 CHAPTER I. Sam. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their— It was that old-practice sentence of typists, which is as old as our typewriting machines, and Joe Harnad, seated for the old-style noisy but still capled machine in Philip Burton's telegraph office, had rattled it off twenty-five times and was on his twenty-sixth when suddenly, very suddenly, his mind began to work. For rather it might be said that an idea—the big idea—danced unceremoniously into his brain, and beginning to take definite and concrete form, chased a score of other smaller ideas through all the thought channels of his handsome, boyish, well-rounded head. He came to a full stop and gazed steadily at the upturned paper in the typewriter in front of him. Twenty-five times he had written that sentence, and twenty-five times with mechanical precision and true adherence to time-honored custom, he had finished it by tapping off the words, party. It was a formula of words which some genius had devised for the fingering practice it gave one on the keyboard, and Joe Harnad had written it hundreds of times before. Just as thousands of others had done without giving a thought to its meaning, or the significance that a substitution of a single word would give it. He read it again, and as if it were the result of an uncontrollable impulse his fingers began to wrap and tap, tap, tap. And this time he substituted new word that the big idea had suddenly thrust into his mind. Joe gave the roller a twirl, the paper rolled out, dropped to the floor, and he grasped for it eagerly. Even Joe was surprised. He hadn't realized that in his enthusiastic haste he had pushed down the key-marked caps. In bold, outstanding letters near the bottom of the sheet was an historic sentence, and Joe Harnad, of Brighton Academy, had devised it. Now was the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. Joe gazed at it again for a moment, and then let his eyes travel across the little office to where the red-headed, freckled face, big-hearted and impetuous Jerry Macklin was wrapping away at another typewriter, and two feet away from Jerry, Slim Goodwin, one hundred and seventy pounds in his stocking feet and five foot four in his gym suit, was working the telegraph key with a pudgy hand. Jerry, he called, oh, Slim, come over here a moment, both of you, I want to show you something. Jerry immediately ceased typewriting, but Slim was reluctant to release the telegraph key. However, as Joe began folding the paper in such a way that only the last sentence showed, their aroused curiosity brought both of them to his side. Read that, said Joe, trying to suppress the quiver in his voice and holding the paper up for them. Read it carefully. One lad on either side of him hung over Joe's shoulder and followed his bidding. Right, shouted Jerry, as he came to the last word, Joe, you're a wizard! What you've written there is a truth! Ain't it, I mean, isn't it? added the delicate Slim Goodwin, and partly to hide his grammatical error, but mostly to express his enthusiasm. He gave Joe a one hundred and seventy pound whack on the back that sent him sliding out of the chair in half way under the typewriter table. Say, Joe remonstrated, but just then Philip Burton, telegraph operator and genial good friend of all three of the lads, bustled into the room, a sheaf of yellow telegrams in his hand. What's all the excitement, he asked, striding toward the typewriter just left by Jerry. Why, explained Slim, Joe's just done something that means something. Impossible, said Mr. Burton, turning towards them with one of those irresistible smiles which long ago had made him the boy's confident. If you don't believe it, read this, commanded Jerry, thrusting the paper before the telegrapher's eyes. Mr. Burton read through it and turned to the three boys again. Well, he asked. It means what it says, explained Jerry. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. And we're good men, ain't we, demanded Slim, drawing up his stomach and throwing out his chest as he straightened up to his full five feet four inches in his gym suit. And better anywhere, said Mr. Burton, in a tone that showed that he meant it. But just how do you contemplate going to the aid of the country? It was Joe's turn to say something, and he did. By enlisting, he announced briefly but firmly, yes, agreed Slim, that is, by enlisting. Uh-huh, said Jerry, nodding his head vigorously and watching Mr. Burton's face for the evidence of their decision. And when did you determine upon that, the telegrapher asked with increasing interest? Well, said Slim, his face now painfully read from his efforts to keep his chest out and stomach in. It was finally decided upon, just now, although we have talked about the thing in general way many times. You really mean to enlist all three of you, Mr. Burton demanded? Yes, sir, they chorused, all three. Good exclaimed the man who had been their friend and helper. Fine, I'm proud of you. And he proceeded to shake hands hardly with the ancient turn. Have you decided upon the branch of the service you intend to enter? He then asked. Joe looked at Jerry. Jerry looked at Slim, and Slim cast a helpless glance back at Joe. I see you haven't, said Mr. Burton hastily, and I'm glad of it. Now, how about the signal corps? What do men in the signal corps do, asked Jerry? Do they fight, demanded Slim? Yes, Mr. Burton replied. They do some fighting on their own account, and often in tough places and against discouraging odds. But they do even more than that. Without their assistance, no general would dare lay plans for a battle. The signal corps keeps the commanders posted, not only as to the whereabouts, disposition of his own troops, but also those of the enemy. The signal corps is the telephone, the telegraph, the wireless, and often the aviation section as well, of the American army, and often of the American Navy too. Isn't that great? exclaimed the breathless Slim, as Mr. Burton went over to the ticker to answer the code call for his station. During the ten minutes that he was engaged in receiving and sending messages, the boys perfected plans for notifying the relatives of their intention. Had their attention not been so entirely taken by the subject under discussion, they would have seen Herbert Wallace, another and very unpopular student at Brighton, passed by the office window, stop for a moment to stare at him, and then step away quickly in the direction of the door near which they were standing. Well, what's the verdict, asked Mr. Burton, having finished his duties? The signal corps our choice, said Joe, speaking for all. But how do we go about getting into it? I think I can arrange that, Mr. Burton informed them. You boys have been studying telegraphy under me for more than six months, and I'm willing to certify that each of you can now handle an instrument. In addition to that, you're able to take down messages on the typewriters that come over the wire. Yes, sir, Mr. Burton finished. I think your Uncle Sam will be mighty glad to get three such lads as you, and I know the recruiting agent to put the thing through. So it was arranged that the three lads who returned to the dormitory write letters, which they were to procure them the desired permission to enlist and inform the headmaster of their intentions. Joe and Jerry, who had roomed together throughout their entire three years at Brighton, already were well on with their epistles of explanation when Slim, whose room was seven doors down the corridor, dragged himself in, looking more downcast than any boy in Brighton ever had seen him look before. No use, he informed his friends, a choke in his voice. They won't have me. I'm overweight. Oh, now, Slim, what are you worrying about that for? I don't believe any such thing, counsel Joe. It's true, though, affirmed Slim. The worst part of it is I saw it in a book. I'm toting around about twenty pounds more than the government wants, and I'd have to stand on tiptoe in high-heeled shoes to meet the requirement in height. Poor Slim. He showed his disappointment in every look and every action. What kind of a book did you see it in? asked Jerry, and a tone almost as had as Slim's. In the manual, Slim groaned. Herb Wallace showed it to me. That settles it, exclaimed Joe. If Herb Wallace had a hand in it anywhere, there's something wrong. I'll tell you what we'll do, fellas. We'll go ask the headmaster. Now, the headmaster of Brighton had once been a boy himself. He could be stern, even cruelly severe, when occasion demanded, but he was kind of heart and broad of understanding. Before him, the three lads laid their case as before the final tribunal. He said, with all the details had been related, and the all-important information asked. You say Herb Wallace showed you this manual? Slim solemnly affirmed that this was the case. The headmaster pushed a button on the side of his desk, and in a few seconds his secretary, a big bluff fellow, appeared. Bring Herb Wallace here at once, said the headmaster, and some five more minutes while the headmaster was shrewdly questioning the three lads as to the seriousness of their determination to a list the secretary returned, accompanied by young Wallace, flushed and shame-faced. Well, Wallace, said the principal of Brighton, I hear you've been starting up a military subject, intending to get into the fight. Herb Wallace hung his head and muttered an unintelligible reply. Now look here, Wallace, spoke the headmaster sternly. Where did you get the military manual from which you gave good when the information that he could not pass the examination for the army? I got it from the library, sir. Got it without permission, too, didn't you? pursued the headmaster. Yes, sir, said Wallace in confusion, and didn't know it was out of date, and the requirements were completely changed after the United States entered this war. A. No, sir, answered Wallace on the verge of a breakdown. I'll decide on your punishment later, announced the headmaster. See me here at four o'clock. Meanwhile, Wallace, be careful where you get your information, and be careful how you dispense it. And Herbert Wallace, utterly humiliated, was glad to flee from the room. I don't think, said the headmaster, that any of you will have difficulty in passing the examinations. I dislike to see you go, but you speak the truth when you say that your country does need you, and I pay a great tribute of respect to you for the patriotism and the courage with which you step forward as shoulder's obligations. Others have already gone from Brighton, till others will go in the future. God bless all of you, and may your return safe and sound reap the full benefits of the democracy for which you're going to fight. The suspicion of tears dimmed the kindly eyes of the headmaster, and each boy choked up as he bade him goodbye. But after all, this was no time for sadness. Young gladiators are going forth to the fray, and so we will skip over the farewells the following day, in which the parents of each lad, with many a heartache but never a word of discouragement, bade the boy's godspeed in the service of the country. The three lads, together with fifteen others, formed a detachment of the recently enlisted who were ready to go to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for further assignment, just before the train pulled out a students parade that seemed to include every boy in Brighton marched to the station to see them off. One of the lads carried a large transparency on which was printed. They brightened the fame of Brighton, and just as the train pulled out, and there was a great cheering and waving of hats and handkerchiefs, Joe, Jerry, and Slim, leaning out from adjoining windows sang out in chorus, for Uncle Sam. A brilliant October morning was just breaking, when a final bump of the train ended the none too musical snoring of Slim Goodwin, and he came to a sitting posture, his first yawn almost instantly, to give way to an exclamation of surprise. It was strange scenery he was gazing upon, and for the moment he had forgotten where he was. The grinning faces of Joe and Jerry, whom he had awakened half an hour before with the sawmill sleeping serenade, brought him to a realization of his surroundings. Where are we, he asked, now fully awake. I imagined Philadelphia, answered Joe, although I'd never been there. Well, let's climb out and see, was a suggestion from Jerry, which found ready response from the other two, and a moment later, while half the passengers were still asleep, they were investigating the mysteries of Washington Avenue near Broad Street in the Quaker City. Strings of freight cars were stretched out on the sightings, and either side of the railroad yard was flanked by large manufacturing buildings which already were showing preliminary signs of industrial activity. You are enlisted men, sirs, who had a deep voice just behind them, and all three turned somewhat startled to find they were not alone. They faced a young giant of a fellow who wore the khaki uniform of Uncle Sam with the sergeant's stripes upon his sleeve. He was unable wholly to suppress a smile as Slim came to a difficult and not entirely regulation salute. We are, answered Joe. We just stepped off that train to get a breath of fresh air and to learn where we were. No harm done. The sergeant responded in a friendly tone. You are in Philadelphia, and the only restriction upon you now is that you are not to stroll too far away. We leave here in a short while for the navy yard, where a mess will be served. Mess? That's breakfast, ain't it? Isn't it? Asked Slim anxiously. Yes, the