Evidently his chum was straining hard to hear. He even closed his eyes, the better to concentrate. What could it be? Jack had news of his own to impart, important news, but in Frank"s att.i.tude he sensed something that bespoke importance too. Suddenly Frank opened his eyes.
"That"s all," he said. "The conversation grew fainter and fainter. Now I can"t hear at all any more."
"What was it? What did you hear?"
"Just two ships talking, Jack. That"s all."
Frank smiled teasingly, as he folded the umbrella and pulled it back through the porthole, then laid off the headphones and began hauling in the ground wire.
"Just two ships, that"s all. You don"t mind my taking liberties with your toy, do you, Jack?"
"Of course not. But, look here, you heard something that excited you, Frank. Quit joshing. What was it?"
Frank turned a serious face, his eyes gleaming.
"Jack, the funniest thing. I heard two ships talking, or rather, only one ship talking to another. The replies of the second I couldn"t hear at all."
"That ring-radio has a radius of about ten miles," said Jack. "Perhaps not quite that much. That accounts for it. You heard the ship that was within our radius, but not the other because it was too far away to be heard. But what was said? Business, I suppose?"
"Business, my eye," said Frank. "The one nearby was the U. S. Sub Chaser X-51. And as far as I could gather, it was talking to a coast liner bound north for San Francisco aboard which was Inspector Burton. He was asking the sub chaser to run alongside the liner and take him off.
Remember, I could only hear what the sub chaser replied. I gathered from something said that the liner could not be so very far away. The sub chaser started for it, however, and as it drew away from us the radio got fainter and fainter until I lost it altogether."
"A sub chaser that close to us," said Jack, highly excited. "That decides me. We"ve got to act at once. Come on."
He seized Frank by an arm and propelled him toward the door.
"But here. Wait a minute. I"m not half dressed yet. What"s the matter with you?"
"Jump into your clothes quick. Meantime I"ll get hold of Mr. Temple and Bob and bring them back here. We have got to talk to that sub chaser and turn her this way."
"Talk to her?" said Frank, perplexed. "You must be crazy. With this little receiving set, I suppose."
"No, with the trawler"s radio. But I"ll explain when I return. Jump into your clothes."
CHAPTER XIV
THE UPPER HAND REGAINED
Jack was highly excited as he dashed into the main salon and made for the door of the Temples" cabin. And with reason. He believed that now, if ever, they must attempt to seize the trawler.
The Chinese crew threatened to get out of hand and seize the ship themselves, in order to make sure of their vengeance upon the boys for what they had done to Wong Ho. If the boys antic.i.p.ated them, and got the upper hand, they could send a call for help by radio to the sub chaser.
It would be a matter of only a very short time before that speedy craft could swing about and come to their rescue. Moreover, they would thereby capture "Black George" Folwell. And Inspector Burton had said it would be a feather in the cap of any man to accomplish that undertaking.
The main salon still was deserted, and the doors to the cabins of "Black George" and Matt Murphy still closed. Jack did not know, of course, whether Doctor Marley had returned to his patient. But he believed that probably the frightened little man had waited above deck to see whether Engineer MacFinney found any signs of sabotage.
The Temples" door resisted. It was locked. But Bob"s voice called sharply:
"Who"s there?"
"It"s I, Jack. Open up quickly."
He heard Bob hit the floor, and grinned, even in the midst of his excitement. The big fellow evidently was sleeping late. By the time Bob had opened the door Frank stood beside Jack, completing a sketchy toilet by tucking shirt into trousers.
"Bob, Mr. Temple. We have got to try and seize the trawler at once."
This was Jack"s opening remark, as he and Frank closed the door to the salon.
Father and son, pajama-clad, sleepy-eyed, looked at him in amazement.
"Are you crazy, Jack?" asked Bob.
The older man, however, regarded Jack keenly.
"You"ve heard something, Jack," he said. "What is it?"
Briefly and graphically Jack related his morning"s adventurous prowling and the result of his eavesdropping. Then he told what Frank had overheard by the use of the ring-radio.
"That decided me," he said. "When I heard there was a sub chaser near, I felt we just had to make an effort to capture the trawler"s radio room at least, and call for help. We can hold out until the sub chaser comes up."
Mr. Temple grew grave.
"But without weapons," he said, "what chance have we against the Chinese?"
"Look here," said Bob, slowly, "I"ll bet this fellow "Black George" has a revolver or two in his room. He"s bound to keep a weapon handy. Well, he was helpless last night, and probably still is. What"s to prevent our going in there and taking it from him?"
"Good idea, Bob," said Frank. "And there"s my friend, Matt Murphy, too.
According to Jack, he isn"t up yet. Probably put in a bad night and is sleeping while the ship"s engines are being repaired. He undoubtedly has a revolver, too. Suppose we compel him to give it to us. His arm is broken, and surely if we burst into the room we can overawe him."
The others nodded approvingly, and the eyes of the three boys lighted up with enthusiasm. Mr. Temple shook his head gravely, but continued to make a hasty toilet nevertheless.
"Pants and shirt, Dad," said Bob. "That"s all we need. Have to hurry."
In a trice the two were thus sketchily clad, standing in their bare feet, and then Jack, who had a.s.sumed command, gave his orders.
"Mr. Temple," he said, deferring to the older man"s judgment, "I believe we had better split into two parties and enter the two cabins simultaneously, don"t you? If we all go into one cabin first, either "Black George"s" or Murphy"s, intending to follow into the other later, the probability is that we would alarm the occupant of the other cabin and put him on his guard."
"Yes, Jack, that"s right. Suppose Bob and I tackle "Black George" and you and Frank go after Matt Murphy."
"Right," said Jack, his hand on the door.
"One thing more, boys," cautioned Mr. Temple. "Go in quickly and quietly, and get your man before he has a chance to fire. We shall do likewise."
The boys nodded. Then Jack opened the door and, with beating hearts, the four filed out. Jack tiptoed across the salon to prevent his shoes making any sound. The others were in their stockinged feet. Two and two they ranged outside the doors of the two cabins. Mr. Temple nodded that he and Bob were ready. Jack did the same. Then they flung open the doors and dashed in.