Dan got his promotion on the following day, with an increase of pay, so
that the two boys now had the same rating in the school.
Flink, however, had grown very surly. As the days wore on he became more
and more ugly so far as the boys were concerned, but the latter gave
little heed to him.
In the meantime, Sam and Dan had been progressing rapidly. They had
learned many things. First, they had perfected themselves in signaling,
splicing, knot-tying and seamanship, so far as was possible in the
limited time at their disposal. The Battleship Boys by their
application, hard work and keen minds, had won the respect of their
officers as well as of their own associates. The frequent cruises about
the bay and down Long Island Sound of the "Boxer" had given them
practical experience and agility; for by this time Sam and Dan were able
to cling to a yard arm in a rolling sea with out being in the least
disturbed. They were as agile aloft as if they had been at sea in
sailing ships for years.
And now they were just completing their course. A week remained for them
to put the finishing touches to it. Already they were looking forward
with keen anticipation to the day when they should receive their summons
to join a ship. This might not come for some time, but on account of
their high standing they were reasonably certain that they would be
chosen with the first detail of their class that went out.
During all this time, however, the Battleship Boys had been subjected to
petty annoyances that both troubled and mystified them. Perhaps they may
have had some slight suspicion as to the cause of their troubles, but if
so, there was no definite clue on which to base their suspicions.
First, something was found wrong with the mechanism of Hickey's rifle.
Then next, Dan's Krag rifle was discovered at inspection to be in a sad
state of neglect. The inspection officer said it was quite evident that
the gun had not been cleaned in weeks.
For both these offenses the lads were disciplined, not seriously, but
enough so that the lesson might be impressed upon their minds.
Dan and Sam held many quiet talks over these incidents. Sam was for
going to one of their superior officers and voicing their suspicions,
but of this Dan would not hear.
"We have got to prove ourselves men, no matter if we do get some bad
conduct marks by so doing. And, besides, these things that have happened
to us may be the result of a mistake. For instance, you remember that
rifle on account of which I was ordered to do extra duty?"
"Yes," nodded Hickey.
"Well, that wasn't my gun at all. It was some one else's Krag."
"Then some one else took yours?" questioned Sam, with rising color.
"Yes, but I think perhaps that was a mistake."
"It wasn't any mistake at all," snapped Sam, "and I'm going to keep my
eyes open. I'll get even with the fellow who is trying to get us into
trouble--I'll get even with him before we leave the station, if I lose my
job doing it."
That afternoon there was to be a battalion drill, and, after the
morning's work, all hands hurried to quarters to get into their bright,
clean white uniforms. It was the one time in the week when the
apprentices were given an opportunity to show themselves at their best.
Many people came out from town for this regular Thursday afternoon
drill, when every apprentice at the station appeared on parade, with
flags waving, bands playing, the sunlight glistening on polished
weapons.
"This will be our last drill here, I hope," glowed Dan, as all
preparations having been made, the lads hurried out and falling in,
started for the drill ground, marching by fours.
All went well until the company in which the two boys were marching had
swung into line. Then there came a sudden command:
"Halt!"
The petty officers in command ran their eyes over the line in some
surprise. They did not understand what it meant. They knew, however,
that something had gone wrong.
The executive officer was standing to the rear of the line, at some
distance, while the battalion was going through its evolutions. His
observant eyes had suddenly caught sight of something that filled him
with amazement and indignation.
Quickly striding down to the line, the men facing away from him, he
called the chief quartermaster to him.
"Take those men out of line."
"Which ones, sir?"
The executive officer, pointed, and then the petty officer saw that
which also amazed him. A moment more and he had tapped both Dan and Sam
on the shoulder.
"Fall out!" he commanded.
They obeyed promptly, but wonderingly.
"Report to your quarters, and remain there in detention."
The boys saluted and moved away.
"Now, will you tell me what this means?" demanded Dan.
"That's what I was trying to find out. We haven't done anything."
They had reached their quarters when, all at once, Dan uttered an
exclamation.
"What is it?" demanded Sam.