sergeant replied, and a good one, too. Each boy touched his cap respectfully as the non-commissioned officer turned to return to the train. Hope we have sausage, said Jerry in an undertone, but I'm hungry enough to eat anything they give me. Same with me, Slim added, in melancholy tones, but I guess I'll have to diet some until I'm certain and solidified in the service. At that instant the shrill blast of a whistle brought their attention back to the train, where the sergeant was signaling them to return. Three automobiles had arrived, and into these are three friends, and the other fifteen recently enlisted men climbed, for the Cryptolig Island, where it is located, one of the nation's largest and most important navy yards. Down, wide, ass-alted broad street, the party's bed, past solid rows of handsome dwellings, and then across the stretch of beautiful park that once was a mosquito-ridden marsland, and to the gates of the navy yard. Here are the detachment marines on guard, gave the boys their first close association with the spirit of war. As they swung through the gates, a virtual wonderland of the machinery of sea battles greeted their eyes. Powerful battleships, lithe and speedy cruisers, spider-like destroyers, tremendous colliers, capable of carrying thousands of tons of coal to the fleets at sea, and in the distance a transport waiting to take on its human freight of Uncle Sam's fighters for foreign battlefields. On the parade ground, several companies of marines were going through maneuvers, while on every ship blue jackets were engaged in various tasks, and activities were in full sway in the many large manufacturing buildings at the lower end of the yard, near the waterfront. It was a scene to inspire the lads, with a full appreciation of the great military and naval service of which they were to become a part, and in their patriotic enthusiasm, they forgot even their healthy young appetites. Mess was in one of the big barracks where they mingled with hundreds of others, some of whom were raw rookies like themselves, others of longer experience, and some of previous experience in Haiti and elsewhere. The big sergeant, whose name they learned was Martin, brought the entire eighteen together immediately after the meal, and they joined a score of others who had arrived a few days before. All were then marched to another building, where their instructions began, and they were informed that before night they would be uniformed. This was welcome information indeed, to get into the uniform of Uncle Sam. Every young man in the group breathed a little deeper and drew himself up a little straighter at the thought. We will not trace Joe, Jerry, and Slim through their initial instruction, for it had lasted less than an hour when an orderly hastily entered the room, saluted the officer who was acting as instructor, and then talked to him for a moment in an undertone. The officer's countenance underwent a curious change. Finally he turned towards the youths before him. Are there any men here who are already telegraphers, he asked? Instantly Joe, Jerry, and the two others arose, while Slim tried to, but had great difficulty getting himself out of the small schoolchild sort of desk at which he was seated. Finally he managed it by sliding out sideways, the way he had entered instead of attempting a direct upward rise. How many of you can use the international code? The officer continued. Thanks to good ol' Burton, Joe, Jerry, and Slim were as familiar with that as they were with the Morse American Code. The other two men resumed their seats. Sergeant Martin had entered the room. Apparently he was not at all displeased to find the three polite young men, whom he addressed earlier in the day, now able to show greater capabilities than the other men in the detachment. You were excused from further instruction here at this time, the officer announced to the trio, you will accompany Sergeant Martin for further orders, and they hurried from the room with the noncom, who they instinctively knew was their friend. What was this new experience that lay before them? They were not long in learning, and the information almost carried them beyond the restraints of good discipline and to the indulgent in three ripping good cheers. Sergeant Martin could be a hard taskmaster when it was necessary to be so, but like the headmaster of Brighton he did not believe in needless red tape, nor did he delude himself that the stripes upon his sleeve made him a better man, except in official authority, than the ones who were none at all. He realized the curiosity that must be consuming the three lads, and he was not averse to satisfying it. Selected for service aboard a transport bound for Europe, he announced briefly. Thank you, sir, said Joe, not entirely able to control the happiness in his voice, while Slim's excess stomach almost entirely disappeared in the abnormal expansion of his chest. Jerry could find no dignified way of expressing his great pleasure than by quietly poking Slim under the ribs to the entire undoing of that young man's military attitude. Do you go at once, sir? inquired Joe deferentially. Probably tomorrow evening, said Sergeant Martin, as they arrived at the building housing the captain and staff in charge of the men of the signal corps then stationed at the navy yard. It was the busiest office the three boys had ever seen. Typewriters were clicking, telegraph instruments were at work, orderlies were hurrying about, and every man in the place was engrossed in his own particular task. Sergeant Martin guided them to an inner office. Here they confronted an austere gentleman whose uniform denoted that he was a captain and whose whole bearing bespoke military service. The three boys were dumbfounded to learn that he already had their names on the card before him. They were getting a new idea of the efficiency of Uncle Sam's service. The captain made numerous notes as he questioned them about their experience, general knowledge, and extent of their education. He eyed Slim shrewdly as he inquired whether they thought they might be subject to seasickness. Young men, he said abruptly, this country is engaged in the greatest war in all history. Considering your youth and present lack of experience, yours is to be a part of great responsibility. You look like capable and courageous young Americans, and I believe you are. I have confidence that you will bear your share of the burdens of a war with credit to yourselves and glory to your country. With one man of more experience, you will be placed in charge of the wireless and other signal apparatus aboard the transport Everett, leaving within 36 hours. Sergeant Martin will now aid you in procuring your uniforms. The three boys came to full military salute. The captain returned it. They swung upon their heels like seasoned soldiers and departed behind their friend, the young giant of a sergeant. An hour later, fully uniformed, they were taken to the Everett, and down into the wonders of the transport's wireless room, where they were introduced as 2nd Lieutenant Gerald Mackensen, who was to be their superior officer on the perilous trip. Lieutenant Mackensen was a square-jawed young fellow with keen eyes, bushy hair, and a good breadth of shoulders. He had been an electrical engineer prior to entering the service, and had gained his promotion three months before strictly upon his merit and knowledge, which were the qualities he demanded in others. He already had been across three times, and he knew the many problems and dangers that would confront them. Satisfied by his questioning that the three young men who were to accompany him had the stuff in them, Lieutenant Mackensen then began instructing them in the elementaries of the radio. It seemed, though, that that day was destined to be one of interruptions, but not, however, of the sort to be of disadvantage to the three boys from Brighton, for just as a sudden ending of their instructions in class in the morning had led to their assignments to a transport to start overseas within 36 hours, so the call now, which required Lieutenant Mackensen's presence elsewhere, indirectly led to a new and thrilling experience for the lads. I am ordered to report in the repairs to the wireless of another vessel, said the Lieutenant, after perusing the order that a private had brought to him. It will require until late tonight to finish. Inasmuch as this is probably the last night that you lads will spend on land for some time, you might as well see a little of the city, if you care to, but be sure that you are within the gates of the yard before 10 o'clock. He then gave each of the boys a pass and told them to be aboard the Everett, not later than half past 10, and departed for the special work to which he had been called. Wouldn't you like to be a Lieutenant, though, exclaimed Joe enthusiastically? Just imagine being called from ship to ship to help them out of their difficulties. And discussing their aspirations and what the future held for them, the three young men from Brighton went to mess, afterward brushed their brand new uniforms of the last possible speck of dust and left the Navy Yard for a stroll through the southern section of the city founded by William Penn. How far they walked, none of them knew. They had turned many corners, and their conversation had covered a wide field, always, however, turning upon some military subject when a church clock told out nine times. I think we had better return, said Slim, who was beginning to tire under the long day's strain and excitement. Yes, agreed, Jerry, but which way do we go? They were, in truth, lost. Uniformed as they were, they were ashamed to ask directions, and fondly agreed that Joe was right in indicating that they should walk straight southward. Twelve blocks southward they walked, and the damp, marshy atmosphere assured them that they were nearing the river. But their only hope now, as they plodded across desolate and deserted dumps, and even invaded a truck patch or two, was that there was a strike road that led around to the Navy Yard entrance. What was that? Jerry exclaimed in a horse whisper, grasping a boy on either side of him by the arm. Did you hear? I thought I heard something, avert Slim, also luring his voice. What did it sound like to you? We're almost upon the river bank, said Joe. It was someone rowing, but it sounded to me as though they're using muffled oars. While the boys stopped to listen, the rowing began again, very slowly, very cautiously, and then there was a muffled splash. At the same instant a great flashlight to the south began playing first upon the sky, and then in a slow arc down the river, and then inland towards themselves. Although they did not quite come within its radius, the boat they had heard was between them and the light. It was a rowboat evidently heavily laden, for it rowed low in the water, and was occupied by one man who was crouching in the bottom as though to avoid discovery. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the searchlight was obscured, and the blackness of the night was more intense by contrast. That light was at the Navy Yard, said Joe, beginning to peel off his coat. Jerry, you're a fast runner by heading straight in the way I'm looking. You ought to be able to get to the yard in ten minutes. Do it as quickly as you can. Slim will stay here. By this time, Joe had stripped off his shirt and preparing to unlace his shoes. And you blurted Jerry and Slim almost at the same instant, but still in guarded tones. What are you going to do? I'm as safe as a duck in the water and almost as noiseless, responded Joe calmly. I'm going to swim out there and see what's going on. That man out there is a spy. End of Chapter 2 Chapter 3 of The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Tom Clifton The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service by James R. Driscoll Chapter 3 Unexpected Action If red-headed, freckle-faced Jerry Macklin, star sprinter Brighton, ever ran in his life he ran that night. Down across the uneven, hill-dotted dumps he tore at a speed that would have put his high school records to shame. Three times he fell, but each time on the instant he was up and off again without even a thought as to whether he had injured himself. And all the time he kept repeating in his mind there's a spy out there planting dangerous things for the Navy Yard in the United States. Joe's in icy water watching him, and I must get help as fast as I can. It was good, too, that he did put forth the last ounce of his strength. Sergeant Martin was just passing through the Navy Yard gate as Jerry arrived. His uniform cover with loose ashes and dirt, his hands bleeding from stone cuts received in his falls. To Sergeant Martin between gasps, Jerry managed to blurt out enough to make the other understand. Within two more minutes Sergeant Martin had imparted the vital information to the captain of the company of Marines charged with guarding the Navy Yard for that particular night. The captain sent two aides scurrying, one to his major, the other to the office of the Navy Yard Commodon. Twenty Marines, fully armed, were hurried aboard a launch that constantly was kept under steam for just such an emergency, and with Jerry directing, the boat swung out to Joe's aid. Rapidly as Jerry had traveled the distance between the spot where Slim waited in the Navy Yard itself, it seemed like ages to Joe, out there in the icy water, a quarter mile from shore. At first the tense excitement of the manhunt had made him unmindful of the low temperature, and he swam with strong, even, silent