“We must get to our bunks before a great while,” Jack suggested, “because we can only count on a few hours’ sleep if that dispatch boat comes a little after midnight, as the commander told me it would.”
“Did you get that little paper from him he promised you?”
“Yes, it was handed to me while we were at the table,” Jack replied. “Even in the midst of the weighty matters that are holding his attention these days the kind-hearted Vice-Admiral, who has taken such an interest in your hunt for Frank, didn’t forget his promise.”
“We were certainly born under a lucky star, to have such good friends raised up for us right along,” laughed Amos.
“If we fail to find Frank on Gallipoli,” Jack declared, “we can get aboard the Thunderer again and make a fresh start. You understand the great favor granted to us, for as a rule no civilian is ever allowed on British battleships in war times, and especially in the midst of work like that we’ve seen today.”
“It’s a mighty fine thing to have a smooth tongue, and a convincing way about you, let me tell you, Jack, old chum.”
“But,” protested the other, “from my way of looking at it all my abilities would have counted for very little if we hadn’t been fortunate enough to capture that gun-running vessel and turn the stuff over to the Allies. You see that old rascal of a Captain Zenos has something of a name as a sharp character. They have never been able to catch him, even though they knew he was carrying explosives and guns to the Turks right along. And they think we have earned all we are getting from the Vice-Admiral.”
“Well, all I can say is that it feels good to be appreciated,” Amos concluded.
They found themselves getting sleepy before long. Of late their rest had been sadly broken, and besides they expected to be aroused before many hours. So when Jack proposed that they say good-night to the outside world and seek their little quarters where they had already passed one comfortable night, Amos offered no objection.
The last look around showed them only a few vivid lanes of white light traveling this way and that, and which would keep up all through the weary watches of that long night—searchlights seeking signs of a foe that might try to creep out and spread consternation and destruction among the numerous warships of the fleet. All else was by this time swathed in the utter gloom that had come as the night deepened.