"The question is not who could have done it, but who did do it."
"We shall be held responsible, in any event. I see ourselves losing our ratings and perhaps missing our detail to a ship. Come, let"s get into some decent clothes before one of the officers gets here."
They quickly changed their uniforms, laying out the ruined ones, backs upward ready for the inspection that they felt sure would soon follow.
In this surmise they were right. The drill over, the quartermaster, accompanied by the executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Devall, appeared at the boys" quarters.
Dan and Sam came to attention as the officers entered.
The latter fixed their eyes upon the garments laid out on the floor of the quarters. Lieutenant Commander Devall picked up one of the jackets, examining it closely.
"How did this happen?" he demanded, eyeing Sam sternly.
"I do not know, sir."
"The garment has plainly been inked. How does it happen that you did not notice this when you put on your uniform?"
"We dressed in a great hurry, sir," spoke up Dan. "As you will observe, it is quite dark in here. It seems as if we ought to have noticed that something was wrong, but we did not."
Lieutenant Commander Devall pondered for a moment.
"You have no idea who could have done this thing, men?"
They did not answer.
"Search the quarters, quartermaster."
The lads stood looking on with troubled faces as the petty officer began his search. The Battleship Boys did not know what the lieutenant commander expected to find, and as a matter of fact he probably had no definite idea himself.
Sam moved over to where his bag stood, having observed that it was open.
As he drew the cord down tightly he chanced to glance at the bag standing beside it. Hickey uttered a smothered exclamation. What he had seen was a smear of red at the mouth of the canvas bag.
"May I open this bag, sir?" he asked, saluting.
"For what?"
Sam pointed to the streak of red.
"Open it!"
One by one the lad drew out the neatly folded garments from the sea bag, the officers scrutinizing these keenly as they were withdrawn and placed on the floor.
At the very bottom of the bag Sam came upon an object which he quickly drew out, holding it to the light, with a triumphant grin on his face.
He nodded to Dan as he did so.
The object was a towel. It was streaked with red, as if some one had wiped his hands upon it. In fact, finger marks were plainly visible all over it.
The executive officer s.n.a.t.c.hed the cloth from the boy"s hands.
"Whose bag is this?" he demanded sharply.
"I"ll look up the number, sir," answered the quartermaster.
At that moment a figure darkened the doorway. It was Flink. The instant he saw the officers in the quarters his hand mechanically came up in salute.
A ray of sunlight slanted across the hand as he stood there. Sam caught his breath sharply, then an eager look overspread his face. He hesitated a moment; then, springing over to where Flink was standing, Sam grabbed the hand, jerking it sharply down, examining it briefly in the few seconds that elapsed ere Flink could resist.
"Attention!" commanded Lieutenant Commander Devall. "What does this mean?"
"If you will examine this man"s hand, I think you will understand, sir,"
answered Sam, saluting.
The lieutenant commander stepped over to Flink.
"Let me see your hands. Palms up!"
The palms were smeared with red.
"Is that your sea bag yonder?"
Flink nodded.
"So, you are the man who is responsible for this, are you? What have you to say for yourself?"
The apprentice hung his head, making no reply.
"You are released from quarters, Davis and Hickey. I begin to understand a few of the things that have happened here. Quartermaster, place this man under arrest. Turn him over to the master-at-arms with instructions to lock him in the brig."
CHAPTER X-THEIR FIRST DETAIL
Summary court-martial met on the following afternoon. Louis Flink was found guilty, the recommendation of the court being that he be dismissed from the service.
At a general muster the findings of the court-martial, approved by the commandant of the station, were read out by the executive officer. It was an impressive scene to the Battleship Boys-one that they never forgot, showing as it did that the United States Navy is no place for a man guilty of a dishonorable act.
Louis Flink was read out of the service and driven from the grounds of the Training Station, a disgraced man.
"I"m sorry for the poor fellow, though I have no sympathy for him,"
murmured Dan.
"What"s the difference?" demanded Sam.
"Difference between what?"
"The difference between feeling sorry for a man and having sympathy for him? I, for one, am mighty glad to see him go, but I"m sorry I did not get a chance at him first. I"ll never get over that."