For one moment the five cadets stared in horror at the body, then with one accord they broke for the launch. As they did so the torpedo¹ boat lurched abruptly² to one side, tossed by a wave, and the dead man slid gently after them.  
As it rolled over on reaching the curve it was brought up against Judson’s legs. With a shriek³ of horror the lad sprang into the sea.
 
The splash was almost instantly followed by a second. The dead man had rolled after him.
 
Clif quickly regained⁴ his senses.
 
“Throw us a rope!” he cried, hurriedly, then over he went in a neat dive that placed him within reach of Judson as he bobbed into sight.
 
The two were speedily hauled on board. Judson cowered⁵ on deck, completely unstrung. Clif was still pale, but he had recovered his usual composure.
 
“Whew! excuse me,” he said, wringing⁶ the water from his blouse. “I don’t want any more scares like that. My teeth are chattering⁷ yet. Can you see any—anything of it, Trolley⁸?”
 
The Japanese youth turned back from where he had been gazing into the sea. His swarthy face was a shade lighter⁹, and he shook as if from cold.
 
“I no see him, Clif,” he replied. “And I no want to any more. By Jim! I no think him in there.”
 
“It has gone down,” reported Joy, grimly.
 
“Maybe there are more inside,” wailed¹¹ Nanny. “Let’s go back to the launch. I’d rather starve than stay on this spooky old thing.”
 
Clif laughed in his old, merry way.
 
“We are children, every one of us,” he said, lightly. “Fancy being afraid of a dead man. Come; we’ll resume our investigating.”
 
“You don’t g-g-get me to leave th-this deck,” chattered¹² Judson. “I know when I—I have had enough.”
 
He moved toward the launch as he spoke¹³.
 
“Where are you going?” asked Clif.
 
“Into the boat.”
 
“If you do, I’ll cut the painter and let you slide,” continued Faraday. “What a coward you are!”
 
Judson grumbled¹⁴ something, but he remained on board the torpedo boat. He knew that Clif would keep his word.
 
“We’ll tackle it again, fellows,” announced that youth, cheerily. “If there are any more dead men below we will give them a decent sea burial.”
 
“Nanny,” he added, “suppose you inspect the after part while we——”
 
“Not on your life,” hastily interrupted the little lad. “I go where you do.”
 
“Well, come ahead, then,” laughed Clif, leading the way to the open door of the conning¹⁵ tower.
 
He paused before leaving the deck and cast a glance around the horizon. There was nothing in sight. With a sigh he stepped over the threshold.
 
The interior of the conning tower was fitted up with the usual objects found in such places. There was a steam steering¹⁶ wheel, a set of electric calls, a compass and a number of loose articles scattered¹⁷ about the deck.
 
At one side was an iron ladder leading forward into the officer’s quarters. Looking down this Clif saw that the apartment was empty. The deck was littered with broken chairs, clothing and a riffraff of articles. Everywhere were signs of disorder¹⁸ and wreck¹⁹.
 
“I believe I understand matters now,” said Clif, slowly.
 
“For goodness’ sake, tell us!” exclaimed Nanny.
 
“I think something must have happened on board this boat to frighten the crew, and they abandoned it in a desperate hurry.”
 
“But that dead man?” said Joy.
 
“He was caught in the conning tower by the slamming of the door, and was left behind.”
 
“But what kill him?” spoke up Trolley. “This boat no been long abandoned, and he no die by starvation.”
 
Clif laughed.
 
“You stump²⁰ me, Trolley,” he confessed. “I guess we are no nearer the solution than before. We’ll have to search further for clews.”
 
“And grub,” put in Nanny.
 
“Yes, and grub.”
 
Clif led the way into the officers’ mess-room, which was at the foot of the iron ladder. Picking up a coat, he examined it critically.
 
“We haven’t thought about the nationality of this craft,” he said. “I do not believe it is an American or English torpedo boat.”
 
“I guess you are right,” called out Joy, holding up a bundle of periodicals. “These are certainly not English.”
 
Clif took them from his hand and glanced at the first.
 
“It’s a French newspaper,” he announced. “And the others are also French.”
 
“Here’s a book on navigation in the same language,” spoke up Nanny from one corner of the apartment.
 
“This settle it,” cried Trolley, triumphantly²¹ waving a tricolored flag he had found in an open drawer. “This is French torpedo——”
 
Bang!
 
The boys started and exchanged glances of consternation²². The sharp clang of an iron door closing violently came from aft.
 
Nanny made a leap for the short flight of stairs leading to the deck and disappeared before Clif could stop him.
 
“What——” began Joy.
 
Before he could finish the sentence a loud cry came from above and Nanny reappeared in the opening. He was greatly excited.
 
“Come on deck!” he gasped²³, swinging his arms. “Quick! there’s a ship in sight, and Judson has stolen the launch to go to it!”
 
The three cadets dashed through the conning tower, and on reaching the upper deck saw instantly that Nanny had spoken the truth.
 
Just barely visible above the rim¹⁰ of the sea off the port beam were the upper topsails of a ship. And standing²⁵ away toward it was the sailing launch with Judson in the stern.
 
“Oh, the miserable²⁶ villain²⁷!” cried Clif, shaking his fist after the recreant²⁸ lad.
 
“Hi! come back you——” Trolley ended with a string of Japanese expletives.
 
The launch was not too far distant for Judson to hear, but he paid no heed²⁹.
 
“If I have gun I make him come back,” said Trolley, savagely³⁰. “Some day I beat him head off.”
 
Clif remained silent. Leaning against the conning tower he watched the launch skim over the dancing waves. But there was an expression upon his handsome face that bodied ill for the traitor³¹.
 
In the excitement of the moment the mysterious slamming of the door below had been forgotten, but it soon recurred³² to Clif.
 
“We’ve got to find out what’s aft,” he said, after a pause. “Nanny, you remain on deck and keep watch while Trolley, Joy and I go below.”
 
“Do you think it’s the old Monongahela?” asked the lanky³³ plebe, staring at the distant sail.
 
“Hard to say. It may be. I wish we could make some kind of a signal.”
 
“Why not start a smoke?” suggested Nanny, brightly. “We can make a fire on this iron deck and——”
 
“We’ll do it in the furnaces,” hastily interrupted Clif. “It’s a good idea.”
 
He ran along the sloping top of the torpedo boat and was soon tugging³⁴ away at the door of the after conning tower. He knew from previous study on the subject that cr............