The Submarine Boys for the Flag by Victor G. Durham
CHAPTER XVIII
EPH BETS AN ANCHOR AGAINST A FISH-HOOK
"The government possesses the fellow's charts and notes, anyway,"observed Jack Benson, rather proudly.
"Yes, thanks to you, gentlemen," nodded the commandant. "Still, I fancythe authorities, will be fearfully annoyed over this escape."
"There are no particulars, sir, you say?" queried Jack.
"No; the mere announcement of the fellow's escape, and a request tomilitary and naval authorities to be on the lookout for the fugitiveThe despatch also states that description will follow by wire."
"We can give you a pretty fair word-portrait of Millard right now, sir,"offered Lieutenant Benson.
"And I wish you would."
Jack proceeded to do so. He had about finished, when the carriagestopped punctually before the door of the officers' club. The commandanttook cordial leave of his young guests, after which they were driven tothe railway station. Just a little later they found themselves leaningback in parlor car seats, bound for Washington.
Most of the way back the youngsters dozed in their chairs. Now, that theexcitement was over, all felt need of rest.
Not even at the railway station in Washington could they escape thewatchfulness of the Navy Department. The same messenger who, the daybefore, had handed them their copies of the Regulations, now metBenson with a note.
"The Secretary will not be at his office until one o'clock thisafternoon," announced Lieutenant Jack, looking up from the order. "Weare directed to report at that hour."
"What shall we do until then?" demanded Eph, blankly, when the messengerhad departed.
"Why, since we're still in the service," laughed Jack, "and as I've heardthat the Arlington is much patronized by Navy officers, suppose we treatourselves to a carriage, go to the Arlington and register. That will bethe last grand feeling we'll get out of this."
His comrades rather merrily agreed. So, a few minutes later, the triomarched through the lobby of the Arlington to the desk. Jack picked upa pen, and registered:
"John Benson, U.S.N."
Hal and Eph followed suit. Then they were led to their connecting rooms.
"We'll have luncheon at half-past eleven," smiled Lieutenant Jack, ashe dropped into an easy chair. "In the service one never knows whenhis next meal is coming."
"Good!" chuckled Hal, though there was a sad ring to his tone. "Keep upas long as you can, old fellow, the fiction that we're still in thenaval service."
"Well, aren't we?" demanded Jack, stoutly.
"Surely," assented Hal, meekly.
"Say," demanded Eph, taking out notebook and pencil, "what is an ensign'spay, anyway?"
"Seventeen hundred dollars a year," replied Benson.
"I don't suppose the Navy Department will try to spring less than aday's pay on us," hinted Eph. "If that's right, then the governmentnow owes me three hundred and sixty-five into seventeen hundred. Letme see--"
"Oh, cut it!" laughed Hal.
"What? My pay?" demanded Eph, "Not much, sir! I want the only money Iever really earned."
"One of us ought to drop Mr. Farnum a line," hinted Jack, presently.
"Oh, well, let Hal do it," offered Eph. "He carries the only fountainpen in the crowd."
Without a word Hastings crossed to a table on which were envelopes andpaper, and began to write. Perhaps he welcomed something to occupy hismind; for, truth to tell, each of these submarine boys had a woefully"blue" feeling. Though all were naval officers, still, at this moment,all realized that they would cease to be such as soon as they hadreceived the thanks of the Secretary of the Navy. However, "blue"as all three felt, none of them hung back when half-past eleven arrived.They descended to the dining room, where they refreshed themselvesheartily.
The meal over, there was just about enough time left for them to walkcomfortably to the Navy Department.
They had walked a couple of blocks of the way when Hal suddenly felt thestamped letter in his pocket. He drew it out, and glanced hurriedlydown the avenue.
"I don't see a letter-box ahead, fellows, but I saw one, half-way downthe block, at the last corner we passed. You two keep right on. I'lljoin you."
Presently Jack and Eph halted in their walk to look back.
"Where is Hal?" demanded Somers.
"He can't have lost us," muttered Jack.
"Oh, I guess he has simply taken a short cut to meet us ahead on theway."
Yet, though they continued to look for their comrade until they hadneared the State, War and Navy Building, Hal Hastings had not againappeared in sight.
"Say, but this is fearfully careless of good old Hal," muttered JackBenson, uneasily, as he glanced at his watch. "We've no time to go backto look for him, either, for we've barely time to reach the Secretary'soffice."
"We'll have to go in without Hal, then," grumbled Eph. "It makes mefeel like a fool, too!"
Had the two lads but known it, there was still plenty of time. For theSecretary of the Navy may make an appointment with an understrapper,and then find that he must first see some more important personage.
There were "big" callers ahead of the boys that day, so that it wasnearly two o'clock when Lieutenant Jack and Ensign Eph were admitted tothe presence that they were to leave shorn of their brief rank andcommand.
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Benson. Good afternoon, Mr. Somers," wasSecretary Sanders's swift greeting. "You were most successful, and Imust congratulate you heartily. But--where is Mr. Hastings?"
