CHAPTER XIX
A NEW MYSTERY PEEPS IN
"Get out of here, or you'll get something you don't want," roared an uglyvoice at the farther end of the cabin.
At sound of that voice Tom Reade started. He thrust his head in the opendoorway.
"Hullo, Evarts!" called the young chief engineer.
"Get out of here!" came the furious order.
"So you've openly joined the enemy, Evarts?" demanded Tom, as his eyesfell upon the object that had first claimed Lieutenant Dick Prescott'sattention.
"You've no business here! Get out, or I'll shoot," cried Evarts,defiantly.
"Don't be too quick on the shoot," warned the Blixton policeman, who stillhad his own revolver in his hand. "This is a police party, and you'reunder arrest. Start any shooting trouble, and the air will be full of it."
"Clear out, and I'll come outside and talk with you," proposed Evarts, forit really was the discharged foreman.
"All right," nodded the policeman. "Gentlemen, let him step outside."
The others left the entrance to the cabin, As Evarts, his pistol now backin his pocket, stepped sullenly outside, Harry Hazelton dropped back intothe doorway.
"Glad to meet you, Mr. Evarts," grinned the police officer, deftly slippinghandcuffs on the fellow's wrists.
"This is treachery!" stormed the prisoner. "I didn't surrender to you.I only came out to talk with you."
"If you didn't surrender, then excuse me, and go ahead and put up a fight,"laughed the policeman, handily removing Evarts's revolver from a hippocket.
"Now, look in here, Tom," urged Dick. "Do you see what caught my eye?"
Prescott pointed to a sharp-nosed cylinder, some eight feet long. Just asit lay the propeller at the other end was invisible to one at the doorwayof the cabin.
"It's a home-made imitation of a Whitehead torpedo," Lieutenant Dick wenton, in explanation. "If it proves to be charged with explosives then themere having of it aboard this sloop will prove embarrassing to these twoprisoners to explain in court. If it isn't loaded, that will be almost asbad, as such a torpedo can be rather easily loaded, and then set inoperation by clock-work machinery that will control the propeller."
"Young man, you seem to think you know a good deal about torpedoes,"sneered Evarts.
"He ought to," Harry retorted quietly. "He's a West Point man and an armyofficer. Therefore, he's a specialist in some kinds of explosives."
Evarts's face turned somewhat paler at this information of having an armyofficer on hand as a witness.
"Do you call me a prisoner, too?" asked the man at the tiller uneasily.
"Something like it, I guess," nodded Dick.
"Say, but that's a pretty rank deal against an honest man," protested theskipper hoarsely. "I hired this boat out to that man, the one you callEvarts, but I didn't know what he was up to."
"You didn't know that torpedoes are used for wicked work either, eh?"pressed Lieutenant Dick.
"I'll swear that I didn't know what it was that he brought on board," criedthe skipper. "Evarts said it was a new device for killing fish atwholesale."
"You may be telling the truth," Tom broke in.
"I am," declared the skipper eagerly.
"Then explain it to the court," Reade continued. "If you can prove to ajudge and a jury that you're an honest man, and always have been one, youmay get off on the charge that will be made against you."
"Then you don't believe me?" asked the skipper anxiously.
"It isn't for me to say," Tom replied crisply. "It's a job for a judgeand a jury."
"Then I'm to be a prisoner?"
"That's for the policeman here to say."
"You're a prisoner, my man," nodded the policeman. "Now, sail your boatinto the landing over yonder."
"Some one else will sail it," retorted the skipper, angrily, as heabandoned his tiller.
"I'll take the tiller," Harry suggested, and did so. He hauled in thesheet, brought the boat around and headed for the landing with the skillof an old sailor.
"My man, since you don't want to sail the boat you'll have to go as a realprisoner," announced the policeman. He produced a pair of handcuffs,snapping them over the man's wrists.
In a short time Harry brought the sailboat up to the landing. The motorboat had followed, but did not come all the way in. After the sail hadbeen lowered and made snug the party took up its way, on foot, to thenearby town of Blixton.
Justice Sampson was found, and consented to open court immediately.Officer Carnes brought his prisoners forward, stating the charge. Theyoung engineers and the army officer gave their testimony.
"The prisoners are held for trial, and bail fixed at five thousand dollarsin each case," decided the court.
The torpedo had been left on the sloop, in charge of a foreman. Thejustice now ordered two officers to go back and bring over the torpedo,which was to be held until a chemist could examine and take samples ofwhatever explosive might be found inside.
As Dick was a United States Army officer, under orders to proceed to hispost within the next few days, the court reduced his testimony to writing,and permitted Prescott to sign this under oath.
It had been a busy forenoon. Now it was time for luncheon, and the threechums returned to the house to eat. In the afternoon they visited thewall, remaining there until four o'clock. On their return to the houseTom and Harry were greeted by Mr. Prenter, who had been waiting for them.
"I heard the news of last night's doings, and to-day's, and came rightdown," explained the treasurer of the Melliston Company. "Reade, I'mglad to be able to say that you appear to have brought us to the end ofthe explosion troubles."
"Or else we're just starting with that trouble," Reade smiled wistfully."Mr. Prenter, I must say that there appears to be no end to the surpriseswith which our enemies are capable of supplying us."
Tom then nodded to Dick to come forward and presented him to the treasurer.
"An army officer?" asked Mr. Prenter eagerly. "Then I'm doubly glad tomeet you, Mr. Prescott. You've seen the breakwater work? As an armyofficer and an engineer what do you think of it?"
"It's great!" said Dick, though he added laughingly: "Reade and Hazeltonare such dear old friends of mine that any testimony in their favor islikely to be charged to friendship."
"I'll believe what an army officer says, even in praise of his bestfriends," smiled Mr. Prenter.
Foreman Johnson, who had been over in town, now came along. He haltedsome distance away, beckoning to Reade.
"Mr. Reade," murmured the foreman, in an undertone, "over in Blixton Ijust heard some news that I thought would interest you. Evarts is out onbail."
"He furnished a five thousand surety?" queried Tom.
"Yes, sir, and who do you suppose went on his bond?"
"I can't imagine who the idiot is."
"The man who signed Evarts's bond," continued Foreman Johnson solemnly,"was Mr. Bascomb, president of this company!"
"Whew!" muttered Tom aghast. "And that's all I've got to say on thissubject."
"I thought you'd like to know the news," remarked Johnson, "and so I cameto tell you."
"Please accept my thanks," Tom answered. Then, as the foreman passedalong, Reade went back to his friends.
"You seem staggered about something," remarked Mr. Prenter, eyeing himkeenly.
"Possibly I am," admitted Tom. "Evarts is out on bail."
"Now, what fool or rogue could have signed that fellow's bail bond?"demanded Mr. Prenter in exasperation.
"Careful, sir!" warned Tom smilingly. "I've just been informed that thebail bond was signed by Mr. Bascomb, president of the Melliston Company."
"Well, of all the crazy notions!" gasped Mr. Prenter. "But there! I won'tsay more. Bascomb is a queer fellow in some things, but he's a good fellowin lots of things, and a square, honest man in all things. If he signedEvarts's bond, there was a reason, and not a dishonest one."
"But Evarts won't behave,
" predicted Harry dismally. "After all ourtrouble we shall still have to remain on guard night and day."
"It'll be an airship next," laughed Dick Prescott.
"Unless Sambo Ebony comes forward once more, and finds out how to lay wiresby a new submarine route," retorted Tom Reade.
All the present company felt unaccountably gloomy just at this moment.There could be no guessing what would occur next to hamper or destroy thefruits of their hard labor.