Her nerves were suffering from a sharp reaction. All through the
excitement of the attack she had remained calm and collected, but now
she felt that if she remained another minute in the same room with the
two bodies, if she stayed near that row of shackled prisoners, if she
should chance to catch Frederic’s eye, she either would burst into
hysterical weeping or would collapse entirely. If only there was some
activity in which she could engage it might serve to divert the current
of maddening thoughts that kept overwhelming her. With something to do
she might regain her self-control.
“Please let me help Mr. Carter,” she begged.
“Certainly,” said Fleck, “go ahead. You have earned the right to do
anything you wish to-night.”
Guided by the light of an electric torch Carter and she quickly made
their way to the upper floor. In most of the rooms they found only
cheap cots with blankets, evidently the sleeping quarters of the
workmen, but in one of the rooms was a desk, and from it a ladder led
to an unfinished attic. Boldly climbing the ladder and flashing their
torch about they quickly located a high-powered wireless outfit. It was
mounted on a sliding shelf by which it could be quickly concealed in a
secret cupboard, but evidently the plotters had felt so secure from
intrusion in their retreat that they had been in the habit of leaving
it exposed.
“I thought we’d find it,” said Carter exultantly. “It’s an ideal
location, up here in the mountains. I’d better smash it at once.”
“Wait,” warned Jane, thoughtfully, “they spoke of having received a
wireless message from those dreadful X-boats lying there off the coast.
If we could only find their code-book, perhaps—”
“Right,” cried Carter, catching her idea at once.
Together they descended to the room below and began ransacking the
desk, Jane holding the light while Carter examined the papers they
found.
“Their system sometimes is bad for them,” said Carter. “Here’s a ledger
with the names of all the men employed here and the amounts paid to
each. And look,” he went on excitedly, “look what the stupid fools have
done with their German methodicalness—here are entries showing all the
supplies they obtained, from whom they got them and what they cost.
There’s evidence here for a hundred convictions. We’ll just take that
book along.”
There was one small drawer in the desk that was locked. Ruthlessly
Carter smashed the woodwork and pried it open. Its only contents was a
small parcel, a folded paper in a parchment envelope. Hastily he drew
forth the paper and studied it intently.
“It’s a code,” he cried, “a naval code, evidently the very one they
used to communicate with those boats. I’ll wager the Washington people
even haven’t a copy of it. That’s a great find. Come on, we’ve got
enough for one night.”
“Do any of the men in our party understand wireless?” asked Jane as
they descended.
“Sure,” said Carter, “Sills does. He used to be the radio man on a
battleship.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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