The Boy Scouts on a Submarine

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THE BOY SCOUTS ON A SUBMARINE

By Captain John Blaine

CHAPTER I

THE UNEXPECTED VISITOR

A great barking of dogs broke the silence of the sleepy summer
afternoon. Elinor Pomeroy laid down her knitting and slowly
walked around the house. The barking of the three big dogs had
been on a joyous tone. A young man was racing up the long front
drive, the dogs leaping and bounding around him.

"Three rousing cheers, old dear," he cried. "Three cheers! I
have won out!"

"Do you really mean it, Lester?" she cried. "Do you really mean
that your invention is a success?"

"It certainly is, Elinor," he answered, a certain gravity coming
into his face and manner. "I know now that it is all right. We
have even tried it out, and I am sure of it."

Elinor took her excited brother by the arm and led him to the
wide, swinging hammock.

"Begin at the beginning," she ordered gently. "I want to hear
the whole thing."

"Well, then," he commenced obediently, "this morning, as soon as
I got to the plant, I asked for a meeting with the bureau of
management. Well, I went in and told them what I had done; how I
happened on a partial combination when I was analyzing something
for the office. I told them that I had worked it out further and
further, and that finally I found what I was hunting for--a gas
that was powerful enough to affect a large number of men and put
them out temporarily, without injuring them after the effects
wore off.

"Well, they listened, and when I told them my idea was to use it
along the battle front instead of the ghastly deadly gases used
by the Germans, they commenced to sit up and take notice. You
see, sis, my invention is far reaching than anything yet known.
It puts out thousands of men with the contents of one grenade, and
sinks them into such a deep sleep that they are absolutely helpless
for hours. During this time, our men can occupy their positions,
and send hundreds of trucks to the rear loaded with sleeping
prisoners. When they come to, they are all right.

"They listened, all right, and then they commenced to ask
questions. I offered to try it out right there, but they didn't
seem to want to. Then Mr. Leffingwell spoke up. You know what a
good sport he is. He said, 'Well, fellows, there may be a lot to
this. I have a couple of hundred cows out Marcellus way, and I'm
going to sacrifice them to my country. Let's take the car, and
try this thing out if this young man has enough on hand for a
man-sized bomb.'

"Some of the men said he was a fool to risk that herd. My own
opinion was that he thought the stuff wouldn't work at all in the
open. Anyway, we got into the cars, and went out to the dandiest
farm you ever saw.

"We drove the cows all into one end of a big lot because there
was no way to send the grenade with sufficient force to spread
the gas; but I went as close as I dared, and threw with all my
might. It struck a stone and broke and right quick a couple of
cows close to the grenade sort of crumpled up and laid down, and
some more, and then one on the outskirts of the group looked
around and said, 'Dear me suz, it gets late early now!' and she
put her head on her arm, and went sleepy sleepums--"

"It's too wonderful; too wonderful!" mused Elinor.

"Well, the best part is," said her brother, "that it is so simple
and so cheap. That is, it is simple to combine."

"Where is the formula?" asked the business-like Elinor. "In a
safe, I hope."

"No, not yet. The only formula in the world is here in my coat
pocket." He patted the coat lying, on the hammock beside him.

"There!" cried Elinor. "Why, Lester, I call that awfully
careless! I do truly think you ought to put it in a safe!"

"That's all right," said Lester, leaning back and playing with
one of the dogs. "I have it in my head anyhow. Come on, hon; I'm
dead tired. Let's forget about it for a little while; let's go
see how the grapes are ripening."

An hour later a well-grown boy came rapidly along the road and
turned in the lower drive which led directly to the carriage.
Putting his wheel on its rack, he hustled into the kitchen where
Elinor, prettier than ever in her long blue apron, her face
softly flushed from the fire, stood dishing up a delicious
supper.

"You are late, small boy," she cried. "Get your hands washed,
and go call Lester. I think I left him about an hour ago, and
he has been as still as a mouse ever since. He has something
fine to tell you."

She turned to the old woman who was helping her, and Wugs,
whistling loudly, went through the house and slammed the screen
door as he reached the porch. Elinor went on serving the supper.

Mr. Pomeroy, her father, was away on one of the long trips he was
accustomed to make. He was a breeder of fine cattle, and bought
and sold continually. His wife was dead, and Elinor was all in
all to the man who was lonely even when surrounded by his three
fine children. Elinor was thinking of the dear little mother who
had passed away, and wishing that she could be with them at a
time when Lester was to know the greatest pride of his life.
Supper was on, and she stood by the table thinking tenderly.
Then she frowned. She was conscious of the racket Colonel, the
big collie was making in his run. It occurred to her that the
dog had been raving for an hour past, but she had been so intent
on supper that she had laid the uproar to Lester who loved to
play with the bunch and get them excited.

