Part 28 (1/2)

Before the colonel could stop him or ask explanations, the boy rushed off. He headed straight for the wireless room. Sam was there with De Garros.

”What in the world--!” began Sam, as the disheveled, wild-eyed boy burst in. But Jack shoved his chum aside without a word and fairly threw himself at the wireless key.

He was calling the government quarantine station at the tip of Port Royal and the mouth of Kingston Harbor. There was just one way he could stop the _Endymion_ and he meant to try it, forlorn hope that it was.

The spark flashed and roared and whined.

Other stations, those on s.h.i.+ps far out at sea and along the coast of the island, broke wonderingly in as the volley of impatient calls went thundering out into the night.

The sweat poured from Jack's blackened face as he bent over the apparatus in the boiling heat of the tropic night, and worked the wireless as he had never worked it before.

At last he raised the operator at the quarantine station.

”We've shut up shop for the night. What is it?” inquired that individual, not best pleased at having his rest disturbed.

”You must stop the _Endymion_,” thundered the Hertzian waves; ”stop her at all hazards, even if you have to notify the fort to fire upon her.”

”The _Endymion_?”

”Yes; she has infectious disease on board. She must not leave the harbor.”

There was a brief and portentous silence. In the hot, heavy stillness the boys could hear each other's deep breathing.

Then radio waves began to beat against Jack's stunned ears. ”The _Endymion_ with a clean bill of health pa.s.sed out to sea half an hour ago.”

CHAPTER x.x.xV

JARROLD GETS FRANTIC

Jack turned to find the colonel bending over him. Despite the military man's firm effort at self-control, his face was gray.

”Is there any hope?” he asked.

Jack shook his head.

”They've stolen a march on us, Colonel,” he said. ”The yacht had a clean bill of health, whether forged or not, I don't know. At any rate, her clearance papers must have been O. K. or she could not have sailed.”

”Probably forged,” said the colonel. ”I must communicate with Was.h.i.+ngton at once.”

”I can probably relay a message through,” said Jack. ”What do you want to say?”

”I will go to my cabin and write it in code,” was the reply, and with stooping shoulders the stricken colonel left the wireless room. After a short time he was back again with his code message. In the meantime, Sam and De Garros, under Jack's instructions, had notified the s.h.i.+p's officers, who were all ash.o.r.e, of the looting of the safe, and an important conference, which Colonel Minturn joined, was held in Captain McDonald's cabin.

An examination by the purser showed that nothing except the papers, which had been in an inner drawer, had been taken, so that there was no object in alarming the pa.s.sengers by notifying them of the robbery. The money and valuables were temporarily removed to another and older safe, and a screen placed about the damaged one to s.h.i.+eld it from prying eyes.

Jack was summoned to the cabin to give his version of the affair and received warm commendation for the way he had acted. But the boy felt somehow-however causelessly-that he might have done more to prevent the robbery and recover the papers. However, it was too late then.

He succeeded at last in getting a message through to the national capital, relaying to the immense radio station at Arlington. That message borne over the seas, caused more excitement in Was.h.i.+ngton than had any piece of news received there for many days. Cabinet officers were summoned for an extraordinary conference and every wire and tentacle of the secret service was set in motion.

Scout cruisers stationed off Mexico were ordered to scour the seas for the _Endymion_ and capture Jarrold if they had to sink his yacht. The administration's message to Colonel Minturn was in code, but Jack guessed that it was a sharp reprimand couched in no very gentle terms.