"Look at yourself."
"What's wrong with me?" growled the freckle-faced boy.
"Take off your jacket and you'll see."
"You had better take off your own while you are about it," replied Sam,
opening his eyes wide as he gazed at his companion.
With one accord they stripped off their jackets, uttering exclamations
of anger as they did so.
The backs of the jackets were streaked with bright red until they
resembled the bars of the American Flag, which they no doubt had been
intended by the perpetrator of the outrage to represent.
Sam examined his jacket critically; then, glancing up, he met the eyes
of his companion.
"Red ink," nodded Sam. "I'll bet the eagle will scream now."
"Who could have done it?"
"The question is not who could have done it, but who did do it."
"We shall be held responsible, in any event. I see ourselves losing our
ratings and perhaps missing our detail to a ship. Come, let's get into
some decent clothes before one of the officers gets here."
They quickly changed their uniforms, laying out the ruined ones, backs
upward ready for the inspection that they felt sure would soon follow.
In this surmise they were right. The drill over, the quartermaster,
accompanied by the executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Devall,
appeared at the boys' quarters.
Dan and Sam came to attention as the officers entered.
The latter fixed their eyes upon the garments laid out on the floor of
the quarters. Lieutenant Commander Devall picked up one of the jackets,
examining it closely.
"How did this happen?" he demanded, eyeing Sam sternly.
"I do not know, sir."
"The garment has plainly been inked. How does it happen that you did not
notice this when you put on your uniform?"
"We dressed in a great hurry, sir," spoke up Dan. "As you will observe,
it is quite dark in here. It seems as if we ought to have noticed that
something was wrong, but we did not."
Lieutenant Commander Devall pondered for a moment.
"You have no idea who could have done this thing, men?"
They did not answer.
"Search the quarters, quartermaster."
The lads stood looking on with troubled faces as the petty officer began
his search. The Battleship Boys did not know what the lieutenant
commander expected to find, and as a matter of fact he probably had no
definite idea himself.
Sam moved over to where his bag stood, having observed that it was open.
As he drew the cord down tightly he chanced to glance at the bag
standing beside it. Hickey uttered a smothered exclamation. What he had
seen was a smear of red at the mouth of the canvas bag.
"May I open this bag, sir?" he asked, saluting.
"For what?"
Sam pointed to the streak of red.
"Open it!"
One by one the lad drew out the neatly folded garments from the sea bag,
the officers scrutinizing these keenly as they were withdrawn and placed
on the floor.
At the very bottom of the bag Sam came upon an object which he quickly
drew out, holding it to the light, with a triumphant grin on his face.
He nodded to Dan as he did so.
The object was a towel. It was streaked with red, as if some one had
wiped his hands upon it. In fact, finger marks were plainly visible all
over it.
The executive officer snatched the cloth from the boy's hands.
"Whose bag is this?" he demanded sharply.
"I'll look up the number, sir," answered the quartermaster.
At that moment a figure darkened the doorway. It was Flink. The instant
he saw the officers in the quarters his hand mechanically came up in
salute.
A ray of sunlight slanted across the hand as he stood there. Sam caught
his breath sharply, then an eager look overspread his face. He hesitated
a moment; then, springing over to where Flink was standing, Sam grabbed
the hand, jerking it sharply down, examining it briefly in the few
seconds that elapsed ere Flink could resist.
"Attention!" commanded Lieutenant Commander Devall. "What does this
mean?"
"If you will examine this man's hand, I think you will understand, sir,"
answered Sam, saluting.
The lieutenant commander stepped over to Flink.
"Let me see your hands. Palms up!"
The palms were smeared with red.
"Is that your sea bag yonder?"
Flink nodded.
"So, you are the man who is responsible for this, are you? What have you
to say for yourself?"
The apprentice hung his head, making no reply.
"You are released from quarters, Davis and Hickey. I begin to understand
a few of the things that have happened here. Quartermaster, place this
man under arrest. Turn him over to the master-at-arms with instructions
to lock him in the brig."