She stepped toward the window to speak to Colonel, when she heard
a shout from Wugs. The shout wavered, and turned to a wild, high
scream of horror. Elinor stood motionless. Then shriek after
shriek split the air, and the girl sped to the front door, dashed
it open, snapping on the porch light as she passed the switch in
the hall. She gained the steps in her mad rush and paused.
Wugs's agonized voice guided her down to the side of the wide
veranda. She dashed to his side and looked down where he was
kneeling.

Poor, poor Elinor! Her brother--her darling Lester--lay there
limp and distorted, and from an ugly wound on his forehead the
blood oozed slowly. Beside him, her head on his breast, his
Beatrice, his special pet. She was dead; but with her last
strength she had crept to the side of her beloved master she
tried to defend.

Wugs looked up, his eyes wild with terror.

"He's dead! He's dead! Les is dead!" he kept saying.

Elinor knelt, put her ear on his heart, then sprang to her feet.

"Be a man, John," she, said quietly. "Les is living. We will
have to work fast to save him."

After that it was all a terrible 'nightmare'. Men came, and
tender, strong hands lifted the unconscious burden and gently
laid it on the bed where the little mother had lain so long
before she had passed away into rest. Other hands, just as
gentle, carried the dead body of little Beatrice around to the
garage where, while decently washing the blood from her poor
battered little head, they found a piece of rough, dark cloth
clenched in the dog's set jaws.

And the nightmare went on while some one telegraphed to Mr.
Pomeroy, and the doctors behind closed doors worked over Lester.
Nurses slipped silently into the house; detectives appeared,
roped the curious people out of the grounds, and raked the place
for clews. It was then that Elinor had a thought. She called
the chief of police, and took him into the library, shutting the
door.

"Lester was always teasing me, Chief, because I was so afraid of
spies, but we may as well consider anything now. My brother had
just perfected the most wonderful invention--a war device; and
the board of directors at the works tried it out this afternoon.
The formula was in Lester's coat pocket--the only formula there
is. I know it was there, because I told him I thought it was a
careless way to carry it. He laughed at the idea of any one
around here getting hold of it, and said anyway the formula was
in his head.

"I have looked in his coat pockets, all of them.

"The formula is gone."

"That's it, is it?" gritted the detective. "I am sure you are
right, Miss Pomeroy. We have a reason for the deed now, and one
clew to act on." He opened his hand and showed her the piece of
cloth that poor little Beatrice had torn from the intruder's
garment.

"Did you ever see anything like this before?" he asked. "That is
an unusual pattern. You have a lot of extra help here just now.
Did you ever notice a coat or a cap like this?"

Elinor shook her head. "Never," she said.

"Well, don't you fret, Miss Pomeroy. We'll have to find that
coat. The man who wears it has the formula. And it won't take
long to run down a man who owns a giddy plaid like that. If your
brother could only speak, he could help a lot."

"Is he no better?" asked the girl fearfully.

"It's a pretty bad affair, I'm afraid," said the Chief
regretfully. "He'll pull through all right after a while, I
think, but the doctors say there is a piece of bone pressing on
the brain; and they may have to operate. In the meantime, we
can't wait. You see this business of the formula puts things on
a different basis. I will have to get the government secret
service men here as soon as I possibly can. It is a national
affair now. Keep cool, Miss Pomeroy, and don't talk to any one.
I'm going now, but I will leave a half-dozen men on the place.
Don't talk; don't let your brother talk. Who is the old woman
crying in the sitting room?"

"It is Aunt Ann," Elinor explained. "She is really no relation.
Her husband used to work here, and after he was killed she stayed
on and took care of things for mother. Then when mother died,
why, of course she stayed. She is all alone in the world. She
has or had a son, but he disappeared a good while ago. He was a
very bad boy. The last she heard from him he was in South
America. We think he is dead. Poor Aunt Ann! She loves Lester
as thought he were her own child. I think she would die for
him."

"She is all right then," mused the detective. "Well, I'll get
along, Miss Pomeroy. Just keep cool."

Elinor followed him to the door and stood leaning against the big
porch pillar as the detective crunched briskly down the gravel
path. A group of men came hurrying up to meet him, and Elinor
listened eagerly.

