"Let me try to get at your meaning, sir, if you please," begged Somers,
after standing for a few seconds with clenched fists. "Do you mean that my
friends have been going into tough resorts on shore?"
"Where else do sailors usually get drugged?" inquired Mr. Mayhew. "What
kind of people usually feed sea-faring men with what are generally known
as knock-out drops?"
"How should I know?" demanded Eph, solemnly.
"You see your friends, and you see their condition."
"Smell their breaths, sir. There isn't a trace of the odor of liquor."
The surgeon did so, confirming Eph's claim.
"But I remember that Mr. Benson came aboard, at Dunhaven, with a very
strong odor of liquor," continued the lieutenant commander.
"That had been sprinkled on his clothes, sir," argued Somers.
"Perhaps. But then there was the Annapolis affair."
"Mr. Benson explained that to you, sir."
"It's very strange," returned the lieutenant commander, "that such things
seem to happen generally to Mr. Benson when he gets on shore. I know I
have been ashore, in all parts of the world, without having such things
happen to me."
"There is something behind this, sir, that doesn't spell bad conduct on
the part of either of my friends," cried Eph, hotly. "There's some plot,
some trick in the whole thing that we don't understand. And we might
understand much more about it, sir, if your midshipman had arrested that
pair of blackguards on the sloop, and brought them back with us."
"Had Mr. Benson and Mr. Hastings been members of the naval forces we could
have done that," replied Mr. Mayhew. "Probably you don't understand, Mr.
Somers, how very careful the Navy has to be about making arrests in times
of peace, when the civil authorities are all-supreme. We carried our right
as far as it could possibly be stretched when we boarded and searched that
sloop for you."
"I don't care so much about that," contended Eph, warmly. "But it does jar
on me, sir, to have you take such a view of my friends. You don't know
them; you don't understand them as Mr. Farnum and Mr. Pollard do."
"Perhaps you wouldn't blame me as much for my opinions," replied Mr.
Mayhew, "if you could look at the matter from my viewpoint, Mr. Somers. I
am in charge of this cruise, which is one of instruction to naval cadets,
and I am in a very large measure responsible for the conduct and good
behavior of young men who have been selected as instructors to the cadets.
If you were in my place, Mr. Somers, would you be patient over young men
who, when they get ashore, get into one unseemly scrape after another? Or
would you wonder, as I do, whether it will not be best for me to end this
practice cruise and sail back to Annapolis, there to make my report in the
matter?"
"For heaven's sake don't do that," begged Eph Somers, hoarsely. "At least,
not until you have talked with Mr. Benson and Mr. Hastings. You'll wait
until morning, sir?"
"I'm afraid I shall have to, if I want to talk with your friends," replied
the lieutenant commander, smiling coldly. "And now, Mr. Somers, you and I
had better leave here. The doctor and his nurse will want the room cleared
in order to look after their patients. I hope your friends will be all
right in the morning," added the naval officer, as the pair gained the
deck.
"Now, see here, sir," began Eph, earnestly, all over again. "I hope you'll
soon begin to understand that, whatever has happened, there are no two
straighter boys alive than Jack Benson and Hal Hastings."
"I trust you're right," replied Mr. Mayhew, less coldly. "Yet, what can
you expect me to think, now that Benson has been in such scrapes three
different times? And, in this last instance, he drags even the quiet Mr.
Hastings into the affair with him."
"I see that I'll have to wait, sir," sighed Eph, resignedly.
"Yes; it will be better in every way to wait," agreed the lieutenant
commander. "It is plain justice, at the least, to wait and give the young
men a chance to offer any defense that they can."
"Now, of course, from his way of looking at it, I can't blame him so very
much," admitted Eph Somers, as he leaned over the rail, watching Mr.
Mayhew going back through the darkness. "But Jack--great old Jack!--having
any liking at all for mixing up in saloons and such places on shore! Ha,
ha! Ho, ho!"
Williamson, now able to leave his motors, came on deck, asking an account
of what had happened. The machinist listened in amazement, though, like
Eph, he needed no proof that the boys, whatever trouble they had
encountered, had met honestly and innocently.
"Of course that naval officer is right, too, from his own limited point of
view," urged Williamson.
