ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FORCED DOOR
It was nearly dark, on the day following, when the submarine flotilla
made its way up Groton Bay.
As soon as the craft was at its moorings the "Hastings" was immediately
lighter by the going of one passenger.
Jacob Farnum went post-haste to the hospital, to inquire after David
Pollard's condition.
The inventor was in a good deal of pain, yet cheerful. The surgeons
reported that his broken bones were healing slowly.
The chauffeur, too, was coming along as well as was possible, though he
had been much worse hurt than had the inventor.
Grant Andrews and his workmen were aboard the "Benson." Half of the
party was now prepared to come aboard the "Hastings" whenever called.
"Going ashore, Jack?" inquired Eph Somers.
"Not before Mr. Farnum returns. Nor do I believe any of us had better
go ashore, without his express permission, old fellow," Benson replied.
Three gentlemen who did go ashore almost immediately after arrival were
the members of the naval board.
Soon after, an order came for the removal of all torpedoes from the
Rhinds boats. After that the corporal's guard was relieved from duty
aboard the "Thor."
"And thus ends that chapter of the story, I reckon," grimly ventured
Jack, when he saw the gunboat's cutter convey the corporal's guard away
from the Rhinds submarine.
Jacob Farnum came back in the early evening. Lieutenant Danvers was
ashore, which left only the regular crew of the "Hastings" on board.
Grant Andrews and his men mounted guard over the two Pollard boats
through the night, which left the captain and crew free to sleep--which
they did with a royal good will.
No orders came over from the naval board, which fact made it look as
though no new tests would be required immediately.
The next forenoon, at about ten o'clock, Eph discovered that the Seawold
boat was leaving her moorings. Young Somers watched that lesser rival
start down the bay before he dropped below to report the fact to Benson.
"What can it mean?" wondered the young captain, going hastily on deck.
"Is the Seawold craft going into some test that we're not asked to
meet?"
"If so," ventured Hal Hastings, "why isn't one of the gunboats putting
out to sea with her."
"Here's Lieutenant Danvers coming off shore," announced Somers. "Perhaps
he'll have some news."
Danvers boarded the "Hastings," but the shore boat waited alongside.
"I'm not going to stay. Just dropped alongside for a moment," explained
Danvers.
"I thought maybe you were coming on board so that we could go out on
some test," suggested Captain Jack.
"There are to be no tests to-day," replied Danvers.
"Then what's that craft of the Seawold Company doing down the bay by
herself?" Benson inquired.
"By Jove, she's going to have company, too," declared Eph. "There
goes the Blackson boat out."
"And, probably, you'll soon see the Griffith and Day craft get under
way," smiled Lieutenant Danvers.
"What does it mean?" insisted Captain Jack.
"That's the news," replied the naval officer.
Jack waited, somewhat open-mouthed.
"The fact is," continued Lieutenant Danvers, "such tests as we have
already had have been sufficient to eliminate four of the six contestants
for the favor of the Navy Department. This morning Captain Magowan, as
president of the board, received a telegram from the Navy Department to
the effect that four of the submarine types had been outclassed. The
contest now lies between the Rhinds and the Pollard boats."
"We've beaten the Rhinds boats, too," muttered Jack.
"Yes; though not by such large margins as to rule the Rhinds boats out
of all consideration," replied Lieutenant Danvers.
"So the Rhinds boat is to be our rival in future tests--our only rival?"
cried Jack, eagerly.
"Yes, and--not speaking as an official, Mr. Benson--I very much
incline to the belief that you can go on beating any one of the three
Rhinds submarines with either of the pair that you have here. But the
point is that the national government may prefer to have two types of
boats. It begins to look, as far as indications can point, as though
the Secretary of the Navy has some idea of ordering some Pollard boats
for the Navy, and also some Rhinds boats."
"I wonder if the Secretary of the Navy has heard anything about the
nasty way in which the Rhinds outfit tried to sink us at sea day before
yesterday?" muttered Captain Jack, half savagely.
"I imagine some word of the kind has gone on to the Navy Department,"
replied Danvers, "I really don't know though."
"That nasty trick ought to be enough to bar the Rhinds boats," grumbled
Captain Benson.
"But, you see, my dear fellow, there's just one trouble," answered the
naval officer. "Think whatever you may please about the guilt of Rhinds,
or of Radwin, or some one under them, but where's the proof. On search
the 'Thor' was found to have the full number of torpedoes issued to her.
Now, government departments must be guided by evidence."
"Humph!" sighed Jack. "As things have turned out, I'd sooner beat the
Rhinds crowd than all the other submarine crowds together."
"I hope you do," rejoined the Lieutenant. "However, my belief is that
the government will order some of your company's boats, and some of the
Rhinds craft. About the only question, really, is who gets the larger
order--and how much larger."
Jacob Farnum had come from his stateroom, and had listened to this talk
in silence.
"How do you feel about it, Mr. Farnum?" asked the naval officer.
"I shall have to be satisfied with whatever share of the business my
company can secure, of course," replied the shipbuilder. "Yet we know,
and so does everyone, that we have proved the Pollard type of boat to be
better than its nearest rival."
"Well, success to you all, and the largest measure of it possible!"
wished Lieutenant Danvers, rising and shaking hands warmly all around.
