“Haverstraw tells me he even looked inside the conch shells on the beach,” replied the officer with a laugh. “Says if he finds another abandoned ship he’ll resign—getting on his nerves. He’s the one who picked up the submarine, you know. However, I’m sailing for the Caicos this evening—if those men are on any of the cays or took to another vessel we’ll find them.”
“Oh, I’ve an idea!” exclaimed Tom who had been thinking rapidly. “If those fellows on the submarine deserted her and took to the schooner as we thought, perhaps they left the schooner and went to a submarine.”
“Well, I’ll be——” began Mr. Henderson. “Why in thunder haven’t we thought of that before? What did I tell you, Pauling? Didn’t I say these boys would give us old hands some new ideas? Jove! I’ll wager that is the solution. Probably knew where the sub was waiting and made for it. Had her ready for just such an emergency.”
“That may be it,” admitted Commander West, “but if ’tis where in the name of the Great Horn Spoon do they get the subs? They’re pretty darned expensive little toys, you know, and a chap can’t buy or build one the way he can a skiff. Seems to me some one would have known if there were mysterious submarines knocking about.”
“It is a mystery,” agreed Mr. Pauling, “but the whole affair has been full of mystery. I think, however, there may be a simple solution to this one. If we assume that the head of the organization is whom we suspect it to be he might well have obtained German U-boats. We must remember that in his original undertaking he possessed unlimited means and almost unlimited authority and had the confidence of the Prussian government. Is it not possible or even probable that he had several sub-sea craft on this side of the Atlantic—we know he made use of one in his nefarious scheme—and that with the failure of his plans and the collapse of Germany he appropriated the subs for his own private designs? The crews in fact might have joined with him—we have proof that some of those on the captured U-boat were formerly in the German navy and if he has a secret headquarters down here is it likely he would risk all on one submarine?”
“I imagine your theory is very nearly correct,” replied Mr. Henderson. “If so, there is little use in attempting to accomplish anything until Rawlins arrives. When should he be here, Commander?”
“That’s hard to say,” replied the officer. “We had a code message several days ago to the effect that she had completed refitting and was expected to sail any time. If she left the following day—let’s see, that was last Friday—she might be at her rendezvous by day after to-morrow—Thursday. I should hardly expect her before then. But Disbrow is posted near there and will undoubtedly notify you the moment she is sighted. You know the plan was for Rawlins to signal our ship about thirty miles off the island and then run submerged to avoid any possibility of being seen. Then Disbrow will radio you—Rawlins’ outfit might not reach you and a simple and innocent-appearing message from Disbrow would excite no comment. Well, I must be getting off. If we stay here too long these Conchs will wonder why we’re here. I gave out we just dropped in for fresh vegetables and fruit and I expect my gobs have loaded up by now.”
After the commander left, the conversation was all of this latest development in the search for the mysterious conspirators and every phase and theory was thoroughly threshed out without coming to any more definite conclusion than before.
“It’s just one confounded disappearance after another!” declared Mr. Henderson. “I shouldn’t be surprised now if Rawlins vanished or even if that Smernoff had gone up in a wisp of smoke.”