strokes that sent his lithe body gliding through the current noiselessly. But when he came within 40 feet of the rowboat, his lone occupant had turned suddenly, as though senting danger, and Joe, after waiting for a few seconds to see what might happen, considered the absolute silence and omen of danger in a dive under the water, staying there as long as he could, and coming to the surface at an entirely different point from the boat. After that the cold got to the very heart of him. His muscles grew numb, he felt his strength waning, and he had to bring the whole force of his will to bear to keep him turning back to shore. But just as Jerry had maintained his courage and strength by keeping constantly in mind Joe's plight, so Joe stuck to his terrible task suffering the most severe punishment by an unwavering confidence in Jerry's ability to get assistance in the shortest time possible. He could see and hear the man in the boat was working hastily, even laboriously, and every few seconds there was a smothered splash as something heavy being dropped carefully overboard. And then, at the most inopportune moment, just when Joe was head and shoulders out of the water, not more than twenty feet from the boat, the searchlight was thrown full upon him. He dived, but not before the other man saw him. Joe, swimming ten feet under water and as hard as he could with the current downstream, knew that he had been discovered, for he heard the quick raptap of the oars, the sound dying away as the little craft sped toward shore. When he did come to the surface it was with a certain feeling that the fatal searchlight had been played upon the scene two minutes too early, and just in time to prevent the capture red-handed of a very questionable character, undoubtedly carrying on some plot for an enemy government. For as distinctly as he could hear the oars thrashing the water toward shore, he could discern the steady but subdued puffing of a steam launch racing up the river. Joe was now on the point of exhaustion. He was flapping the water desperately, but he was making no progress and was having the greatest difficulty keeping himself afloat. He tried to cry out and this final effort took his last bit of strength. The steam launch was perhaps thirty feet away, but Jerry's words, right about here, floated to him as from the opposite side of the river. The boat's searchlight that was suddenly thrown on blinded him, he lost all account of things and had the vague feeling of sailing across great spaces on fleecy white clouds. When he regained partial consciousness, Sergeant Martin was in the water with him and trying to raise his body over the side of the launch, then he relapsed again for what seemed to him hours, but that was actually only about two minutes and was awakened to his real senses by the shouts of Slim on shore. Slim's got him, Jerry almost shouted. Hurry, Captain! Right off this way to shore, Slim must have him! Listen to Slim's bellow! And if there wasn't a first-class ruction in progress, just upon the spot from which Slim's vocal signals were emanating, then Slim's voice was deceptive indeed. As a matter of fact, there was the finest sort of frock as a foot. Slim on shore had been a silent and anxious witness to the sudden turning on of the Navy Yard searchlight and to all that had exposed. The boat, the man at work on it, Joe in the water, and his discovery by the boat's occupant. And then, as the light was extinguished and the whole affair was engulfed in darkness, Slim heard the rapid beating of oars upon the water and the roar heading toward shore. And Slim. Unable to see the craft approaching, he traced its course by sound, and when the man stepped to shore, Slim was only a few yards away. Discerning a shadow just ahead of him, the youth threw himself at it with his whole weight, only to grunt his pain and disgust when he came into violent contact with the trunk of a dead tree. The sound, however, startled the enemy into an exclamation which revealed his wereabouts, and a moment later the two were locked together and rolling over the ground. Slim with a desperate grip upon the stranger's throat and the ladder landing blow after blow upon Slim's stomach. It was during this melee that Slim spied the searchlight of the launch and let out his first call. After that most of his bellows were involuntary, and but punctuated the rapid fire attack with which the other man was landing his blows just above Slim's waistline, or where his waistline should have been. As the launch headed towards shore, its searchlight trained over the bow. The man of the robot resorted to more desperate tactics. With a tremendous jerk he managed to free his throat from Slim's grasp. An instant later he gave the youth's neck a twist which almost broke it. Then he landed a vicious kick which put poor Slim out of business. Just as the Marines when the launch were climbing ashore, the fellow sped off into the denseness of the night and his footsteps died away. All presence of them was gone. A dozen of them searched for an hour but without result and further investigation along that line had to be abandoned until the following day. Meanwhile, however, all three lads were hurried back to the Navy Yard for fresh clothing and other repairs having received which together with hot coffee from the cook at the barracks mess they were permitted their own earnest solicitation to return to the scene with four Marines who would be stationed along that section of the shore for the balance of the night. What they saw upon their arrival astonished them. Three additional launches had arrived upon the scene and the combatant of the Navy Yard was himself directing matters. He had in his hand a slight rope that ran down into the water and close beside it was a hose line attached to an apparatus in the boat. The boys knew at once that a diver was at work down on the bed of the river. From the side of another launch anchored parallel with the first and fifteen feet distant four husky blue jackets were waiting expectantly to divide their strength on two stout ropes that were being attached to something down in the water. The third launch played its flashlight upon the work while the fourth steaming about doing patrol duty. Even as the boys watched the combatant gave a signal and the two sailors began hauling upward on the two heavy ropes in a moment an oblong box about two feet long a foot wide and of the same depth came dripping from the water. As it was brought to the boat side two other men grasped it carefully and placed it in the bottom of the launch. Then the ropes which were attached to a guideline were hauled down into the river again. What does it mean? Joe asked of Sergeant Martin who had changed his clothes and arrived back ahead of them. What does it mean? repeated the big sergeant. It means that you three young men are due for several credits in early recognition or I'm much mistaken. The man you discovered has not yet been caught but he cannot escape for long and when he's captured it'll be a long time for he's free again. You lads have frustrated a dangerous plot by an enemy government. The river bottom seems to be paved with those cases. They've taken a dozen out already. One of them was open and just as expected it proved to be a watertight container for smokeless powder. The government had those boxes hidden there undoubtedly was scheming to have plenty of ammunition ready for use if it ever managed to land its men on American soil. But you boys appeared here just in time to blow up the whole plot. You have been in your first real action in the service of your country and you've come off with flying colors. End of Chapter 3 Chapter 4 of The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Tom Clifton The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service by James R. Driscoll Chapter 4 Farewell, United States When the boys arose the following morning each somewhat stiff and sore from the experiences of the night before it was with a feeling of happy anticipation that made their physical discomfort seem like trivial things. For before nightfall the twin screws of the large transport Everett would begin to churn the waters of the Delaware. Her bow would be pointed downstream and the great voyage of adventure would be started. But in the meantime there was much for the lads to learn. Up to the present every moment had been occupied to the exclusion of such instructions as were absolutely necessary to know in order that they might give the best service to their country. And so they responded to an early summons from the superior officer in charge of men in the signal core of the station. By him they were informed of the serious mission upon which they were bound and of the responsibilities that would fall upon them should the transport by any mishap become separated from its armed convoy. No message pick up at sea or elsewhere he told them was to be repeated to anyone but the superior officer to whom it was directed and any calls for another vessel or station were to be ignored by them even if their aerials should pick the words up. They were told of the fine loyalty demanded by the men of their branch of the service and given some idea of the sacrifices they might be called upon to make. The success of this war said Major Briggs depends upon the courage and ability with which each man in it performs the immediate task before him. Whether the whole world shall fall under the iron hand of a merciless tyranny where the peoples of the various nations may govern themselves in the freedom of democracy now depends largely upon the men of the United States. We must regard the responsibilities thrust upon us as a glorious opportunity to serve all mankind. Thrilled with the nature of the great work ahead of them Joe, Jerry and Slim hurried down the long length of the Navy Yard toward the Everett lay mort in her slip the center of much activity. Steam was already up as they could see from the big thick black clouds of smoke that curled upward from her smokestack. Big cranes operated by powerful winches on the vessel and on shore were hoisting cases of various sizes and shapes upon the lower decks and into the hold. A small army of men helped complete the loading of the ship and one group was experiencing considerable difficulty in trying to persuade unwilling mules to board the transport for Europe. The boys hurtled over piles of food and ammunition when did their way through scores of stacks of ordinance and finally over a gang plank to the vessel. There they saluted and reported to the officer of the day who directed them at once to go up to the wireless room. As they entered there Lieutenant Mackensen was busily engaged in tuning up his instruments. He stopped when he saw them and reached into an inner pocket from which he produced three large oblong envelopes. One was addressed to each lad and as they accepted them they saw that each was closed to the prying eyes by the official seal of Uncle Sam. Swept by various emotions the boys stood there gazing first at the envelopes and then at Lieutenant Mackensen. Well, said the Lieutenant, at last with an amused smile. Do you want me to retire while you read your communications? Oh, no, not at all, Sir! Joe hastened to say and as if to prove the statement all three of the envelopes were ripped open and the single sheet of paper in each drawn forth. Especially addressed to each lad the letters were identical in red. I hereby convey to you my heartiest congratulations upon the efficient and heroic manner in which you and your two friends discovered and frustrated a plot concealed enemy and ammunition in the vicinity of this naval base. You all displayed true American courage and I wish you every success for the future. The letters were signed by the commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Look at that, said Slim, pushing his letter at Lieutenant Mackensen, utterly forgetful of the fact that the other man was a superior officer. Ain't it fine though? For the commandant to mention it that way, I mean. Yes, admitted Lieutenant Mackensen, but he wouldn't have mentioned it that way if you hadn't deserved it. I'm not going to lose that letter announced Jerry, nor I at a Joe, although we only did what any other fellows would have done under the same circumstances. Well, said Lieutenant Mackensen, it showed that you were to be dependent upon in an emergency and emergencies are likely to crop up at any time in our work, so let's get down to business. He immediately began explaining the apparatus of the wireless room, how messages were sent and received, the power of the batteries and the auxiliaries, the switchboard, regulating voltage, the automatic recording apparatus, in fact, every detail connected with the intricate mechanism of an up-to-date wireless. There was a time explained Lieutenant Mackensen when the sending of a message almost deafened the sender, who was like being in the midst of a machine gun assault, but recent improvements have eliminated that, you may see for yourselves. And the Lieutenant tapped off the Everett's own signal call with little more sound than it made by the sending of a message with the ordinary telegraph instrument. We have a sending and receiving radius from 500 to 800 miles, Lieutenant Mackensen continued. Of course, it doesn't compare with the great wireless station at Radio Virginia, one of the largest in the world where one tower is 600 feet high and the other 450 feet in height and each charged with 200,000 volts giving a radius of 3,000 miles, but it is sufficiently powerful for practically every purpose