“Go it! Whoop la! Beats automobiling!” yelled Nate in his excitement.
“Wow! what a dive!” cried Nat. “Go it, my beauty! Down we go!”
Then across the water came a rousing cheer as Nat snapped the switchthat turned on the _Nomad’s_ searchlight. The circle of light showed thebig Lightship tumbling about in the high seas as helplessly as a skiff.The light showed, too, something else that gave Nat a wild thrill.
Leaning over the rail beside Captain Braithwaite was a familiar figure.It was that of Israel Harley! Like a flash it dawned upon Nat that itwas his schooner that had collided with the Lightship and cut heradrift. The storm, by a coincidence little short of miraculous, haddelivered his enemy into his hands!
* * * * *
It was the next morning and Santa Barbara was buzzing with excitement.The storm had died out and the sea was calm and the air mild. Everyonewho could get there was on the waterfront gazing seaward. The wirelesshad flashed ashore the story of the _Nomad’s_ daring rescue of theLightship, and the news had spread like wild fire.
With it, too, had come information for the authorities. Israel Harleyand his two sons, as well as two men who had formed the crew of thewrecked schooner, were on board and under guard, and would be deliveredto the police as soon as the _Nomad_ and the cumbrous craft she wastowing arrived.
Among all the crowd there were none so excited as a red-headed youthwhom our readers will recognize as Pepper, and a lad with an impedimentin his speech, who couldn’t keep still a minute. Yes, the latter wasreally Ding-dong Bell. It will be recalled that Ding-dong in his flightfrom the lone ranch house stumbled into what appeared to be anunfathomable pit. In reality it was a fish-pond, long unused, which waspartially filled up with soft sand and sea-weed. This broke the force ofhis fall and, except for a few bruises, he was uninjured. He had,however, to wait a long time before help arrived. But, thanks to hislusty lungs, his cries for aid were heard by the police, who arrived atthe ranch-house while Minory and Dolliver were still searching for him.
Both men were arrested and Dolliver made a complete confession,admitting that Minory and he had been friends in the east many yearsbefore, and that knowledge of a crime he had committed in his youth hadgiven Minory a power over him which he could not resist. Minoryseemingly knew of Dolliver’s whereabouts and utilized his ranch as ahiding place, holding Dolliver powerless by his knowledge of his past.
The model and the plans of the wireless torpedo were recovered, andDing-dong sent a message winging eastward to Professor Jenkins informinghim of their safety. We perhaps may look ahead a little here and informour readers that before many months had passed the Jenkins WirelessTorpedo was an accomplished fact, with headquarters on Goat Island.Prominent in the company formed to promote it were Nat Trevor, JoeHartley, and William Bell.
But that is decidedly looking into the future. Just at present we mustturn seaward and behold the _Nomad_ struggling like a pigmy ant with ahuge beetle at her task of bringing the Lightship into port. Theauthorities had already sent for a tug to tow the guardian craft back tothe shoals, so that when the two vessels dropped anchor in the harbor,the _Nomad’s_ part was over.
Two boats from the new arrivals were on their way shoreward when amessenger thrust a note into Ding-dong’s hand. It was addressed to JoeHartley and was from the Chief of Police of the town. Ding-dong openedit, as the messenger had informed him that it was for the first of thethree chums that he encountered.
“‘Thanks to your wireless, the two men who annoyed you have beenarrested,’” he read. “‘The criminal they warned is also under arrest. Iam authorized to inform you that a reward of five hundred dollars awaitsyou for your clever work in their apprehension’.”
It may be said here that Joe devoted the reward to the education ofyoung Jim Dolliver, who, following the arrest of his father, was lefthomeless. He was taken on as an assistant at Goat Island when theWireless Torpedo Company was formed and proved a valuable help to theboys and their elders in their work.
As for Minory and the Harleys, they all received heavy sentences fortheir evil doings, although the elder Harley and his sons did notreceive as heavy penalties as that meted out to Minory, who, ittranspired, had a long criminal record reaching back to his youth.
And now, amidst the enthusiastic crowd of their fellow townsmen, let usfor the present take our leave of the Motor Rangers. Their WirelessIsland, at first looked upon as a mere boyish freak, had proved itsvalue in no uncertain way, and certified the worth of their training inthe science of aerial telegraphy.
Busy, happy days lay ahead of them, and Goat Island,—its name nowchanged to Wireless Island,—became the scene of activities whichattracted the attention of the scientific world. The wireless torpedo isnow an assured success, and, thanks to the boys, the United States isthe only country which possesses its secret. Had Minory and thepromoters back of him succeeded in filching the secret, it was theirintention to sell the valuable implement of war to a foreign power whichhad offered a large sum for it.
