“Who told you the boiler had been blown up, and what made you think a bomb had been placed in the engine room?” asked the lieutenant.
“Oh, we just imagined so, that’s all, sir,” Ned replied.
“It sounded like an explosion, sir,” said Jerry.
“Well, it was,” and the lieutenant’s answer was a bit snappy. “One of the boilers blew out a main feed steam pipe. It takes an explosion to do that, or rather, the act is explosive in itself. But that doesn’t say it was a bomb.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t,” commented Bob.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t!” came quickly from the young officer. “All I said was that a steam boiler could blow up without a bomb having caused it. I don’t know that any one knows exactly what caused the accident to the ship. We are still investigating, and the less talk about it the better—especially when no facts are known. So I advise you young gentlemen not to do too much talking.”
“All right, sir,” murmured Ned. “But we were just thinking—about that cabin, you know—we were just thinking——”
“But keep your thoughts to yourselves—for the time being,” interrupted the lieutenant. “You may hear all about it later, and again you may not.”
They found Captain Ware in a small cabin which he had to share with fellow officers, so crowded were accommodations aboard the Sherman. The captain greeted the boys cordially.
“Now don’t tell me,” he began with a smile, “that you have come to complain of the sleeping quarters, the food, or the lack of exercise. I know all that already—a dozen times over,” and he motioned to a pile of papers on his bed.