CHAPTER VIII

A GREAT DEAL OF EXCITEMENT

Russ and Rose Bunker were very much excited by the discovery of the
schooner in distress. They were actually afraid that the vessel was
going to sink in the ocean right before their eyes!

But the wireless operator reassured them. He said it probably would not
sink at all. He seemed to have learned at first glance a lot about that
schooner.

"It's lumber laden, from some Maine port. Probably going to Baltimore,
or some port down that way. They have jettisoned her deck load, and now
she'll just float soggily. But her sails will never carry her to port."

Russ eagerly asked what "jettisoned" meant, and the man explained that
the crew had pushed overboard all the deckload of lumber. The hold was
filled with the same kind of cargo, and of course lumber would not
really sink. But the dirty, torn sails which the children saw did not
promise to hold wind enough to propel the water-logged craft.

"She's got to have help," said the wireless operator, and Russ and Rose
realized that the _Kammerboy_ was slowing down.

"Are we going to stop?" asked Rose. "Will they take the men off that
ship into our small boats? Oh, it's a regular shipwreck, Russ!"

"Not much it isn't, little girl," said the operator. "And this steamer
can't stop to do much in the way of rescue. The crew wouldn't want to
leave that schooner in good weather, anyway."

"What shall we do, then?" Rose asked again.

Just then their friend, the quartermaster, hurried up with a written
paper which he handed to the operator.

"Get that out, Sparks," he said, and the operator turned swiftly to his
instrument and fitted on his cap and "earlaps" again. At least, Rose
said they were "earlaps."

"Can't we help that schooner?" asked Russ of the quartermaster.

"They don't need us to help them. Only to send a message," was the
reply, as the wireless spark began to crackle again. "We are telling the
Government about her plight and a revenue cutter will be sent out to tow
the schooner into some near port. She has drifted a good way off shore,
but the weather is settled and there is nothing to fear."

In a few moments the operator had sent the message and got a reply.

"Right out of the air," breathed Rose wonderingly. "I think that is very
funny, Russ. If that mast isn't exactly wireless, it is almost wireless.
Anyway, the wires aren't long enough to take much of a message, I should
think."

This was a mystery that Rus