The boys often talk of that first message that came to them that drowsyafternoon when it seemed that there was, to use Joe’s phrase, “nothingdoing.” The remarkable series of adventures that grew out of that sharpsummons to the _Iroquois_ forms a never-failing topic of conversationwith them and with their friends.
And so, wishing the boys good fortune and pleasant times, we bring thetale of their Wireless Island to a close. Ahead of them, along the trailof life, lie new adventures and experiences in a novel field. Those whochoose to do so may read of these in a succeeding volume devoted to theinterests of the Motor Rangers.
THE END.
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BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume
The Boy Aviators in Africa Or, An Aerial Ivory Trail
In this absorbing book we meet, on a Continent made famous by theAmerican explorer Stanley, and ex-President Roosevelt, our old friends,the Chester Boys and their stalwart chums. In Africa—the DarkContinent—the author follows in exciting detail his young heroes, theirvoyage in the first aeroplane to fly above the mysterious forests andunexplored ranges of the mystic land. In this book, too, for the firsttime, we entertain Luther Barr, the old New York millionaire, who provedlater such an implacable enemy of the boys. The story of his defeatedschemes, of the astonishing things the boys discovered in the Mountainsof the Moon, of the pathetic fate of George Desmond, the emulator ofStanley, the adventure of the Flying Men and the discovery of theArabian Ivory cache,—this is not the place to speak. It would bespoiling the zest of an exciting tale to reveal the outcome of all theseepisodes here. It may be said, however, without “giving away” any of thethrilling chapters of this narrative, that Captain Wilbur Lawton, theauthor, is in it in his best vein, and from his personal experiences inAfrica has been able to supply a striking background for the adventuresof his young heroes. As one newspaper says of this book: “Here isadventure in good measure, pressed down and running over.”
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BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume
The Boy Aviators’ Treasure Quest Or, The Golden Galleon
Everybody is a boy once more when it comes to the question of hiddentreasure. In this book, Captain Lawton has set forth a hunt for goldthat is concealed neither under the sea nor beneath the earth, but iswell hidden for all th
at. A garrulous old sailor, who holds the key tothe mystery of the Golden Galleon, plays a large part in the developmentof the plot of this fascinating narrative of treasure hunting in theregion of the Gulf Stream and the Sargasso Sea. An aeroplane fitted withefficient pontoons—enabling her to skim the water successfully—has longbeen a dream of aviators. The Chester Boys seem to have solved theproblem. The Sargasso, that strange drifting ocean within an ocean,holding ships of a dozen nations and a score of ages, in its relentlessgrip, has been the subject of many books of adventure and mystery, butin none has the secret of the ever shifting mass of treacherous currentsbeen penetrated as it has in the BOY AVIATORS’ TREASURE QUEST. LutherBarr, whom it seemed the boys had shaken off, is still on their trail,in this absorbing book and with a dirigible balloon, essays to beat themout in their search for the Golden Galleon. Every boy, every man—andwoman and girl—who has ever felt the stirring summons of adventure intheir souls, had better get hold of this book. Once obtained, it will beread and re-read till it falls to rags.
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BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume
The Boy Aviators in Record Flight Or, The Rival Aeroplane
The Chester Boys in new field of endeavor—an attempt to capture anewspaper prize for a trans-continental flight. By the time these linesare read, exactly such an offer will have been spread broadcast by oneof the foremost newspapers of the country. In the Golden Eagle, theboys, accompanied by a trail-blazing party in an automobile, make thedash. But they are not alone in their aspirations. Their rivals for therich prize at stake try in every way that they can to circumvent thelads and gain the valuable trophy and monetary award. In this they stopshort at nothing, and it takes all the wits and resources of the BoyAviators to defeat their devices. Among the adventures encountered intheir cross-country flight, the boys fall in with a band of rollickingcow-boys—who momentarily threaten serious trouble—are attacked byIndians, strike the most remarkable town of the desert—the “dry” town of“Gow Wells,” encounter a sandstorm which blows them into strange landsfar to the south of their course, and meet with several amusing mishapsbeside. A thoroughly readable book. The sort to take out behind the barnon the sunny side of the haystack, and, with a pocketful of juicy applesand your heels kicking the air, pass happy hours with Captain Lawton’syoung heroes.