"Oh, yes, I suppose so," nodded Somers, gloomily. "I've been trying to
tell myself that. But it would be fearful, wouldn't it, if the 'Farnum'
were ordered away from the fleet, and Jack disgraced, just because of
things he really didn't do."
"It's a queer old world," mused the machinist, thoughtfully. "We hear a
lot about the consequences of wrong things we do. But how often people
seem to have to pay up for things they never did!"
"Oh, well," muttered Eph, philosophically, "let's wait until morning. A
night's sleep straightens out a lot of things."
Williamson, however, having had some sleep earlier in the night, was not
drowsy, now. He lighted a pipe, lingering on the platform deck. Eph, not
being a user of tobacco, went below to find that Doctor McCrea, from the
gunboat, was sitting in the cabin, reading a book he had chosen from the
book-case.
"I've brought the young men around somewhat," reported the physician.
"I've made them throw off the drug, and now I've left some stuff with the
nurse to help brace them up. They'll have sour stomachs and aching heads
in the morning, though."
"But you noticed one thing, Doctor?" pressed Somers.
"What was that?"
"That there were no signs of liquor about them? Those boys never tasted a
drop of the vile stuff in their lives!"
"I'm inclined to believe you," nodded the surgeon. "They have splendid,
clear skins, eyes bright as diamonds, sound, sturdy heart-beats, and
they're full of vitality. I've met boys from the slums, once in a
while--beer-drinkers and cigarette-smokers. But such boys never show the
splendid physical condition that your friends possess."
"You know, then, as well as I do, Doctor, that neither of my chums are
rowdies, and that, whatever happened to them to-night, they didn't get to
it through any bad habits or conduct?"
"I'm much inclined to agree with you, Mr. Somers."
"I hope, then, you'll succeed in impressing all that on Lieutenant
Commander Mayhew in the morning."
With that the submarine boy passed on to the starboard stateroom. He would
have given much to have stepped into the room opposite, but felt, from the
doctor's manner, that the latter did not wish his patients disturbed.
Eph slept little that night. Though Jack and Hal fared better in that
single respect, Somers looked far the best of the three in the morning.
Jack and Hal came out with bandages about their heads, which buzzed and
ached.
The two, however, told their story to Somers and Williamson as soon as
possible.
"Just as I supposed," nodded Eph, vigorously.
"Why, how did you guess it all?" asked Benson, in astonishment.
"I mean, I knew you hadn't been in any low sailor resorts."
"Who said we had?" demanded Jack, flaring in spite of his dizziness.
"Some of the Navy folks didn't know but you had," replied Eph, then bit
his tongue for having let that much out of the bag.
Doctor McCrea came aboard early. He looked the boys over.
"Eat a little toast, if you want, and drink some weak tea," he suggested.
"After that, eat nothing more until to-night."
"But the day's work--?" hinted Jack.
"I don't know," replied the doctor, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not a
line officer, and therefore know nothing about the fleet's manoeuvres."
That reply, however, was quite enough to send Jack Benson's suspicions
aloft.
"Eph," he cried, wheeling upon his friend the moment Doctor McCrea was
gone, "there's something you haven't told us."
"Such as--what?" asked Somers, doing his best to look mighty innocent.
"Doctor McCrea as good as admitted that we won't have anything to do
to-day. What's wrong?" Then, after a brief pause: "Good heavens, does Mr.
Mayhew believe we've been acting disgracefully? Are we barred out of the
instruction work?"
Hal had been raising a glass of cold water to his lips. The glass fell,
with a crash. He wheeled about, then clutched at the edge of the cabin
table, most unsteadily.
"We-e-ll," admitted Somers, reluctantly, "Mr. Mayhew said he would want to
question you some, perhaps, this morning."
"What did he say? Out with it all, Eph!"
A moment before Jack Benson had been pallid enough. Now, two bright,
furious spots burned in either cheek.
The red-haired boy, however, was spared the pain of going any further,
for, at that moment, a heavy tread was heard on the spiral staircase. Then
Lieutenant Commander Mayhew, holding himself very erect, one hand resting
against the scabbard of the sword that he wore at his side, came into view
below.
Many were the questions that the naval officer put to the victims of the
night's mishap.
