The Ocean Wireless Boys on War Swept Seas

“Zat is easy. I ’ave on zee side of zee machine a set of four electric lights. Two are red, one is green, one is white. Zat is zee secret night signal of zee French machines.”

“But suppose the Germans should find out your code?” asked Jack.

“Eet is changed every night. Sometimes two green, one white, one red – many combinations are possible.”

“By Jove, I never thought of that!” exclaimed Jack, struck by the simplicity of the idea, and relieved at the thought that there would be no danger of being attacked by mistake.

Half an hour later they landed at a sort of fair ground in Louvain after answering all challenges satisfactorily. The Germans were not yet at the gate of the city. But they were near at hand and the place was wrapped in darkness. However, on account of de Garros’ rank, they obtained an escort to the hotel.

Tired from the excitement and nervous strain, Jack went to bed, sighing with relief at the thought that all was so promising.

In about an hour or so he awakened from a deep sleep. The night was sultry, and there was a strange calmness in the atmosphere seemingly weighed with grave and impending events.

Jack could not resist an impulse to leave his room and wander out into the deserted streets of Louvain.

He had not taken a dozen steps when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Before he could turn to see his assailant, he was whisked from the ground and swept onward to a great height.

Still dead silence reigned.

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE MIGHT OF MILITARISM

It was some time later that Jack began to realize that he was a prisoner and borne on a giant aeroplane.

How did he get there?

Try as he would he could not answer that question. He gazed about him. Away in the distance he could distinguish small specks of light, which, were they not moving so rapidly about space, he would have mistaken for stars.

Below searchlights swept the horizon. Here and there were the glimmerings of fast dying out camp-fires. Suddenly a faint streamer of red light shot high into the air, held steadily for a moment, and then broke into a million colored globules.

“A signal,” thought Jack. “I wonder if it will be answered.”

He then became aware of a movement on the part of the air pilot. Till that moment he had not noticed the least sign of life from the wheel man. Now there came a soft blob and a red light shot into the air.

Almost instantly there again was darkness.

“By Jove!” whispered Jack to himself, amazedly. “This certainly is marvelously fast work!”

There was no repetition of the signals.

For a while Jack was content to gaze about him in idle wonder. He seemed indifferent to his plight. He drank in the scenes about him, gazed interestedly at other air-craft that passed them, and watched the sky begin to turn a dull slate color. It was the dawn of another day of carnage.

Others, too, were on the watch for these faint signs of day. From somewhere came the long, awful boom of a huge cannon.

Jack tried to get up, but fell back to his former position. He only then realized that he was chained to his seat. He had a certain amount of freedom, but beyond that he was a prisoner, helpless.

“Well,” mused Jack upon this discovery, “even if my hands and feet were free, I could not escape from this height. We must land some time, and then I’ll have more need to use them.”

So Jack settled back to watch developments. Now everything was astir. A faint murmur was wafted to him on the morning breeze.

He could see the soldiers moving about, the great cannons and howitzers beginning to lumber onward, the column of Uhlans already in saddle, and the hundreds of air-craft rising to greet the early sun’s rays.

“It’s wonderful!” whispered Jack, fascinated. “Yes, wonderful, but how terrible! This whole array is primed to create nothing but havoc, sorrow, destruction, and death! Gee, but I’m glad the good old United States has no need for such military organization!”

Another sound came to his ears, and cut short his thoughts of America. In an astonishingly brief time, the Army of the Invasion had completed its formations and was on the march, the rank and file, all deep-throated men, singing Das Fatherland.

“Good God!” gasped Jack. “They are going to their death with a song on their lips!”

From somewhere in front of these columns came a roar of cannon. The air was filled with shrill, piercing shrieks as tons upon tons of metal, charged with fearful destructive powers, tried to stem the human flood.

For a few minutes the smoke and steam hid the dreadful spectacle from Jack. He gazed intently below him, anxious to see the victor of this clash.

Of course, it must not be forgotten that the human waves of men were supported by great artillery fire on their own side. Unaided entirely these men would have been annihilated miles before the fortresses.

The ranks were on the double run now. Their bayonets glistened in the dull sunlight. On, on, ever on, they went, keeping perfect stride, never faltering.

Jack could not tear his eyes from the sight.

Even while storming the redoubt, the ranks held firm. Another sheet of flame checked them for a moment. They tried to recover, and somehow couldn’t. Again came that destructive, raking fire. The lines faltered.

Jack trembled from excitement. Was this magnificent effort to fail? He was not thinking of them as Germans. He was only aware of brave, dauntless men trying to best steel and explosives.

Again came a sheet of flame.

The ranks actually seemed to fall back.

Then once more, from the rear, rose the deep notes of Das Fatherland. It stiffened the thinned ranks. They rushed forward, the fierce cry of victory mingling with the strains of their national anthem.

“That was great!” cried Jack. “My sympathies are not very strongly with the Germans, but I’m bound to give credit where credit is due. Well, what now – ?”

Jack became aware that the machine on which he was a prisoner was going to make a landing. Silently, swiftly, the winged mechanism was guided toward earth behind the German lines.

Jack smiled with satisfaction.

“I’ll have a chance to stretch my legs,” he said. “As long as Radwig is dead, I have not so much to fear. I wonder what they want of me?”

CHAPTER XXXVIII

MILITARY CROSS-EXAMINATION

The machine came to a stop. The pilot never moved from his seat. Instead, he motioned to a soldier to come to him. Evidently a few words were exchanged.

A sharp command was issued.

Two soldiers came up to Jack. He held up his hands to show that he was chained. One of the soldiers leaned forward, and pressed a button at the side of the car. The chains fell from Jack.

Without comment the two soldiers seized Jack and flanked him. A detail of six additional men fell in step, a petty officer wheeled about, – a movement that acted as a signal for the soldiers to march.