CONCLUSION
Ten minutes later the naval surgeon returned with Benson. With the
latter was Hal Hastings. Mr. Mayhew and Ensign Trahern hovered in the
rear of the group.
"Here's Mr. Benson, Truax," announced Doctor McCrea. "Now, my man, if
there is anything of which you want to unburden your mind, go ahead and
do it. The rest of us can bear witness, and help matters straight if,
in your better health, you have done anything that needs righting."
Sam Truax feebly stretched out a hand that certainly was hot enough by
this time.
"Benson," he begged, weakly, "will you give me your hand?"
"Certainly," nodded Jack, as he did so.
"I--I wonder if you can ever forgive me?" moaned the ill man.
"Why, have you done anything that I don't already know?" asked Jack.
"A lot! Benson, I've been an all-around scoundrel."
"That's certainly surprising news," commented the submarine boy, dryly.
"What have you been doing?"
"That assault back in Dunhaven--?"
"Was it you who knocked me out there, and sprinkled my clothes with
whiskey?" demanded young Benson.
"Yes." In a somewhat shaking voice Truax confessed to the details of
that outrageous affair. From that he passed on to Jack's
never-to-be-forgotten trip into the suburbs of Annapolis.
"I found that mulatto in a low den," confessed the sick man. "I told
him you carried a lot of money, and that he'd be welcome to it all if
he'd decoy you somewhere, keep you all night, and then send you back,
looking like a tramp, to the Naval Academy at the last moment."
Truax also added the name by which the mulatto was known in Annapolis.
"But why have you done all this?" demanded Jack. "What have you had
against me?"
"I--I didn't do it on my own account," confessed Truax. "Did you ever
hear of Tip Gaynor?"
"No--never," admitted Jack, after a moment's thought.
"He's--he's a salesman, or something like that, for Sidenham."
"The Sidenham Submarine Company?" breathed Jack Benson, intensely
interested.
"Yes."
"The Sidenham people are our nearest competitors in the submarine
business," muttered young Benson.
"Yes; and of course they wanted to get the business away from the
Pollard crowd," confessed Sam Truax. "They told Tip Gaynor it would
be worth ten thousand dollars to him for each Sidenham boat he could
sell to the United States Government. Tip wanted that money, and your
Pollard people were the hardest ones he had to beat. So Tip hired
me--"
"One moment," interrupted Jack, quietly. "Did the Sidenham people know
that Gaynor intended to use any such methods?"
"I don't believe they did," replied Truax. "In fact, Gaynor as good
as told me the Sidenhams didn't know anything about his proposed tricks.
He told me I must be very careful to keep the Sidenham name out of it
all."
"So Tip Gaynor hired you to do all you could to disgrace me in the eyes
of the Navy people?" demanded Jack.
"Yes--to hurt any of you, for that matter."
"And to play tricks in the engine room of either submarine?"
"Yes; Tip Gaynor told me it was highly important to cause the boats to
break down while under the eyes of all Annapolis."
"I understand," muttered Jack. "That was clever, in a way. It was
intended to make the whole Navy think the Pollard boat one that couldn't
be depended upon?"
"That was the idea," assented Sam Truax, weakly.
"What sort of a looking fellow is Tip Gaynor?" asked Jack.
"You've met him!"
"I?" demanded Jack, in astonishment.
"Yes. From what I hear. He was the blackbearded man who drugged you
and shanghaied you in the white knockabout. Only Tip doesn't usually
wear a beard. He has grown it in the last three or four weeks, in order
to hide himself from people who know him well. Then he came down here
to Blair's Cove and rented a house so he could watch things. He had a
tip that the instruction cruise would center around this little bay."
"So, acting for Tip Gaynor, you undertook to ruin us all, and the good
name of our boats?" asked Jack. "And you even met Dave Pollard, and got
him to take you on as a machinist for our boats?"
"Yes; Tip knew a man who was willing to introduce me to Pollard."