required at sea. Wasn't Marconi a wonderful man, said Jerry in true admiration? Yes, he was, no doubt of that, and he still may contribute much to science for he's not old yet, the young Lieutenant answered, but still, full credit must be given where credit is due, and in that respect it must be acknowledged that Marconi only assembled and perfected to practical purposes the discoveries and inventions made before his time. Radio telegraphry might be briefly traced in the names of Faraday, Maxwell, Hertz, the discoverer of the Hertzian Rays, Riggy, Lodge, and Marconi, all of them contribute something to the evolvement of the present highly efficient and dependable wireless. Marconi should and does receive great credit, but the others, the pioneers, the real discoverers should not be forgotten overlooked. The Lieutenant's words threw a new light on the discovery of the wireless for the boys from Brighton, and they were anxious that the officers should tell them more, but at that moment Lieutenant Mackensen caught the faint recording of a distant wireless call for another station far down the Atlantic coast. Here he said hastily, turning to Joe, who was nearest him, see if you can catch this message. He slipped the receiving apparatus over Joe's head and tightened up the earpieces, then pushed towards him a pad and pencil. Into Joe's ears came the faint but distinct sounds of a distant call. An S Joe jotted down on the sheet for him. A ship at sea calling Newport News, Lieutenant Mackensen informed the other two, who impatiently waited for Joe to begin recording the message. Newport News acknowledged the call and then the vessels wireless continued and Joe transcribed writing Jasper. Following this came the other boys looked on in chagrin. While Lieutenant Mackensen's countenance took on an amused smile as Joe wrote down the word detail and then nothing else but the initials N-N which ended the message. Don't make sense announced slim in a discouraged voice. You must have missed part of it. No, I didn't. Joe replied, looking anxiously towards Lieutenant. I guess he got it all the young officer assured them at the same time unlocking a little closet and taking a leather-bound book from an upper shelf. Let's see. He turned to the jays and ran his finger down the page until he came with the word Jasper. That means we've cold, he said, writing the words out on a pad. Oh, it's in code, said Slim apologetically. I didn't know that. Detail The Lieutenant announced finding that word. Understand and in following sealed orders. That's the North Dakota. She's cold at sea and now is starting out on some mission only known to her commander and the naval authorities. Almost as he finished speaking, the Everett gave a lurch. Her whistle was tooted two or three times. The engine started turning and the big boat began to vibrate under the pressure. There was a shout from the thousand or more who had crowded to the river's edge. Responded to by the 1500 khaki-clad young men who were lined up at every point advantage along the vessel's side. And we're off too, shouted Lieutenant Mackensen. Hurrah! cried the three boys and the Brighton in the same breath as they double-quicked it behind the Lieutenant to the upper deck. The scene was one to inspire the most miserable slacker. Somewhere in the upper part of the yard a band was playing seusses, stars and stripes forever. From the windows of the ordinance and other buildings at the lower end of the yard workmen hung forth waving hats and handkerchiefs and joining in the shouted well wishes of those along the shore. The crews of every fighting craft in that part of the river sang out friendly advice to those aboard the transport, and two miles down the channel could be discerned to smoke from the stacks of the armed convoys that were to give the Everett safe passage to her destination. Among those at the water's edge the boys could discern the big form of Sergeant Martin and even as distance welded them into an indistinguishable mass they could still see him towering above the others. His hat describing wide circles through the air. So long, fellas! We'll meet you over there! shouted the men of the last vessel they passed. As though by pre-arrangement the fifteen hundred men on the Everett began singing, I'm going over, sang it to the end of the first verse then stopped and from a point well down the river could hear those they had passed by taking up the second stanza. Hours later out on the ocean the dim lights ashore fading one by one the fighters for Uncle Sam gave one last long lingering look at their native land and Jerry voicing the spirit of all cried out Farewell, United States! End of Chapter 4 Chapter 5 of The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Tom Clifton The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service by James R. Driscoll Chapter 5 The Fight in the Wireless Oh my, oh my! wailed slim weakly his head hanging over the side of his bunk I never felt worse in all my life I never felt half so sick Never mind urged Joe soothingly he'll soon be feeling better now Yes, he will moan Jerry miserably from the opposite bunk he will but I won't the wind howled the big ship gave a forward and downward lurch and Jerry would have slid from the bunk but for the quick action of Joe I think I'm going to die I wish I would gasped the redhead boy when he was again laid out at full length I had the measles and the mumps at the same time once but I never felt like this Why don't they stir this old boat through the waves instead of trying to jump her over them There's a heavy sea running, explained Joe That's what makes the Everett ride so roughly Wish I was back at Brighton Slim Grown Dismally Two hardy youths strolling along the deck who hadn't been touched by the epidemic of seasickness stopped appearing at the porthole They had mischief in their eyes and as they caught sight of Slim's humorously pathetic countenance one of them muttered in a low but distinct voice How'd you like to have some fried sausage and some plum pudding and some shut up bawled out Joe with what strength he had left With a loud laugh the two withdrew their heads and disappeared At that moment the ship's physician, accompanied by Lieutenant Mackensen arrived to give what further comfort he could to the seasick lads It's clearing Lieutenant told him while the doctor measured out a powder for each boy The wind has died down and the sea is becoming calm Oh yes, the physician added In an hour or so you'll be feeling better than you did before Seasickness has a tonic effect but it's rather a bitter dose Sure is, said Slim Weekly Nevertheless it was just about an hour later that Jerry, feeling as nausea leave him almost as suddenly as it appeared raised himself on one elbow and looked across at his companion in misery How'd you feel Slim? he inquired Almost human again the stout lad replied Going to get up Guess I can in a few minutes I'm going to try it now said Jerry Seems as if the pilot of this ferry had learned to steer her a whole lot better than he did earlier in the day Yup, agreed Slim sliding from his bunk certainly was tough wasn't it? I feel sort of weak in the legs yet said Jerry by way of answer Let's go up on deck and get some fresh air Stomach feels as empty as a vacant house How's your Slim inquired? Nothing in it but the lining and I guess most of that's pride loose I've got to wait more than two hours for mess too How about some fried sausage and plum pudding and some Jerry laughed the first time that day that fellow certainly did make me mad he admitted Yeah he made you mad said Slim in a commercial tone but he made me sick On deck a hundred or more vigorous young men were exercising their muscles in various forms of athletic sport Here a group crowded around a contest and broad jumping eagerly echoing the distances made and there the men of another throng loudly applauded their favorites in a stiff boxing bout while on another part of the deck a pair of 180 pound huskies were struggling in a friendly wrestling match A bright sun shone upon a sparkling sea and the air was just crisp enough to be invigorating at that moment Joe came up to inquire how his two chums felt Fine declared Jerry Like a two-year-old added Slim that doctor was telling the truth I believe I never felt better in my life and he began flapping his arms up and down like a rooster flails the air with its wings A fat man's raced three times around the ship at youthy held spying Slim's activities tried the crowd get him started The jumpers the wrestlers and the boxers immediately suspended their respective contests to enjoy the innovation Slim was trying to back away protesting couldn't run for a cent when a familiar smiling countenance intruded itself in a circle of good-natured faces with suggestion Well how about a plum pudding then? Slim and Jerry at once recognized him as a youth who had similarly suggested a plum pudding also sausage at a most in an opportune time Have you got one Slim demanded? His spirit aroused Sure have announced the other and I'll make it the steak Another shout went up as a second group pushed before Slim another youth who so far his size, shape and neighborhood DuPois was concerned might have been his twin brother they looked at each other and both burst out into a hearty laugh Hello skinny said the stranger Howdy delicate Slim came back at him quick as a flash Want a race? Don't particularly want a race respond to the other lab but I'm awfully fond of plum pudding and sausage Is it going to be sausage in it too? asked the stranger evidencing increasing interest Only yourself Slim announced laughing and jumping back quickly to avoid any bludgerence his joke might inspire on the other but he took the joke as good naturally as he did the howls of delight from the crowd and the two peeled off their coats and discarded their hats as a couple of youths marked off the starting and finishing lines while others cleared the deck for action This will be the tapes at a tall lean fellow as he tied one into the string to the rail at a point just above the starting line after you pass here the second time will stretch us out and the first one to touch it will be the winner Wright said the fat boys together leaning over in true sprinter fashion so far as their stomachs would permit them to stoop One of the 180 pound wrestlers winked to his comrades and hurried down to the lower part of the ship on some mysterious errand One Two Three Go! shouted the self-constituted referee and Slim and delicate went True neither of them got with a sportsman would call a flying start but they got away nevertheless and with all the grace and speed of two loaded hay wagons whoopee she yelled one in the crowd look at him go you can't see him for the dust Two dollars on the knuck-knee guy shouted another Slim turned his head for the fraction of a second to learn whether this insult had been directed to him and his opponent gained a lead of a foot Glad at you dear hounds drilled an iris tenor in the crowd work your feet not your arms the elephant leads come on you wail shouted another by this time the runners had made the curve at the bow of the boat and were coming up at the starboard side toward the stern on the nearest armed convoy an officer was taken in the contest through a pair of marine glasses and apparently enjoying it immensely hooray hooray yelled the crowd of onlookers as Slim spurted and the pair rounded the stern and came down to the tape at the end of their first lap neck and neck both were puffing like purposes hey sausage you got a flat tire a crowd of youth as they passed and from another your engines knocking skinny reduced your spark so the good nature rally continued while the two fat boys drove doggedly on now at considerably reduced speed but still side by side each determined to capture that plumb pudding they had passed the tape a second time snorting louder and in shorter gasps than before and with the biting ripper Tay still assaulting their ears when a man who disappeared into the hold of the ship came out again carrying a large can quick he warned those above them right here before they see and he proceeded to divulge the contents of the can as a heavy grease almost the color of the deck which he began to smear heavily there on over the entire surface that the runners would have to cover from a distance 15 feet away from the tape there on their way whispered a voice and the crowd parted to give the two the proper space in which to finish the race there was an air of great expectancy among the onlookers the lads were still struggling along neck by neck but Slim's legwork was so timed as to make him first to strike the grease he slid tried to regain his balance skidded into his competitor who was also flambering for a foothold and then progressing to a spot where the grease was thicker both feet went up from under him and he went down kicking delicates foundations from under him also the crowd yelled with laughter and the breath went out of poor Slim with a terrible snore as delicate came on squarely upon Slim's stomach and thus the most ludicrous sight imaginable they went sliding under the tape all bets are off shouted the other man who had been boxing they broke before the finish side by side to breathless to articulate the two fat youths lay their gasping for breath while those gathered about made mock gestures of first aid to the injured nobody had been hurt however and the victims of the prank took it in the way it had been intended delicate whose real name was Remington Bowman proved to be a good sportsman of Slim and they went down the deck arm