued; “and they’re big ones at the business. Many of -the gems are stolen, too, and it’s safer to dispose of them in America. -No doubt they’ve brought over several million dollars’ worth, and on -this trip they were using you boys to help them at their game to confuse -the authorities. The heels of those shoes were filled with gems; so was -the handle of the tennis racket.”</p> -<p>“One thing I don’t understand,” said Glennon, “is why Smithers should -have made me a present of that racket. Why didn’t he give it to me to -give to Pickett the same as he planned to get the shoes into Pickett’s -hands.”</p> -<p>“I never try to explain positively the working of a criminal’s mind,” -replied Watson. “But you can often make a pretty safe guess at it after -you’ve been studying them a while. The smartest of ’em make the most -ridiculous mistakes and go to the silliest extremes sometimes to avoid -detection.”</p> -<p>“And how did Gunseyt expect to get possession of the diamonds again,” -was Glennon’s next question.</p> -<p>“Oh, there were a hundred ways of doing that. He could have stopped at a -hotel near your home, kept up an acquaintance with you, borrowed the -racket, and returned it minus the stones.”</p> -<p>“There’s one thing I’d like to find out,” said Guy; “and that is, what -caused the change in his voice?”</p> -<p>“You’d think,” said Glennon, who was something of a musician, “that some -mischief had got busy in his voice box and tangled the bass and treble -strings together.”</p> -<p>“Suppose you ask him,” suggested Watson, addressing Guy.</p> -<p>“I’m going to ask him the first chance I get, and I’m going to look for -the chance,” announced Guy determinedly.</p> -<p>Half an hour later Guy found an opportunity to speak with Gunseyt. The -latter was seated alone in a smoking room, and the boy sauntered up and -addressed him familiarly.</p> -<p>“I suppose you’ll be glad when this voyage is finished,” he said. “It -hasn’t been full of fun all the time.”</p> -<p>“No, it hasn’t,” replied Gunseyt cheerfully. “But I don’t mind, now that -the hardships are over. It’s been an experience I’ll never forget. And -among the things I won’t forget is the manner in which I was treated on -the iceberg.”</p> -<p>Guy did not wish to discuss this affair; so he merely remarked that it -was “unfortunate” and continued:</p> -<p>“I’ve got a question to ask you, Mr. Gunseyt, and I hope you won’t think -it impertinent. It’s caused a good deal of talk and we’re all curious to -know what the answer is.”</p> -<p>“Fire away,” roared the other with comical explosiveness. “I don’t know -of any question I’m afraid to hear, but I may not answer this one. I’ll -either answer it or tell you it’s none of your business.” The last -sentence was finished with a spasmodic high pitch that sounded uncanny -to the boy, who returned:</p> -<p>“It isn’t any of my business. I come only as a curiosity seeker.”</p> -<p>“That’s fair enough. I like frank people. What’s your question?”</p> -<p>“What caused the change in your voice?”</p> -<p>“Oh, is that all?” laughed Gunseyt. “I’m glad it’s so easy to answer. -It’s caused by an alteration of the acoustics of my mouth.”</p> -<p>Guy stared at the man with a puzzled look. He was uncertain whether the -fellow was making fun of him.</p> -<p>“That’s the truth,” assured the other. “My voice has always been the -discomfort of my life. For years it branded me as a curiosity wherever I -went. I consulted many throat specialists and they informed me that the -trouble rested in the roof of my mouth. That’s what caused the squeak. -An operation, they said, wouldn’t do any good. My voice was otherwise -naturally heavy.</p> -<p>“Well, one specialist observed that several of my molars had been -extracted and suggested a remedy. He said that a plate could be made to -hold some false teeth and at the same time alter the acoustics of my -mouth in such a manner as to stop the squeak. I consented to the plan, -and the plate was made. It was a success.</p> -<p>“When I jumped from the wrecked ship, I got my mouth full of sea water -and nearly strangled. While struggling to catch my breath I coughed the -plate out and it sank while my voice rose to a high pitch again. Does -that explain the mystery?”</p> -<p>“Perfectly,” replied Guy. “Thank you very much. That’s an interesting -story; I’ll tell it to the others and quiet their curiosity.”</p> -<p>Guy found his brother and Watson and Glennon again and told them of his -interview.</p> -<p>“That may be a straight story,” said Watson. “I’m glad to get it. But I -wonder he didn’t say that the plate in his mouth was a wireless plate.”</p> -<p>Walter, Guy, and Glennon laughed at this remark.