"But my business is important," insisted Donald.
"So is mine," declared the ensign.
He ordered his launch full speed ahead in the direction of the flagship.
"It"s pretty tough," commented Donald, "but I"ll prove I am right when I get to the ship."
"I hope so," was the reply. "I haven"t anything against you and you may be telling the truth, but I can"t take any chances."
Fifteen minutes later they drew up beside the flagship.
"Up you go," said the ensign, motioning Donald up the ladder.
"I"ll present you to the officer of the deck," which he quickly did.
"Here"s a man I picked up in the water, sir, who says he has a message for Gen. Funston, but I had no time to put him ash.o.r.e."
"Looks more like a boy than a man," replied the officer. Then to Donald: "What"s this about you having a message for Gen.
Funston?"
Donald repeated what he had told the ensign.
"What"s that?" asked another officer, coming forward out of the shadow of the after turret.
The first officer saluted.
"Tell the Admiral your story, my lad," he said.
Again Donald repeated his story, this time going more into detail.
"Come with me," ordered the Admiral, and he led the way to the wireless operator.
"Get into communication with Gen. Funston at once," was the admiral"s order.
"Here he is, sir," was the report a couple of minutes later.
"Ask him if he has three American boys on a special mission."
The answer came back promptly that he had.
"Ask him if Lieut. Grimes is missing."
Again came back the answer that he was.
"Tell the general that we have one of the lads on the _Arkansas_, and that he has had a strange adventure. Tell him I will send the lad ash.o.r.e immediately."
"Thank you, sir," said Donald. "I knew some one would know what to do."
"You"re a brave lad," was the Admiral"s comment, "and I shall be glad to hear the end of the adventure. You and your companions must come out and dine with us as soon as your mission is ended."
Donald thanked him for his kindness and hastened to the launch which was to take him back.
Twenty minutes later he stood before Gen. Funston.
"You seem to have been in the water," was the general"s first words.
"Yes, sir," laughed Donald. "I jumped from a wall north of town, leaving Lieut. Grimes on top of it."
"What! Lieut. Grimes on top of a wall? How did he get there?"
"He was kidnapped, sir! It was a case of mistaken ident.i.ty!"
"Mistaken ident.i.ty! I don"t understand!"
"They took him for you, sir, because his beard is trimmed like yours."
The general smiled grimly.
"Think I shall have all my staff officers do the same," he commented. Then more seriously: "Can you lead us to the house?"
"I"m not sure about the house; but I can take you to the stone wall from which I jumped. That ought to guide us to the house."
"Right," said the general.
He called another member of his staff and gave a few brief orders.
In another ten minutes two launches loaded with regulars and armed with a rapid-fire gun in each, steamed swiftly up the harbor.
"There"s the wall!" exclaimed Donald a few minutes later, "and there"s where I jumped," pointing to a spot near the abutment.
The officer in command headed the boats for the sh.o.r.e.
"It is not only a question of freeing Lieut. Grimes," said the officer, "but we also want to capture the conspirators. This is a much more serious matter than Gen. Funston is willing to admit."
"Then if you will take my suggestion, sir," said Donald modestly, "I would let a few soldiers go over the wall as well as entering the front of the house."
The officer looked up twenty feet. The wall was absolutely perpendicular and as smooth as the side of a house.
"I"m afraid none of my men can scale it," he said.
"Can"t we throw a grapnel over it, sir?"
"We might; but it would be a very slight hold."
"If you can make it hold at all," laughed Donald, "I"m willing to make the effort. At best I can only fall back into the water."
"True," declared the officer. "We"ll try it."
A grapnel was tied to a long line, such as is used in tying the launch to the sh.o.r.e, and after several vain attempts the grapnel caught in the top of the wall.