in arm when the mess call was sounded and it was evidence the good fellowship of the owner of the plum pudding that he did share it with both of them directly after the meal was over you fellas earned it he said and they agreed that they had that evening it was Joe's turn to do watch in the wireless room with Lieutenant Mackensen until 11 o'clock about which time the young officer retired to his bunk just off the operating room and Slim came on to work until 3 a.m. when he was relieved by Jerry who stayed until 7 o'clock at which time the lieutenant again assumed charge until relieved by Joe it was a standing order however at least until the younger men became more experienced with the wireless that Lieutenant Mackensen immediately should be apprised to the sending or receiving of any messages this first evening out the lieutenant complained of a headache and acquiescing and Joe's urging had gone up on the deck to get some air perhaps 15 minutes had elapsed when Joe thought here someone prowling about stealthily in the battery room his first thought was that the lieutenant had returned to make certain that everything was all right but amongst consideration convinced him otherwise whoever was in the adjoining room was making every effort to keep his presence there from becoming known it gave Joe a queer sort of a feeling what should he do to seek the lieutenant and bring him back might require several minutes meanwhile the intruder might accomplish his object whatever that was and disappear he decided to act upon his own initiative tiptoeing across the room he turned off the electric switch which switched through the wireless room into utter darkness except for the meager moonlight filtering through an open porthole then just as silently he recrossed the room to the door leading to the battery room slowly and without a sound he turned the knob and opened the door to a sufficient width to permit him to peer in that room was also in darkness with only one porthole open cautiously the intruder seemed to be feeling about for something connected with the batteries listening intently for a moment to get the exact location of the other man Joe flung open the door and made a flying leap in the others direction the man was leaning over and Joe landed squarely upon his back with a muffled exclamation of surprise the man jerked himself forward and Joe went hurtling over his head his arms however still clasped tightly around the other man's neck Joe knew in an instant that he was in combat with a man larger and more powerful than himself but his own youth and suppleness were in his favor throwing all of his strength into the moment he twisted about and at the same time jumped so he managed wrapped his legs around the other man's waist with another lithe movement he was again upon his back and reaching for his antagonist throat at the same time squeezing with all the strength of his powerful young limbs upon the other's ribs back and forth across the narrow confines the little room they staggered now one having a temporary advantage and again the other just as Joe was managing to fasten his fingers in at the throat and the other was hammering terrible elbow blows to his stomach the bigger man stumbled as he fell he'd turn and his full weight came down upon the lad almost crushing him Joe was not done for yet however with the strength of desperation he held onto the other fellow's shirt he felt something hard and metallic under it and in a new grasp included that in his fist again the struggle began unable to break Joe's grip the intruder tried to sink his teeth into the lad's wrist failing in this he gave evidence of his strength by rising dragging Joe upward with him there was an instant of terrible whirling about the room and then the man landed a smashing blow on Joe's jaw still gripping the man's shirt and the unknown metallic thing beneath it the lad reeled the shirt ripped and there was another sharp snap and the boy fell backward dazed he heard the man run swiftly almost noiselessly towards his turn of the ship brilliant and many colored lights flashed before his eyes and he knew no more End of Chapter Five Chapter Six of The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain from our information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Tom Clifton The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service by James R. Driscoll Chapter Six The Mystery of the Iron Cross When Joe came back to consciousness it was with his head pounding terribly and Lieutenant Mackensen bending over him swathing his face with a cool wetcloth while Jerry and Slim whom the Lieutenant had awakened were standing nearby one holding a base in the water the other holding a bottle containing a liniment or lotion You've been done up pretty badly said Lieutenant Mackensen as Joe went through the painful motion of moving his head from left to right letting his gaze take in the now lighted wireless room Yes he answered with an effort nothing serious though I guess and then full recollection coming to him did he get away? Who? asked Lieutenant quickly Who was it that beat you up so? I don't know Joe answered I discovered him in the battery room we fought in the dark with the aid of the others he raised himself to a sitting posture then stood up and walked rather unsteadily across the room took a long quaff of cold water and dropped heavily into Lieutenant Mackensen's Morris chair at the same time he gazed for the first time at what he had been holding tightly clutched in his right hand ever since the knockout blow had been delivered the other three also were staring at it in open amazement What is it? asked Joe as Lieutenant crossed the room and took the thing from him for a closer examination What is it? Lieutenant Mackensen repeated Why lad? This is a German iron cross tell us what happened here with the young officer seated before him and his two pals standing at either side of his chair Joe quietly quickly and as carefully as he could gave him every detail of the occurrence from the moment he had first heard sounds in the battery room to the time that the other man ran away and he lapsed into unconsciousness While Joe was relating a story the Lieutenant examined and reexamined the iron cross the bit of broken chain still attached to it and the piece of brown wool and army shirt which the lad had torn away with it As the ladder finished the young officer hurried into the battery room accompanied by Slim to make a survey there In ten minutes he returned his face pale his jaws clenched There must not be a word of this to anyone he warned them I'm going to report to the Captain at once Someone has been tampering with the batteries and he had with him a portable wireless which he evidently intended to attach You're the original little discoverer all right said Slim in open admiration addressing Joe as the Lieutenant hurried from the room and you certainly were game to take the beating you did Yes he punched me some Joe admitted but I got in a little work on him too the only trouble is that I'm afraid I didn't blacken an eye or break a jaw or otherwise do any damage that might be apparent and so lead to the fellow's discovery The nerve of it though broke in Jerry a Germans by doubtless masquerading as an American soldier and right here on the United States transport loaded with 1500 soldiers and tons of guns and ammunition Yes said Joe contemplatively that's the very serious part of it all the 1500 soldiers and tons of guns and ammunition Slim who was standing nearest the door had heard footsteps a moment later the Lieutenant reappeared accompanied by the captain of the Everett when the boys had been presented the captain abruptly requested Joe to repeat every detail he had told Lieutenant Mackensen as he did so the captain gazed compassionately upon his injuries and where is the instrument you discovered he asked of Lieutenant when Joe had concluded the young officer stepped into the battery room returning with a small but evidently powerful portable wireless transmitter and receiver exclaimed the captain examining it carefully of German make exactly sir replied to Lieutenant Mackensen and evidently quite new probably never used more than once or twice before this is very serious business of the captain impressively and then addressing Joe did you get a look at the other man would you know him if you ever saw him again no sir I did not even get a glimpse of him but I thought sir that perhaps yes encourage the captain in a kindly tone go on with your suggestion I thought sir that if we could find the man aboard with his shirt torn in such a way this piece would fit and especially if he had the other end of a chain in his possession then it might be pretty definitely assumed that he was the man who was in the battery room the chain perhaps so the captain slowly although that seems doubtful as to the shirt no and in buttoning his jacket he produced from beneath it a torn and crumpled brown wool and shirt we found this about 20 feet from here as we were on our way he continued it resembles but is not a regulation army shirt it is of the same texture and color but it differs in minor details easily discernible it is my opinion that the man who wore this shirt bought it and wore it for this very purpose so that if necessary he might discard it and still have the one which came to him through the quartermaster's department we evidently have to deal with a very crafty enemy and one as bold as he is unscrupulous lieutenant what do you make of his manipulations in the battery room there is no doubt in my mind sir lieutenant Mackinson answered that he was about to connect up this instrument and then hide it for future use where it could not easily be seen I believe your right said the captain and then what use did he intend to make of it evidently his intention was not a loyal or friendly one the junior officer continued it would seem to me that his probable purpose was to divulge to German submarines our whereabouts when we came within their zone apparently the commander of the ship agreed with him for a made no immediate answer for several moments he remained in meditative silence his brow wrinkled as though he were turning the whole thing over and over in his mind from the very fact that he wore such a garment the captain said at last it would seem that this man is among the regularly enlisted men on the ship however that is by no means certain there is this certainty however if he would go to such desperate lengths once there's every possibility that he will do so again only more cautiously than before for now he knows that his presence on board is known to most rigid investigation must be started at once and for that Lieutenant I will require your assistance leave these young men in charge of the wireless room unless something unusual or in the nature of an emergency occurs as for you gentlemen he continued turning towards the three boys from Brighton you are commanded not to mention a single word about this whole occurrence to another soul if anyone should question you with a seeming knowledge of what happened here tonight report the matter to me at once yes sir the three boys responded saluting and the captain departed motioning Lieutenant Mackensen to accompany him by this time Joe was stiff and sore in every joint Jerry and Slim insisted that he retire immediately and helped him off with his clothing nor was there any objection from Jerry whose turn in the wireless room was to begin then and last until one o'clock in the morning when Slim suggested that he would stay on with him just to talk things over all right said Jerry and then I'll stay on during your shift until Joe relieves us in the morning we can get a good sleep tomorrow anyway and so the long night began the dull song of the engines far far below became like a monotonous droning of giant bees and the wash of salt water against the side of the ship was a constant reoccurring swash swish swish swish as the vessel plowed on and on through the darkness towards the submarine zone in Europe and the battlefields and the trenches and the men millions of them of the allied armies it was near midnight and the boys had fallen silent Jerry with the wireless headpiece over his ears Slim standing near the porthole gazing out at the lone swaying light that indicated the position in progress of the cruiser convoy on the port side suddenly Slim rolled around his face pale his muscles tense and with a motion to Jerry signaled silence as the latter removed the gear from his head Slim tiptoed across the room to him placing his lips close to Jerry's ear he said I thought I heard someone in the battery room listen there was no doubt of it this time both boys heard the sound it was of somebody softly feeling about as though in doubt to his exact position quick is Jerry in Slim's ear you get the Captain Lieutenant all wait here and as Jerry disappeared through the room in which Joe was sleeping so as not to give suspicion to the man in the battery room Slim slid into Jerry's chair and centered every faculty upon listening to the almost inaudible movements in the next chamber he could tell instinctively that the man was feeling about the walls with his hands and not unnaturally recalling Joe's experience only a few hours before it gave Slim a creepy sort of feeling then all sounds ceased try as hard as he could he could not hear a thing he rose from the chair and went closer to the intervening door all was silent a few seconds later the Captain and Lieutenant a company by Jerry came hurrying into the room without an instance delay the Captain turned