</p> -<p>“This is a good time for general explanation of mysteries, isn’t it?” -Guy suggested. “There are several matters I’d like to have you explain, -just for entertainment.”</p> -<p>“Fire away,” said Watson. “I suppose for one thing you’d like to know -where I got the key to your stateroom door.”</p> -<p>“Then you were the burglar, after all?”</p> -<p>“I was that villain,” replied that operative with a smart smile. “I -found the key in the door, and watched my opportunity to enter and -search the room.”</p> -<p>“Then that was all a bluff you put up when you came to our room and -called me down,” said Guy.</p> -<p>“Pure and simple. I wanted to see what Gunseyt was doing there.”</p> -<p>Little of importance occurred during the rest of the voyage. They -arrived at New York early in the morning two days later and were met at -the landing by a throng of men, women and children. Information of the -rescue of most of the castaways on the iceberg had been communicated by -wireless, and the Burton boys found their father and mother among the -foremost in the crowd.</p> -<p>The scene at the landing was pathetic and thrilling. Not only were many -relatives and friends of the rescued present, but also numerous -relatives and friends of many that perished. Cheers, congratulations, -happy faces, hysterical laughter, and sad tearful eyes and subdued, -hopeless utterances were heard and seen on every hand. Guy and Walter -were hurried to a hotel where their story was listened to eagerly by Mr. -and Mrs. Burton.</p> -<p>Then came the newspaper ordeal. It was an odd and enigmatical affair. -The reporters were there, at the landing and the hotel, in good numbers; -but they were the most unimaginative, unindustrious congregation of -press representatives that ever assembled with instructions to “soft -pedal” a story. Mr. and Mrs. Burton knew the meaning of their “lazy -manner” and smiled wisely at the disgust of some of the interviewed.</p> -<p>“What does this all mean?” demanded the big red-faced man, who had -decreed a conditional extermination for the Carnegie medal dispensers -after hearing the story of Walter’s heroism. “Didn’t you cheap, -two-by-four pencil pushers bring photographers along to take pictures of -that wireless hero?”</p> -<p>The identity of this challenger of the scribes and advance critic of the -hero fund trustees was then revealed for the first time to Walter and -Guy. He was one Amos Wiltshire of Vermont, a business acquaintance of -Mr. Burton’s. His last choleric invective was directed at the “sleepy” -newspaper reporters at the landing, from which place he accompanied the -Burtons to their hotel. There the father of the wireless heroes -explained the situation to Mr. Wiltshire and the boys as follows:</p> -<p>“You see the government officials felt that the situation was extremely -delicate. There was enough evidence to convince them beyond reasonable -doubt that the Herculanea was sunk by a floating German mine. It looked -as if the mine was planted over here by a German U-boat before we got -into the war, and the authorities were afraid of public wrath if as much -publicity were given this affair as was given the sinking of the -Lusitania. We are still nominally at war with Germany, you see, and many -believe we ought not to have stopped fighting when we did, but have -continued the drive all the way to Berlin. It was feared, at least, that -the treaty negotiations would be seriously interfered with by a -reawakening of public anger. So it was decided to ask all the newspapers -of the country to tone the story down. By common consent, therefore, it -was censored, and every paper limited its space for the affair to a few -sticks of very mildly worded news.”</p> -<p>As for the two Eskimos, a collection was taken for them among the -iceberg survivors, and they were sent back to Greenland, each with a -large trunkful of fishing tackle and hunting outfit, on a government -vessel patrolling the northern seas.</p> -<p>Walter, Guy, Tony and Det went home on the Jetta, while Mr. and Mrs. -Burton returned by rail. The water trip required two days, the -intervening night being passed at a Massachusetts port.</p> -<p>On the night following their arrival at Ferncliffe, the climax of these -adventures of the radio boys was reached. With spirit of romance still -very much alive, they decided to sleep on the yacht. Before turning in, -Walter and Guy sat at the wireless table and talked over their -experiences for several hours. They even caught some messages from -passing ships as Walter had done on a never-to-be-forgotten occasion. Of -course, it was long after boy bed-hours before they were asleep on the -two deck house cots.