“Well, our messages home aren’t going to wait a minute longer than they have to,” declared Bob, with decision. “Though I suppose we’ll have to wait until the captain gets through. What’s bothering me is, just how we’re going to get the messages through to them and get their answers.”
“What’s the matter with this idea?” suggested Joe. “Suppose we call up one of the big broadcasting stations near our homes—say WOR or WAAM at Newark, or WEAF at New York—and ask them to send telegrams to our folks, receive the answer from them, and then broadcast the answer to the Meteor? Of course, our people would meet any expense that might be involved.”
Captain Springer, who was returning from the wireless room, heard the last remark and stopped.
“You needn’t bother about that,” he said. “I’ll see that your radiograms go direct to NAA at Arlington, the big navy plant, and they’ll get in touch by wire with your people and transmit to me the answers.”
“That will be fine!” exclaimed Bob. “We didn’t know that they’d attend to anything that wasn’t strictly Government business.”
“The need of castaway Americans is Government business,” answered the captain. “If you were stranded in a foreign country, our consul, wherever you happened to be, would advance you money enough to get you home. Don’t trouble your mind about it any further. In about an hour from now the radio operators will have had time to attend to this ship matter, and then you can send any messages that you like.”
The captain rejoined his first officer at the rail, where he was gazing through his glasses at the derelict.
“We’ve learned that the crew of the vessel have been picked up and are safe and sound,” he informed him. “The Water Sprite of Liverpool, bound for St. Johns, rescued them at an early hour two days ago. It seems that their vessel was caught in that heavy storm that was raging off the banks some nights ago and sprang a leak. They might have been able to carry on, however, had they not later been caught by a projecting spur of an iceberg which stove that hole in her that you mentioned in your report. Things got so bad it looked as though she might founder at any moment, and so the crew took to the boats. Luckily, the sea was smooth, and they were all right when the Water Sprite sighted them.”
“Well, that’s one responsibility off our minds, anyway,” returned the lieutenant. “But what disposition are we to make of the abandoned vessel?”
“I haven’t received definite instructions yet,” the captain replied. “The Department is considering the matter, and I’ll probably hear from them soon.”