JUDAS CO. INTRODUCE THEMSELVES:
Groton Bay, as every student of geography knows, is a nearly landlocked,
well sheltered body of water, some seven miles long and three wide. At
the mouth of the Groton river stands Colfax, a city of more than thirty
thousand inhabitants.
This was about all that the submarine boys knew of their destination,
until they arrived in the bay on the afternoon of the day after they
left, Dunhaven.
Their run down had been a continuous one. Jack had had Biffens to
relieve him at the wheel, while Mr. Farnum had helped Hal in the engine
room. Besides, Besides, Lieutenant Danvers had stood a few tricks at
the wheel.
While Jack came in the "Benson," which carried the two remaining loaded
torpedoes, Eph had handled the "Hastings," with Ewald as relief.
Williamson had handled the engines of the latter boat. David Pollard
standing relief engine room watch.
The work had been hard and confining. It was a relief to all hands when
they found themselves heading into Groton Bay.
Not far from the city water front lay two United States gunboats, the
"Chelsea" and the "Oakland." Near the gunboats a fleet of seven other
submarine craft lay at moorings.
"We're not the only crowd, then," mused Jacob Farnum, "that has seen fit
to enter more than one boat. I shall have to get busy in the hunt for
information."
"I'm not much worried about the triumph of the Pollard boats over
competitors," declared Danvers, generously. "And, if anything can win
for you, Mr. Farnum, it's the having of such enthusiasts as your
submarine boys to handle your boats in the official tests."
"Oh, I can depend upon my boys," replied Jacob Farnum, quickly. "I know
all about them."
Yet, as the shipbuilder gazed from the conning tower at the rival
submarines actual drops of cold sweat oozed out on his forehead.
Success meant so much to this shipbuilder, who had all his capital, to
the last penny, invested in this submarine game.
"The worst of it is, we've got to keep on the lookout for dirty tricks!"
groaned the shipbuilder, to himself. "We are willing to play fair to
the last gasp. No doubt some of the other competing submarine builders
feel the same way about it. Yet, with so many rivals in the field,
there are sure to be one or two rascally fellows who won't consider
any trick too low to give them an advantage."
Though Mr. Farnum had no particular rival, or rivals, in mind, his fears,
as was afterwards proven, were only too well founded.
"Take the wheel, please, Mr. Farnum," Jack, begged. He ran down the
steps to call:
"On deck, Biffens!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" replied the sailor, scrambling to obey.
Jack was out on the platform deck, megaphone in hand, by the time that
his employer ran up rather close to the "Chelsea."
"Will you direct us to our moorings, sir?" Jack shouted to the watch
officer aboard the gunboat.
"Proceed slowly east. Our launch will follow and show you your
moorings," came the reply. Then the launch glided around the stern of
the gunboat, leading the way.
Ten minutes later the "Benson" and the "Hastings" were moored, at the
extreme eastern end of the line of submarine craft.
Then Hal, mopping his face from the engine room heat, came up on deck
for a breath of air.
"I don't suppose we can get ashore," murmured young Hastings, gazing
wistfully at the city beyond.
"No," muttered Jack, shaking his head. "We're short-handed as it is,
and we've got to be on hand to watch these boats. There are too many
of the enemy about, in the shape of rival builders and their employees,
and among them there may be some mean tricksters who'd do anything in
their power to put the Pollard boats out of the running in the tests
to come. No; I reckon we won't see much of the shore, except from
our decks, though it is mighty cramped and confining on one of these
small craft."
Hal took a couple of turns up and down the deck. No one, until he has
tried it, can realize how cramped such small craft are when one has to
remain any length of time aboard.
Suddenly Hal paused, pointing landward.
"Great Scott!" he gasped. "Look who's here!"
A roomy whaleboat was approaching them. In it, as passengers, sat
Grant Andrews, foreman, and five workmen from the home yard.
"What can have happened?" wondered Captain Jack, as he and his chum
waved their hands in greeting; then stood staring.
"Surprised, eh, lads?" laughingly demanded Jacob Farnum, who had stolen
up behind them.
"Yes; what's wrong?" asked Jack.
"Nothing," replied the shipbuilder.
"Then what are Andrews and the other men doing here?"
"Do you notice," hinted Mr. Farnum, "that the men with Andrews are all
picked from among our older, trusted shipyard men."
"Yes, sir. That's true."
"Well, in the first place," pursued Farnum, "if any sudden repairs,
fixings or other work are required in a hurry, while we're here, we
have a fine lot of our own men to attend to it. Before leaving I told
Grant to bring these men with him. Then they'll serve another purpose.
I want you youngsters to be keyed up to your best performances all the
time we're here. That you can't do if you're kept confined closely
aboard until your very souls ache. So, as much of the time as is
wise, you young fellows will be ashore, stretching your legs, and Grant
Andrews and his men will be on board as guards."
"That's great!" glowed Jack. "And mighty considerate of you, too, sir."
"Considerate? Not a bit of it!" retorted Jacob Farnum, half indignantly.
"Jack Benson, I want to drain the last bit of performance out of you
youngsters that I possibly can while we're here. That's why I am going
to take some good care of you, also. Right this way, Grant!"
The hail was directed at the foreman. The whaleboat put in alongside
of the "Benson," and the foreman with two of his men came aboard.
