“For what?”
Sam pointed to the streak of red.
“Open it!”
One by one the lad drew out the neatly folded garments from the sea bag, the officers scrutinizing these keenly as they were withdrawn and placed on the floor.
At the very bottom of the bag Sam came upon an object which he quickly drew out, holding it to the light, with a triumphant grin on his face. He nodded to Dan as he did so.
The object was a towel. It was streaked with red, as if some one had wiped his hands upon it. In fact, finger marks were plainly visible all over it.
The executive officer snatched the cloth from the boy’s hands.
“Whose bag is this?” he demanded sharply.
“I’ll look up the number, sir,” answered the quartermaster.
At that moment a figure darkened the doorway. It was Flink. The instant he saw the officers in the quarters his hand mechanically came up in salute.