the knob and they entered the battery room switching on the light at the same time apparently not a thing had been touched but the outer door was ajar the Lieutenant jumped to it and peered out but no one was to be seen he closed and locked the door and began an inspection of the batteries everything seems to be all right he said finally and then his eyes traveling to the table he stopped short the wireless instrument he gasped it's gone where was it left the Captain demanded sharply on that table there the Lieutenant Mackison answered I placed it there on myself as you probably will remember just before we went out together I remember the Captain admitted that spy has been back the junior officer continued back in his very room after his instrument and he intends to use it yet if he can end of chapter six chapter seven of the Brighton Boys in the radio service this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Tom Clifton the Brighton Boys in the radio service by James R. Driscoll chapter seven The Timely Rescue it was no pleasant thought to contemplate the presence of a bold even desperate agent of an enemy government on board an American transport carrying approximately 2,000 souls that he was capable of going any lengths if necessary already had been proved and that the evidence of his evil genius might come in horrible form at any instant nevertheless neither the excitement nor the potential danger of the situation was sufficient to prevent Jerry and Slim from taking a full eight hours of much needed sleep while Lieutenant Mackensen, Joe and three other officers who the Captain had taken into his confidence in the matter followed out every possible clue in pursuit of a solution of the baffling mystery the record of every enlisted man and officer on the vessel had been most carefully probed without building up enough suspicion to warrant the signaling out of any individual as the probable offender likewise an investigation of members of the crew had failed to develop anything tangible even directly suspicious it was the case of watch everybody take every precaution and be prepared for anything only nine men on the vessel however including the spy himself knew anything about it and the rest were an utter ignorance of the treachery that might be directed against them at any time refreshed by their sleep Jerry and Slim arose about four o'clock that afternoon Joe, who had rested easily throughout the latter excitement of the preceding night was still in the midst of the investigation and was not then to be found Jerry had some letters to write so Slim went to the upper deck alone seeing no one he knew and his mind waited anyway with a menacing mystery of the strange happenings of the night before he sat down on a coil of rope just in the lee of the forward smokestack to think the whole matter over for the twentieth time he was thus absorbed when something at first vague and indefinite thing clearer and clearer until it was unmistakable begin to impress itself upon his mind like the awakening call that comes to a man in a sound sleep seemingly as far off whispered that gradually gains volume and strength until finally the sleeper awakens with a start to find someone standing directly over him loudly and insistently calling his name so Slim came to realization of the strange series of sounds that were being repeated within a few feet of him could it possibly only be the crackling of a steam pipe that ran along the smokestack to the whistle a crackling merely from the pressure within for a moment Slim thought an overwrought imagination was playing tricks upon him but he rose hastily and crossed the short intervening distance clearly and distinctly it came to him someone in another part of the vessel was wrapping desperately upon that pipe and in the long and short dashes of the international code that someone was repeating a single word help help help in another instant using the heavy end of his jackknife as a crude transmitter Slim was tapping off their pie who are you and where Lieutenant Mackensen the message began to come back locked up in a closet off engine room can't make self-heard can you help this is slim the youth wrapped back upon the pipe caught your message on deck and coming with help at once and a dash down the deck towards the captain's quarters almost bowling over the captain's aid as he hurdled into the sanctum of the ship's commander unannounced well the captain demanded sternly why all the haste Lieutenant Mackensen slim blurted out he's locked in a closet down near the engine room locked in a closet the captain repeated incredulously how do you know he gave a telegraphic call for help on the steam pipe which runs through there and connects to the whistle the lad explained I was on deck and heard it I talked with him over the pipe there's no time to lose then come with me and the captain himself hurriedly led the way down through the lower depths of the ship where it became hotter and more oppressive with every step they took they had taken a route by which they escaped the attention of anyone else on the ship it should be right about here or somewhere the captain announced as they approached a particularly dark passage for a few steps they felt their way along and then stopped to listen there was nothing but the dull and constant hum of the engines and the almost insufferable heat the other side said the captain in a lowered voice as they failed to find any trace of the imprisoned lieutenant where they were they were crossing a short gallery when slim abruptly signaled a halt I thought I heard something he said it sounded like another call they stood silent a moment and then faint and indistinct apparently from somewhere several feet ahead of them they both heard repeated that which had made slim stop as the letters were tapped off on the pipe the latter repeated them for the information of the captain s s m o t h e r i n g smothering echoed the commander of the ship great scott I believe I now know where he is this way and he started down the passageway towards a narrow stairs leading to a still lower chamber in the vessel three turns two to the right and one to the left and the captain stopped again to listen seemingly from within the wall right at their elbows there came a feeble knock the officer whipped out a pocket flashlight they were directly in front of a heavy wooden door it was locked run get a cold chisel or a heavy screwdriver and hammer the captain ordered and slim hastened away to return two minutes later with all three tools stand back as far as you can from the door said the captain placing the lips close to the keyhole but there was no response from within realizing now that lieutenant mackinson must have lost consciousness and that moments might mean life or death to him the captain worked with a feverish haste he drove the heavy chisel into the crack between the door and the jam and then standing off to get a wider swing with a hammer struck it sideways a panel of the door cracked and loosened two more attempts and the panel fell on strips to the floor thus given something for a grip hold the captain who was a massive man took hold with both hands put his right foot against the wall and with one tremendous tug into which he threw the whole weight of his body brought the entire door from its hinges the captain went staggering backwards from the force of the effort and the weight of the door the unconscious form of lieutenant mackinson tumbled out upon the floor his face was almost blue from suffocation the captain sounded three short sharp blasts upon a whistle which he had taken from his pocket and two oilers came running to the spot help us carry this man to fresh air immediately he ordered he's been overcome with one of the oilers carrying the lieutenant by the feet and the other man in slim at either shoulder the unconscious young officer was carried up flight after flight of steps until the captain leading the way they arrived at the promenade deck a seaman was dispatched for the ship surgeon who arrived few minutes later to find the first aid efforts of four men just bring lieutenant mackinson back to consciousness as the physician forced some aromatic spirits of ammonia between his lips the lieutenant opened his eyes and gazed about vaguely what's the matter he asked weekly but before anyone could answer he had relapsed again and there was another weight of several minutes but this time the lieutenant's mind was clearing somebody shoved me in that closet he gasped and then slammed and locked the door he recognized the captain and the doctor as his eyes closed again he added in an almost inaudible whisper i was getting too close on somebody's trail the captain looked at the ship's doctor significantly and dismissed the two oilers with instructions to return to their duties found him locked in a small compartment down near the auxiliary engine room the commander said briefly hotter than blaze and no air whatever where he was he made his whereabouts known by tapping a message on a steam pipe said the doctor whose youthful appearance might not give a stranger a proper measure of his long and varied experience nearly suffocated too he couldn't have lasted there much longer his heart action is pretty weak even yet better haven't removed to his bed and kept there for the rest of the day at least at that moment jerry came hurrying down on the deck he was visibly excited but unlike slim he did not forget that not only must a soldier never permit his feelings to run away with him but he must be equally mindful of respect for superiors and so even as two men carried lieutenant maconson away he remained standing at salute waiting for the captain to recognize him with the return of the salute and now what asked the captain jerry stepped forward with difficulty repressing his excitement i've stepped out of the wireless room only for a few moments he said when i returned i found this lying upon the table he opened his left hand in it lay a piece of light chain both ends broken beside it he continued was this note from his pocket he extracted a piece of paper the edges of which were roughly torn he handed to the captain who read it aloud let this be a warning that no further interference will be of avail the captain looked from the note to the chain there is no further word on paper and no signature i believe sir said jerry that this is the rest of the chain which is attached to the iron cross torn from the man caught in the bedroom the senior officer of the vessel took from his pocket the cross with its two bits of chain still dangling from it he placed the ends to the chain which jerry had found in the wireless room you're right he said simply and there could be no doubt about it the captain's face clearly showed worry on his mind the ship's physician who had been told all about the affair immediately after joe's discovery of and the battle with this mysterious stranger appeared equally anxious a man is discovered at night in the battery room of the wireless department of this ship clearly upon an unfriendly mission said the captain half to himself and half for the benefit of the others summing up the evidence thus far known to them he gives battle to the man who discovers him and finally succeeds in knocking that man out and escaping but he leaves behind him a portable wireless instrument and a german iron cross with two bits of chain attached a few hours later that same night he returns to the bedroom and succeeds in recovering the portable instrument today lieutenant mackinson while pursuing an investigation of the affair is shoved into a closet and only escapes death from suffocation by making himself heard as he telegraphs for help over a steam pipe it must have been while we were rescuing the lieutenant that the same man again enters the wireless room and leaves there this chain which had been attached to the iron cross and also this note of warning the impudent effrontery and the cunning of the treachery of this man constitute him a menace to every other person aboard this ship we are not safe while he's free this german spy must and shall be found end of chapter seven chapter eight of the bright and boys in the radio service this is libravox recording all libravox recordings from the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org recording by tom clifton the bright and boys in the radio service by james r driscoll chapter eight the death of the spy the inability of lieutenant mackinson to add a single word of further information to what he had said as he regained consciousness on the promenade deck increased the mystery the young lieutenant it seemed had been following the trail which he believed was leading him closer and closer to the object of the hunt and it was inforging the links of the chain of circumstantial evidence that the young officer was led into the lower depths of the ship from a sailor who did not know why i was inquiring he told the captain i learned that on the night the unknown man had invaded the battery room this sailor had seen another member of the crew presumably from the engine or boiler room throw aside something as he hurried along the passageway leading from the wireless room he was in his undershirt the sailor said he was about to investigate when he saw us come along and you stooped to pick up whatever it was that had been thrown away while i was talking to him another member of the crew evidently also from the boiler or engine room brushed bias he had disappeared when the sailor said to me i think that was the fella the one that just went by not wanting to arouse his suspicions i