The officer of the day proved to be a snappy man with a huge moustache and a monocle. He wasted no time over ordering the boys confined. To their protests he paid not the slightest heed. He refused even to communicate with the ship.
“I must lay the matter before the higher authorities,” he said. “It looks to me as if you have committed a grave offense. You must be locked up pending further developments.”
“What, again!” exclaimed Herc, referring to their arrest at Hawaii.
“Ah! So you have been in trouble before? Dangerous characters, eh?” said the officer triumphantly.
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Ned indignantly. “We are American sailors. You can speedily find out all about us by communicating with our ship.”
No reply was vouchsafed and the boys were marched off to the guardhouse and placed in a cell. That they could see the ships made the situation all the more annoying. Suddenly Ned had an idea.
“Herc, we’ll tell them of our plight.”
“How? Shout to them, I suppose,” rejoined Herc, sarcastically.
“No. You know that big souvenir picture handkerchief I got down below in the town?”
“A sheet, I’d call it.”