"That's so," admitted Bill; "he certainly went through the ship with a rake. I guess old Earwig's friend has some American sounding name that will carry him safe across the ocean no matter what happens."
Soon after, Jack sought his berth in the wireless room. As he approached the opened door of the radio station, from which a flood of yellow light issued, he saw, or thought he saw, two lurking figures in the shadow of one of the boats. But even as he sighted them, they vanished.
For an instant, Jack assumed that they were two of the boat crew but, as they scurried past an open port, he saw they wore ordinary clothes and not the sailor uniforms of the crew.
"Odd," he mused. "Those fellows were certainly hanging around the wireless room for no good purpose. If they had been, they wouldn't have sneaked the instant they saw me coming. I'm willing to bet a cookie one of them was Earwig and the other his precious pal who understands wireless. Jack, old boy, it's up to you to keep your eyes open."
"Anything doing?" he asked Muller, as he entered the wireless room.
"Not a thing. Deader than a baseball park on Christmas Day," rejoined Muller.
"You didn't see anything of our friend, for instance?"
"Who, Johnson? No, he hasn't been near here."
Jack nodded good-night and then turned in. But as the ship bored on through the darkness his eyes refused, as they customarily did, to close in his usual sound sleep.
His mind was busy with many things. It was clear that Radwig was contemplating some use of the wireless which did not yet seem quite clear. That it was his duty to checkmate him Jack was convinced, but as yet he had little to go upon except the conversation overheard behind the ventilator.
"I guess watchful waiting will have to be the policy," he murmured to himself as he fell asleep.
The next morning, when Jack and Bill turned out, there was quite a flutter among the passengers. A large ship had been sighted in the distance, coming rapidly westward. As she drew nearer it could be seen that she was a monster craft of four immense funnels painted a sombre black without colored bands to relieve the effect. Her upper works were a dull brown and her hull, black.
Speculation was rife concerning her identity, but it soon became noised about that the craft was the _Ruritania_ of the Anglican Line, which had, apparently, been converted into an auxiliary cruiser by the English Government on the outbreak of the war. The sight of guns mounted on her fore and aft decks confirmed this.