ended the conversation with a casual remark and then strolled away until i was out of the sailor's sight and then hurried as fast as i could toward the engine room i do not know that part of the ship well and it was very dark down there i was groping my way along when i thought i heard steps just ahead of me i stopped to listen and when the sound was not repeated i proceeded onward all of a sudden i was grasped by the neck and one arm from behind and thrown into that closet before i could utter a word i was a prisoner behind a locked door i called several times and receiving a response realized that i must be some distance from anyone else and that the noises of the engine completely drowned out my voice every moment it became more stifling in there and i had no doubt that i'd walked directly into a death trap it was then i began signaling on the steam pipe i guess it was a mighty lucky thing for me that slim goodwin strolled out on the deck just at the time he did and that was all that lieutenant mackinson could tell the mysterious stranger remained what he had been from the first a desperate and dangerous and unknown spy lurking somewhere upon the american transport everett with the intention of making the ship position known to the german u-boats when the everett and her convoy of cruisers and destroyers entered the danger zone then it was with the lieutenant temporarily disabled as a result of the experience that the three boys from brighton who seemed somehow to have been selected by fate as the spoilers of all the spies plans put their heads together to devise a scheme of capture we've got more than one good reason for wanting to get this fellow slim reminded the others with considerable warmth during the course of the deliberations first and foremost of course it is our plain duty to our country to which he is an enemy and a traitor but in addition to that there is the knockout they handed to joe and the midnight scare he gave jerry and me and finally his effort to kill lieutenant mackinson by slow suffocation not to mention the nerve of that fellow coming back the way he is yes added jerry wheel him a lot and it's up to us to figure how we can square the debt well said joe i think i've got a plan that will work but we've got to remember that we're dealing with a very shrewd man well what are your suggestions slim demanded that we divide our forces introduce solemnly lie in wait and try to ambush the foe right cried jerry joe you'll be a general before this war is over along what lines do we disperse our forces general s slim along what lines would his royal stoutness suggest demanded jerry oh you don't have to keep reminding me that i'm a trifle heavy slim replied in a peevish tone a trifle heavy get that will you echo jerry with a gale of laughter a trifle heavy oh my you'll find out if i sit on you slim threatened an obligerant tone come on now said joe this isn't making any progress towards capturing the spy no jerry responded and that's our first duty even if it is a trifle heavy i've warned you slim snapped out quit it now order joe let's get down to serious business all right agreed jerry shake slim just showed there's no hard feelings won't do it slim muttered oh yes you will counsel joe shake hands the two of you slim's good nature overcame his feigned reluctance but as jerry grasped his hand he gave jerry a jerk that nearly took him off his feet now or square said slim as jerry rubbed his nearly dislocated shoulder well that pole was a trifle heavy muttered jerry determined to have the last word now my plan is this said joe facing the other two seriously the narrower we come to the zone of the german submarines the more this man will try to arrange notify them of her presence and to do that he will have to use the wireless somehow it seems likely that he would make his effort at night because then it's easier for him to escape detection now if we let lieutenant mackinson sleep during the day we could so divide up the work as for all of us to get some sleep and then all could do watch at night the lieutenant could be in the wireless room and one of us in the battery room while the other two did duty outside if one of us should hide under the stairway at the upper end of the passage and the other an alcove at the other end no one could reach the wireless or battery rooms without being seen it would be tiresome and monotonous work all right but it might accomplish the result i'm willing said jerry but you and i will have to do the outside work slims a trifle heavy to get into either of those hiding places well i'll cover the battery rooms and slim ignoring jerry's remark let's see lieutenant mackinson then suggested joe and they want to find a young officer who is condolencing from his encounter with the spy when he had approved the plan they got the okay of the captain and so it was four hours later with lieutenant in the wireless room and slim in the battery room adjoining and joe and jerry stowed away in hiding places selected their long night vigil began hour after hour dragged by without a development the intense silence broken only by the sounds of the engine and the wash of the ship against the sea to the three boys unable to see or talk to each other and joe and jerry scarcely daring to move the minutes lagged like hours and the hours like dull black endless nights don came and with it new activities in all parts of the vessel but without a reward for their watch and as the two lads crawled from their places of concealment at either end of the passage joined slim and lieutenant mackinson there are mutual feelings of disappointment but none of weakened determination what luck asked the captain coming in at that moment none at all sir the lieutenant responded very well then tried again tonight the commander ordered but in the meanwhile all of you get some sleep you may get better results tonight for by then we'll be coming into the outer fringe of the submarine zone i will arrange for another man to stay in the wireless room during today and if an emergency arises he will call you so the four young men went to bed for some much needed rest and sleep and when they awakened it was almost time for mess directly after which they were up to take their night watch again i hardly think we'll be troubled with you boats tonight the captain told them for it is perfectly clear and there'll be a full moon the sea is calm and we readily could discern a periscope a long distance away truly it was a beautiful night and it was in this lowering quiet of seemingly absolute peace that one of the tragedies of the war was soon to be enacted the bright and boys and their friend and superior officer of lieutenant had been in their appointed places hardly more than an hour when joe and jerry at the same instant caught the sounds of some sort of scuffle on the deck above it came nearer and clear until finally as it reached a point nearer to the top of the stairway under which joe is concealed the latter could discern the foghorn voice of the first and since an engineer go on would you now he commanded breathing heavily as though from some violent physical exertion go on would you i say are you be finding it mightily unhealthy for you it's a me self that be mopping up the deck with you if you try to get gay once more the first assistant engineer was a mighty mountain of a man but his voice broke off as the commotion started again certainly he must have a rough customer to deal with thought jerry if he with all his great physical strength could not entirely quell him you will will ye hiss the voice of the engineer again thrive to bite me eh and there was a terrible smash of a fist and the unmistakable sound of a man falling upon the deck you dirty hound i've a mind to boot ye into the sea and then there were other voices jerry heard the captain demanding an explanation and the ship's doctor spoke i found him tampering with the wires near the dynamos the first assistant was saying i never liked the looks anyway if you pardon me sir for saying it and when i asked him what he was about he tried to get away i grabbed him and we showed fight i guess i gave him all he wanted though that last time so said the captain in a voice so stern it made joe wince and what does his fellow do aboard the ship he's a third class machinist sir the engineer replied but if you'll excuse the word for me sir i think he's a first class crook yes and i believe he's worse than that the captain added and then in a voice which seemed to shake the vessel up stand up there was a strange silence for a moment then get lieutenant maxon and these boys the captain continued and the ship's surgeon started down the stairway to find that joe and jerry were already summoning slim lieutenant it looks as though we'd caught the man the doctor whispered as the four reached the deck where the captured man stood between the first assistant engineer and captain who by this time had taken out his revolver there was a gasp of astonishment from joe followed by a louder holy smoke from slim do you recognize this man the captain asked in a sharp tone i should say i do sir joe responded he is a man who is planning ammunition in the waters near the navy yard that night before we sailed the very same one sir slim exclaimed with equal positiveness the ship's surgeon who had followed the others upon deck stepped closer for a better inspection of this enemy at the same instant the prisoner striking out with both hands knocked the captain's revolver into the air and thrust the engineer from him before anyone could interfere he was dashing down the deck towards the stern just as he took a wild headlong leap over the rail the captain fired while the captain through a speaking tube was instructing the men in the pilot house to signal below reverse engines the others rushed to the stern of the ship far behind them in the foamy trail left on the moonlit water by the vessel they saw what seemed to be the head of a man bobbing up and down and then it entirely disappeared the ship was turned and that portion of the sea searched but without a veil gone said the captain in tones of very evident relief well it was death for him one way or another and he took his choice as the captain and surgeon moved away from the stern rail of the everett the three lads and the lieutenant stood there gazing far out to sea the man who made me nearly freeze to death in the water spoke joe as though thinking aloud and pummeled my stomach into a sore for three days echoed slim and sad reminiscence it made me run a mile and nothing flat added jerry and thought me to a knockout finish later amused joe and nearly smothered me to death spoke lieutenant and was finally corralled by an irish engineer said slim gone concluded jerry and no one here will mourn his departure end of chapter eight chapter nine of The Brighton Boys and the Radio Service this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings from the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Tom Clifton the Brighton Boys and the Radio Service by James R. Driscoll chapter nine the Periscope at dawn that night the boys had ample evidence that they were inside the submarine zone where anything might happen at any minute not a light was permitted on any of the ships and they traveled along in the most peculiar fashion and over the most irregular course never going more than half speed and not more than a mile or so without a complete change of direction for no apparent reason whatever the engines would slow down and entirely stop and in that position they would remain for 10 15 20 minutes or even half an hour and then start up on another track i believe we come separated from a convoy said slim who had been up on deck and now entered the wireless room where joe and jerry were watching lieutenant Mackensen make some readjustments of the wireless mechanism the pilot doesn't seem to know his course say wouldn't it be great sport for your loss from the others but i wonder why the captain does not wireless them no need lieutenant Mackensen assured him for we're not lost nor we separated from them every vessel in this fleet is simply carrying out a program secretly arranged long in advance and which was in the nature of a sealed order which the various captains did not open until this morning i dare say that our convoy is as near now as at any time during the voyage and that it is maintaining the same position at all times going through the exact maneuvers that the Everett is performing is it to fool the submarines asked joe exactly lieutenant replied our government is taking every precaution and no unnecessary risks you see there is no way of keeping absolutely secret the departure of our transports nor is there any assurance that the information does not go directly to the german authorities and from them to the commanders of the submarines our actions are designed to prevent them from estimating our correct course or position it was our knowledge of that fact and their determination to learn our whereabouts in another way which doubtless led to that spy being more this transport i feel suddenly lieutenant c speaking in all four as one accord sprang toward the radio instruments listen lieutenant maxon commanded as he jammed the headpiece over his ears s o s the most tragic of all calls of the sea was coming to them as a frantic appeal sent out through the air to any and all who might hear and respond s o s the lieutenant wrote down hurriedly as a message came through space and then american memphis submarine pursuing 53 and a half lat 17 west long running 15 knots three points south of west the entire