CHAPTER II
SUSPICIONS
Not much imagination is required to picture the confusion on board theU. S. S. _Sherman_ when she was turned around and headed for Brest, theport from which the craft had so recently sailed. And also it is easyto guess something of the many and rapid questions that were fired fromall directions, without any counter-barrage in the way of replies beinggiven.
“What does it mean?”
“Aren’t they going to let us go home after all?”
“Have the Germans started another war?”
“Did we strike a mine?”
“Has a torpedo hit us?”
The two last were the questions most often asked, for it was easilywithin the bounds of possibility that the craft might have been damagedby some floating mine, nor was it out of the bounds of possibility thatshe might have been torpedoed. Some German captain of a submarine, nothaving heard of the signing of the armistice, or choosing to ignoreit, perhaps pleading ignorance later, might easily have taken thismethod of revenge for the fancied wrongs to the “Fatherland.”
And so it was that on all sides arose the question:
“What has happened?”
But no one answered it. At least the returning soldiers, among whomwere Ned, Bob, and Jerry, had no one to answer it for them. They“milled around” on the decks, surging this way and that until theythreatened the equilibrium of the vessel and the officers had to goamong them ordering them to remain quiet.
“But what has happened, sir?” asked Jerry of a captain with whom he wason friendly terms.
“I don’t know, exactly. Something seemed to go wrong with themachinery. But there is no danger. We are only a short distance fromshore. It is the duty of every one to remain calm.”
The boys did their best, but the questioning still persisted and atlength Jerry said:
“Fellows, I’m going to find out what the matter is.”
“I am, too!” exclaimed Ned.
“So’m I!” added Bob. “Maybe the galley is on fire, and----”
“That would be a terrible calamity!” laughed Jerry, and his laughseemed to ease the tension somewhat. Then he added: “You two boys hadbetter stay here. If three of us chase around we’ll be ordered to keepto one spot. But if I go alone I may be able to manage it.”
“And as soon as you find out what it is come back and tell us,” beggedNed.
“Sure thing!” promised his tall chum, as he moved away.
While Jerry is thus endeavoring to learn the cause of the suddenturning back of the troopship, readers who are meeting Ned, Bob, andJerry for the first time will be told something more about the lads, sothey may seem more like old acquaintances.
To those readers who have the first book of this series, entitled“The Motor Boys,” not much need be said. It need only be stated thatthe present series, under the caption “Ned, Bob and Jerry,” is acontinuation of the same characters in new fields.
Ned Slade was the son of a wealthy department store-keeper. Bob Baker’sfather was a banker. And Mrs. Julia Hopkins, the mother of Jerry, wasfinancially interested in several institutions controlled by Mr. Sladeand Mr. Baker. The youths lived in Cresville, in one of our New Englandstates, and their interest in locomotion dated from the days of theirearly boyhood, when they owned motor cycles. It was their activitieson these machines that gained them the appellation of “Motor Boys.”They later secured an automobile, and in this they made a tripOverland, to Mexico, and Across the Plains, as related in the booksbearing those distinctive titles.
Afterward the boys secured a motor boat and had many voyages, includingtravel on the Atlantic, the Pacific, and in Strange Waters. Trips abovethe clouds followed in airships of various makes, and, not satisfiedwith that, the three adventurous lads descended to the depths insubmarines.
Following a series of exciting adventures, detailed at length, therewas a conference on the part of the parents of Ned, Bob and Jerry. Itwas decided that the lads had better “buckle down” to some serious workin life, and, accordingly, they were sent to college to complete theireducations.
In “The Motor Boys at Boxwood Hall, or, Ned, Bob and Jerry asFreshmen,” is related the many jolly times they had and how they helpedto establish a reputation for old Boxwood Hall in athletics. At BoxwoodHall the three had lots of fun, as well as doing good work in theirstudies. The boys had many obstacles and difficulties to overcome buthow they won out in the end is set forth in detail in the book.
The three chums spent a summer on a ranch, and then the Great Warbroke out. Ned, Bob and Jerry joined the army, and, in due course, theyfound themselves fighting Germany. What happened to them is set forthin the book immediately preceding this, called “The Motor Boys on theFiring Line.” More than the details of many battles is in this volume,for in addition to fighting for Uncle Sam the Motor Boys had also tohelp their friend, Professor Uriah Snodgrass.
This doughty little scientist was the boys companion on their manytrips, and he not only enjoyed the companionship of the boys, but heobtained much information by going with them, not to mention manyvaluable, if not always pleasant specimens. For Professor Snodgrasscollected bugs, snakes and allied creatures for Boxwood Hall and othercolleges and also several museums.