"We don't know, Mr. Secretary," Jack admitted. "He left us for a shorttime, as we thought, and, since then--"
Mr. Sanders wheeled sharply as the door opened and a clerk came in.
"Pardon me, sir," apologized the clerk. "But a note has just come forLieutenant Benson, sir, and the messenger was insistent that it was amost important matter--"
"You may take your note and read it, Lieutenant," suggested the Secretaryof the Navy.
Young Benson gave a start when he recognized, in the address, thehandwriting of Hal Hastings.
In another instant Jack gave a much more violent start. For these werethe words that met his astounded gaze.
_"Dear Jack: I am in a Washington police station, feeling like anumber-one idiot. Soon after leaving you I ran into Millard, face toface, There was a policeman within two hundred feet at the moment. Ilet out a full siren yell and dashed at Millard. He held on to me untilthe policeman reached the spot. I let him hold me, thinking that theeasiest way. But Millard produced a paper--a request from the militaryauthorities at Fort. Craven, to arrest and hold anyone pointed out bythe bearer. I talked--some--to that policeman, but it did no good.He took me to the station house, and here I am! Millard vanished,after saying that he'd wire the news of my arrest to Fort Craven.You'll have to explain me out of this. Yours disgustedly, Hal."_
"May I read this to you, Mr. Secretary?" begged Jack Benson.
"Do so, Lieutenant."
"I will be back in a moment," muttered the Secretary of the Navy, rising,and hastily quitting the room.
The instant that high official was gone Eph caught at his sides with hishands.
"Oh, wow! Woof! Umpah!" chuckled young Somers, his face distorted withglee. "Some one catch me! I'm choking! Great Scott, what wouldn't Ihave given to see that? Hal, the quiet, the dignified? Oh, dear! Oh,dear. Hal pounces on the fellow, to arrest him, and Hal is the one whogets pinched Woo-oo! I can see Hal's face right now I'll wager an anchorto a fish-hook that the astonished look is stamped on Hal's face so hardthat it won't come off for a week. Oh--woof!"
Eph was laughing so hard that the tears streamed down his face.
"Quit that!" commanded Jack, stepping over to his comrade, his own facestern. "It's no laughing matter."
"Why, they won't hang Hal!" sputtered Eph, as soon as he could talk."Hal will be at liberty almost at once. But fancy the shock! Imaginethe dear old fellow's astonishment, and the jolt to his feelings."
"Come, quit your nonsense!" grumbled Jack, disgustedly.
"I can't," roared Eph, going off into still another burst of laughter.
Just at that instant Somers gave himself the lie. The door opened,admitting the Secretary of the Navy. In a fraction of a second EnsignEph had straightened up, while his face was solemn enough for an Indianchief's countenance.
"I have just been straightening out that little matter," explained Mr.Sanders. "I have talked with the police, and have described Hastings.The police are in deep chagrin over their blunder. Mr. Hastings is nowat liberty and on his way here."
At a motion from Mr. Sanders the two young officers seated themselves.The Secretary turned to his desk to sign some papers.
From Eph, suddenly, came a suppressed, explosive sound. Jack seatedbeside him on a sofa gave Somers an indignant elbow jab. The Secretaryglanced up, then resumed his writing.
A minute later there came from Eph the sound of another smotheredexplosion. The picture of Hal Hastings's indignant astonishment hadonce more been conjured up before young Somers's face. Poor Eph wasred in the face with all the effort of keeping back his laughter.
"I fear you must have caught some cold, standing watch on the gunboat'sbridge," said the Secretary, sympathetically.
That sobered Somers in an instant. The notion that he--he a sea-dogaccustomed to stand watch in all weathers, could catch cold throughexposure of the kind just mentioned made Eph feel a sense of ghastlyhumiliation.
Five minutes later Ensign Hal Hastings was shown into the office. TheSecretary of the Navy greeted him kindly, though with a twinkle inhis eyes.
"The paper that caused my trouble was one that was taken from Mr.Benson when he couldn't help himself," Hal explained. "For some reason,the military authorities never discovered that Millard had that paperabout him. It was enough to save him from arrest an hour ago."
"And Millard is still at large," nodded Mr. Sanders. "It's a matterfor the military authorities and the Secret Service, I imagine. I don'tsee how the Navy can be drawn into it. However, I am going to ask youyoung gentlemen to retain your special appointments a little longer. Imay yet have considerable need of you in this affair. You are stoppingat the Arlington? Perhaps, for this afternoon, you would enjoy goingover to the United Service Club, where you are likely to meet a goodmany Army and Navy officers. I will send some one along with you whowill see to it that you have ten-day cards at the club."
At any other time this all would have meant to Jack Benson that he wasstill an officer in the Navy. Just now, however, it meant that Millardwas at large, and Benson had a strong notion that it would yet fall tothe lot of the submarine boys to put that wretch where he belonged.