"And now, everyone else over the side to go ashore!" called the
shipbuilder.
This order was quickly obeyed. Then the whaleboat continued on over to
the "Hastings," where Eph and his companions were taken off and the
remaining three workmen from the home yard left aboard as guards.
Mr. Farnum had already ascertained that the naval board which was to be
in charge of the tests was quartered at the leading hotel on shore.
Hence, in landing, the shipbuilder was really killing two birds with a
single stone, as he intended to report at once to the head of the
board for whatever instructions the latter had to give.
"We may as well go up, to the hotel in style," announced Mr. Farnum,
when the entire party, the naval lieutenant included, had landed at the
wharf. The two sailors, Ewald and Biffens, had already gone away to
places of their own choosing.
There were three or four automobiles for hire near the wharf. Two of
these Mr. Farnum engaged for his own party. In five minutes more they
stood about in the handsome lobby of the Somerset House while their host
registered for the party.
Jack, Hal and Eph stood at ease, some distance from the men of the party.
Despite their easy attitudes there was yet a certain military erectness
about them which was heightened by the handsome, natty uniforms that
they wore.
At the further end of the hotel lobby was a doorway before which stood
a folding screen. Past that was a clump of potted palms.
Behind the palms stood a man who, once seen, was not likely to be
forgotten. He was not a handsome man. About fifty years of age, he
was unusually stout; and, though his clothing was of expensive texture,
it fitted him badly. On his upper lip was a heavy moustache, now
iron-gray. His face was red, almost bloated. There were heavy pouches
under his eyes that told of many hours of senseless, vicious dissipation.
A small wart on the left side of the man's nose emphasized his lack of
good looks. Though the face was large, the eyes were small, beady, and
often full of cunning. There was some iron-gray hair at each side of
the head; the top was bald.
This man was John C. Rhinds, head of the Rhinds Submarine Company. Three
of the boats now at anchor in Groton Bay were his--or, rather, his
company's, though John Rhinds owned nearly all of the stock in the
company.
So far, Rhinds had not succeeded in selling a submarine craft to the
Navy Department. Twice he had been on the point of a sale, but each
time the government had decided upon a Pollard boat, instead.
John C. Rhinds loved money. He was resolved, at any cost, to make the
government buy several of his boats. And he was utterly unscrupulous.
As he stood behind the palms, looking toward the group of new arrivals,
Rhinds's little eyes seemed to grow smaller. He knew the members of
this party, though none of them as yet knew Rhinds. But the cunning
man had made it his business to find out all about the people whom he
hoped to beat in the coming game.
"Here you are, Radwin!"
Mr. Rhinds almost hissed the summons, calling to his side a man of some
thirty years of age, tall, dark, handsome, slender and wearing his fine
clothes with an air of distinction.
At first glance one would be inclined to like the appearance of Fred
Radwin. A closer study of the somewhat shifty eyes and general reckless
expression might have turned one skilled in human nature against Mr.
Fred Radwin, who was secretary to the Rhinds Company.
"That's the crowd, right over there, that have sold two boats under our
noses to the Navy Department," continued Rhinds, a snarl framing about
his thick, ugly lips. "That's the crowd we've got to beat."
"Then those young chaps must be the three young submarine officers with
such fine records," remarked Fred Radwin, in an undertone.
"They are," nodded Rhinds, slowly. "They're bright youngsters, too. I
wish we had them on our side."
"Couldn't they be lured over into our employ, then?" asked Radwin.
"You don't know the youngsters. They're full of fool notions about
loyalty to the Farnum Pollard crowd. And, besides, the boys have an
interest in the rival company."
"Couldn't we offer the boys a bigger interest with us?" suggested Radwin,
as he peered through the palms at the other submarine group.
"No!" retorted Rhinds, sharply. "I know about that crowd. You don't.
Listen to me."
"I'm listening," said Fred Radwin.
"We've got to make the acquaintance of that whole crowd, Fred. We've
got to get personally acquainted with them all. That will be easy
enough, I think. Then we've got to lay our plans. The Pollard boats
must have no show whatever in the coming tests, do you understand?
Their craft must balk, or behave badly. We must destroy all naval
confidence in Pollard boats. Then we must engineer matters so that
none of that crowd will be fit to find out what ails their boats--in
time, anyway. The easiest point of attack will be the boys themselves.
It is absolutely necessary to get them out of the game some way or
other--I don't care what! Radwin, you're fertile enough in ideas,
and reckless enough in deeds. This is to be your task--put the Pollard
boats and those submarine boys wholly out of the running! First of
all, we'll get acquainted with them. Come along!"
The Farnum party were just turning away, to follow a bell-boy to the
rooms assigned to them upstairs, when John C. Rhinds, his face beaming
craftily, approached them, followed by Radwin. Rhinds introduced
himself to Farnum, then presented Radwin as secretary to the Rhinds
Company.
"We're rivals in a way, of course," declared Mr. Rhinds. "But we want
to be good-natured, friendly rivals, my dear Farnum. We hope to see
a good deal of you all while here."
Jacob Farnum replied with equal cordiality. When it came Jack Benson's
turn to be introduced, Rhinds seized him by the hand, patting his
shoulder.
"Captain Benson?" he repeated. "The brainiest young man in
America--with two chums who run him a close race. We must all dine
together to-night," purred this Judas of the submarine boat world.