He had gone to Europe with the boys on a double mission. One was tofind two young ladies--Dorothy Gibbs and Gladys Petersen--nieces ofProfessor Petersen’s, and the other was to get photographs of theeffects of war noises on certain insects.
Professor Snodgrass found the girls, and, with the help of the threeboys, was able to send them back to the United States. He also got thepictures he wanted, and he secured for himself a large sum of money.This money had been left by Professor Petersen to Professor Snodgrass,provided the latter discovered the whereabouts of the two young ladies.
Now, with the ending of the war Ned, Bob and Jerry had started backhome on the transport. Professor Snodgrass, having seen to it thatthe nieces of his late friend were safely cared for, had turned hisattention to shipping back the moving and other pictures he had madeof the insects. The boys had lost sight of him in the confusion of thepreparations for sailing for home. Professor Snodgrass, however, hadsaid he might meet the boys on the transport. But, up to the time ofthe turning back of the _Sherman_, no further word had been receivedconcerning the little scientist.
Now all was confusion on board the troopship. In spite of the orders ofthe officers, the men kept moving here and there, each one seeking tolearn the cause of the trouble, to find out why they should be goingback to France when they hoped they had left it for good--and this wassaying or thinking nothing against the country that had given them sucha warm welcome in her hour of dire distress.
“It’s a fat chance Jerry has of finding out what the row is,” commentedNed to Bob, as they retained their places near the crowded rail closeto one of the lifeboats--a position Jerry had assigned to them as arendezvous.
“What makes you think so?” asked Bob.
“Because I just heard our colonel telling the major he didn’t know whatwas up.”
“Well, maybe it isn’t generally known yet,” said Bob. “If there’s beenan accident the captain of the ship is sure to know about it, even ifhe doesn’t tell our colonel right away. You see the ship captain is infull authority, once the vessel gets away from the dock. His word islaw, and the military authorities, that had the say on shore, don’t cutany ice now.”
“Poetically speaking,” added Ned, with a smile.
“Exactly,” agreed Bob, also grinning. “You see the safety of the shipdepends on the captain, and you can stake your last doughnut that heknows what’s up, even if he hasn’t told any of the military crowd,which includes us--ahem!” and Bob swelled up his chest. “But you candepend on it that if anything is to be found out Jerry will discoverit. He has a way with him!”
“Can he find out something our colonel can’t learn?” asked Ned.
“He might. The colonel couldn’t descend to asking information of astoker or a
coal passer, but Jerry could, not being of the elect, youknow. Yes, you let Jerry-boy alone, and he’ll come home with the bacon.And, speaking of bacon, I wish I had some right now, with some fresheggs, and have them with the sunny-sides up. The bacon nice and crisp,and the coffee just right, with cream in a little pitcher on the sideand----”
“Thud!”
That was Ned giving Bob a thump on the back.
“What’s the matter?” indignantly demanded the stout youth.
“Cut out the imaginary eats!” was the answer. “Haven’t we got troublesenough without that? But here comes Jerry. Now to see if he has foundout anything!”
The tall lad, on whose coat was the D. S. C., sauntered toward his twochums. With a signal from his eyes--a signal they well knew how tointerpret, Ned and Bob moved to one side. Jerry had told them, withoutthe use of words, that he wanted to speak with them alone.
Just then, fortunately for their plans, there was a little commotionfarther up the deck, and in the rush that followed there was a clearspace left near the rail where the three boys now stood.
“Well, what is it?” asked Ned, as Jerry looked first at him and then atBob. “Are we sinking, Jerry?”
“Far from it. The hull is as sound as a dollar.”
“Then it wasn’t a mine or a torpedo?” asked Bob.
“Not this time. But there has been an accident to the machinery, andwe’re returning to the dock for repairs.”
“Only an accident to the machinery!” exclaimed Ned. “Then why, in thename of Andy Rush, all this mystery and excitement?”
“Because,” answered Jerry slowly, “from what I heard, the accident wasa premeditated one, and it looks suspicious.”
“Suspicious!” exclaimed his two chums.
“Hush! Yes! But not so loud. That’s why I gave you the high sign to letme have a word alone with you. There’s a rumor that some revengefulGerman may have set off a time bomb in the engine room. So far thedamage is slight, but----”
Jerry paused, for another tremor ran through the ship and again thevessel came to a sudden stop.