"We got him, Chief!" she heard a voice say triumphantly.
"Walking along the road bold as brass."

"Why shouldn't I?" an angry tone answered. "The street is
public. Ain't I got a right to go long it? What you pinchin' me
for, anyhow? I ain't full and it ain't vagrancy to walk along the
road to Manlius. You leave me go!"

"Put him in the car." said the Chief. "And look here, young
fellow. I'll search you later; look here. Here is something for
you to chew on for a while. Hold the flash, Dennis. Look here,
you! See that piece of cloth? It just fits the torn place in
your collar. She nearly got you, didn't she, before you managed
to beat her brains out?"

Elinor heard a subdued struggle as the police loaded the prisoner
into the car. She rushed into the house to tell Aunt Ann that
the man had been caught. Wugs with a couple of smaller scouts
came up. Wugs followed his sister into the house, and the two
other boys sat down on the steps where they would not miss
anything going on.

Philip and Benjamin Potter, known to their intimate friends as
Pork and Beans Potter, were twins painfully alike in thought,
word and deed as well as size and looks. They sat side by side.
Each boy leaned his right elbow on his right knee and supported
his chin on his hand.

"Funny 'bout that coat," said Beans. "Did you see it?"

"Yes," said Porky. "I was lookin' all the time. You mean about
there bein' two just alike. Kind o'queer, loud pattern. And
funny buttons. You know that man in the road was right under the
big light, so we seen it plain, didn't we?"

"Sure!" said Beany. He shifted elbows, and in a minute Porky did
the same. "But the man we passed in the road didn't look like
the murderer, did he? Kind of square built. Looked worse than
the real one, I thought."

"I thought so too," agreed Porky. "But they got the real one all
right on account of the tear in the collar."

"Yes, of course," agreed Beany. "But suppose they was pals.
Think we ought to tell?"

"Naw!" decided Porky. "They bought 'em at the same store like as
not. Don't butt in with foolishness. Le's go home and tell mom
an pop."

CHAPTER II

OFF TO SEE THE COLONEL

A week went by. In the jail a sullen prisoner, always swearing
his innocence, lay awaiting the outcome of Lester's injury, while
day after day he lay tossing on his bed, delirious, or deep in a
stupor from which it was difficult to rouse him.

The police were satisfied that they had the man who had struck
down Lester, and had killed the dog, but doubts were creeping
into Wugs' mind. He himself had interviewed the prisoner, not
telling him who he was. The man would say nothing, but Wugs came
off with the feeling that there was something queer afoot.

"It's the wrong man," his brain kept telling him over and over;
and when he told the police that, and heard their shouts of
laughter, the words kept repeating themselves over and over,
"The wrong man!"

There was a Boy Scout meeting one night, and Wugs went. After
the usual business was over, gathering them around him in a close
group, Wugs went over the story of his brother's great invention,
its try-out on the herd of cows, his home-coming, and the
terrible ending to his triumphant day. Then in a still lower
tone, as though he feared the very walls might turn traitor, he
told them of his feeling that the man waiting trial for the
attack on poor Lester was not the spy who had taken the formula.

"That's the thing to find out," said Wugs. "The Police are dead
sure they have the right fellow, but I'll never believe it until
I find that paper. You see, he didn't have a chance to mail it
unless he had a confederate waiting outside to take it away.
That's what we have got to find out."

"Why, 'course he had a what-you-call-it!" the Potter twins broke
in.

"Slow down! Slow down!" begged Wugs. "Gee, how do you suppose
anybody can tell what you say when you both talk at once? Let's
have Porky; you claim to be the oldest."

"See how it was," said Porky, with a free field, leering at his
disgusted brother. "'Me 'n' Beany'd been swimmin'. We went down
to the old water hole where the springboard is, and some cloze
was sitting the bank. We saw a man in the water, an' we watched
him. Say, he could swim, he could! He could just live in the
water. Well, we took off our cloze by-en-by, and went in, and
pretty soon he come out. He never noticed us any more'n if we
wasn't there; only he come out a good ways from us and walked
back where was his things, without lookin' our way. But we seen
him; his lip was twisted sort of funny, and made him look like a
grin. We'll, he dressed like a streak, and stalked off; and
Beany whispered, 'Where did you get that coat?' but seems we
didn't like to yell it right at him. He had a funny look. So we
swam and by-en-by we come away too."