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BOY AVIATORS’ SERIES BY CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON Absolutely Modern Stories for Boys Cloth Bound Price 50c per volume
The Boy Aviators’ Polar Dash Or, Facing Death in the Antarctic
If you were to hear that two boys, accompanying a South Polar expeditionin charge of the aeronautic department, were to penetrate the Antarcticregions—hitherto only attained by a few daring explorers—you would feelinterested, wouldn’t you? Well, in Captain Lawton’s latest book,concerning his Boy Aviators, you can not only read absorbing adventurein the regions south of the eightieth parallel, but absorb much usefulinformation as well. Captain Lawton introduces—besides the originalcharacters of the heroes—a new creation in the person of ProfessorSimeon Sandburr, a patient seeker for polar insects. The professor’sadventures in his quest are the cause of much merriment, and lead onceor twice to serious predicaments. In a volume so packed with incidentand peril from cover to cover—relieved with laughable mishaps to theprofessor—it is difficult to single out any one feature; still, a recentreader of it wrote the publishers an enthusiastic letter the other day,saying: “The episodes above the Great Barrier are thrilling, the attackof the condors in Patagonia made me hold my breath, the—but what’s theuse? The Polar Dash, to my mind, is an even more entrancing book thanCaptain Lawton’s previous efforts, and that’s saying a good deal. Theaviation features and their technical correctness are by no means theleast attractive features of this up-to-date creditable volume.”
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OAKDALE ACADEMY SERIES Stories of Modern School Sports By MORGAN SCOTT. Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid
BEN STONE AT OAKDALE.
Under peculiarly trying circumstances Ben Stone wins his way at OakdaleAcademy, and at the same time enlists our sympathy, interest andrespect. Through the enmity of Bern Hayden, the loyalty of Roger Eliotand the clever work of the “Sleuth,” Ben is falsely accused, championedand vindicated.
BOYS OF OAKDALE ACADEMY.
“One thing I will claim, and that is that all Grants fight open andsquare and there never was a sneak among them.” It was Rodney Grant, ofTexas, who made the claim to his friend, Ben Stone, and this story showshow he proved the truth of this statement in the face of apparentevidence to the contrary.
RIVAL PITCHERS OF OAKDALE.
Baseball is the main theme of this interesting narrative, and that meansnot only clear and clever descriptions of thrilling games, but anintimate acquaintance with the members of the teams who played them. TheOakdale Boys were ambitious and loyal, and some were even disgruntledand jealous, but earnest, persistent work won out.
OAKDALE BOYS IN CAMP.
The typical vacation is the one that means much freedom, littlerestriction, and immediate contact with “all outdoors.” These conditionsprevailed in the summer camp of the Oakdale Boys and made it a scene oflively interest.
THE GREAT OAKDALE MYSTERY.
The “Sleuth” scents a mystery! He “follows his nose.” The plot thickens!He makes deductions. There are surprises for the reader—and for the“Sleuth,” as well.
NEW BOYS AT OAKDALE.
A new element creeps into Oakdale with another year’s registration ofstudents. The old and the new standards of conduct in and out of schoolmeet, battle, and cause sweeping changes in the lives of several of theboys.
Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK
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FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES Twentieth Century Athletic Stories By MATTHEW M. COLTON. Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 60c. per vol., postpaid
FRANK ARMSTRONG’S VACATION.
How Frank’s summer experience with his boy friends make him into asturdy young athlete through swimming, boating, and baseball contests,and a tramp through the Everglades, is the subject of this splendidstory.
FRANK ARMSTRONG AT QUEENS.
We find among the jolly boys at Queen’s School, Frank, thestudent-athlete, Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, theunconsciously-funny youth who furnishes comedy for every page that bearshis name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival school teamsare expertly described.
FRANK ARMSTRONG’S SECOND TERM.
The gymnasium, the track and the field make the background for thestirring events of this volume, in which David, Jimmy, Lewis, the “WeeOne” and the “Codfish” figure, while Frank “saves the day.”
FRANK ARMSTRONG, DROP KICKER.
With the same persistent determination that won him success in swimming,running and baseball playing, Frank Armstrong acquired the art of “d
ropkicking,” and the Queen’s football team profits thereby.
Any volume sent postpaid upon receipt of price. HURST & COMPANY — Publishers — NEW YORK
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DREADNOUGHT BOYS SERIES Tales of the New Navy By CAPT. WILBUR LAWTON Author of “BOY AVIATORS SERIES.” Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 50c. per vol., postpaid
THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON BATTLE PRACTICE.
Especially interesting and timely is this book which introduces thereader with its heroes, Ned and Herc, to the great ships of modernwarfare and to the intimate life and surprising adventures of UncleSam’s sailors.
THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ABOARD A DESTROYER.
In this story real dangers threaten and the boys’ patriotism is testedin a peculiar international tangle. The scene is laid on the SouthAmerican coast.
THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS ON A SUBMARINE.
To the inventive genius—trade-school boy or mechanic—this story hasspecial charm, perhaps, but to every reader its mystery and cleveraction are fascinating.