</p> -<p>About midnight Guy awoke. What was the cause of his awakening he did not -know, but he soon found reason for keeping his eyes open and his ears -sharply attentive. He heard the sound of a footstep on the deck, and -glancing through the open doorway he saw the form of a man.</p> -<p>It was moonlight and Guy could distinguish the fellow’s features fairly -well. One look at his face almost caused the boy to cry out with -astonishment. In spite of the fact that the man’s goatee and mustache -had been removed, Guy recognized the countenance of Mr. Gunseyt.</p> -<div class='chapter'> -<h2 id='chXXV' title='The Fog Pirate At the Bobstay'>CHAPTER XXV<br />The Fog Pirate at the Bobstay</h2> -</div> -<p>Suddenly Guy was thrilled with a romantic explanation. The diamonds! But -where?</p> -<p>Apparently the visitor had no suspicion of the presence of anyone else -on the yacht. He did not look into the place where the boys lay. He -moved straight ahead as if bound for a certain point and disappeared -around the port side of the deck house.</p> -<p>Guy arose and went to his sleeping brother and shook him gently. Walter -awoke and sat up.</p> -<p>“Keep still, Walt,” whispered Guy. “There’s somebody on the boat. It’s -Gunseyt.”</p> -<p>“What!”—also whispered.</p> -<p>“Yes, it is. I just saw him.”</p> -<p>“How could you recognize him in the dark?”</p> -<p>“It’s moonlight, and he’s got ways and actions you couldn’t mistake. -He’s shaved off his mustache and goatee, but I know him anyway.”</p> -<p>“What does he want here?”</p> -<p>“The diamonds, I suppose. You know Watson said he’d got rid of them -somewhere at sea.”</p> -<p>“Hid ’em on this boat?”</p> -<p>“Must ’ave. Watson was asleep. He ought to ’ave guessed the truth.”</p> -<p>While this whispered conversation was going on, the boys slipped on -their trousers and were soon ready to move silently out on the deck and -watch the movements of the midnight visitor. They walked around to -starboard of the deck house and to the forward end. Here they stopped. -Mr. Gunseyt was in plain view and busy. He was on his knees at the bow, -pulling up from the water something attached with a small rope to the -bobstay chain. While still engaged in this strange occupation he cast -behind him a look of instinctive watchfulness and saw the boys almost as -soon they saw him.</p> -<p>With a cry of alarm and rage, the man cut the rope with a knife and -sprang to his feet. That voice was the last needed evidence to remove -any remaining doubt from Guy’s mind as to the fellow’s identity. It was -the voice of the “fog pirate.”</p> -<p>Gunseyt held in one hand a small package, dripping wet. With the other -hand he drew a pistol.</p> -<p>The boys now realized that they were in a dangerous position and began -to back away, while the intruder moved toward the wharf. But suddenly -there was a second change in the situation. Another man appeared on the -scene.</p> -<p>This new arrival also had a pistol. He stepped out of the shadow of the -bluff, pointed his weapon at the smuggler, and commanded:</p> -<p>“Drop that gun, or I’ll shoot.”</p> -<p>A great shudder shook Gunseyt. A gasp escaped his lips, and he dropped -his firearm. As it hit the deck the man on the wharf said:</p> -<p>“Pick up his gun, boys, and stand ready to help if he gets ugly.”</p> -<p>Walter sprang forward and snatched up the weapon. Then the newcomer -stepped aboard and snapped a pair of “bracelets” on the wrists of -Gunseyt.</p> -<p>“I’m a secret service man,” he announced as he secured the prisoner.</p> -<p>“Did Mr. Watson send you?” Guy inquired.</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Why didn’t he come himself?”</p> -<p>“He’d ’ave been recognized, and there’d ’ave been nothing doing. I -followed this man from New York. Watson couldn’t ’ave done that. By the -way, he told me to tell you his name isn’t Watson. It’s just plain John -Smith.”</p> -<p>“Our story’s finished,” said Guy quickly, turning to his brother.</p> -<p>“What story?” the latter inquired blankly.</p> -<p>“What story, you simp! Why, your story and mine. You’re the chief hero, -and I’m the second. Think of it! Trip to Europe, mysterious man on the -train, Pickett—his confederate in London, Smithers—their agent on the -steamer, Gunseyt—the detective—the wreck—the iceberg—radio—rescue—and -now, the arrest of the leading villain. I’d been wondering if it ’u’d -ever be our luck to have this adventure finished so we could be real -heroes of a novel.”</p> -<p>“If it’s ever written,” returned Walter dubiously. “And it isn’t quite -finished, too. There are Smithers and Pickett to be arrested. Suppose -they’re never caught.”