The sound of the grating bolt and the sense that he was a captive, even though in a sense a voluntary one, made Ned see "red" for an instant.
"So they couldn't even trust to my word!" he muttered angrily to himself; and then, "All this precaution shows that there is something very out of the ordinary going forward. Something, too, that unless I miss my guess is in the line of my commission to find out. Gee3 whiz, I'd give a lot to know right now what is at the bottom of all this how-d'ye-do!"
[Pg 215]
Ned cast himself down on a transom. For a time silence reigned4 on deck. Then he became aware of a trampling5 of feet above him and the sound of hoarse6 voices hailing.
"Somebody coming alongside," surmised7 Ned, with ready apprehension8 of what was going forward. "It must be dark by this time. Clearly whatever their business is, it is such that does not bear the light of day for its transaction."
The noise on deck continued. Ned scrutinized9 his place of captivity10 for some means of seeing without its confines. But except for the scuttle11 which had been secured, the cabin was without openings. No port-holes or air vents12 were visible.
"If only I could see out," he muttered, "that would help some."
Then came more voices outside. Above them sounded sharp, authoritative13 tones.
"By the great bow gun, whoever is giving orders out there is a man-o'-war's-man!" exclaimed[Pg 216] the Dreadnought Boy. "Something is in the wind in connection with the Blue fleet beyond a doubt. By hookey, I may be on the verge14 of making some discovery which will be invaluable15 to our side."
He listened greedily now. His trained ears had not deceived him. It was a man-o'-war "steamer" that had glided16 up to Captain Briggs' down-at-heel craft. She now lay alongside, while her crew of Jackies hustled17 up upon the schooner18's dirty decks and their leader, a petty officer, greeted Captain Briggs.
"We'll get to work just as soon as you're ready," grunted19 Captain Briggs to this individual, who had introduced himself as Gunner's Mate Steffens of the destroyer Truxton.
Presently, to Ned in the cabin below, came the sounds of hurrying action on deck. He heard the blows of hammers as the battens were ripped off hatchways and the cargo20 of the[Pg 217] schooner, whatever it was, lay ready for the broachers.
There was a partition forward in the cabin, and Ned guessed that beyond it must lie the hold with its mysterious contents. He stationed himself against the bulkhead awaiting developments.
While he stood there listening to the creaking of blocks and tackles, as apparatus21 for transferring the cargo of the schooner to the "steamer" was in process of rigging, his eye was caught by a sudden gleam of light.
The cabin was dark, so he the more easily saw the long, thin slice of radiance that he was not long in finding out leaked through a longitudinal crack in the bulkhead, which was of the flimsiest construction.
Clearly enough, the hold was illuminated22 by the cargo broachers and this light filtered through from it. Ned lost no time in applying an eye to the crack thus luckily revealed.
[Pg 218]
He stood at gaze for a moment or two, his optic riveted23 to the crack. Then he started back with an exclamation24.
"Great ginger25! Talk about luck! Why, this is the very thing the commander was anxious to find out about. I heard him talking it over with some of the officers. He mentioned it, too, in my instructions."
Ned applied26 himself afresh to the crack. He might have been carved out of stone, so motionless did he stand there.
In the hold beyond, all was confusion, shouts, trampling feet and activity.
One after another big boxes and bales were hoisted27 out to be lowered into the waiting steamer. Through his crack Ned overheard enough to show him that the cargo was being transferred as fast as was possible under cover of the night.
As soon as she was filled to her capacity, the steamer scurried28 off and then returned again for[Pg 219] a fresh cargo. From the brevity of these intervals29 of absence, Ned was able to argue that wherever the mysterious cargo was being taken, that place at least was not very far off.
More than likely it was some spot along the lonesome shore. In fact, Ned now recalled that below the skeleton-like semaphore he had noticed the decaying remnants of what had plainly enough once been a dock. If it was desired to land the schooner's cargo in secret, what more likely spot would offer for the disposal of it than this abandoned dock on a desolate30 shore?
Ned had seen enough of what was going forward in the hold and overheard enough, too, to convince him of the nature of the cargo that was being landed.
By a stroke of fortune that seemed almost miraculous31, he had, or he was very much mistaken, stumbled upon the headquarters of the Aero division of the Blue fleet.
The cargo of the schooner consisted of supplies[Pg 220] brought from the government station at Newport for the "Flying Squadron." There is hardly a boy in the land who does not know of the tremendous importance attached by modern governments to the aeroplane, or the hydro-aeroplane, as an adjunct to a battle fleet in time of war.
Readers of "The Dreadnought Boys on Aero Service" are aware that Ned was proficient32 enough in this branch of the service to realize at once the importance of the discovery he had made. He knew, too, that according to reports, the Blue fleet's main attack was to be made by war-aeroplanes. It was ignorance of the number and location of these flying harpies of the air that had caused the authorities of the Red fleet much anxiety. To be "technically33 dynamited34" by a squadron of aeroplanes would result in almost certain defeat.
Small wonder was it then that Ned's heart leaped in elation35 as he realized that he had stumbled[Pg 221] by sheer good luck upon the information wanted. But mingled36 with his delight came a sobering reflection.
He might have located the Blue's Aero fleet; but he was hardly in a position to put his knowledge to much practical use.
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1
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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3
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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4
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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6
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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7
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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8
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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9
scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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11
scuttle
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| v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗 | |
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12
vents
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| （气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩 | |
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13
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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14
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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16
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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17
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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20
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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23
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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25
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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26
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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27
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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30
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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31
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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33
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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34
dynamited
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| v.（尤指用于采矿的）甘油炸药( dynamite的过去式和过去分词 )；会引起轰动的人[事物] | |
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35
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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36
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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