Boy Scouts in the North Sea Part 33

With an accusing finger pointing at the disfigurement, Jimmie snapped out in crisp accents that indicated plainly his excitement:

"That's the same hand that tied and gagged me in the warehouse in Amsterdam, and the same hand that I saw shoved into the window of the frontier hut to get the 'U-13' package. Deny it if you can!"

"I am not going to deny anything, you know!" returned the other coolly.

"You seem so positive about it there's little use denying!"

"You bet there's no use denying anything like that!" declared Jimmie with some heat. "You can't deny that you tried to sic the German torpedo boat destroyer onto us, either. You can't deny that you sneaked away from this very submarine when I was painting the name on the bow. You'd better not try to deny that you showed us to the British gunboat a while ago and got them to fire at us. If you start denying anything," the boy went on, "I'm going to deny that I'm neutral!"

With a laugh the newcomer threw back his head in amused fashion.

"Have your own way about it, you know," he replied, "but I'm going to tell you one thing. I'm not Mackinder!"

CHAPTER XX

A MYSTERIOUS CRAFT

The surprise of the lads at this declaration of their visitor was profound. They stared at the stranger who bore such a striking resemblance to Mackinder and who had just declared that he was not that person. Speechless at the apparent untruth, they could only stare.

Seeing their looks of astonishment at his declaration, the man laughed loudly, apparently enjoying hugely the joke that the boys could not see.

Supporting himself against the rail, he gave vent to peals of merriment at the expense of the five young lads.

"So you don't believe me, eh?" he inquired at length, controlling himself with an effort. "I can't blame you, don't you know!"

"Say, Mackinder, you ought to be in vaudeville!" declared Jimmie in reply. "For a lightning change artist, you're decidedly it!"

"Thank you!" acknowledged Mackinder, choosing to accept the boy's words as a compliment. "You're almost too kind, don't you know!"

"And then," the boy went on, "as a monologue artist, you'd certainly have them all backed off the boards. I know a place in New York where you could draw down your two fifty per without half trying!"

"An engagement, do you mean?" queried the man, with interest.

"Just that!" stated Jimmie. "And then, there's another place up the Hudson a ways where you ought to be making little ones out of big ones.

They give a fellow a long engagement there and supply costumes!"

"All of which means that you're spoofing me a bit, don't you know!"

returned their visitor without resentment. He was apparently enjoying the situation hugely, and meant to make the most of it.

Seeing that his words failed to arouse or draw out the other, Jimmie turned disgustedly away to lean over the rail.

Ned began to question their guest, but was interrupted by Jimmie, who announced that he saw a steamer's smoke on the horizon.

"This water is quite thickly sprinkled with vessels of all sorts," said the alleged Mackinder. "Perhaps we'd better get out, you know!"

"What do you make that vessel out to be?" asked Ned.

"It doesn't make any difference what it is," replied the other, "we shall be better off if they don't find us! We don't need them!"

"Very well," put in Jimmie, "then we'll get up steam on this wagon and slide along. I'm going to say this to you, though, that Mackinder or no Mackinder, we're very grateful for your help. If we get an opportunity to reciprocate, we'll be only too glad to do it!"

With this, the boy turned and offered his hand to the man. It was grasped with a hearty grip that conveyed a sense of friendliness.

"You can help me right now," was the response. "Come aboard my vessel and give me a hand on a little project I have under way."

"I don't think we'd better do that right now," stated Jimmie. "You see, we're neutral, and we don't want to take sides either way!"

"So am I neutral! I care nothing for this awful war except to see it stop. I shall do nothing for either side, so rest easy on that score. But your propellor is broken by having that line jammed in it. You cannot navigate your vessel, and would better come aboard mine!"

Doubting this statement, Jimmie clambered into the small boat and sculled toward the stern of the false "U-13". There he could look into the water to a depth sufficient to confirm the other's statement.

"It's no use, boys," he declared, returning to the conning tower. "The blades of the propellor are damaged beyond use. We might as well go!"

Securing a line to the bow of the false "U-13" the man proposed to tow it to a safe place where it could be anch.o.r.ed to await repairs. Two trips were necessary to transfer the boys to the craft which had been of such signal service in their hour of extreme need.

Led by their recent guest, who was now their host, the lads descended into the interior of the vessel. Here a strange sight met their gaze. In cages canaries were twittering gaily while all about the bulkheads had been fastened pots of plants, some of which were in bloom.

"Now I understand why the air you so kindly pumped into our vessel had the odor of flowers and growing things!" declared Ned as he turned to their host. "You have things fixed pretty cozy here!"

"Just a touch now and again to make it look home-like!" said the man. "I prefer the sight of a flower to that of a cold steel bulkhead. Besides, it's more healthful to have a few plants about."

Harry was lost in admiration of the machinery which he declared to be far superior to that of the vessel they had lately abandoned.

With a touch their strange host sent the craft forward at a good speed.

He explained to the lads a gyroscope arrangement by which he controlled the steering gear that kept the vessel on any chosen course and at any desired depth after once being adjusted.

"And now, if you please, Mr. Mackinder," questioned Jimmie at length, "will you be so good as to tell us what your mission may be?"

"Certainly!" replied the other frankly. "I see the steamer is not following us so I will take plenty of time to give you details."

"Thanks!" drily responded the lad. "We'll appreciate it!"

With a laugh the man seated himself on a locker and motioned the lads to do likewise. They listened intently as he proceeded:

"You perhaps all realize that the possession of wealth is the desire of almost every human being. I am not different from the rest in that respect at least. Owing to some family trouble which I shall not at this time detail, I was not given the advantages that accrue ordinarily to heirs. I think you will understand what I mean?"

"You were left out in the cold when they pa.s.sed the dough?" asked Jimmie with a knowing look. "Just shoved one side?"

"That's about it!" replied the man. "But I resolved to get some money, nevertheless. I had a fertile imagination, some education and a very small amount of money. I did not want to take so cheap a way as to rob or cheat my fellow men. I was not shrewd enough to enter the business world.

Therefore, I turned my attention to lost or buried treasure."

Jimmie delivered a broad wink toward Ned. It was not lost by their observant entertainer, who laughed much to the boy's confusion.

"Amongst other inventions that were in my brain was an instrument for detecting the presence of gold similar to the instrument called a compa.s.s. In this instance electricity had nothing to do with its action.

"To make a long story short, you know, I finally succeeded in perfecting the arrangement. It was an amusing circ.u.mstance that I had a very hard struggle preserving my last gold piece with which to test the device," he went on with a laugh at the recollection of his trials.