nking that Blake and his chums had
merely come up to be with the two men.

"What are you going to do when you do see them?" asked Joe of his chum.

"I don't know," was the whispered answer. "First, we've got to see them,
then we can tell what to do. But where in the world are they?"

Somewhat at a loss what to do, the boys paused in the shadow of a
deckhouse. They were about to emerge from its dim protection when
Charlie plucked at Blake's sleeve.

"Well?" asked the moving picture boy, in a low voice. "What is it?"

"Look right straight into the bow, as far as you can see," directed
Macaroni. "Notice those two moving shadows?"

"Yes," answered Blake.

"I think that's our men," went on Charlie.

"Yes, there they are," added Joe.

It was evident, after a moment's glance, that the two men who had so
silently stolen from their rooms were together in the bow of the
steamer, or as far up in the bow as they could get. The deck was open
at this point, and, leaning over the side, it would be easy to flash a
signal on either beam. The lookout on the bridge was probably too much
occupied in sweeping the sea ahead and to either side of the ship to
direct his attention to the vessel itself.

"Come on," whispered Blake to the other two. "We want to hear what they
are saying if we can, and see what they're doing."

Silently the boys stole forward until they could make out the dim
figures more clearly. There was no doubt that they were those of Secor
and Labenstein. And then, as the boys paused, fearing to get so close as
to court discovery, they saw a little light flash.

Three times up and down on the port side of the bows went a little flash
of light, and then it suddenly went out.

"My electric light," whispered Blake in Joe's ear.

"But I thought you said it would burn out!"

"I hope it has. I think----"

From one of the figures in the bow came a guttural exclamation:

"The infernal light has gone out!"

"So?" came from the other.

"Yes. It must be broken. Let me have yours, Herr Lieutenant. I have not
given the signal in completeness, and----"

"I left my light in the stateroom. I'll go and----"

But the lieutenant never finished that sentence. Across the dark and
silent ocean came a dull report--an explosion that seemed to make the
_Jeanne_ tremble. And then the sky and the water was lighted by the
flashing beams of powerful lights.

"What was that?" gasped Joe, while from the crouching figures in the