"It was just like simple, unsuspicious, bighearted Dave Pollard to be
taken in by a rascal like that," muttered Jack, to himself. "But, oh,
will Pollard ever forgive himself when he hears all this?"
Sam Truax added a few more details to his confession, but they were
unimportant.
"I couldn't die without telling you all this, Benson," he added. "I
hope you forgive me."
Ere Jack could reply Lieutenant Commander Mayhew stepped forward.
"Truax, I wish to ask you if every word you have uttered is the solemn
truth?"
"It is; yes," admitted the sick man.
"Why have you made this confession?"
"Because I feel that I am going to die, and I don't want all this evil
charged up against me."
"And you thought it would not be hard to get the better of a boy like
Jack Benson?"
"I thought it would be easy enough," admitted Truax. "So did Tip
Gaynor."
"Then it shows you, Truax," broke in Doctor McCrea, now laughing, "how
far below the mark you shot in guessing at Jack Benson's ingenuity and
brains. For it was he showed me how to induce you to make this
confession, voluntarily, after having refused to answer any of the
lieutenant commander's questions."
"What do you mean?" demanded Sam Truax, quickly, a queer look creeping
into his face.
"Why, my man, I mean," grinned the naval surgeon, "that, when I was first
called in to you, you were no more sick than I was. You were scared,
first of all, by the remarks of others. Then, after we got you to bed
in here, we dosed you with ippecac a few times. That started your
stomach to moving up and down until you were convinced that you were a
very sick man."
"What!" now roared Sam Truax, sitting up in the berth and staring
angrily.
"Oh, the ippecac was my own choice," nodded the doctor, "but the general
idea was Mr. Benson's. My man, with a lad like him you haven't a
one-in-ten chance."
"So, to work a confession out of me, you've poisoned me?" gasped Sam
Truax.
"Oh, you're not very badly poisoned," laughed Doctor McCrea. "About the
most that you need, now, is to get into your clothes and take a few
turns up and down the deck with a marine. The fresh air will brace you
up all right. I shan't be surprised if the ippecac leaves you with
an appetite after a while."
"You infernal cheat, you!" roared Truax, starting to get out of the
berth. But the hospital man thrust him back.
"In view of what you've just been telling us, my man, you had better be
just a bit modest about sprinkling bad names around." said the naval
surgeon, turning on his heel.
He was followed by Lieutenant Commander Mayhew, Jack Benson and Hal
Hastings. On the faces of all three were rather pronounced grins.
The fellow had been caught easily enough.
"Mr. Benson," cried Doctor McCrea, grasping Jack's hand when the party
had returned to the cabin, "I hope you are my friend?"
"I certainly am, sir," cried Jack, warmly.
"Thank you," replied the surgeon, making a comical face. "With your
head for doing things, Mr. Benson, I can't help feeling a lot safer with
your friendship than I would if I had your enmity."
"How easily the fellow threw everything to the winds!" muttered Mr.
Mayhew, in some disgust.
While they were still chatting in the cabin of the gunboat a shot
sounded on the deck. It was quickly followed by another. Then a
corporal of marines rushed in, saluting.
"The prisoner, Truax, sir, escaped while taking a walk on deck under
guard of a marine. He took to the water headlong, sir. The marine
fired after him through the darkness, sir, and a second shot was fired.
The officer of the deck sends his compliments, sir, and wants to know
if Truax is to be pursued by men in a small boat?"
"At once, and with all diligence," nodded the lieutenant commander.
Though a very thorough search was made, Sam Truax was not found. It
was thought, at the time, that the fellow must have been drowned.
Months, afterward, however, it was learned that he was skulking in
Europe with Tip Gaynor, who had received word in time to make his
escape also.
It may be said, in passing, that neither Mr. Farnum nor Mr. Pollard
felt it necessary to go to the trouble of trying to have the scoundrels
arrested and extradited to this country, and in this Jack Benson agreed.
Both rascals were rather certain, thereafter, to give the United
States a wide berth.
