CHAPTER XIX.
"BY WIRELESS!"
"Ye-es," drawled Herc judicially, "even without putting two and twotogether, I must say that I agree with you. But what particular brandof mischief is he up to now, do you think?"
"Well, in the first place, he doesn't want the plans of the _Manhattan_just because of his interest in naval architecture."
"No, hardly. But it gets me what he does want them for."
"I've formed a pretty definite idea," rejoined Ned. "It was thosetorpedoes that set me thinking. Herc, I believe that a gigantic plot toinjure the American navy is on foot. Those torpedoes are aboard to beused in pursuance of that purpose."
"Jiminy crickets!" yelled Herc, fairly brought to his feet; "and youtalk about it as calmly as if you were asking me to come and have anice-cream soda. By the same token, if I don't get something to drinkpretty soon I'll dry up and wither away."
"We've got to keep calm," rejoined Ned. "Getting excited won't do anygood. Look here, Herc, have you anything in the shape of a wrench aboutyou?"
"I've got that small one I use on the motor of my aeroplane."
"Not any too big," commented Ned. "But it'll have to do. Now, Herc, youwatch the stairway while I get busy."
"If any one comes down, shall I tackle them?" asked the freckle-facedyouth, who was always ready for a rough-and-tumble.
"Good gracious, no! To arouse their suspicions that we are anythingbut friendly to them would never do. Just tell me if you hear any onefumbling with the door."
"All right," said Herc, taking up his position at the foot of thestairway.
Ned at once yanked up the section of flooring operated by the ring. Bydint of wriggling and twisting, he managed to work himself down intothe compartment containing the deadly implements. Then he set to workwith his wrench.
The task kept him busy for half an hour or more. When he finallyemerged from his cramped quarters into the cabin, he carried somethingvery carefully wrapped in his handkerchief. Whatever it was, he threwit out of the cabin port and breathed a sigh of relief when he had doneso. Two more trips were necessary before the flooring was replaced, andeach time Ned threw something out.
Herc was about to ask his comrade what he was doing, when thepreliminary fumbling at the bolts above warned him that they were aboutto have a visitor.
Instantly both lads resumed the same positions they had occupied whenHerr Muller left the cabin. They had just time to assume them when theman himself opened the companionway doorway and descended.
"Well, have you made up your minds?" he began, without anypreliminaries.
"We have," replied Ned. "I'll do as you wish in regard to the plan ofthe battleship. But you haven't mentioned anything about compensationas yet."
"It will be large. You have my word for that. Isn't that enough?"
Ned, inwardly thinking that it certainly wasn't, agreed that it was.
"I'll get you pencils and paper, and you can set to work right away,"said Herr Muller.
But just as he spoke there came a loud crash on deck, and a seriesof alarmed shouts. Herr Muller turned and sprang quickly back up thestairway. The boys, feeling certain that some calamity had occurred,followed him.
As they gained the deck they were astonished to find that the sloopwas out of sight of land. A desolate expanse of gray, tumbling billowswas stretched about her. But their glances only dwelt on this for aninstant. Their immediate attention was caught by a group in the stern,bending over a prostrate figure.
"It's Chance!" exclaimed Ned, hastening aft, followed by Herc.
"A block tore loose from above and struck him on the head," one of thefollowers of Herr Muller was explaining as the boys came up.
The leader of the strange band bent over the unconscious man and felthis head with a manner that betokened some medical skill.
"It is only a flesh wound," he said, "but the shock has made himunconscious. Carry him below, some of you. He'll soon be all rightagain."
Kennell was one of those who volunteered for this service. Merrittwas another. As they passed the two boys, carrying their limp burden,Kennell turned to Ned:
"Well, my young sneak, they've got you collared this time," he saidwith a leer, "you walked into the trap like a baby taking candy."
Ned did not deign to reply to the fellow. Instead, he listened to HerrMuller who was talking excitedly.
"Of all unlucky things to happen at this time," he was saying. "Weshall be within the wireless zone of the fleet at any time now, and theonly man on board who understands wireless is incapacitated. It is mostunfortunate."
A sudden idea came to Ned. Possibly by volunteering to act in Chance'splace he might find a way out of the maze that involved them.
Acting on his impulse he stepped up to Muller.
"I understand wireless," he said; "what messages do you want taken?"
"I don't know yet," rejoined Herr Muller, looking much relieved. Thensuddenly his manner changed.
"But you understand the naval code, too, don't you?"
The manner in which the question was worded put Ned on his guard. Hesaw that it would be better to reply in the negative.
"No," he said, shaking his head, "I haven't had much to do with thesignal part of man-o'-war work; but, of course, I learned something ofwireless at the naval school."
"Good!" exclaimed Herr Muller; "come with me."
He ushered the boys below--for Herc had trailed along--and into thesmall wireless room Ned had noticed.
"I am expecting a message at any time now," he said; "but it will comein cipher. Get it absolutely accurate and you will not suffer by it."
