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"Thank heaven you came before it was too late."--Page108]
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THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS ON WAR SWEPT SEAS
BY
CAPTAIN WILBUR LAWTON
AUTHOR OF "THE BOY AVIATORS' SERIES," "THE DREADNOUGHT BOYS' SERIES," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS AND THE LOST LINER," "THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS ON THE PACIFIC"
With Illustrations by
ARTHUR O. SCOTT
NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY, INC. PUBLISHERS
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COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY HURST & COMPANY
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE I THE GOLD SHIP 5 II WAR IS DECLARED! 15 III ON DECK ONCE MORE 23 IV ICEBERGS AHEAD! 32 V A CLOSE SHAVE 38 VI SMOKE ON THE HORIZON 49 VII A SHOT AT THE RUDDER 55 VIII LAND HO! 61 IX A STRANGE QUEST 69 X UNDER OLD GLORY 78 XI THE "HERR PROFESSOR" AGAIN 84 XII THE ARMED CRUISER 90 XIII A MESSAGE IN CODE 96 XIV THE CATTLE SHIP 103 XV JACK'S BRAVE LEAP 113 XVI AWAITING ORDERS 120 XVII WHAT BEFELL IN THE AFTER CABIN 128 XVIII A RASCAL BROUGHT TO BOOK 135 XIX THE "BARLEY RIG" 147 XX THE HIDDEN MINE 154 XXI THE NORTH SEA 160 XXII A NIGHT OF ALARMS 167 XXIII MEETING AN OLD FRIEND 173 XXIV THE SKY SLAYER 179 XXV IN THE GLARE OF THE FLAMES 187 XXVI TWO YOUNG HEROES 194 XXVII "THE GERMANS ARE COMING!" 201 XXVIII FAST TRAVELING 207 XXIX THE UHLANS! 215 XXX "YOU ARE A SPY!" 221 XXXI COURT-MARTIALED 227 XXXII THE LONG NIGHT 233 XXXIII THROUGH BULLET-RACKED AIR 243 XXXIV A FLIGHT OF TERROR 248 XXXV THE BULLY OF THE CLOUDS 254 XXXVI A MYSTERIOUS CAPTURE 260 XXXVII THE MIGHT OF MILITARISM 266 XXXVIII MILITARY CROSS-EXAMINATION 272 XXXIX SHATTERING THE SHACKLES 278 XL OLD GLORY AGAIN 285 XLI WAR IN TIMES OF PEACE 292
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THE OCEAN WIRELESS BOYS ON WAR SWEPT SEAS
CHAPTER I.
THE GOLD SHIP.
The newspapers announced in large type that the _Kronprinzessin Emilie_,the crack flyer of the Bremen-American line, was to carry from theUnited States to Germany the vast sum of $6,000,000 in bullion. On hersailing day the dock, from which she was to start on what destined toprove the most eventful voyage ever made since men first went down tothe sea in ships, was jammed with gaping crowds. They interfered withthe passengers, and employees of the company had to jostle their wayamong them as best they could.
The thought of the vast fortune stowed within the tall, steel sides ofthe liner had attracted them, although what they expected to see of itwas difficult to imagine. But just as a crowd will gather outside aprison where some notorious malefactor is confined, feasting their eyeson its gray walls without hope of seeing the lawbreaker himself, so thethrongs on the _Kronprinzessin Emilie's_ pier indulged their curiosityby staring at the colossal casket that held such an enormous fortune.
Among those who had to win their way through the crowd almost by mainforce, were two tanned, broad-shouldered youths carrying suitcases andhandbags.
"My, what a mob, Jack!" exclaimed one of them, elbowing himself betweena stout man who was gazing fixedly at the vessel's side--and showed nodisposition to move--and an equally corpulent woman whose mouth was wideopen and whose eyes bulged as if she almost expected to see the shipgold-plated instead of black.
"Yes, gold's a great magnet even if it is stowed away inside the specieroom of a steamer," replied Jack Ready. "We ought to feel likemillionaires ourselves, Bill, sailing on such a ship."
"A sort of vacation _de luxe_," laughed Bill Raynor. "What a chance forthe buccaneers of the old days if they could only come to life again.Then there would be real adventure in sailing on the _Kronprinzessin_."
"I guess we've had about all the adventure we want for a time, Bill,"replied Jack, as they finally gained the gang-plank and twowhite-coated, gilt-buttoned stewards grabbed their hand baggage. "ThePacific and New Guinea provided what you might call 'an amplesufficiency' for me in that line."
"We earned this holiday, that's one thing sure," agreed Bill, "and thebest part of it is that the sale of those pearls gave us enough fundsfor a holiday abroad without putting too much of a crimp in our bankaccounts."
He referred to the pearls the boys' native chums in the Pamatou Islandsin the South Pacific had presented them with, after their narrow escapefrom death in the sea-cave and the subsequent wreck on a coral reef,during the memorable Pacific voyage and adventures, which were describedin detail in the volume of this series which immediately preceded thepresent book. This volume was called, "The Ocean Wireless Boys on thePacific."
