CONCLUSION
"Good evening, honorable gentlemen," said the Japanese, turning when he
heard the new arrivals entering.
"Mr. Kamanako is going to leave us," announced Trotter, with a smile.
"He goes north to-night. Here is the slip of paper, my boy, that will
take you past any meddlesome inquiry. But it is good only until
midnight, so I advise you to be sure to catch to-night's express."
"I shall, and thank you, honorable sir," replied the Japanese, bowing.
"Then I won't detain you any longer, or you may miss your train."
Once more the Japanese bowed, then turned to Captain Jack Benson.
"Honorable Captain," he said, "I had pleasure to show you something
about jiu-jitsu. You did me honor to show me most excellent thing
you called American strategy. I shall not forget it."
With bows to the others Kamanako quickly took his leave.
"We had nothing very strong on which we could hold that fellow, so we
had to let him go," declared Mr. Trotter, after the outer door had
closed. Then he added, with a sigh: "That's the worst of catching spies,
under such laws as we have in this country. Rarely are we able to
punish them as they deserve."
"He won't come back, will he?" asked Jack.
"Not for a while, anyway. We have made the fellow nervous, and he will
give us a wide berth for a considerable time."
"Why don't you hit all these people the hardest kind of a blow?" demanded
young Benson.
"I wish I knew how to," sighed Trotter.
"Then spoil them with too much publicity," proposed the submarine
captain. "Let the whole country know all about them and their records,
and just how they look."
"If I could! But how am I to do it?"
"Why, there's a writer here at Spruce Beach," Jack continued; "a man
named Hennessy. Let him write all the facts of this whole story, or
such of the facts as you want made public. Let Hennessy have the
photographs of this spy crew. He can print the yarn in his newspaper
and in some magazine, and can use all the photos. Then these people
will find themselves so well known that about all of them value as spies
will be gone."
"By Jove, but that's a clear-headed idea," muttered Trotter, rising from
his chair. "It will do the trick, too. Where is this man, Hennessy?"
"Stopping at the Clayton, sir."
"Packwood, will you go over and get that reporter?" asked Mr. Trotter,
turning to his associate.
In the next minute Jack was telling Trotter of the fire-incident and the
envelope that Mlle. Nadiboff had given him. By the time the submarine
boy had finished his recital Jacob Farnum hurried in.
"That stuff," he reported, "is morphine sulphate, and the druggist says
there was enough of it to take you clear out of this world and into the
next."
"Hm! That Nadiboff woman!" muttered Trotter. "She has been as dangerous
as any of them, and yet it is hard to be rough with her after her one
act of gratitude to you, Benson. I could see that she went north on
the train, of course, but she'd be liable to suspicion and punishment
by some of the members of the gang of that infernal Gaston. He has yet
other men, I suspect, who may be watching the trains further on, and
Mlle. Nadiboff, after saving you, Benson, from their latest death trap,
might run right into their vengeance. She ought to be gotten away from
here by some other means."
"She can be--by ship," hinted Jack, quietly.
"Let me see," mused Trotter. "Yes; that can be done, if you want to
take some trouble. At about eleven to-night the Savannah freight
steamer, bound for Havana, will pass by about a dozen miles out. You
could pick her up by watching for her searchlight. Do you feel like
sending Nadiboff to Cuba, in that fashion?"
"If it suits her, we'll do it," Jack replied quickly enough.
"It may be very bad for her if it doesn't suit her," replied Trotter,
grimly. "Well, hurry along and see if you can do it. Drummond and
Miss Peddensen are going north to-night, also."
As the submarine party left the house they met Packwood and Hennessy
coming along.
"I think you'll get as good a news story as you can want to-night," said
Jack to the reporter. "You remember, Mr. Farnum promised you one before
the tip was given to any other reporter."
Hennessy expressed his, thanks warmly, and the quartette hastened on to
the hotel. Captain Jack had little difficulty in seeing Mlle. Nadiboff
in the parlor. When he explained to her the plan, she gladly accepted.
"You will not believe me, my Captain," she smiled, wearily, "but I am
wholly through with spying. I shall never again disgrace my womanhood
in that way."
Owing to the fire Mlle. Nadiboff was not burdened with baggage. She
carried her evening dress in a new dress suit case bought by Hal at one
of the stores. In going away she wore a plain gray dress and dark
brown jacket purchased from one of the maids at the hotel. Mlle.
Nadiboff's jewelry and money, with which she was well supplied, had been
in the hotel safe, so that she left with the means of pursuing her
journey in comfort.
"It is a whim of mine, my Captain," cried the Russian, gayly, as they
left the hotel, "but will you give me your arm down to the shore?"
"Gladly," Jack agreed.
They took a shore boat and went out to the "Benson." While Captain
Jack helped the pretty visitor aboard Hal hastened below to bring her
up a chair.
"You have your wish, at last, Mademoiselle, to visit this craft," Jack
laughed, then added, gravely: "I am sorry, indeed, that I cannot invite
you below."
"I have lost my desire to see the interior of the boat," she replied,
with equal gravity.
A start was made in plenty of time. Gayly the "Benson" bounded out over
the waves, as though even that grim little steel craft of war could
appreciate the fact that its dangers were over.
In time Captain Jack picked up the Havana bound freighter by the rays of
her searchlight, and moved on out to intercept her. He signaled that
he had a passenger to put aboard. The steamship lay to, lowering a
side gangway, and the "Benson" ran neatly in. The transfer was made.
Just as she was helped over the side Mlle. Nadiboff placed her hand in
Jack's.
"Good-bye, my Captain," she said, sadly.
"Good-bye, Mademoiselle," answered the submarine boy. "And remember that
you are done with the spies."
"Forever! Again, good-bye, my Captain."
As both craft moved off on their respective courses Captain Benson saw a
little white handkerchief fluttering at the freighter's stern rail. As
long as it could be visible over the waters that handkerchief fluttered.
"I guess the little Russian must have tied her handkerchief there,"
observed Eph, dryly, and Captain Jack smiled; while Jacob Farnum turned
to whisper to the inventor:
"Dave, our youthful captain has the greatest respect in the world for
a woman, but he'll never be made a fool of by one of the wrong kind."
Henceforth, as long as she remained at Spruce Beach, the submarine
craft was wholly unmolested and avoided by spies. Gaston, who turned
out to be the real leader of one party, instead of M. Lemaire, was
sentenced to prison for assault. Leroux and his Greek accomplice
confessed to the attempt to explode the mine under the "Benson," and
were sent to the penitentiary. There, also, journeyed M. Lemaire,
for a long term, on account of his all but successful shot at Jack
Benson.
With the exception of those sent to prison none of the spies have as
yet been heard from.
For a considerable time the "Benson" remained at, or near, Spruce Beach.
Hennessy's articles attracted great attention to the craft. The Navy
people were charmed by the new capabilities shown by this latest of the
Pollard submarine boats.
Later the submarine boys were destined to turn their attention to new
and thrilling work with submarine craft And now came most stirring
times that put their grit, intelligence and resource to the hardest
kind of tests.
These newest happenings will be related in full in the next volume
of this series, which will appear under the title: "_The Submarine
Boys' Lightning Cruise; Or, The Young Kings of the Deep._" The reader
of this new volume will find a rare treat in store for him!