Ned nodded.
"Better see about hoisting your aerials," he said.
Herr Muller hurried off on this errand, while Ned looked over theinstruments surrounding him. They glistened with brass and polishedsteel in the smoky light of a bulkhead lamp. But despite the evidenthaste with which they had been installed, it was easy to see that theapparatus was the finest obtainable.
"What on earth can be up now?" wondered Herc, as Ned took up the metalheadpiece and adjusted it.
"Don't know yet," said Ned. "It's evident, though, that Muller is inhopes of picking up some information from the fleet by eavesdropping onits wireless. I'm mighty glad now that I didn't tell him I could readcipher."
Further conversation was interrupted by the re-entrance of Herr Muller.He stepped brusquely up to Ned.
"You had better be ready to catch anything you can," he said;"everything is in readiness above, and we should be picking up messagesat any moment now."
Ned nodded and sat down on the stool set over against the table, onwhich the glittering array of instruments were fastened.
For a long time--or so it seemed to him--he sat thus. Suddenly, in hisears, there sounded the faintest of scratching sounds. It was as softas the footsteps of an invalid fly. But Ned knew that somewhere out onthe sea ship was speaking to ship, and that what he heard was the echoof their talk.
Suddenly he picked up a pencil and began to write rapidly. Herr Mullerbent over his shoulder. He watched with keen absorption as Ned's pencilflew over the paper.
"_Yes, she's all right; but she's not as pretty as the blonde operatorat Key West._"
"Is that the message you were expecting?" inquired Ned blandly, gazingup at Herr Muller.
"What nonsense is dot?" sputtered the other, lapsing into his foreignaccent.
"Well, since you ask me," rejoined Ned, "I think it's the operator onone coasting steamer talking to the wireless man on another vesselabout a blonde young lady at Key West."
Herr Muller exploded.
"Vot I care aboudt blonde young vimins?" he demanded, pounding thetable angrily. "Der message I vant iss a navy message, you onderstonddot?"
"Oh, that's it, is it?" inquired Ned, assuming great innocence."I thought you wanted every message that came through theair.--Hullo!--Hush!--Here she comes now!"
Suddenly a new note had struck into the wireless channels. The qu
ick,imperious call of a battleship summoning the wireless ears of anothersea-fighter.
"_M-n! M-n! M-n!_"
"It's the _Manhattan_ being called by the flagship," muttered Ned."Hullo! now they're answering."
"_Squadron will rendezvous at Blackhaven Bay._ Will await furtherinstructions there," he translated rapidly. But his translation wasmental only. To Herr Muller he handed only a string of figures, thecipher the two vessels had been using. Muller hastened off with it toChance's cabin. The man had now recovered from his swoon and might beable to translate the message.
Ned took instant advantage of the situation.
With quick, nervous fingers he began pounding the sending key. Thelithe, white spark crackled and flashed across the terminals. Itcrackled like a bunch of firecrackers.
"_M-n! M-n! M-n!_" was what the boy kept pounding out.
Would the _Manhattan_ never answer?
The spark crackled on, but no answering flash came through the air.
"The apparatus is too weak," groaned Ned, despairing at the longsilence. But at the same instant his heart gave a great pound. Hispulses began to leap. Through space had come an answering message.
Ned lost no time. His fingers began to pound the sending key once more.
"_Danger. At Blackhaven_----"
Bang!
The interruption was sharp and startling. Splinters flew from underNed's fingers as the bullet smashed the sending key to smithereens.He turned swiftly. In the doorway stood Merritt, revolver in hand. Itwas the recreant seaman who had fired the shot and interrupted Ned'swarning message.
In the doorway stood Merritt, revolver in hand.]
"So you thought you'd tip us off to the _Manhattan_, eh?" he snarled."Well, you never made a bigger mistake in your life. I know somethingof wireless telegraphy myself."
Ned was conscious of nothing but a hot flame of anger that seemed tobathe him from head to foot in its fury. He flung the helmet from hishead and sprang at Merritt like a tiger. Taken utterly by surprise,the fellow was carried clean off his feet by the assault. He crashedbackward with Ned on top of him just as Herr Muller rushed out ofChance's cabin, waving the cipher message delightedly.
"The fleet is going to rendezvous at Blackhaven!" he was shouting. "Iwas right, and----"
He stopped short as he almost stumbled over the struggling forms of Nedand Merritt. In the semi-darkness of the cabin and his excitement hehad not noticed them before.
"Donnervetter, vos is diss?" he cried as he took in the situation andspeedily sensed the fact that Merritt was getting the worst of thestruggle.
He picked up a heavy chair that stood close to his hand. He wasswinging it and was about to bring it crashing down on Ned's head whensomething collided with his chin.
As Herr Muller, seeing a whole constellation of stars, reeled backward,dropping the chair with a bang, he dimly realized that that "something"had been the brawny and freckled fist of one Herc Taylor.