“How could they, when as you know I am not carrying a message to the French Government in connection with my father’s invention? Neither have I a design of the new airplane stabilizer in my possession, no matter what they believe. Tell me what you found once you stepped inside the stateroom.”
“Oh, it is a sight to behold, Tom, with all your traps thrown around every which way for Sunday! They even ripped the lining of your steamer trunk in several places, trying to learn whether you could have hidden a paper under that. The fellow had to work like lightning, I guess, and couldn’t afford to be particular. You’ll certainly have to get that trunk fixed, once we land.”
“I think I’d better go back with you and take a look,” and Tom got to his feet. “Of course we can do nothing about it, because like as not no one saw the sneak thief enter or leave our room, and we couldn’t very well accuse Potzfeldt of robbery on general principles.”
“It makes me furious to know how our hands are tied,” grumbled Jack; “because I hate a sneak like a skunk, and would like to see both of those fellows taken in hand by the British when we land. But I suppose they’ve fixed things so they’ll be decently treated as friendly to the cause.”
When shortly afterwards Tom entered their stateroom he looked around with no little concern, as well as secret amusement. Knowing that he had practically nothing to fear from thievery, he could afford to allow himself to be amused.
“Well, I should say that chap did toss my duds about with a vengeance,” he told Jack, who followed him inside, and then hastily closed and fastened the door after him. “It looks as if a cyclone had struck my trunk and scattered every thing right and left regardless.”
“Look and see if they took anything,” Jack advised.
So the owner of the stuff proceeded to replace it once more in the small trunk that could be accommodated under one end of the lower berth, Jack’s belongings in a similar receptacle taking up the remainder of the space.
“Everything seems to be accounted for,” announced Tom, when he had gathered up all the clothing and such things as he carried with him to be used in his work as an aviator.
“That proves one thing,” snapped Jack; “It wasn’t any ordinary thief who entered this stateroom while we were on deck and searched your trunk. He was looking for something besides money or valuables. Say, he must have been pretty mad when he found he’d had all his work for nothing, and given his business away in the bargain, for of course he understood that you’d guess what it all meant.”