THE WORK OF GERMAN SPIES.
When that astonishing declaration made by Pudge told the other two boys
the nature of his discovery, they also glanced at the suspicious atom of
wax sticking to the brass padlock.
"Sure enough, Frank; that it is," gurgled Billy Barnes.
"There's no question about it," admitted Frank, as he took the fragment
between his thumb and forefinger, and examined it.
"It wasn't here when we came around this morning, I'd take my affidavy
to that," declared Billy.
"Dories and dingbats, not a bit of it!" exclaimed Pudge. "That padlock
was as clean as a whistle, for I rubbed it with my sleeve to brighten
it. There's been some one snooping around here since then; and I guess
they must mean to come back again to-night to steal the seaplane!"
"Open up, and let's make sure things are all right still," demanded
Frank. "We can settle on some sort of plan to upset their scheme by
putting on a new lock, or something like that."
Pudge, with a trembling hand, managed to insert his key, and upon the
door being opened the three boys hurried inside the curious elevated
hangar. It had been built with a metal roof, though whether this would
really prove bombproof in case of a German air raid, such as had
occurred several times, was a question.
"Thank goodness! everything seems to be O. K., boys!" cried Billy, after
he had taken a swift survey of the interior, including the monster
seaplane built on so advanced a model that there was certainly nothing
like it known to aviators.
Frank, too, breathed more freely, for he had not known what to expect.
"Yes," he went on to say earnestly, "and we ought to be mighty thankful
that we've managed to get along up to now without having our whole
outfit wrecked by a bomb, set on fire by a German spy, or raided some
night by a party of unknown persons who would have an interest in
keeping the French Government from getting this sample seaplane."
"My idea is this," remarked Billy soberly. "They could have done the
mischief at almost any time, but some one in authority thought it would
be a brighter idea for them to wait until we had finished working on the
plane, and then steal it, so that the Germans could copy our model for
their army."
"Gatling guns and grasshoppers, but I think you must be right, Billy,"
exploded Pudge. "Haven't we known that they kept a steady watch on us
while we worked away here, even if they couldn't see much? And many a
time we disputed whether those chaps were German spies, or Frenchmen set
on guard so as to make sure we didn't take a notion to fly away some day
to the enemy."
Frank was looking unusually serious, and it could be plainly seen that
he had a weight on his mind. The afternoon was near its close; and
before long the shadows of a dark February night would be closing in
around them.
"One thing sure, boys," he finally said, "we must not leave our seaplane
unguarded another night."
"Do you think they mean to make away with it tonight, Frank?" demanded
Billy.
"In some way they seem to know we've finished our work," came the reply.
"It puzzles me to guess how they learned it, when we only this noon
notified the French authorities in secret that we were ready for any
sort of long-distance test they might wish to order."
"Must be a leak at Headquarters!" suggested Billy quickly.
"Tamales and terrapins, that would be a nice proposition, I should
think!" ejaculated Pudge.
"Let's step out and look around a little," suggested Frank. "Perhaps we
may find some trace of these unwelcome visitors who have managed to get
up here to our door in spite of the soldier standing guard by the gate
of our stockade."
"They must have come from the water side, Frank," Pudge was heard to say
as he followed the others down the stairway that led to the ground.
"Be careful how you step around," cautioned Frank. "Here, both of you
plant a foot alongside mine, and in that way we'll have a set of prints
to go by. Now notice just what they look like, and see if you can find
any fresh marks that are different in some way from ours."
It was an easy task he had set them, for almost immediately Billy sang
out to the effect that he had made a discovery, and hardly had he ceased
speaking when Pudge announced that he, too, wanted Frank's opinion on a
footprint that was much too large to have been made by any of them.
A further hunt revealed the fact that apparently three parties must have
been at the foot of the steps leading up to their locked hangar. This
important discovery was anything but pleasant to Frank Chester; it told
him that a crisis was undoubtedly approaching their enterprise, which
would seriously affect its success or failure.
What if, after all their earnest work, just when the wonderful seaplane
had been made ready for a flight, those secret emissaries of the Germans
managed to steal it away! Doubtless they had prepared for just such a
stroke, and had an experienced air pilot hovering around so as to take
charge of the hydro-aëroplane after it was successfully launched.
That would be the last the aëroplane boys would ever see of their
valuable property. In time of war all devices are recognized as proper,
and this theft of the American seaplane would be hailed as one of the
most glorious feats of the German arms, as well as a serious blow at the
air power of the Allies.
"There's only one thing to be done," said Frank, turning to the stout
chum, "if you are game to tackle it, Pudge."
The fat boy winced but set his teeth hard together.
"Rifles and rattlesnakes, just try me, Frank, that's all!" he chortled,
squaring his shoulders aggressively in a manner the others both knew
meant that his fighting blood had been aroused.
