Part 7 (1/2)

With a m.u.f.fled exclamation of surprise the man jerked himself forward and Joe went hurtling over his head, his arms, however, still clasped tightly about the other man's neck.

Joe knew in an instant that he was in combat with a man larger and more powerful than himself, but his own youth and suppleness were in his favor.

Throwing all his strength into the movement, he twisted about and at the same time jumped, so that he managed to wrap his legs about the other man's waist. With another lithe movement he was again upon his back and reaching for his antagonist's throat, at the same time squeezing with all the strength of his powerful young limbs upon the other's ribs.

Back and forth across the narrow confines of the little room they staggered, now one having a temporary advantage, and again the other.

Just as Joe was managing to fasten his fingers in at the throat, and the other was hammering terrible elbow blows into his stomach, the bigger man stumbled. As he fell he turned, and his full weight came down upon the lad, almost crus.h.i.+ng him.

Joe was not done for yet, however. With the strength of desperation he held on to the other fellow's s.h.i.+rt. He felt something hard and metallic under it, and in a new grasp included that in his fist.

Again the struggle began. Unable to break Joe's grip, the intruder tried to sink his teeth into the lad's wrist. Failing in this, he gave an evidence of his strength by rising, dragging Joe upward with him.

There was an instant of terrible whirling about the room, and then the man landed a smas.h.i.+ng blow on Joe's jaw. Still gripping the man's s.h.i.+rt, and the unknown metallic thing beneath it, the lad reeled. The s.h.i.+rt ripped, there was another sharp snap, and the boy fell backward, dazed.

He heard the man run swiftly, almost noiselessly toward the stern of the s.h.i.+p; brilliant and many-colored lights flashed before his eyes--and he knew no more.

[Ill.u.s.tration: There was an Instant of Terrible Whirling about the Room.]

CHAPTER VI

THE MYSTERY OF THE IRON CROSS

When Joe came back to consciousness it was with his head pounding terribly, and Lieutenant Mackinson bending over him, swathing his face with a cool wet cloth, while Jerry and Slim, whom the lieutenant had wakened, were standing nearby, one holding a basin of water, the other a bottle containing a liniment or lotion.

”You've been done up pretty badly,” said Lieutenant Mackinson, as Joe went through the painful motion of moving his head from left to right, letting his gaze take in the now lighted wireless room.

”Yes,” he answered with an effort. ”Nothing serious, though, I guess.”

And then, full recollection coming to him, ”Did he get away?”

”Who?” asked the lieutenant quickly. ”Who was it beat you up so?”

”I don't know,” Joe answered. ”I discovered him in the battery room. We fought in the dark.”

With the aid of the others he raised himself to a sitting posture, then stood up and walked rather unsteadily across the room, took a long quaff of cold water and dropped heavily into Lieutenant Mackinson's Morris chair.

At the same time he gazed for the first time at what he had been holding tightly clutched in his right hand ever since the knockout blow had been delivered. The other three also were staring at it in open amazement.

”What is it?” asked Joe, as the lieutenant crossed the room and took the thing from him for a closer examination.

”What is it?” Lieutenant Mackinson repeated. ”Why, lad, this is the German iron cross! Tell us what happened here.”

With the young officer seated before him, and his two pals standing at either side of his chair, Joe, quietly, quickly and as carefully as he could, gave them every detail of the occurrence, from the moment he had first heard sounds in the battery room, to the time that the other man ran away and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

While Joe was relating his story the lieutenant examined and re-examined the iron cross, the bit of broken chain still attached to it, and the piece of brown woolen army s.h.i.+rt which the lad had torn away with it.

As the latter finished, the young officer hurried into the battery room, accompanied by Slim, to make a survey there.