“Hurray,” cried Frank, “one of your fleet must have recaptured it.”
Lieutenant Summers shook his head. 207
“That’s the puzzling thing,” he said. “If one of our boats had found your craft adrift or captured it with the fugitive smugglers aboard, I would have been notified by radio. You see, the schooner sighted the sub chaser and motor boat yesterday. This sailor, a talkative chap apparently, told my man they thought the chaser was a ship of the ‘Dry Navy’ and crowded on all canvas to edge away from dangerous company. Then, he said, they could see these uniformed men aboard the chaser leaning on the rail and holding their sides from laughing at the schooner. What it all meant, he didn’t know, but at any rate the chaser made no attempt to pursue.”
“And you haven’t heard from any of your fleet that our boat was recovered?” asked Jack, in surprise.
“From none,” said Lieutenant Summers. “However, I shall order ‘Sparks’ at once to query all the ships.”
CHAPTER XXIII
IN STARFISH COVE AGAIN
“Sparks” as the radio operator aboard the sub chaser was known, sat down to his key at once and sent out a wireless call for all members of the “Dry Navy,” requesting information as to whether any had recovered the stolen speed boat belonging to the boys.