"I thought you were both dead!" he cried. "But you have risen from the grave to confront me!"
He slipped another cartridge into his revolver, and Ned leaped forward just in time to dash the weapon from the wretched renegade's hand. He had turned the pistol on himself.
Within half an hour, Kenworth, by that time a raging maniac, had been secured, and the two Japs in sullen silence had been escorted with the renegade midshipman on board the Henry. A search of the Halcyon revealed several men among the crew whom Herc recalled having seen in the plotters' headquarters at Civic Island. Many papers and documents which there was not time to examine just then were also recovered.
Ned placed three men in charge of the Halcyon with orders to make her captain follow him into New York harbor. Then he wirelessed news of his success to the Manhattan and received a warm reply of congratulation that made his blood glow and his eyes shine. Herc, too, came in for a share of commendation. With the congratulations, came orders to proceed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and see that Kenworth was placed in a hospital, for he was no longer responsible.
It was two days later. The Dreadnought Boys stood facing the Secretary of the Navy in the office of the commander of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. What was to come, they did not know. They had not yet been relieved of their command of the Henry, and they feared that the summons to present themselves to the Secretary was for that purpose.
"Well, gentlemen," said the Secretary, looking approvingly at the two spruce, smart, young officers, "I suppose that you have no wish to take off those uniforms?"
"Naturally not, sir," returned Ned, for Herc was too embarrassed to speak. "It is the finest uniform in the world and no one would willingly doff it."
"Just what I think, Strong," said the Secretary, "and I'm going to see to it that you do not change these uniforms except for those of a higher rank in the service."