The senator dropped the receiver from his hand in his disappointment.
"Too late! The code is lost to the United States for good, and those rascals have escaped!"
But Jack suddenly sprang forward. His cheeks were aflame with excitement.
"Senator," he cried. "There is still a chance."
"Get the line on the wire again, sir, and find out if the _Southern Star_ has a wireless."
"But what--Jove, boy! I see your plan now."
Eagerly the Senator snatched up the receiver again. Before long connection was again established.
"The _Southern Star_ has a wireless," he exclaimed. "Her call is S. X. A., and now for your plan, my boy."
"Show me to your wireless room, will you, Ned?" said Jack, subduing the excitement in his voice with a struggle.
"Oh, Jack, I see what you're going to do now," cried Ned. "Come on. We don't want to lose a minute."
The boys dashed up the stairs three at a time. The Senator followed at a more discreet pace. They entered the wireless room with a bang and a shout.
Jack fairly flung himself at the key and began pounding out the _Southern Star's_ call. In reality it was only ten minutes, but to those in that room it seemed hours before he got a reply. When he did, he summoned the captain through the operator.
"Have I got authority to use your name, Senator?" asked the boy while he waited for the announcement that the captain was in the wireless room.
"You have authority to use the name of the most powerful institution in the world, my boy, the United States Government," said the Senator solemnly. Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, he hurriedly left the room. Downstairs he once more applied himself to the telephone, but this time he talked to the Secretary of the Navy.
Fifteen minutes after Jack had spoken to the Captain of the _Southern Star_ that craft was anchored in the Chesapeake River waiting the arrival of a gunboat hastily detailed by government wireless to proceed at once up that river and take three prisoners off the _Southern Star_. This latter order was the result of Senator Rivers' call to the Navy Department.
Jack's happy task was then to break the good news to Captain Simms, which he lost no time in doing, and the captain's deep gratitude, which was none the less because he expressed it in few words, may be imagined.