In the first book of this series, which was called "The Ocean WirelessBoys on the Atlantic," we were introduced to Jack Ready, then the youngwireless operator of the big tank steamer _Ajax_. His chum, Bill Raynor,was a junior engineer of that craft. A strong friendship sprang upbetween the two lads, which their subsequent adventures on that voyagecemented into a lasting affection.
Jack also won the approval of Jacob Jukes, head of the great shippingcombine that owned the _Ajax_ and a vast fleet of craft, both passengerand freight, besides, by his masterly handling of a difficult situationwhen the millionaire shipping-man's yacht burned in mid-Atlantic.
This incident, and others which proved that the young wireless man waslevel-headed and cool, even in the worst emergency, resulted in hisbeing transferred to the passenger service on board the West Indianservice craft, the _Tropic Queen_. The thrilling events that accompaniedthe vessel's last voyage were set forth in the second volume of theOcean Wireless Boys series, entitled, "The Ocean Wireless Boys and theLost Liner."
Still another book related how Jack and his chum took to the seas againon different vess
els, only to be reunited in the strangest manner. "TheOcean Wireless Boys of the Iceberg Patrol," as this was named, toldsomething of the work of the craft detailed by Uncle Sam to the duty ofpatrolling northern seas, sending wireless warnings of icebergs totrans-Atlantic liners--a work of infinite usefulness which, had it beeninstituted earlier, might have averted the loss of the _Titanic_, thegreatest marine disaster in the history of the world. This was followedby an account of the exciting Pacific adventures already referred to.
The boys, and their employer, Mr. Jukes, agreed with them, and felt thatafter their experiences in the South Seas with the millionaire'sexpedition in search of his lost brother, they had earned a holiday; andtheir determination to tour Europe was the outcome.
But even as they stepped on board the "Gold Ship," the machinery of warwas beginning to rumble in Europe, and before many hours had passed, thestorm of well-nigh universal war was destined to begin. Of this, ofcourse, they had no inkling, as they busied themselves in establishingtheir belongings in their main-deck cabin. These preparations had hardlybeen completed when the siren boomed warningly, and a tremor ran throughthe big vessel. As she backed out of her pier, the brass band began toplay and the crowds on the decks, and on the docks, waved wildly,cheered and shouted last messages which, by no possibility, could havebeen heard above the din.
"Well, off at last, Jack," said Raynor, entwining Jack's elbow in hisown as the two leaned, side by side, on the railing, bidding good-bye toNew York's wonderful skyscraper skyline as it slid past. "How does itfeel to be a passenger?"
Jack's eyes sought the lofty wireless aerials swung far above thembetween the two masts.
"It feels mighty odd to think of somebody else sending out the T. R." hesaid slowly, naming the wireless method of saying "Good-bye," onsailing.
"Well, I never saw such a fellow!" exclaimed Raynor. "For goodness' sakeforget your everlasting coherers and keys and converters and the rest ofthem and enjoy taking life easy. But--hullo!" he broke off, "there'ssomeone we know."
Approaching them was a dapper little man, with a neat black moustacheand dressed in a careful, almost dignified manner.
"Why, it's Raymond de Garros, that French aviator we saved from the seaoff Florida when we were on the old _Tropic Queen_!" exclaimed Jack.
"That's the man. But what in the world is he doing here? I thought hewas in France organizing an aeroplane corps for the army."
"So did I. The newspapers have had several despatches about his work.But we shall soon find out about the reason for his being on board."
A minute later they were warmly shaking hands with the little Frenchman,who, with many gesticulations and twirlings of his moustache, assuredthem how glad he was to "greet zee two brave boys zat save my life fromzee sea."
"You're the last person we expected to see," said Jack, when firstgreetings were over. "We didn't even know you were in America."
The little Frenchman shrugged his shoulders and looked about himuneasily. Then he buttonholed the boys confidentially.
"No one know zat I am here but my government," he said in low tones.
"You are on a secret mission of some kind?" asked Jack.
"Can I trust you to keep somethings to yourselves if I tell you what Iam do in Amerique?" asked the aviator.
"Of course, but if you don't wish---- I didn't mean to appearinquisitive," Jack hastened to say.
"Zat is all right, my friend!" exclaimed de Garros. "You save my life. Ishould be ungrateful if I seemed secretive wiz you. I have been inAmerique buying and shipping aeroplanes to France from one of yourmanufacturers."
"But I thought France already had a powerful air fleet," said Bill.
The little aviator's next words were astonishing to the boys, who sharedthe common impression about the French strength in the air.
"Before many days are past we shall need all and more aeroplanes than wehave," he said. "I wish we had twice as many. But I can say no more now.But my advice to you is to watch zee wireless closely. You are goingabroad on pleasure?"
"Yes, we thought we'd earned a vacation," said Jack.
The little Frenchman's rejoinder was a shrug and a smile.
