UNCLE SAM CALLS
Some fellows are pursued by luck no matter where they turn in life.
Others of evil design seem to be able to get away with anything they
attempt solely on their nerve. Carl Weddigen was one of this class. Not
one chap in a thousand, caught as he had been with stolen diamonds,
would have breasted it out and escaped so cleverly by use of his nimble
wits. Criminologists' records show that the average thief trapped as
Weddigen was either surrenders abjectly or makes a break for it in an
effort to escape. The crafty minority stand their ground and worm their
way out by subterfuge.
"I'll say he's got the nerve, all right," remarked Dick Monaghan. The
_Nemo_ had returned to Bridgeford and the members of the crew were
enjoying a few days' rest after their arduous and successful trip in
exploration of the sunken _Dominion_.
"Nerve!" retorted Larry Seymour. "Why, if that guy had been sent into
Germany by General Pershing he could have dragged the Kaiser out of
Berlin and made those dazed Fritzies think he was only kidding them."
Jay Thacker smiled at that. He was feeling much better after his
experiences; in fact, a couple of good nights' sleep and recreation had
put him back in good trim again. Two years at sea in the U. S. Navy
will toughen the bone and muscle of any lad.
Dick and Larry had been wanting Jay to go to Captain Austin to relate
the whole story of what had happened on the bottom of the sea in the
cabin of the _Dominion_. Magnanimously, Jay had spurned the proposition.
"They might think I was jealous because Weddigen fished up the diamonds
while all I got was a handful of deck railing that well-nigh finished
me," was his answer.
"Yes, but you owe it to yourself and to the company," argued Dick.
"Think how that bird may clean out the bunch again."
Larry was shaking his head.
"Never on your life. Remember, I'm always on deck when he's working
below, and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll put him under my nice
little X-ray every time he comes up again. No, sir-ee, fellows, I'm
wise to that gink for all time. He may think he's slippery, but he'll
find I'm the original slippery elm."
Deep down Jay resented this big diver's bold audacity and cunning.
Never had he seen anything so brazen as the way Weddigen had smoothed
over the matter of the diamonds that he had carried in his diving
trousers' pocket. Nervily he had sought out Captain Austin and
explained the whole thing several times over. The captain had seemingly
been pretty well convinced that Weddigen was on the square in the
matter, and this had only strengthened Jay's determination to keep
silence.
"But I'll get him in the long run, for he's a crook of the deepest dye
and murder is sure to out," he had told himself.
For some days the two Brighton lads and their friend Larry Seymour
remained inactive about the big shipyard at Bridgeford awaiting the
call to further service. Captain Austin had told them to take things
easy. Superintendent Brown and the higher officials of the company
were elated at the success of the _Nemo's_ crew in bringing up some of
the treasure of the _Dominion_ and had decreed that as part of their
reward they were to loaf a while. Eventually, each lad knew, he would
come in for a slice of the huge "divvy" that was sure to be tendered
the company for salvaging the lost diamonds. The Brighton boys were
delighted with the prospect, for it meant the money would go a long
ways toward payment of their tuition for the new school year. They had
expected to be assigned to the job of bringing up the gold bullion from
the _Dominion_, but more urgent work awaited them.
Great secrecy was attendant upon the fitting out of a special ship in
the yard that the boys had heard was to be used in salvage work later
in the summer. With it the Bridgeford officials contemplated using some
of their new apparatus and employing some of their lately developed
processes for deep-sea salvage.
The ship, which they had heard referred to as the _Jules Verne_, was
denied to everybody except the chosen men employed in putting the
finishing touches on her. She was roped off in a portion of the big wet
basin all to herself and armed guards kept prying eyes at a distance.
"We're apt to know sooner or later," Dick remarked as they discussed
the new venture one afternoon.
"And as for me, I'm getting tired of laying around this way," said
Dick. For two years they had had so much to do while serving in the
Navy that inaction now palled upon them.
They had not long to wait, for one morning, a few days later, just
after they had checked in the shipyard, there came a summons to them
to appear in the office of Superintendent Brown. They hurried over at
once, finding that official awaiting them with Captain Austin.
"Morning, boys," called out the superintendent cheerily. "I hope
you are feeling in good shape again after your tussle with the old
_Dominion_."
To which they answered they preferred getting down again into the
danger zone rather than to sit around cooling their heels.
"That's the spirit, all right," remarked the official with a grin. "We
are proud of you fellows who compose the crew of the _Nemo_ for what
you have already done, and we sure are going to take care of you."
Jay tried to explain that one man alone had recovered the diamonds and
that he was in no sense to be credited with any of the glory.
"Just the same, you were there trying hard, and what's more you
endangered your own life in an unfortunate accident while in the act of
duty."
And then the superintendent began telling them why he had summoned them
to headquarters.
"You chaps doubtless know that the _Jules Verne_ will be ready for her
maiden trip within the next two weeks," he began.
The boys perked up at this when it seemed likely they were to be let in
on the big secret that had every man in the yard guessing.
"I can only say at this time," continued Mr. Brown, "that the _Jules
Verne_ combines our latest improved method of searching the ocean
bottom and has facilities that will greatly expedite deep-sea salvage
work. You will know in due time, for you chaps will be among the
first batch of divers sent out on the _Jules Verne_. We shall want to
thoroughly acquaint you at first with the operation of the new diving
bell before you will actually engage in salvage work."
The yard official paused to draw several times on his cigar.
"In the meantime, I need you for a diving expedition of tremendous
importance to Uncle Sam. Are you game?"
