The Rover Boys Under Canvas Or The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine Part 6

Then she tipped, and I went overboard. I can't swim very well, and that confounded smoke got in my lungs, and I thought sure I would be a goner. You boys certainly came in the nick of time."

"And we are glad of it," declared Fred, and the others nodded in approval.

The elderly man said that his name was Jed Kessler, and that he lived on the outskirts of Haven Point. He knew very little about Colby Hall, however, for previous to being employed by the Hasley Sh.e.l.l Loading Company he had worked around the docks at Hixley, at one end of the lake. So much the boys learned from him when they had rowed out of the pall of smoke and the rain of fire and could breathe freely and in comfort.

"Have you any idea what started that fire?" questioned Jack, when they were headed for one of the docks at Haven Point.

"I've got my idea, yes. But I don't know whether it's correct or not,"

replied Jed Kessler. "Of course, any kind of a slight accident in a place like that might set things to going. But I know one thing, and that is very important, I think."

"What is that?" questioned Randy.

"The first explosion took place down the railroad track, in one of the cars loaded with sh.e.l.ls, while the second explosion, which came less than half a minute later, occurred in one of the supply houses."

"Was the supply house near the car where the first explosion happened?" queried Jack.

"No. The two places are at least five hundred feet apart."

"In that case, it isn't likely that the first explosion brought on the second, is it?" questioned Andy.

"It didn't!" was the prompt answer. "Those two explosions had nothing to do with each other--except in one way,--and that is that they were both started by the same person or persons," declared Jed Kessler emphatically.

"Gee! do you suppose there were German spies around?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Randy.

"I am sure there were," went on the old dockman.

"But I supposed your guards kept all strangers away from the plant,"

said Jack.

"They were supposed to. But you know how it is. Those fellows aren't on the watch all the time. They get tired of their job, and sometimes they take it easy. Besides that, it is rather easy to reach the plant from the water front, and it is almost equally easy to come down through the woods on the hill behind the place. Of course, we've got a big wire fence up all around, but it doesn't take much to go through that if a fellow has a good pair of wire cutters."

"Did you ever see anybody suspicious?"

"Lots of times. But, of course, most of the people who looked suspicious proved to be nothing but men who had an idle curiosity regarding the plant. But I saw some fellows around there two weeks ago and again a couple of days ago, and they looked mighty suspicious to me. They were a couple of heavy-set looking fellows, with strong German faces, and I heard 'em at a distance talking in a language that I'm pretty sure was German."

"Why didn't you report this to the guard?"

"I did. But they were a lot of fresh young fellows, and they only laughed at me and said I was too suspicious," grumbled Jed Kessler.

"But that is where I made a mistake. I should have gone right to the offices and reported to the head boss."

"Do you suppose you'd know those fellows again if you saw them?"

questioned Jack.

"I think I would--although I'm not sure. They were both fellows with heavy black hair and heavy black beards, and one of them walked with his right foot kind of turned out."

"You certainly ought to report this as soon as possible," declared the oldest Rover boy. "It may furnish the authorities with an important clue. If I were you, I would get into communication with one of your bosses without delay."

Leaving the old man and his rowboat at the dock, the four Rovers rowed up the lake once more in the direction of the Clearwater Hall boathouse. By this time the explosions at the sh.e.l.l-loading plant had practically ceased, and only a small amount of smoke was now coming from the ruins.

When the Rovers arrived at the boathouse connected with the girls'

school, they found that Mary and Martha had come down to the place, accompanied by a number of the other girls. All had heard that the Rovers had taken the rowboat, and were wondering if the lads were safe.

"You've given us a terrible scare," declared Martha to her brother.

"You shouldn't have taken such a risk!"

"Well, it was worth while," answered Fred, and then told of the rescue of Jed Kessler.

"Well, we've had a surprise since you went away," said Ruth Stevenson presently.

"A thoroughly disagreeable surprise, too," added May Powell. "You'll never guess who was here only a few minutes ago!"

"Some of our folks from New York?" questioned Jack quickly.

"No such luck," answered his sister.

"They were two persons we didn't care to see," said Ruth. "They were Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!"

CHAPTER V

MEETING OLD ENEMIES

"Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!" The cry came from all of the Rover boys simultaneously.

"What were those fellows doing here?" continued Jack.

"Did they dare to speak to you?" demanded Fred.

"Of course they spoke to us--you can't stop fellows like Brown and Martell from doing that," answered Ruth. "But you can be sure we gave them both the cold shoulder."

"What did they want here?" questioned Jack.

"I don't know what they wanted or where they came from," continued Ruth. "Their appearance gave us such a shock we didn't know what to do at first."

"We were on our way from the school to the boathouse, and were just crossing the roadway when Slugger and Nappy came along in a runabout,"

said May. "The minute they saw us they stopped and jumped out. They asked us a whole lot of questions about how we were getting along at school and if your sisters were here."

"Our sisters!" cried Fred. "What business have they got to ask about Martha and Mary?"

"Of course we didn't answer their questions, and Martha and Mary had gone on ahead, so Brown and Martell didn't see them," said Ruth. "They tried to act in a friendly manner, but we gave them to understand that we wanted nothing to do with them. Then they jumped into the runabout again and drove off."

"Did they go toward Haven Point?" questioned Randy.

"Yes."

"Those fellows certainly have their nerve with them--to show themselves anywhere near Colby Hall after what happened!" burst out Andy.