"You forgot what we found," reminded Beany. "When we came where
his cloze had been we found two papers. One was just a plain
paper in a plain envelope, and the other was a card written all
up, something about admit bearer to all parts of fairgrounds. I
suppose he is going to show something at the fair next week.
Anyhow he'll have to get another, because Porky lost it out the
hole in his pants pocket goin' home. And the other paper--"

"Wait till you get to it, can't you?" said the other twin,
glaring fiercely at himself, or so it seemed to the boys
watching. "We ain't come to that. But we seen the coat all
right. Well, we got on our wheels and started home."

"I had the paper in my pocket," interrupted Beany.

"Yes," said Porky simply. "Beany's pants was new. We come along
through the village, and up just before you get to your first
driveway, Wugs, my handle bars come loose, and we had to get off
and fix 'em. And Beany looks up, and he says, 'Gosh! Here's
another striped coat! And ain't it on a pirate!"

"I looked and, sure 'nuff, there come along another coat just
like the one over to the swimmin' hole but if that feller was
bad, this one was worse. He had a big black mustache and he
looked at us like he'd like to eat us.

"When he went by," Beany says, 'Well, I bet he is a pirate all
right!'

"So we went on home. And after supper when we come to your
house, Wugs, why, you know about that, and there was another coat
like the others being arre'sted. Then we went back; and mother
wanted us to write it all to Uncle Jake. And the lamp made
Beany's head hot, and he took the funny thin paper we found over
to the swimmin' hole and made a sort of shade of it. And when we
had our letter done, Beany went to take down the shade and,
honest to gosh, boys, it was all written on! Wouldn't that frost
you? I s'pose you think we're lyin'; but it's true. All writin'
on two sides!"

"What did you do with it then?" demanded Wugs.

"We showed it to mom and she took it and put it in her pocket."

Wugs groaned.

"You see, Wugs, they's three of those coats and every one's worse
than the other," finished Porky.

"We must find those men. Who is going over to patrol the
fairgrounds this year beside me?" said Wugs.

"Me and Porky," said Beany proudly.

"What's the first thing to do?" asked Porky.

"Well, one of you fellows who are not detailed to the fair had
better go over to the Troop D Farm where the Mounted Police are
training, and see when I can see Colonel Handler."

"What you want of him?" asked a boy named Asa Downe.

"I want to tell him enough of this so he will fix it to let us
Scouts go wherever we like. So the first thing in the morning,
Asa, you trot over there, and find out when I can see the
Colonel."

Asa started for the Troop D Farm as soon as he had finished a
hasty breakfast the next morning. He had his part of the
interview with Colonel Handler nicely and neatly rehearsed. He
had worked so hard over it that he said, "Thank you, Colonel,"
when his mother had passed the doughnuts at breakfast.

The more Asa thought of it, the more he thought it would be fine
to take some one along with him; and when he saw ahead of him the
two violently red wheels of the Potter twins, it was settled
right there. He yelled, and they waited.

"Where you goin'!" he demanded.

"Over to the Troop D Farm," said Porky, hopping off his wheel to
rest.

"What for? This is my job."

"Sure it is!" agreed Beany. "But we knew you'd want some one
along for fear you forgot of the things you wanted to say, and we
knew we always remember better than the other fellows. So we
started out. We knew you'd be along."

"All right, you're on!" said Asa and they pedaled rapidly along
the beautiful country road. When they reached the Farm, they
found that the Colonel, who stayed at Syracuse with his family,
had not yet arrived. The men were grooming the beautiful horses,
rubbing up the bridles, and airing saddle blankets.

Porky and Beany and Asa, sitting on the stone wall at the side of
the barn, watched and admired.

"That's what I'm goin' to be"' whispered Porky.

"Sure!" agreed Beany. "Wonder how long it will take us to get
that high?"

"Dunno," said Porky. "I outgrew two pairs of pants last year!"

"Here's the Colonel," said Asa as a big car was driven up and an
officer stepped down.

"Wait! Wait!" said Asa, swallowing rapidly. "Let him get through
talking first. You see, he has charge of all the country
patrols, and 'course he wants to give them orders. Gee, how the
spies must hate him!"

As though in answer, a long, low racing car rolled smoothly and
silently up, and stopped in the road just opposite where the boys
sat on the stone wall. On the little rise where stood the low,
rambling farmhouse, the Colonel, with only a glance at the
strangers, turned his back as though refusing to be interrupted,
and went on with his orders.