message was repeated and then there was a silence the dense and seemingly impenetrable silence that had existed before came the nearer and more powerful crackle of the radio one of our destroyers is replying lieutenant maxon announced and one by one he jotted down the words continue same direction us destroyer be with you in about two hours understand you the return message came back a moment later submarine still on stern has fired two shots but both missed it was a thrilling moment for the boys from brighton out there in the blackness of the night an american fighting craft was separating itself from the rest of the fleet to run full speed to the assistance of a helpless merchant man and if possible to do battle with the enemy you boat for an hour and a half they sat there speculating as to the possible outcome i'd give a month's pay to be aboard that destroyer exclaimed jerry endlessly that's the sort of excitement i like just imagine coming up to the merchant man just in time to save her from destruction and then having a regular battle with the submarine and finally watching her sink with a shell hole torn on her side yes added slim and imagine being aboard that merchant man with a shell hole torn on her side before the destroyer arrives it's pretty cold swimming on a night like this joe said i've tried it and i know lieutenant mackinson still seated before the wireless instrument signal for them to be quiet again another message is coming through space it was in code but one that was easy for the lieutenant to translate for he had heard it before submarine disappeared returning to fleet convoying memphis go on deck keep your eyes busy off the port bow and you may see something interesting the lieutenant told them following the suggestion they went above and stood there for perhaps 15 or 20 minutes when suddenly the lookout in the crow's nest sang out destroyer approaching two points off the port bow almost at the same instant they're loomed out the dense darkness a faint light apparently miles away for a moment they would see it and then it would be gone only to reappear again another time to be extinguished but obviously all the time it was coming nearer they noted too that a similar process is being enacted by the cruiser in the lead what does it mean s slim the destroyer is just using another sort of wireless joe explained she's blinking her identity to the fleet and the cruiser out there is signaling recognition the next time the destroyer signaled she was almost abreast of them but about two miles away to the north her message then could be read by all the boys the words is spelled out however were a complete riddle love sky sand curtain run it was not for several hours that they learned that the captain of the destroyer had flashed a message that he would convoy the memphis several miles further westward and then rejoined the others and that the fleet of the commander and flashing back bundle had given us okay with an admonition for speed there being no further necessity for the spy watch which had been maintained on the previous night the boys drew lots to determine which one should do duty until morning in the wireless room and it fell to joe but the first faint gray streaks were hardly painting the eastern sky when jerry and slim unable to sleep longer came out upon the deck to take for themselves a general survey of the danger zone what's that cried slim suddenly staring off over the stern of the everett smoke echo jerry excitedly yes smoke from the stack of a destroyer said joe who had come up behind them without being heard we just got her signal a moment ago how far do you suppose she is away s slim they were speculating upon the distance between the two vessels when slim speechless for a moment pointed to what seemed to be a little more than a dark speck in the water about a mile of stern to enter the west of them for that time their zigzag course pointed them almost due north submarine approaching a stern saying out the man in the crow's nest it was as though the startling message had been megaphone to every man aboard the everett at the same time the cruiser of the fleet began maneuvering herself between where the periscope showed the submarine to be in the transport itself almost simultaneously the u-boat came to the surface and one of the big guns on the cruiser belched forth a shell that apparently fell a short distance the other side of the submarine the u-boat itself let loose a shot and with such accuracy that only the sudden maneuver of the transport that instant saved it from being hit by this time the decks of the everett were crowded with a khaki clad soldiers some uncle sam whom the germans were trying to prevent from getting into the trenches by sending them to the bottom of the atlantic the cruiser had headed straight for the u-boat while the destroyer was coming up behind it with even greater speed for some reason that will never be known the commander of the submarine had ignored the destroyer entirely although it was difficult to imagine he had not seen it the general supposition later aboard the everett was that something had happened to its batteries and he was unable to submerge hurrah shouted hundreds of men on the everett in unison as the torpedo boat destroyer opened fire and the aim of her guns was deadly for just as the u-boat had begun to submerge one of the big projectiles from the destroyer hit her squarely amid ships there was a terrific explosion the stern of the undersea craft was lifted upward clear of the water she stuck her nose into the briny deep and without a second's delay dove to the bottom a wreck as the tremendous pressure of water crushed her air tanks great bubbles rose to the surface and broke causing rippling waves to roll outward and increasing in large circles then a flood of oil came to the surface and the final evidence of the tragedy was obliterated end of chapter 9 chapter 10 of the Brighton boys in the radio service this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings from the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Tom Clifton the Brighton boys in the radio service by James R. Driscoll chapter 10 France at last from that moment the watch on each vessel in the fleet was redoubled and there was constant speculation especially among the soldiers as to whether another submarine would be sighted and if so under what circumstances they had now abandoned the zigzag course and were taking a direct route around the north of Ireland towards the north channel all in the following morning two additional destroyers bore down upon them from opposite sides of the bow almost simultaneously and as they came both code telegraphed their identity with these extra convoys it seemed indeed unlikely that a submarine would get near them or if it did would attempt to do other than make its own safe escape Farahead at the northeast corner of Ireland gave them their first sight of land since they had left the shores of America and for many of them this first glimpse of Aaron's Isle brought with it the sentimental thrill of seeing the country where their parents had been born and spent their youth for there was many a lad of Irish ancestry aboard the Everett grounding Farahead without mishap or contact with a submarine the danger from that source was practically over the convoy was reduced to a cruiser and destroyer and thus they laid a southeasterly course to what your old time sailor would describe as a piping breeze they flanked the Isle of Man off his westward coast and then sped directly across the Irish Sea and into the harbor of Liverpool their arrival was unannounced it was only one of many and a thing to which the people of that and other cities England and France had become quite accustomed nevertheless they welcomed the hosts of Uncle Sam in the warmest manner in an every possible way they showed the deep sense of appreciation and feeling of increased safety with which they viewed the arrival of more and more thousands of American troops in their land on their way to the trenches of France to help conquer the common enemy but there was not much time to be spent in Liverpool indeed they had scarcely become accustomed to feeling their feet on solid ground again before the order to march was given and they left the riverfront to go to the railroad station there the received a plain but substantial meal were inspected and admired by the British cousins and then boarded the long troop train that already awaited them take your seats Yankees shouted the bearded conductor jovially and the boys piled in the details of that ride through England the boys from Brighton never will forget although it was a long and tiring trip from Liverpool all the way to Dover on the channel which separates England from the mainland of Europe they crossed fair fields and beautiful streams that reminded them of their own native land and came within view of giant ancient forests they passed through cities and towns and again came out into open country occasionally there were stops when the soldiers were allowed to leave the train to give their legs a stretch at such times they were greeted affectionately on all sides by the men and women of England I say slim old top Jerry imitated it naturally as they boarded the train again after one of these delays I say did you hear the handsome little Englisher out there say how healthy you looked did he ask slim grinning he did answer Jerry and then wink into Joe but he added old top that he thought you looked a trifle heavy only the sudden jolt of the starting train saved Jerry from the wallop that slim directed at him and had it landed Jerry doubtless would have found it a trifle heavy also there was a general laugh from the others in the car for all three of the boys from Brighton had become immensely popular with their companions and arms all of whom by this time had become well accustomed to this sort of gentle fun between the redheaded Jerry and the healthy heavy lad called slim when they've been riding for another hour they came up on one of those vast English concentration camps where thousands of young Britons were being trained and equipped for war as a train slowly very slowly passed to the outer edge of this camp England saluted America and America saluted England through her fearless young warriors the young Britons shouted wave flags through their hats into the air and sang and the Americans hanging from car windows and crowded out upon platforms and steps returned the demonstration with something for good measure from this point forward the journey constantly was punctuated by scenes and incidents significant of war here was an ambulance and red cross unit mobilizing for removal to the very heart of smoke and battle and bloodshed there stood row of houses whose battered roofs and tottering walls testified to the ruthless aerial night raid of the Germans it fired the blood of the Americans as they reminded these meager evidences of Bosch barbarity were nothing compared to the deliberate and vicious ruin wrought in Belgium and northern France Dover at last the channel port which marked the beginning of the last hop of their journey to France the boys hardly could wait until the train came to a stop to get a glimpse of the water across which laid the scene of the bloodiest war in all history a war in which they were to take an important part they say this channel is awful choppy said slim apprehensively as I left the car do you think Jerry that we're likely to get seasick again don't know we responded Jerry somewhat dubiously but there's one consolation about it it's only a short trip never had the three boys from Brighton anticipated such coordinated efficiency in the workings of a war machine they had expected long delays frequent disappointments and protracted periods of training for they should reach the frontline trenches however they experienced consistent progress many pleasant surprises and few disappointments and now upon reaching Dover they soon learned that if it was at all possible they would board a transport that same night for the French side of the channel from the train they were marched to a great containment on the edge of the city the procession there was like a triumphant march with throngs lined along the streets to cheer them as they passed for more than a year before enemy propaganda in the United States had constantly preached that England was weary of the war this did not look like it the very atmosphere breathe the spirit of carry on a renewed determination to fight to a finish amid such a spirit the Brighton boys reached the containment and after a hasty roll call sat down to what they won and all pronounced a fine feed they rested for several hours and then were again ordered to fall in the marches begun to the docks were three steamers to be used as transports were loaded with the provisions and ammunition together with other American troops which had been waiting their arrival they want to board the transports but it was not till long after midnight that they were underway not a light was permitted on board not even the officers were allowed to strike a match or to smoke no unnecessary noises were permitted and the whole proceeding spoke of the secrecy of war work and the danger of revealing their plans or their wereabouts to any prowling enemy with the dawn scores of men were on deck including Joe Jerry and Slim and they were well within sight of land preparations were already being made for their landing and a great excitement prevailed on each of the ships their long held hopes for coming to a fruition France at last end of chapter 10