"Your vacation may be what you Americans call a 'strenuous one,'" hesaid meaningly, and with an emphasis the boys could not fathom. "By theway, on board this ship I am Jules Campion. There are reasons for myreal name being unknown for the present. _Au revoir_, I go to arrange myluggage. We shall meet again."
And he was gone, leaving the boys to exchange puzzled glances.
CHAPTER II.
WAR IS DECLARED!
"Vell, Yack Retty, you yust like to hang aroundt undt see me vurk,hein?"
Hans Poffer, the yellow-haired, red-cheeked wireless operator of the_Kronprinzessin Emilie_ asked the question, on the afternoon of thethird day out. Jack had discovered in young Poffer an acquaintance hehad made in Antwerp when he was on board the _Ajax_, and had renewed thefriendship, to Poffer's great delight, for the German wireless man hadhad trouble with his instruments the first day out which Jack hadadjusted for him.
Since that time Jack, to Bill Raynor's amusement, had spent most of histime in the wireless room enjoying, as Poffer put it, "watching mework." But there was another reason beside his deep-seated interest ineverything appertaining to his profession that made Jack haunt the_Kronprinzessin's_ wireless coop. De Garros, with whom he had hadseveral conversations since their meeting on board, had repeatedly toldhim to be on the lookout for something "that would before long come overthe wires." Once, in discussing the boys' plans for amusing themselvesin Europe, the aviator had said meaningly, "if you ever get there." Butwhat he meant by these words he had steadfastly refused to explain,telling Jack that he would find out in good time.
"Me, if I gedt idt a holliday," said Poffer, after greeting Jack a daylater, "I go by as far avay from der vireless as I couldt gedt idt. Igedt sick undt tired hearing idt all day 'tick-tick' undt sending idtall day der same 'tick-tick' alretty. Donner! I'm hungry again. Holdtidt mein key a minute vile I gedt idt mineself a bite."
The stout German slipped his wireless "ears" from his head and extendedthem to Jack, who, good-naturedly, took them. Then he made off for hiscabin where he kept constantly a stock of provisions to satisfy hisappetite between meals.
"Well, I'm a fine chump," smiled Jack, as he slipped into Hans' vacantchair. "No wonder Bill says I'm crazy. Off for a holiday and the firstthing I know I find myself back on the job. Hullo, here's a messagecoming. K. P. E., that's our call. Funny sort of sending, too. Doesn'tsound like a commercial operator."
Jack crackled out a reply.
"This is the _Kronprinzessin Emilie_," he flashed back; "what do youwant?"
"Tell your captain to lie to in his present position till furtherorders," came the reply.
"Well, I like your nerve," flashed back Jack, thinking somebody wastrying to play a wireless joke on him. "Don't you know we are carryingthe European mails from New York? You stick around where you are and wemay bump into you on the way back again."
"Never mind about that. Obey orders at once," came back bruskly.
"Say, never mind that comedy," implored Jack. "I'm busy. Ring off."
"No trifling there, young man," was flashed back. "This is the Britishcruiser _Essex_. We want to overhaul you."
"But you can't stop a mail steamer."
"In this case we can. War has been declared by England upon Germany andAustria. Lay to or it will be the worse for you."
A step sounded behind Jack. He turned quickly, thinking it was someonewho wanted to send a message, in which case he was anxious to "cut out"the man he thought was playing a senseless joke on him. The newcomer wasde Garros.
"Ah, sitting at zee wire, eh? I suppose our always hungry Teutonicfriend iz taking ze light lunch somewhere. Ah, any news? I saw youworking ze key as I came in."
"No news since I came on," said Jack, carelessly. "I was just trying toconvince some deep
sea joker that he couldn't fool me."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, somebody just flashed a message to the ship that they were theBritish cruiser _Essex_ and that war had been declared between Englandand Germany and----"
He got no further. De Garros's hands flew out and seized his shoulders.
"Zat was no joke, _mon ami_," he exclaimed; "it was zee truth."
"The truth? How do you know?" asked the naturally astonished Jack.
"It has been in zee air for months in diplomatic circles. I thought zeedeclaration would have come before this. It was for that that I was inAmerique buying aeroplanes."
"What, is France in this, too?" demanded the astonished Jack.
"Yes, and Russia also. Russia declared war two days ago. Then cameFrance, zee second member of zee Triple Entente, as zee is called, andnow, as was expected, comes England to help against the Germanbarbarians."
"But how did you know all this?" demanded Jack. "There was nothing inthe papers when we left New York, but something about a row betweenAustria and Servia."
"Which caused all the trouble," came the reply; "or, rather, zee matchto zee powder. But zee ask me how I know zee declaration of war ofRussia and France. I am not the only man on zee ship zat does. CaptainRollok, he knows, zee officers know, like me zey have been gettingwireless messages in code. Zey have been warned to look out for Englishcruisers in case England joined France and Russia. Zis Gerrman ship withsix million dollars in gold on board would be a fine prize for GreatBritain. My friend, before many hours have passed, you are going to havesome excitement."
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