Ned sprang into the hallway, locked the solid, iron-studded door behind him and flung the key away. “Bottled and corked!” he chuckled as he sped on toward the room in which he had been made captive by Schmidt’s gang.
He stepped into the place and found to his delight that the naval men he wanted were still there. A few of the loungers were likewise seated about. At Ned’s sudden appearance the men-o’-war’s-men leaped up as if they had been shot. Among them was young Childs. He could not meet Ned’s eye but hung his head as the gunner’s-mate made his unexpected entrance.
Ned’s eyes burned as they swept the room.
“Schmidt and his friends are prisoners on the[79] roof of that outer room,” he announced. “Within half an hour they will be in the hands of the police. Outside this place I have a patrol. Are you men willing to surrender, or shall I have to call in the picket to take you back shackled to the ship?”
There was an instant’s hesitation while the men stared at the calm-spoken Dreadnought Boy as if they could hardly believe their eyes. Then old Harness Cask spoke up:
“We’ll go with you, sir. Will you make it easy for us when we get on board?”
“I’m not committing myself,” spoke Ned grimly. “Forward march!”
Like lambs the stragglers formed in twos, looking foolish and crestfallen. Out they marched with Ned behind them, while the loafers in the place cowered in corners, meditating instant escape as soon as Ned and his prisoners vanished.
Before they reached the street, Ned blew his whistle and sounded the shrill summons to his[80] patrol which he had notified them would be the signal for them to join him. As they appeared at the top of the steps, re?nforced now by the two men who had taken Sharp and Manners to the steamer, Herc shouted out:
“It’s all right, Ned. We’re coming to your rescue. Hold fast, old fellow!”
“All right, boys,” hailed Ned; “it’s all over but the shouting. Just take these fellows in charge and march them down to the steamer and wait there for me. I’ve a little more work to do yet.”
To say that Ned’s patrol was astonished as they saw the sheepish captives file out of the Fair Wind to the street, would be to put it mildly. As Herc might have said, they were completely flabbergasted.
When Ned briefly rehearsed the circumstances of the capture, modestly keeping himself in the background, their enthusiasm knew no bounds. The rueful, woebegone captives were marched off to the steamer, while Ned hastened to a telephone.[81] He got Police Headquarters and told the official in charge about the prisoners on the roof of the “Fair Wind.”
“I’ll send a patrol wagon right down,” declared the official.
“Better send a big bunch of men, too. They’re a bad lot,” said Ned.
“I know all about them. We’ve been trying for a long time to land Schmidt. Now, thanks to you, we’ve got him with the goods on.”
“I reckon you have,” rejoined Ned with a grin.
“By the way, what’s your name and address?” came the voice at the other end of the wire.
“Ned Strong is my name, and my address is the Dreadnought Manhattan, at anchor off Goat Island in the harbor.”
A marked note of surprise was in the official’s voice as he exclaimed:
“Strong, did you say?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Well, we’re looking for you!”
[82]
“Looking for me?”
“That’s right. We’re very anxious to get hands on you.”
“Gracious! What for?”
“Never mind. Can we get you on board the ship?”
“Of course. But what does this mean? Why do the authorities want to see me?”
“That I am not at liberty to tell you. Will you summon the man on post and tell him to guard the ‘Fair Wind’ till re?nforcements arrive?”
Ned, sorely p............