"For my part, I'd like to see you get orders, at once, for fifty
boats, leaving all your rivals out in the cold. And now I must go
on over to the 'Oakland.'"
Messrs. Rhinds and Radwin were on shore, at the hotel, but they had
received word of the departure of four of the rival boats, and knew the
reason for that departure.
"This," cried John Rhinds, getting up and pacing the room, while he
smoked fast, "is the stage at which the game gets on my nerves!"
"Yes," agreed Radwin, though he spoke rather lazily. "It's fine to have
only one rival left in the field, but it's discouraging to know that
we're number two, and that the other fellow holds number one rank.
Rhinds, I wonder if we can really get an order for any of our boats from
the government. I hope that we can, at least, get rid of the three that
we have on hand."
"Three?" uttered the president of the Rhinds Submarine Company,
scornfully. "I'm going to sell the government at least a dozen!"
As he spoke, he struck his clenched fists together angrily.
"How?" asked Radwin.
"And, on the strength of having the United States' order for a dozen
boats, I'm certain then, of being able to place orders for two or three
dozen more boats with foreign governments."
"How are you going to place the order for a dozen with the United States
government?" insisted Fred Radwin.
"How? By the very simple method of getting all the Congressmen and
Senators of our state at work. Fred, I have just about all of the
Congressional delegation from our state pestering the Secretary of the
Navy until we get our order. The Congressmen from our own state will
be glad to see me get the business."
"Why?"
"Don't be a simpleton, Radwin! If we have to build a dozen submarines,
we have to hire a lot of workmen, don't we? And I'm always careful to
engage workmen who have votes. Besides, such a volume of business
would turn loose a lot of new capital and wages in our part of the state.
Oh, we can trust our Congressmen, Fred, to get us a big slice of this
submarine business."
"I hope our miss-fire trick, out at sea day before yesterday, won't hurt
our chances any," whispered Fred Radwin, musingly. "Why did you do
that fool thing?" whispered Rhinds, with a dark look at his secretary.
"Why did I fail, you mean?" hissed Radwin. "Oh, don't try to throw any
reproaches at me, now. You were willing enough to help me send that
torpedo over at the 'Hastings.'"
"I can't understand how the torpedo missed," shivered Rhinds.
"Well, you were at the wheel," retorted Radwin in a low undertone. "You
held the nose of the boat true enough, too, I guess, when I let the
torpedo drive. But that infernal Jack Benson was on the watch, and he
saw the thing coming. Of course he stopped his boat and put the
reverse clutch on just in the nick of time. That young Benson always
appears to be in the nick of time!"
"So much so," wavered John Rhinds, "that I'm beginning to feel decidedly
superstitious about that young fellow. He'll land us, yet, in something,
and ruin us."
"No, he won't!" hissed Radwin, sharply. "Benson hasn't landed us yet,
has he? And he's not going to, either! I've one or two rods in pickle
for that forward young scamp, and I'll serve him to a fare-you-well yet!
Rhinds, I may yet find a way that will insure our getting _all_ the
submarine orders!"
"You're ingenious enough, I know, Fred," admitted the older man, in a
worried voice. "I hope you'll win for us. It will be money enough in
your pocket to satisfy even you, Fred. Still, I'm worried by the way
your plans against Benson have already missed fire."
Out in the hallway, at that moment, they heard a voice that made them
both start. The voice was not loud, but it was angry, determined, and
carried well. It was the voice of a man sweeping aside the objections
of a hotel servant.
"Don't tell me they're not in, you idiot!"
"The servant I paid to be on the lookout is trying to steer away some one
that insists on seeing us," whispered Fred Radwin, listening intently.
"Neither of the gentlemen are in, I tell you, sir," replied the hotel
servant, doggedly.
"Get out of the way, fellow! I know the number of their suite of rooms,
and I'm going to it. I don't want to hurt you, fellow, but I'm the
Chief of Police, and I mean to see Mr. Radwin without delay!"
"The Chief of Police!" gasped Radwin, feeling his knees weaken under him.
He and Rhinds stared uneasily at each other.
"You see him first," whispered Fred Radwin. "I've some things in my
pockets that I wouldn't want the chief of police to find. Hold the
police fellow by telling him I'll be right in."
With that Radwin slipped to the door of a connecting room in the suite.
He passed through, closing the door noiselessly and slipping the key in
the lock.
An instant later John Rhinds opened his door out into the hallway.
"Who is it to see us?" he called.
"It's I, Ward, time Chief of Police," replied the caller, stepping into
the room. "You are Mr.--"
"Rhinds."
"I wish to see your Mr. Radwin. I have a message for him."
"Be seated, Chief," urged the rascal. "Mr. Radwin will be here in a
moment."
"Where is Radwin now?" demanded the chief.
"In the next room. He'll be here in a moment."
"Did he go through that door?" asked Chief Ward.
"Yes."
"Then I'll see him at once," replied the official.
He stepped over and tried the knob of the door. Finding the bolt shot,
Chief Ward promptly put his stalwart shoulder to the door. At the
second bump the door yielded. Ward burst into the next room, then on
to the third.
"Why did you trick me, Mr. Rhinds?" called the chief, angrily.
"I? Why--I--"
Radwin was not to be found.
The Chief of Police, angry at being baffled in his search for Radwin,
went away declaring that he would have an order issued for the arrest
of Rhinds as an accessory.