"Well, gentlemen," Mr. Mayhew said at last, rising, "your story is
strange. Yet, I believe you are young men of honor. I'm sorry we have not
in custody the men who sailed that sloop."
"Pardon me, sir!" burst out Eph.
"Well, Mr. Somers?"
"Perhaps, sir, if you should question Truax you could learn something from
him. I tell you, sir, there's a scheme to ruin Jack Benson; and that's
only part of a bigger plot to discredit our company with the Navy!"
Mr. Mayhew, looking thoughtful, replied:
"I'll find some way of questioning Truax. And now, Mr. Benson, since you
and Mr. Hastings are not fit to instruct the cadets to-day, I'll send out
sections under Lieutenant Halpin on board the 'Pollard' only. To-morrow
you should be in shape to resume your duties. Meanwhile, I must make one
condition."
"It will not be necessary, sir, to make any conditions with us," Jack
replied. "Your instructions will be sufficient."
"While you are on this present tour of duty, I shall ask Mr. Benson and
Mr. Hastings not to leave the 'Farnum' without my consent."
As soon as Mr. Mayhew had left the "Farnum" Eph Somers cried bitterly:
"You heard the verdict in the case! A great verdict! Not guilty--but don't
do it again!"
At half past eight the next morning a section of cadets, under the command
of Ensign Trahern, came aboard the "Farnum."
"The lieutenant commander sends word, with his compliments," reported
Trahern, "that after leaving the bay the formation will be as usual. The
signal to halt and be ready for the tour of instruction will be given when
we're about ten miles off shore."
Six of the cadets, of the engineer division, went below to the engine
room. To one of the ten left on deck Jack turned and said:
"You will take charge, Mr. Surles. Assume all the responsibilities of the
officer of the deck."
In all, five of the midshipmen had commanded briefly before the laying-to
signal was given. Hal Hastings then appeared on deck.
"Captain Benson," Hal stated, saluting, "I have inspected all the
submerging machinery, and I find everything in good order. We can go below
the surface at any time."
"Thank you, Mr. Hastings. All below!" ordered Jack crisply.
After the cadets and the ensign had filed below, Jack, having seen that
all was in order, followed. He made all fast in the conning tower, then
called Midshipman Surles up the stairway to the tower wheel.
"Do you think you can head due east and keep to that course under water,
Mr. Surles?"
"Yes, sir."
Going down to the cabin floor, Jack ordered two more midshipmen to the
tower as observers.
"The rest crowd about me and ask questions while I handle the submerging
machinery."
Under the impetus from the electric motors, the propeller shafts began to
throb. The next instant the submarine shot below, going down at so steep
an angle that many of the middies were forced to reach for new footing.
"The gauge registers sixty feet below," announced Jack.
In another moment, by the quick flooding of some of the compartments
astern, the young skipper brought the boat to an even keel.
Having finished the prescribed distance under water, Captain Jack turned
on the compressed air to expel the water from the compartments. The
conning tower soon rose above the water, and a moment later the "Pollard"
also emerged.
Other cadets were transferred from the gunboat to the submarines, and the
instruction proceeded. The manoeuvers for the day were ended with a
half-hour run under water.
"By the way, sir, did you question Truax to see what you could learn about
his reasons for acting as he did on the 'Farnum'?" asked Jack Benson the
next day. Jack and Doctor McCrea were talking with Mr. Mayhew.
"I had him before me last night, and again this morning," replied Mr.
Mayhew. "He said he hadn't an idea what I meant, and that is all I could
get out of him."
Jack looked thoughtfully at Doctor McCrea for a moment before he
exclaimed:
"Doctor, if I had anything like your chance, I'd have Sam Truax talking!"
"How?" Doctor McCrea looked interested.
"Why, I'd--" Jack hesitated, glancing toward the gunboat's commanding
officer.
"I'd better go and see how the midshipmen are doing," laughed Mr. Mayhew,
rising.
For some minutes Jack talked with Doctor McCrea. As the medical officer
listened, he grinned, then laughed unrestrainedly.
"Mr. Benson, you're certainly ingenious!"
"Will you do what I've suggested?"
"Why, I--er--er--" Doctor McCrea hesitated. "I--well, I'll think it over."
Again Doctor McCrea roared with laughter.