He looked from one face to the other, eying the boys with a roguish
smile.
They nodded their heads eagerly. "If it's for Uncle Sammy, lead us to
it!"
"Well, listen," said Superintendent Brown, as the boys sat wondering
what was coming. "An executive officer from the Bureau of Naval
Operations in Washington is here on a mission of great importance. It
seems the Navy Department has been watching our salvage work, and read
about what you boys were doing in the hold of the _Dominion_. They
want us to do a piece of work for them that demands speed as well as
secrecy."
And then he explained in detail. During the war, at the time when a
fleet of German submarines had escaped the allied fleets in the North
Sea and come to this side of the Atlantic to attack shipping, and
particularly supply ships bound for Europe, one of the U-boats had been
sunk off Cape May, N. J., at the mouth of the Delaware River. Submarine
chasers putting out hurriedly from the inlet had dashed up in time to
drop depth bombs on the submerging U-boat.
That the U-boat, badly crippled, had been sunk had been established
beyond all doubt by navy divers who had located it on the bottom. The
Navy Department had intended salvaging the U-boat at once but had been
prevented by reason of the fact that the war kept the department busy
sending troopships to Europe, guarding them en route and combating the
Hun "mosquitoes" that threatened Atlantic ports and coastwise shipping.
When the Navy Department had eventually set about the salvage of the
U-boat they had found it by this time so nearly imbedded in the floor
of the ocean that only the conning tower remained above ground. The
Navy was now ready to dig the U-boat out, but had decided to ask the
Bridgeford Company to co-operate with them in the venture.
"And now we come to the meat of the whole thing," confided the
superintendent. "The men who are to engage in this work must be of the
most trustworthy character, for reasons I will now explain. We have
selected you fellows to get in on this because you are naval veterans
and we know you can be trusted to the limit."
The superintendent motioned the boys closer and resumed in an undertone,
"Deep down in that sunken U-boat are plans of United States
fortifications, ship and munition designs and highly valuable
scientific formulas that must be recovered at whatever cost. They were
stolen from the archives of the department at Washington by adroit
tools of the German espionage system. I am not at liberty to tell you
how they were stolen, for it is one of the secrets of the department.
But we are told that those plans are on that submerged U-boat. The
Germans were smuggling them out of the country, and it was a lucky shot
from the 'ash-cans' of our chasers that laid that particular U-boat
low."
"Naturally, we are elated that the Department has come to us in such
an important matter, and it is needless for me to say that we are more
than anxious to make good, not alone for the sake of our company, but,
and very much more to the point, for the sake of the dear old country
that we love so much."
"And we--" began Jay.
"Yes, I rather fancied you two fellows would enjoy getting in on a
project of this kind," interrupted the superintendent. "I don't suppose
it is necessary for me formally to ask you whether you would like to
look up this unlucky U-boat."
"Well, hardly." Almost in unison they had leaped to their feet to
answer in the affirmative.
"Bully! You are assigned forthwith, with our hearty good wishes, and
here's hoping you succeed in putting over another neat piece of work
for Uncle Sam just as you did over there in the North Sea. If you
fellows had laid that mine curtain before those U-boats escaped this
Cape May job never would have happened. But now we've got to get those
plans back. They are of immense value to our government."
"They wouldn't be of much value to Germany now!" interrupted Dick with
a grin.
"Right!" laughed the superintendent. "Germany doesn't look very
formidable, with her surrendered navy, and her surrendered iron and
coal fields, and her surrendered stores of munitions. But you never can
tell. Besides, there are scientific secrets in that collection that,
even if the defeated Huns couldn't use them, could be sold for sums
that would make you gasp if I mentioned them."
The boys whistled.
"This is the information I have from the naval officer. You can see
how urgent the job is. That sunken U-boat is guarded night and day by
American war vessels ever on the alert. The exact spot where she lies
on the bottom is known and guarded like the gold in the United States
Treasury vaults.
"And now I wish you 'bon voyage,'" concluded the superintendent as he
shook hands with the two lads. "You will go out this afternoon with
Captain Austin on the _Nemo_; and, don't forget, when you come back the
_Jules Verne_ will be waiting for you."
Elated with the prospects of a new venture of such an important
character, Jay and Dick arose to go, telling Captain Austin they would
report immediately aboard the _Nemo_ and make ready to depart for the
trip down the coast to Cape May.
"Better luck to you this time, Mr. Thacker," called out the yard
superintendent.
"Thanks, Mr. Brown. I sincerely hope so," the youth replied.
Jay turned and opened the door of the superintendent's office. As he
stepped into the hallway he came face to face with Carl Weddigen. For
an instant the latter seemed embarrassed, but quickly regained his
composure.
"How are you, fellows! Is Captain Austin in there with the
superintendent?" he asked imperiously.
Dick replied that he was, whereupon Weddigen coolly declared he would
wait where he was until the captain came out.
The boys hurried along leaving the diver still standing outside the
superintendent's office.
"Funny thing how he happened to be standing around like that," remarked
Dick as they let themselves out of the administration building.
"Funny is right," countered Jay. "Looks as though he might have been
spying around or trying to horn in where he hadn't been invited. I've
seen enough to know what kind of a chap he is and I'm here to say I
don't think he wanted to see Captain Austin at all. That was only a
bluff. I'll bet he was listening in on us while 'Montey' Brown was
giving us the dope on that U-boat."
"So!" whistled Dick. "All right, we have his number right now. If he is
going along to Cape May--look out!"