The German officer had been standing a few paces away, twirling his moustache and frowning. Now, he came forward.
"Herr Benson," he broke in, "I fear that you are so young that you do not fully understand the honor and dignity of being officers in the German service."
"Very likely we do not, Captain," Jack returned, with a bow. "And it is absolutely certain that we shall never find out from experience."
Lieutenant Jack excused himself, turning to seek his friends. As Benson entered the reading room once more he came upon Eph and another whose face was decidedly familiar. It was the Chevalier d"Ouray.
"Just in time, Jack," nodded Eph. "Tell the Chev. for me, please as he doesn"t seem to understand my talk, that we wouldn"t even give the slightest consideration to his idea that we should enter the French naval service in the submarine division."
"It is quite hopeless, Chevalier," laughed Jack Benson, shaking his head. "The honor is quite enough to turn our heads, but we can serve only the United States."
The Chevalier d"Ouray made a low bow, then turned away, for others were approaching.
"Where is Hal?" asked Jack.
"Crickety! Look at him over there, talking to that little j.a.panese,"
muttered Eph, inclining his head toward a corner.
Hal and a j.a.panese were talking earnestly. At any rate, the little brown man was. Hal was listening, occasionally shaking his head.
Then Hastings happened to espy his chums. He turned to the j.a.panese, to take his leave, but the little brown man followed him across the floor, still talking in low tones.
"Captain Nakasura has been trying to interest me in the idea that we three go over to j.a.pan, under a three years" contract, to act as instructors and advisers in submarine work," Hal told his comrades.
"And I have high hope that you will see matter same as I do," smiled the j.a.panese attache persistently.
"We shan"t," Jack declared, shaking his head, emphatically. "Captain, you are the third, representing also the third nation, that has just approached us on this matter. We shall serve no other country than our own."
"But my government," urged the j.a.panese officer, "will make you most handsome offer."
"Do you remember the day when we were leaving Dunhaven, and you tried to overtake us in a gasoline launch?" asked Jack, with a smile.
"Yes; very well," admitted Nakasura.
"Do you remember that we hoisted the signal, N.D.? That meant "nothing doing," Captain. Our answer is the same, and will be, to-morrow and the next year."
"Ah, here you are!" cried Lieutenant Abercrombie, as he hurried up and Captain Nakasura vanished beyond middle distance. "Benson, dear old fellow, I want just a word with you before dinner is served," continued the Briton, thrusting his arm through Jack"s and drawing him away after a nod of apology to Hal and Eph. "Benson, I"ve had something on my mind all day; something I have had instructions to broach to you. I have been waiting for the right moment. Now, I must breathe just a word or two, and then let you think it over during dinner, don"t you know?"
"See here," smiled Jack, standing back, sudden suspicion in his eyes.
"Don"t tell me you"ve been instructed to see whether I"ll enter the British submarine service."
"Just that, dear old chap!" beamed Abercrombie, enthusiastically. "But how could you guess? Fact, though! And not only you, but Hastings and Somers as well, don"t you know!"
"You"re the fourth to spring this on us tonight," answered Jack Benson, soberly. "And the answer will have to be the same for all of you."
"The same for all of us, dear chap?" demanded Abercrombie. "How can that be?"
"The answer in every case is the same," retorted Jack. "If our own government doesn"t want us, no other government can have us. We stand by our own Flag."
"Eh? What is this?" muttered Lieutenant Ulwin, coming unexpectedly upon the pair. "Foreign government competing for you lads, Benson? This won"t do!"
"Which is what I have just had the honor of telling Mr. Abercrombie,"
smiled Jack, earnestly.
CHAPTER XXIV
THEIR LIVES DEEDED TO THE FLAG
Secretary Sanders, Secretary of the Navy, looked up at the three young men who stood in line at the right-hand side of his desk.
It was two days later; two days during which Jack, Hal and Eph had had little to do except roam about Washington and see all the sights of the National Capital. This they had varied by dropping in at the United Service Club.
"Gentlemen," remarked the Secretary of the Navy, "you have not yet been relieved of your detail to the gunboat "Sudbury.""
"It"s coming now," thought each of the three boys to himself, with a great wave of dismay. "We are to be no longer of the Navy."
"I will give instructions at once," continued Secretary Sanders, "to have orders issued relieving you from that duty."
"Yes; it has come," muttered Jack, drearily, to himself. "Our service with the Navy is over."
"Gentlemen," and now, for a few seconds, the voice of the Secretary seemed far away indeed, "I am sensible of all you have done for your country, and above all, of the zeal you have shown. Besides, I have in mind the fact that you have made yourselves among the most expert of all handlers of submarine torpedo boats. If it can be arranged, I wish to keep all three of you actively in the United States Navy."
Jack Benson looked up with a gasp. His comrades were not less astounded.
"I am aware," Mr. Sanders went on, "that we could not expect you to enlist as mere apprentices. In your own particular field of submarine work you are amply fitted to hold officers" commissions. Yet, under the law, you cannot be granted commissions until you are twenty-one years of age. None of you are quite eighteen.
"Therefore, it has occurred to me that you can be appointed, specially, with rank, command and pay, until you are twenty-one. The President agrees with me in what I have to offer. You, Mr. Benson, are offered a special appointment as lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States Navy. You, Mr. Hastings, and you, Mr. Somers, are offered special appointments as ensigns. You will all have the privileges of your ranks except the actual commissions. Yet you will be actual officers, and ent.i.tled to full respect. Moreover, the President promises that, when you are twenty-one years of age, you shall have regular commissions promptly. In case the President is not re-elected to his office, he agrees to urge upon his successor in the White House the fulfilment of the promise. So, if you accept the special appointments, now, you are absolutely certain of commissions as soon as you reach the age of twenty-one. Perhaps it is only just to add that we are aware that all three of you have already been offered commissions in foreign navies, and that you have refused. Both the President and myself appreciate your loyalty to your own Flag. Now, what do you young gentlemen say to accepting special appointments to run until you are each twenty-one?"
"Mr. Secretary, it"s the brightest, the one great dream with us all,"
Jack Benson replied, hoa.r.s.ely. "There is just one thing that could hold us back. We really feel in honor bound to Mr. Farnum and Mr.
Pollard to stand by their interests, for they have been our best friends."
"What do you say to that, Mr. Farnum?" inquired the Secretary.
From behind a screen stepped Jacob Farnum, the Dunhaven shipbuilder.
"Why, see here, boys," began Farnum, a broad smile on his face, "I received a long wire from Mr. Sanders yesterday. Dave Pollard and I talked this thing over, and we decided that the Pollard boat is now an a.s.sured success. You have put the boats where we can now build and run them without you. You are more needed in the Navy. Now, Dave and I both urge you to go where we know your hearts are--into the Navy. And you will go with all our best wishes. The government needs you, now, to handle the boats that we build up at Dunhaven, and to train war-crews for those boats. There is only one objection to your entering the Navy, boys. You will have to pa.s.s upon our boats.
We know you will do that honestly and fearlessly; yet there are many who would sneer at having boats pa.s.sed on for the government by young officers who hold stock in our concern. Now, the amount of stock that each of you holds has been growing steadily with each new success that you have won for us, which if you enter the Navy you should not own. So Dave and I offer you ten thousand dollars each for the shares that you hold. It is a fair valuation."
"I know it is, if you offer it, Mr. Farnum," Jack Benson replied, with feeling.
"Then you"ll accept, and take your very heart"s-wish--the Navy--all of you?" asked Mr. Farnum.
"I accept both your offer, Mr. Farnum, and, the greater offer of the Secretary of the Navy," replied Jack, his eyes becoming misty.