The Boy Scouts for Uncle Sam. Goldfrap John Henry
said no more than they deserved, Dan," observed Lieutenant Duvall.
"So I should imagine from what you told me about the part they played in the matter of the biplane and the tunnelled house," responded the young officer. "I came to you for another reason, also," he went on reverting to the subject in hand; "I have heard that as well as being land scouts you are thoroughly at home on the water."
"Well," said Rob, "we've all of us been brought up here on the south shore. I guess we are all fair sailors and know something about sea-scouting as well as the land variety."
"It is mainly for that reason that I came to you," rejoined the naval officer. "For the mission which I am desirous to have you undertake a knowledge of sea conditions is essential."
"Gee! He's a long time coming to the point," mumbled Tubby impatiently.
"Have any of you boys ever heard of the 'Peacemaker submarine'?"
"So called because the nation possessing it would be so formidable as to insure naval peace with other countries?" exclaimed Rob quickly. "Yes, sir, I've heard of it."
"What has reached your ears about it?"
"Why, a week ago the papers said that a submarine of that type had been sold to Russia and shipped for that country from the factory of the inventor at Bridgeport, Connecticut," said Rob, with growing wonder as to what all this could be leading.
"Correct. But that submarine never reached Russia!"
"Did the ship that was carrying it sink?" asked Tubby innocently.
"No," smiled the ensign, amused at the fat boy's goggling eyes and intent expression; "the Long Island, the freighter conveying it, did not sink. Instead, it hung about the coast, and then, under cover of fog, slipped into the harbor of Snug Haven on the South Carolina coast. Snug Haven is a small place and a sleepy one. Under the blanket of fog the Long Island slipped in, as I have said. Then the submarine was hoisted overboard by means of a derrick, and under her own power run to anchorage off a small island not far from Snug Haven. The captain and crew of the Long Island were sworn to secrecy, and so far as we know not a soul, but those directly interested, is aware of the present location of the Peacemaker."
"But why, if the submarine was sold to Russia, was she not sent there?" inquired the mystified Rob.
"For the excellent reason that she was not sold to Russia at all," was the naval officer's rejoinder; "that was simply announced for the benefit of inquisitive newspapers who have been trying for a long time to get at the details of the 'Peacemaker submarine.' But it is not alone the newspapers we have had trouble with. Foreign spies, anxious to secure the Peacemaker for their governments, have harassed us at Bridgeport ever since the keel plates were laid."
"Then the United States has bought the submarine?" asked Merritt Crawford.
"Not yet. But the construction and principles of it are so efficient that Uncle Sam wishes to have first call on the craft."
"And you are going to test it at this lonely island in South Carolina?" cried Rob, guessing the truth.
"Perfectly right, my boy," was the response. "Off that little-frequented coast, beset with islands and shoals, we hope to carry out our tests unobserved. At Bridgeport this would have been an impossibility, and for that reason the story of the sale to Russia was concocted. Russia, I may add, was about the only country not represented by spy service at Bridgeport."
"And you say that nobody but the officials directly connected with the craft has any knowledge of its whereabouts?" asked Rob with deep interest.
"As far as it is humanly possible to be certain, such is our positive belief."
"But where do we fit into all this?" sputtered Tubby, acutely coming to the main point.
"I am coming to that," was the response. "From what I have told you, you will have gathered that no ordinary class of watchmen could be trusted to keep quiet about what is to go forward on the island. Yet it is necessary to have sentries of some sort to keep constant watch that no one approaches unexpectedly. For that purpose we have adopted various mechanical precautions, such as submarine detector bells, etc. But our main reliance must be on human intelligence."
"I see," said Rob, nodding. The object of the officer's visit was beginning to dawn on him.
"To come straight to the point," went on the officer, "how would you boys like to take a camping trip to the South Carolina coast on Uncle Sam's service?"
"You mean to act as guards to the submarine?" almost shouted Rob.
"Just that," responded the officer. "I have – "
But a roar of cheers drowned any further remarks he might have had to make.
"I knew it would happen," cried Merritt when the riot had, in a measure, subsided.
"What?" demanded Tubby.
"Action!" responded Merritt briefly.
The hubbub grew tumultuous. All the Eagles were trying to talk at once. The wonderful prospect opened up before them of fresh adventures fairly set them wild.
At last, above the turmoil, Ensign Hargreaves managed to make his voice heard.
"Boys! Boys!" he exclaimed, "one minute till I outline the plans."
A respectful silence at once ensued in which each Scout was prompt to join.
"Of course, it will be necessary for you to obtain written consent of your parents," spoke the naval officer.
At this some of the faces in the room fell several degrees.
"The government will absolutely require such authority," he continued. "The service on Barren Island, as it is called, while not necessarily hazardous, may prove dangerous, and each boy's parents must be so informed."
"We'll get plenty to eat, I suppose?" inquired Tubby anxiously.
"Why, of course," laughed the officer; "moreover, I forgot to inform you that there is a wireless plant on the Island, and other conveniences unusual in so remote a situation."
"Well, so long as the grub holds out, I'm satisfied," muttered Tubby in a contented tone.
"How soon will we start, supposing our parents allow us to go?" asked Rob, as soon as the laughter over Tubby's remark had subsided.
"At the end of this week if possible. Mr. Danbury Barr, the inventor of the Peacemaker, will meet us in New York. We shall voyage south on the U. S. Derelict Destroyer Seneca."
"Derelict Destroyer," repeated Rob. "Those are the craft that Uncle Sam sends out to destroy drifting wrecks that might prove a menace to navigation, aren't they?"
"Correct, my boy," rejoined the officer. "Our reason for making the voyage on the Seneca," he continued, "is that no regular passenger steamer makes a stop near Barren Island. Furthermore, if we went down on a naval vessel some of these sharp reporters would be sure to make inquiries, with the result that our retreat might be discovered."
"And that would be a serious matter?" put in Rob.
"Yes, very serious. Several nations are on the qui vive to discover just what the Barr Peacemaker is. They have sent shrewd, cunning men, versed in the art of espionage, to this country on that mission. These men will stick at nothing to ferret out the secret if they can. Mr. Barr has been approached with all sorts of offers. But he is a staunch American to the backbone, as you will discover when you meet him. If anyone is to have the Peacemaker it is to be Uncle Sam, first, foremost and all the time."
"Kree-e-ee-ee!" shrilled the Boy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol in unison.
The sharp, screaming note of the Eagle was still resounding when Merritt uttered a startled cry, and pointed to the open transom above the door. The others were still staring at him when he darted toward it and flung the portal open. The passage beyond was empty, and the boy turned to his companions with a puzzled look on his face.
"What's up, Merritt?" asked Rob.
"Seeing spooks?" inquired Tubby.
"Seeing nothing,"