CHAPTER XI.

THE "HERR PROFESSOR" AGAIN.

It was not part of Jack's plan to apprise Muller of the identity of Mr. Johnson. He did not wish to act prematurely in any way till he had consulted Raynor and a plan of campaign had been worked out.

"That guy certainly won't try any monkey-shines with me," Muller assured Jack slangily, but with a sincere ring in his voice, and Jack knew he could trust him.

Then he sought out Bill, whom he found in the latter's cabin writing letters.

"Well, Bill," he began. "I've solved the mystery of Mr. Johnson."

Bill's writing was instantly forgotten.

"You mean that peppery chap?"

"The same person. He's an old friend of yours. You were not mistaken when you said that you thought you recognized his voice."

"The dickens you say?" Bill was all attention now. "And who is he?"

"Why,--as the nickel novels say,--none other than our old college chum, Herr Professor Radwig."

"For gracious' sake!" Bill's expression left no doubt as to the genuineness of his astonishment. "Old Earwig turned up again, eh?"

"Yes, and from some not very complimentary remarks he made about me, Bill," continued Jack, "I don't think he'd be averse to doing me some mischief, if he could."

"He'd better not try." Bill doubled his fists pugnaciously.

"The trouble is, I didn't overhear enough to find out just what his little game is."

"That's too bad. It's a shame we didn't know his identity earlier. We would have earned the thanks of that English cruiser."

"We certainly would. De Garros told me that Radwig is accounted a very clever and dangerous man. He has invented explosives and is active in the entire German military movement."

"By the way, where is de Garros?" asked Bill.

"I don't know any more than you do. After we left him at the depot in New York on our return from Bar Harbor, I lost sight of him. In fact, things have gone on with such a rush since then, that I haven't had time to think of him till now. He told me, though, that he would take the first ship possible to France."

"Well, to get back to old Earwig."

"Yes."

"Are you going to expose him?"

"Expose him to whom?"

"The captain, for instance."

"What would be the good? He has committed no crime. If he wants to travel under a false name that is not our business so long as he does not interfere with us."

"That's true, but just the same, if we are boarded by another British cruiser, I'll have something to whisper in the boarding officer's ear," said Bill, truculently.

"I wish we knew who this Schultz was," confessed Jack.

"Does that name appear on the passenger lists?"

"On none of them. Besides, if it had, the man would have been questioned by that officer from the _Berwick_. He quizzed everybody with a name that even sounded German."

"That's so," admitted Bill; "he certainly went through the ship with a rake. I guess old Earwig's friend has some American sounding name that will carry him safe across the ocean no matter what happens."

Soon after, Jack sought his berth in the wireless room. As he approached the opened door of the radio station, from which a flood of yellow light issued, he saw, or thought he saw, two lurking figures in the shadow of one of the boats. But even as he sighted them, they vanished.

For an instant, Jack assumed that they were two of the boat crew but, as they scurried past an open port, he saw they wore ordinary clothes and not the sailor uniforms of the crew.

"Odd," he mused. "Those fellows were certainly hanging around the wireless room for no good purpose. If they had been, they wouldn't have sneaked the instant they saw me coming. I'm willing to bet a cookie one of them was Earwig and the other his precious pal who understands wireless. Jack, old boy, it's up to you to keep your eyes open."

"Anything doing?" he asked Muller, as he entered the wireless room.

"Not a thing. Deader than a baseball park on Christmas Day," rejoined Muller.

"You didn't see anything of our friend, for instance?"

"Who, Johnson? No, he hasn't been near here."

Jack nodded good-night and then turned in. But as the ship bored on through the darkness his eyes refused, as they customarily did, to close in his usual sound sleep.

His mind was busy with many things. It was clear that Radwig was contemplating some use of the wireless which did not yet seem quite clear. That it was his duty to checkmate him Jack was convinced, but as yet he had little to go upon except the conversation overheard behind the ventilator.

"I guess watchful waiting will have to be the policy," he murmured to himself as he fell asleep.