THE MYSTERIOUS CABIN
Ned nudged his two chums as they stood in the now almost complete
darkness, waiting near their boat station for what was next to happen.
“Did you hear that?” asked Ned Slade in a low voice.
“I did,” answered Jerry. “Don’t repeat it.”
“But, if we’re disabled,” whispered Bob, “doesn’t that mean we’ll sink
sooner or later? And I haven’t noticed any other ships near us--not
since we started the second time.”
“Disabled doesn’t mean that we’re sinking,” said Jerry, “and there’s
no use starting another near-panic by scattering that word broadcast.
If we’re disabled it may only mean that we can’t proceed under our own
steam.”
“How else are we going to proceed?” demanded Ned.
“Send out a wireless call for help and be towed back to port,” was
Jerry’s answer. “That’s easy.”
“I didn’t think of that,” murmured Ned. “But say, isn’t it bad luck to
have to go back to port twice on the same voyage?”
“Not half as bad luck as it would be to go once to Davy Jones’s
locker!” declared Jerry, with a trace of mirth--just a faint trace,
for the situation was still too tense to admit of any great feeling of
jollity.
“Well, of course there’s something in that,” admitted Ned.
“A whole lot in it!” came from Bob. “Say, have you fellows got anything
to eat?” he demanded, still speaking in a whisper, for the word of
“silence in the ranks” had gone forth.
“Eat!” exclaimed Jerry in tense tones. “What do you think we are,
anyhow? Walking cupboards?”
“I didn’t know but what you might have stowed away a cake or two of
chocolate apiece,” sighed Bob. “Lots of times they forget to provision
the boats when they abandon ship in a hurry. Chocolate is nourishing.
I’ve got three big cakes. That’s one each. Here,” and he extended one
to Ned and another to Jerry.
“What’s the idea?” demanded the tall lad, with amused curiosity.
“We might get separated,” answered Bob. “Better take this when you can
get it. That cake of chocolate will keep you alive several days.”
“He’s got it all figured out,” said Ned. “Well, you aren’t so bad at
that, Chunky. It may come in handy!” and he put his cake away.
Jerry did likewise, and then they stood waiting for the next
development. It was not long in coming.
Following the conference of the colonel and his army officers with the
captain of the _Sherman_ there was a tense period for a little while,
until the colonel made another announcement.
“I regret to inform you, men,” he said, “that the accident in the
engine room is more serious than at first was thought. The transport
is disabled, and will not be able to proceed under her own power--at
least, not until extensive repairs are made. An effort will be made to
have the engines patched up, but this may not be possible.
“In the latter case we shall have to be towed back to France. I know
that seems hard,” he said quickly; “but it is better than sinking in
mid-ocean, and that possibility confronted us all for a time.
“Now we shall all be saved, but it may take some little time. The
ship’s captain will at once order wireless calls for assistance to be
sent out, and we should have an answer within a short time. Then, in
another day, or, at most, two, we should receive help. So make the best
of a bad situation. You will presently be ordered back to your sleeping
quarters, for there is no danger of the ship’s sinking. She will float
for years in this condition. Only one compartment is flooded, and that
has been shut off from the rest of the craft.
“The wounded will first be carried back to the hospital quarters, and
then the others may go back to bed. I regret this occurrence, but you,
who have fought in the Great War, will recognize this as only a minor
happening compared to others.”
“Three cheers for the colonel!” called some one, and right heartily
they came.
“Three cheers for Captain Munson!” some one else demanded, and the
tribute to the commander of the disabled vessel was no less genuine.
The taking back of the wounded who had been brought up on the boat deck
to be ready for quick transfer to the small craft went on in orderly
fashion, though not so quickly as they had been brought from the
hospital. The same need of speed was not present.
Then Ned, Bob, Jerry and the others were allowed to go back to where
they had been sleeping, or trying to. And once more peace and quiet
seemed to settle down over the ship. The list had been corrected
somewhat, though in what manner the three friends did not know, and
the _Sherman_ was now riding more easily, though she was still without
forward motion, save that perhaps imparted to her by the wind or the
ocean currents.
