CHAPTER XXVII
THE WIRELESS
“Come on! Come on! Everybody up on deck! Take your boat stations!” wasthe cry that Ned and Dr. Hallet heard as they emerged from the cabin.
“Have we got much time?” Ned asked.
“Not any too much!” was the grim response. “Get to your boat stationand stand by for further orders--that’s the instructions.”
It was one of the junior ship’s officers who answered Ned, and the ladventured a further question or two.
“Are we badly damaged?” he inquired. “Did we hit something, or was itanother bomb?” And as he asked this he could not help glancing at Dr.Hallet who stood at his side. The scientist, however, did not seemaware of the scrutiny.
“I don’t know anything about any bombs,” was the answer. “All I heardwas that they tried to get the machinery going down in the engine room.A big steam pipe burst and blew a hole in the side. We’re taking inwater fast, and there aren’t any pumps to get rid of it. There’s achance to save everybody, though, if they’ll do as they’re told--get ondeck and stand by to enter the boats when the word is given.”
“Have I time enough to go back and get a very valuable specimen of afield mouse I left in my cabin?” asked the doctor.
“No!” cried Ned and the officer in such perfect time and with the sameexplosive effect that it seemed like one voice.
“Up on deck with you!” added the young officer. “See that he obeysyou!” he added to Ned, as he looked significantly at the uniform ofthe soldier lad. He evidently was aware of the peculiar notions of thescientist.
“That settles it!” muttered Ned. “You’ll have to come with me, Dr.Hallet. There are other field mice.”
“None like this one,” was the reply. “He was suffering from a peculiarfungus ailment and I wanted to make a special study of it when I gotback home. Dear me! This is terrible! I was sure I could beat ProfessorSnodgrass at this game, but it seems I am fated not to.”
“I’d like to hear something about this game against our professor,”muttered Ned, “but there isn’t time now. Come on! You’re lucky to haveyour papers and fleas!”
As for Ned, he thought with regret of certain souvenirs he, in commonwith Bob and Jerry, had brought on board with them. They had been putaway in a safe place, but there was no time to get them now.
And Ned had some mementoes of the Great War that he intended giving toa certain girl back in Cresville. Now, he reflected, they might soon beat the bottom of the sea. Well, “_c’est la guerre_!”
Up on deck it seemed to be a scene of great confusion, but, in reality,the officers, both those of the army and the ship, under Captain Munsonof the _Sherman_, had the situation well in hand. The confusion wasseeming only, for the men were being sent in squads to their respectiveboat stations. Sailors were seeing to it that the falls of the smallcraft were clear, and that life rafts were free for launching. Otherswere making sure that each boat or raft contained food and water.
Of course the orders were that they should always be in that preparedcondition, but, like everything else human, there might have been afailure. Captain Munson, however, was trusting nothing to chance, andat this eleventh hour no risk was to be assumed lest some wretchedrefugees might starve or die of thirst if their boat or raft driftedaway. As it was, however, all the boats and other floating bits of seaapparatus were found to be well stocked.
Life preservers and cork rings were put where they could be instantlygotten at, and, this much accomplished, all those who had taken theirplaces at the boats awaited further orders.
In spite of the fact that the war was practically over and that allGerman submarines had been recalled, it was felt that there was greatdanger on the open sea from floating mines, or perhaps a stray torpedothat might have failed to find its mark. There was more danger, ofcourse, to a big moving ship in this respect, than to small boatswhose speed would be slower, and which did not float as deeply as thedrifting mines were submerged below the surface.
But, even with all that potential danger, the soldiers and sailorsremained wonderfully calm and in good cheer. They stood waiting, modelsof discipline in every respect.
Questions flew back and forth, but no one really knew what hadhappened. Ned’s information was as good as any, and this seemed to bethe most acceptable explanation.
Every one knew that the engine room force had been trying desperatelyever since the disablement of the _Sherman_ to get the machinery inworking condition again. And it might well be that some weakened steampipe had burst with disastrous results to the transport, if not tohuman life below decks.
At the same time, Ned could not help thinking that the explosion--ifthere had been one--might have been caused by a bomb cunningly plantedby some German spy, or, now that the war was over and spies were nolonger needed, sympathizer. And in that connection he must needs thinkof Dr. Hallet.
The scientist was assigned to a boat some distance away from Ned’sstation, so the lad had no further chance to talk to the queer littleman and hear the explanation which was promised.
“I wonder if he really is all right, and it is only professionaljealousy between him and Professor Snodgrass, or if there is somethingmore behind it all,” mused Ned.
His reflections were interrupted by the passing along of one of theship’s officers, and at once several questions were fired at thisindividual.
“Are we still taking in water?” was the foremost inquiry.
“I am glad to say that the leak has been partly stopped,” was theanswer. “It is confined to one compartment, and, if the bulkheads hold,we may not have to abandon ship.”
“I hope, most sincerely, that we do not!” Ned heard the voice of Dr.Hallet exclaim. “I want to get that field mouse!”
“Good-night!” exclaimed a doughboy. “Does he want it for his cat orhimself?”
There was a laugh at this, and it served, in a measure, to relieve thenervous tension.
Hope began to spring up in hearts which had begun to lose it, andwith small wonder, when the series of happenings that occurred to the_Sherman_ is considered. Nothing but ill luck seemed to have attendedher since she set out.
And so they stood waiting at the boats, ready to take to the smallcraft at the word of command and trust themselves to the great ocean inwhat, by comparison with the heaving billows, were mere cockle-shells.But the hearts of most of them were stout and strong.
Night began to settle down and a little wind began to blow.
“Storm coming!” said some.
“It’ll blow the fog away,” cried others.
And then, when it was about midnight, word was passed around thatthere was no immediate danger, and that the soldiers might leave theirboat stations. But they were told to hold themselves in readiness foranother call.
The leak had been partly stopped, it was said, and the engine roomforce was again at work trying to get up steam, if only to operate thewireless.
“Let us hope that they do,” said Dr. Hallet, who sought out Ned.“Though I would have been able to save most of my notes, there weresome that I should have been forced to leave behind. And I’m glad I cancome back to my field mouse,” he added, as he looked in the box in hiscabin containing the tiny creature, which was alive.
“If you care to,” said Ned, “I should like to have you go on with theexplanation you started when the explosion came.” He was beginning tohave a different feeling toward his companion. Dr. Hallet was so muchlike Professor Snodgrass, that, at times, Ned had to stop and thinkbefore using the latter’s name and title.
“Yes, I should like to explain,” said the scientist. “I begin tounderstand how you mistrusted me, and, as you will see, it is withoutcause. I may sum it all up in a few words by saying that ProfessorSnodgrass and I, though scientific rivals, are good friends; and theonly thing between us is a sort of race to see who will be the first todiscover a certain disputed matter in relation to the germ destroyingpowers of certain fungi which we gathered in a French forest.
I thoughtat one time that I had the professor beaten, and I managed to securepassage on this transport, thinking to be the first to reach the UnitedStates and give to the world my wonderful discovery.
“But I learned that Professor Snodgrass had likewise discovered thesecret, and was also on board here. It became a race between us, andI had to take precautions--or at least I thought I did--to prevent himfrom finding out certain minor details. That is why I had my cabinguarded and----”
“Hark!” interrupted Ned, and his feeling of resentment against hiscompanion was fast vanishing.
“What is it?” asked the doctor, for the Motor Boy seemed to belistening intently. “What is it?”
“Our wireless!” exclaimed Ned. “It’s working again! Now they can callfor help! Hurray! Our troubles are over!”