For some time David Pollard had been holding aloof and keeping very
quiet--a habit of his, often displayed for long periods. About this
time, however, Mr. Pollard returned, with a triumphant twinkle in his
eyes. He had been hard at work upon, and had perfected, an improved
device for the discharge of torpedoes through the bow tube of the
Pollard submarine boat.
It is to be mentioned, also, that the Sidenham Submarine Company, while
admitting that Gaynor had been entrusted with the sale of their boats
to the Government, disclaimed all knowledge of the methods that
salesman had been employing. Everyone believed the disclaimer of the
Sidenham concern, yet up to date none of its boats have been sold to
the United States Government.
For two days more the submarine boat instruction continued at sea. Then,
the tour of instruction over, the little flotilla returned to the
Naval Academy at Annapolis. From here Captain Jack Benson wired Mr.
Farnum for further orders. Without delay back came the despatch:
"Navy Department requests that, for present, 'Farnum' be left at
Annapolis. You and your crew will return by rail when ready."
Soon afterward Jack was informed that the Annapolis police had succeeded
in running down the mulatto who had decoyed the young submarine skipper
on that memorable night. Also, Jack's money, watch and other valuables
were recovered and returned to him. The mulatto is now serving a long
term in jail. It afterwards turned out that nearly two-score seafaring
men had been robbed by the mulatto by the same game that had been played
on Jack Benson.
One forenoon when Jack, and his mates were about to go ashore, for good,
from the "Farnum," Lieutenant Commander Mayhew came on board, followed
by Ensign Trahern and three of the midshipmen who had been under
submarine instruction.
"Now, Mr. Benson, and gentlemen," smiled Mr. Mayhew, "I'm not going to
frighten you by making any set speech. What I have to say is that the
cadet midshipmen who have been under your very capable and much-prized
instruction of late, wish each of you to take away a very slight memento
of your stay here. There is one for each of you."
Not even Machinist Williamson had been omitted. Each of the four
received from the lieutenant commander a small box. Each box, on being
opened, proved to contain a small gold shield. In the center was the
coat-of-arms of the United States Naval Academy. At the top of each
pin was the name of the one to whom it was given. Across the bottom of
each pin were inscribed the words:
_"From The Battalion of Naval Cadets In Keen Appreciation of Admirable
Instruction."_
"I do not believe," smiled Mr. Mayhew, "that anyone of you will hesitate
about wearing this pin on vest or coat lapel. The gift is a simple one,
but it practically makes you honorary members of the United States Navy
of the future, and I'm glad of it."
Jack, in a voice that was somewhat husky and shaky, expressed thanks,
as best he could, for himself and mates.
Then Lieutenant Commander Mayhew held out his hand.
"Mr. Benson, as you're leaving us, I want to express to you again my
regret at having, for a while, believed you to be very different from
the real Benson that I am now glad to know."
"Why, sir, I surely can't blame you for what you thought," smiled Jack.
"In fact, I feel that I owe a tremendous lot to you for your patience
when things looked as black against me as they did."
Jack and his friends, however, did not succeed in getting away from
Annapolis until the entire battalion had a few minutes' leisure
immediately following the noon meal.
Then the late crew of the "Farnum" had to shake hands rapidly all around.
Just before they were summoned back to their duties, the assembled
members of the battalion had time to give three rousing cheers just as
the carriage bearing our young friends to the railway station rolled
away.
It was not long after that the "Farnum" was sold to the United States
Government. Even before the sale took place, Jacob Farnum received by
express a box of handsome mementos sent to Jack Benson by Elsie
Carruthers and her brother.
The time has come, now, to leave the submarine boys, though only briefly.
We shall hear of their further doings in the next volume of this series,
under the title: "_The Submarine Boys and the Spies; Or, Dodging the
Sharks of the Deep._" This stirring tale of the ocean will deal with
the efforts of the boys to protect the secrets of the Pollard submarine
system from the foreign spies who beset them with treachery, violence,
threats and bribes. It is a narrative full of intense interest.