“Don’t you think we’d better tell what we know about old pepper-pot?”
asked Ned of his chums, as they reached their sleeping quarters.
“I suppose, after what has happened, that it will be best to,” assented
Jerry. “Mind you, I’m not saying he had anything to do with the
explosion of the boiler. But later on, if anything should come up, I
suppose we’d feel better to remember that we had told. We’ll go to the
captain in the morning.”
The boys were just composing themselves for some hours of rest in what
remained of the night when they heard the crackle of the wireless
overhead.
“Well, anything new?” asked Bob the next morning, as he made about the
only kind of toilet possible on the crowded transport.
“I didn’t hear any,” responded Jerry. “Let’s get some eats, and then
we’ll report to our captain what we know and let him do as he thinks
best.”
On their way to receive from the galley their usual daily ration, Ned
seemed to be listening intently for something.
“Want to hear another explosion?” asked Jerry.
“No, I was listening for the crackle of the wireless. I don’t hear it;
do you?”
“That’s so--it is silent,” commented Bob.
“Oh, well, maybe they’ve sent off a message for help, have received an
answer, and now there’s nothing to do but wait,” came from Jerry.
“That’s so,” admitted Ned. But his chums observed that he was deeply
silent during mess. And as soon as it was over he suggested that they
go up on deck.
“Better look for our captain first,” suggested Jerry. “His quarters are
aft.”
“We’ll see him all right,” Ned declared. “I want to find out about
something else, first.”
“What?” asked Bob.
“The wireless,” answered Ned. “I want to see if we’ve had any answer to
our calls for help.”
As they approached the vicinity of the wireless room, the boys, and
many others, became aware that something unusual had taken place. There
was a group of officers--both those of the ship and those in command
of the returning soldiers--gathered about the electrical cabin, and
workmen were hurrying to and fro.
“What’s up, buddy?” asked Ned of a fellow soldier.
“Don’t know, exactly,” was the answer. “But I think the wireless has
given out.”
“Before we got off any messages asking for help?” demanded Ned.
“So they say. But I’m not sure. Here comes my sergeant. I’ll ask.”
There was an exchange of confidences, and then the Motor Boys heard
more bad news.
“I thought so!” exclaimed Ned, as he turned away from where he had been
questioning the two soldiers.
“Thought what?” asked Jerry.
“That the wireless had given out! That’s what happened. The storage
battery short-circuited, the auxiliary dynamo burned out, and they
can’t get off a single message.”
“Perhaps they had already sent out an S. O. S. call,” suggested Jerry,
hoping to the last.
“They started one, the sergeant says,” replied Ned, “but the apparatus
went fluey before they could give our position.”
“Gee! that’s tough luck!” exclaimed Bob.
“Oh, it might be worse!” declared Jerry, with a hopefulness he did not
altogether feel. “They got off a message asking for help, and even
though our position wasn’t given, it can be pretty well guessed. They
know which way we started, and about how fast we have steamed. They can
send some one out to pick us up.”
“Maybe,” said Ned gloomily. “Well, there’s no use worrying over it.
We’re still afloat, and that’s something. Now then, let’s go to see our
captain, or the first lieutenant. We’ll report on pepper-pot. It may be
nothing, and, again, it may be something.”
They started to find their own special company officers, and while
they were inquiring they stood near a cabin that was among a number of
others given over to officers.
Ned had just asked as to the probable whereabouts of his captain and a
lieutenant was in the act of replying when two marines, with rifles and
fixed bayonets, came swinging along the passage. They halted in front
of the cabin, before which stood the lieutenant, and after their salute
had been returned, the officer said:
“You are to remain on guard here in front of this cabin until relieved.
Let no one go in or come out without written authority from Captain
Munson. Remember--written authority!”
“Yes, sir!” answered the marines, and then the lieutenant turned to
speak to the three friends while they, in turn, gazed at the closed
door of the mysterious cabin.