In the car, one of the men half rose, leveled a revolver full at
the Colonel's broad back, and fired. But almost before he could
take his flashing aim, an unearthly screech volleyed from the
Potter twins, and from Beany's good left hand a cobble whizzed
through the air, and struck the assassin's shoulder. It destroyed
his aim. The bullet went wild, and before he could recover, the
Colonel had whirled. With a muttered curse the would-be intruder
fired full at the boys, dropped to the bottom of the machine, and
the car shot forward will in incredible speed.

Leaping from the veranda with the agility of a boy, the Colonel
barked out a volley of sharp orders. Men came swarming from
their quarters. A man hurried to the telephone. Horsemen dashed
madly up the road. A slim, capable-looking racer slid from the
garage, and the Colonel and a couple of aides came down where the
boys still stood grouped beside the stone wall. Beany held a
flattened bullet in his hand. It had struck beside him.

CHAPTER III

ON THE TRAIL

"If it hadn't been for you and your rock, young man, I would have
been a dead man probably," said the Colonel solemnly. "I wish we
had the car number."

"I got it," said Porky, easily. "They will change it, I suppose,
but it is New York 237,814. And there's a patch on the right
front tire, and the mud guard on that side has been bent and
straightened, and the glass in the wind shield has a crack in one
corner, and the staple on the tool box is broken."

"Oh, you know the car!" said the Colonel, eagerly. "Tell me that
number again." He wrote rapidly, and called to his orderly.
"Telephone that to Syracuse after you call Fayetteville," he
said, and again turned to the boys, but almost before he could
speak again, he was called to the 'phone himself. When he came
out, he frowned.

"The car passed through the village about ten minutes ago," he
said. "They were going fast, and headed over toward East
Syracuse by way of the wide waters. I have sent the alarm out,
and as soon as I finish with you boys, I will go myself. Now
tell me in a word just why you boys came over."

Porky and Beany told him painstakingly.

"That's all right," said the Colonel. "You did right to come for
a permit. You see, my men are going to police the fairgrounds,
and on account of the large amount of government property
scattered around over there we will have to be very strict. The
day the fair opens, come to my tent, and I will give you a badge
that will allow you to go wherever you like without question."

An orderly clattered up on a sweating horse.

"They have found the automobile, sir," said the gallant youth.

"Good!" cried the Colonel, rising.

"Yes, sir, it is lying in four feet of water at the edge of the
bluff where the road from the village winds round the curve half
way to Manlius Center."

"And the men?" the Colonel enquired sharply.

"They must be pinned under the car, sir," said the soldier.
"We thought if you would detail Dennis and Harrison--they are
crackerjack swimmers--they could soon see what is under there."

"Tell the men to go at once," said the Colonel. "I will follow."

The Colonel called his car, and with a nod indicated to the boys
that they were to accompany him. The Colonel's orderly leaped
into the front seat beside the driver and Asa, and on the back,
seat, on either side of the big Colonel, sat the Potter twins
looking so alike that it seemed a loss of time to look at one of
them after you had seen the other, and feeling-well, they felt as
important as you make 'em!

Arriving at the wide waters, they followed the Colonel and his
men as they went down the gouged out place in the bank where the
car had cut its way to the water, and looked at the smashed
machine that lay almost out of sight. It was in such a position,
however, that it was plain that no one could be concealed under
it. The men had escaped.

A keen look of anger and surprise came into the Colonel's face.

"I imagine they have driven the car off the bank to put us off
the scent," he said. "There is a life sentence for those men
when we get them. They meant to kill me. I can't see the point
in it; either." He walked back to his car and, entering it, was
driven back to camp, stopping at the Potter house to drop the
twins.

After the Colonel's car had disappeared round the bend leading to
the village, a small, wiry, evil-looking figure slipped
cautiously from the dense underbrush at the edge of the road away
from the cliff. He brushed the dirt from his clothes and
laughed.

"Can't see the point of it, can you? I suppose not, you old
saphead! It takes the Wolf to plan things too deep for the likes
of you." He laughed again, and with a glance in the direction of
the village struck off over the hill into the fields beyond. He
walked listlessly for half a mile, as though there was little
need for haste, and any one watching him would have seen him
finally lie down in a shady lane and, taking a small package from
his pocket, open it and eat a sandwich. Then he drew his ragged
hat over his piercing little eyes, and at once went to sleep. He
slept for hours, scarcely shifting his position. When he finally
stretched and sat up, the sun was going down. He looked at it,
and came to his feet.

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