</p> -<p>“That doesn’t make a particle of difference,” declared Guy. “The jewels -have been found in the cleverest hiding place—tied to the bobstay—and -the most interesting villain is arrested. How do you like that for a -compliment, Mr. Gunseyt, ‘most interesting villain’?”</p> -<p>But the smuggler was not in appreciative mood. He only snarled.</p> -<p>The secret service man introduced himself as Mr. Hunt. Then he made note -of the names of the boys, informed them that they would hear from the -department of justice later, and left with the package of smuggled -treasure in one hand and leading his handcuffed prisoner with the other.</p> -<hr class='tbk' /> -<p>Guy spoke truly when he remarked that his and Walter’s story was -finished. There were indeed a few odds and ends of the tangles of -mysteries to be cleared up, but all this required time and did not come -with the rapidity of succeeding melodramatic chapters. Gunseyt was -convicted and sent to a federal prison after several months’ delay. From -some mysterious source he obtained all the money he needed to pay the -expenses of his defense, but Walter and Guy were not much puzzled over -the mystery. Stanley Pickett also was arrested, but was discharged -because of a lack of evidence to convict. However, almost as these words -are being written, there comes announcement that he has been taken into -custody on another similar charge.</p> -<p>Mr. Smithers is still at large in London, a “respectable jeweler” in -Bond street. Artie Fletcher had something to say regarding the gentleman -in several letters written to Guy, and as one of those letters is of -particular interest at this point, we reproduce it here:</p> -<p>“Dear Guy—When I got your letter telling of the arrest of those two -smugglers, I just couldn’t rest until I’d sprung it on Smithers. I saw -things differently and a lot of explanations flashed before me like a -bobby’s light in a fog. Smithers had left the hotel, but I went to his -store and presented myself to him. He pretended not to know me, but I -grinned in his face and said:</p> -<p>“‘Oh, come, now, Mr. Tennis Racket Wireless Shoes, you know me very -well. Have you forgot the time you fixed it up with one Gunseyt of the -funny voice, him to hold up the young American, Guy Burton, in the fog, -so you could jump in sudden with a pistol and save him from being -robbed?’</p> -<p>“He turned as pale as a ghost, and I knew I’d hit him where it hurt. But -I didn’t stop there. I gave him another before he could recover.</p> -<p>“‘Gunseyt and Pickett have both been arrested in America,’ I said.</p> -<p>“You ought to have seen him. I thought he was going to collapse. Then he -pulled himself together and flew into a rage and after me. I knew what -was best for Artie and cut sticks. He didn’t catch me.</p> -<p>“What do you think happened next day? I was discharged at the hotel. I -know Smithers did it, although no explanation was given to me.</p> -<p>“But it was the best thing for me that ever happened, and I hope it will -prove the worst for Smithers. I went to a detective agency and told the -boss my story. He was interested right away. I found they’d been -watching Smithers for somebody over on your side, maybe the government. -I told them I wanted to be a detective, hardly expecting it would do me -any good; but, Guy, the boss, after a secret confab with somebody else, -offered me a job and told me if I made good on this smuggling case, he’d -keep me.</p> -<p>“I thought, from the way the chief talked, he was going to make me one -of his star ‘sick-’em dogs’, but he didn’t. He gave me only a position -as clerk, with a salary four shillings less than I got at the hotel. But -I didn’t care for salary, just so I had enough to live on. It was just -the opportunity for me. And I haven’t forgotten, Guy, that I owe a whole -lot of it to you.</p> -<p>“They really needed a boy in the office and to run errands, but I soon -found out that the reason I got the job was because of what I knew about -Smithers. And I’m having some real detective work to do. They’re after -Smithers hard, but they haven’t been able to get the goods on him. I -hope before long I’ll land him. If I do, you may be sure I’ll let you -know right away.”</p> -<div style='text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;'> -</div> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RADIO BOYS IN THE SECRET SERVICE***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 62000-h.htm or 62000-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/2/0/0/62000">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/0/0/62000</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>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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