“Where’s Bessie?” suddenly asked Jack, noticing the absence of the girl.
“I think she must have fled from beside us,” replied Tom; “though I didn’t see her go. Perhaps she feared that her guardian might be concealed somewhere around and might learn of her presence. She is afraid of Mr. Potzfeldt, you know. How her people ever came to leave her in charge of such a man, I can’t imagine, for she says they were English and French, and he— Well, we believe him to be thoroughly pro-German, even if he has become an American citizen.”
“He’s a relative of her mother’s she told me,” Jack explained. “And he had such an influence over the poor lady that after her death it was found he had been made Bessie’s guardian, and had control of the money. I told Bessie I was sure that man must have been able to hypnotize her sick mother, to cause her to make such a will. I hate his queer eyes; they give me a strange feeling whenever he looks at me.”
When the boys made their way inside the dimly lighted cabin Jack insisted on walking alone. He did not want to attract attention.
Once below, and locked in their room, Tom quickly got to work. He found his chum did have quite a large lump on his head, which he bathed until it felt much easier. Jack declared he had had his lesson, and was through with walking a darkened deck.
The vessel was now passing through the danger zone and more caution than ever was necessary in order to avoid the ever imminent submarine attacks. So it was that, jeopardized by danger from the sea outside and by perils from within the ship itself, the two youths flung themselves into their berths and were soon asleep.
CHAPTER X
THE ATTACK ON THE HIGH SEAS
“Hello, there, Tom, it is daylight at last, and we didn’t meet a submarine in the night.”
With these cheery words Jack crawled out of the lower berth, and at once began to feel his head.
Tom, in the upper bunk, stirred, and then pushed his head into view.