"While Billy and I stay here to guard the machine, you must go back to
town and get another kind of padlock, Pudge!" exclaimed Frank. "Pick out
one that will hold as securely as this does. If we have to change it
every day, we've got to make a sure thing of it."
"Was it that you said you meant to speak about after we got inside the
hangar, Frank?" inquired Billy as Pudge prepared to start bravely away
through the gathering shadows of evening.
"Well, it was something along the same lines," explained Frank; "in
fact, I meant to suggest that one of us stay here nights until we had
word from Headquarters that the hour had come to make our test, and
prove that the _Sea Eagle_ could stand up against a gale when common
seaplanes would go to smash, or have to stay at their moorings."
"Mumps and mathematics, but I agree with you there, Frank!" cried Pudge.
"And for one I'm in favor of camping out here right along. We could rig
up a little stove, and cook our meals. It would be good fun at that,
because then we'd have the real old-fashioned Yankee grub instead of
this French fool stuff that never satisfies a healthy appetite."
The others looked at Pudge and exchanged nods. They knew his failing,
and could sympathize with the poor fellow. Pudge was patriotic enough to
prefer the American style of cooking, which always spelled abundance
according to his way of thinking.
"I'm off, fellows," he now announced. "Look for me inside of an hour or
so. Of course, it'll be about dark by then, but I know every stone on
the road between here and town, I've traveled along the way so often. So
long!"
With a genial wave of his hand, Pudge left them. The other pair looked
after him with considerable solicitude; there was only one Pudge after
all, according to their opinion, and he had a happy faculty for wrapping
himself in the affections of his mates.
"You don't think anything could happen to him going or coming, do you,
Frank?" asked Billy Barnes, as they saw Pudge vanish through the partly
open gate of the high stockade.
"Why, no; I hardly think so," replied the other slowly. "Perhaps I
should have gone for the padlock myself. If I had thought twice, I would
have done that."
"Too late--Pudge is on the way," remarked Billy. "Let's go up and take a
peep around once more to see that everything is in apple-pie shape--each
wire-stay keyed up to the right tune for efficiency, the motors ready to
do business, the gas pump lubricated, and, in fact, our machine fit to
toe the scratch as if there were a race on."
Once they were inside the hangar, Frank fastened the door with a bar
that had been arranged for just such a purpose. Then, turning on a flood
of light from an acetylene gas battery, they examined every part of the
big seaplane. It had something of the appearance of a gigantic sleeping
bat as it lay there motionless, but with all the attributes of
tremendous power for skimming along on the surface of the water or
soaring among the clouds.
"In perfect condition, as far as I can make out!" remarked Frank, after
they had completed this careful survey.
"Yes," added the other, with a glow of excusable enthusiasm on his face,
"and if there was any necessity for doing it we could be off with a
minute's notice."
"I took pains to make sure that there was a clear and uninterrupted
stretch of water in front of our hangar," said Frank. "No vessels are
allowed to anchor on this side of the harbor, though there are many
transports from Great Britain across the way that have brought men and
war material and stores over."
"Oughtn't Pudge be about due by now, Frank? It's pitch dark outside, and
I should think a full hour must have crept by since he left us?"
"I was thinking of that myself, Billy. Still, we must remember that our
chum is a bit slow on his legs, compared with the way you and I get over
the ground. Besides, he may have been delayed at the store where he
expects to get the new padlock."
"Yes, I hadn't thought of that," admitted Billy. "But we might use the
'phone we have installed, and find out if he's started back. It would
make our minds a little more easy, you know."
"Just as you say, Billy. And suppose you call them up while I do
something I want to alter here--nothing of consequence, of course, but
the change would strike my eye better."
"All right, Frank." With which remark Billy turned to one end of the
hangar close by, where a telephone apparatus could be seen attached to
the wooden wall.
Frank went at his little task with his customary vim. It mattered
nothing to him that the flight of the great seaplane would be neither
hindered nor assisted by its consummation. He simply liked to see things
shipshape at all times.
"What's the matter, Billy?" he called out presently, on hearing the
other ring for the third time, and also muttering to himself as though
annoyed.
"Why, Frank, I don't seem able to get Central," replied Billy, once more
energetically working the handle of the apparatus.
Apparently Frank was enough interested to cross over so as to see for
himself what was wrong. He sat down on the box Billy vacated and tried
to get in touch with the operator at the central switchboard. After
testing it in several ways, Frank replaced the receiver and looked up at
his chum.
"Have they disconnected our wire at Central, do you think, Frank; or is
the hello girl flirting with her beau, and not paying attention to
business?" asked Billy.
"Neither," answered the other soberly; "but I'm afraid somebody has cut
our wire so as to keep us from calling for help if anything happens here
to-night!"