Radio Detectives in the Jungle

Hyatt Verrill A.

Description

Tom Pauling and his pals are at it again in The Radio Detectives in the Jungle. Bolstered by their mastery of crystal-set radio technology, these intrepid youngsters match wits with some nefarious characters and crack a mystery wide open in this thrilling tale aimed at younger readers.

Sujets

• Adventure (Guyana)
• Adventure

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776527748
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE RADIO DETECTIVES IN THE JUNGLE
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A. HYATT VERRILL
 
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The Radio Detectives in the Jungle First published in 1922 ISBN 978-1-77652-774-8 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - Strange Places Chapter II - A Cry for Help Chapter III - The Castaways Chapter IV - More Mysteries Chapter V - The End of the Submarine Chapter VI - In South America Chapter VII - Off for the Jungle Chapter VIII - On the Trail Chapter IX - Kenaima! Chapter X - Red Beard Seals His Doom Chapter XI - Vengeance Chapter XII - The End of the Trail
Chapter I - Strange Places
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A hurricane had swept through the West Indies leaving death anddestruction in its path and wrecking scores of vessels, uprootingtrees, stripping the tops from palms, destroying crops and blowingdown the flimsy native houses.
Now that it was over and there was no danger of its return those shipsthat had escaped the storm within snug harbors began to creep forth toresume their interrupted voyages. Some were uninjured. Others hadrigging or deck fittings carried away, while some were so badlycrippled that they limped as rapidly as possible towards the nearestdry dock for repairs.
Among them was a lean gray destroyer which slipped out of Coral Bay atSt. John and headed her sharp prow southward. That she had borne thebrunt of the terrific gale was evident, for of her four funnels onlytwo were standing, her decks had been swept bare, fathoms of herrailings had been carried away and from half way up her military mastshe was white with encrusted salt. But she had received no vitalinjury. From her two remaining funnels dense volumes of smoke werepouring, a busy crowd of bluejackets labored like ants at repairingthe damages to superstructure and fittings and, despite the buffetingshe had received and the fact that half her boilers were out ofcommission until the funnels could be replaced, she slid through theoily seas at a twenty-knot clip.
To those who have followed the Radio Detectives through their previousadventures the group upon the crippled destroyer's decks will need nointroduction. There was the trim, spick-and-span Commander Disbrow,the deep-sea diver, Rawlins, Mr. Pauling and his friend Mr. Hendersonand the two boys, Tom Pauling and his chum Frank.
But for the benefit of those who now meet the Radio Detectives for thefirst time a few words of explanation will be needed.
Months before the story opens, Tom Pauling and Frank had discovered amost astounding plot by means of their radio telephones and therebyenabled Tom's father and his associate, Mr. Henderson, who werefederal officers in the Secret Service, to make prisoners of a numberof members of an international gang of scoundrels whose activitiesincluded the distribution of Bolshevist literature, the destruction ofproperty, smuggling contraband liquor into the United States andconducting a widespread series of holdups, robberies and other crimes.Through confessions and other evidence Mr. Pauling and Mr. Hendersonhad learned that the arch criminal or master mind of the plot washiding in a secret lair in the West Indies which—after a series ofthrilling adventures on the part of the two boys and their companions,including Rawlins and Sam, a Bahaman negro—had been located, only tofind that the leader of the criminals had slipped through the net setfor him.
Then, influenced by a "hunch" on Rawlins' part, Mr. Pauling and hiscompanions had followed a tramp steamer, of which they weresuspicious, to St. Thomas. Although there was no evidence conclusiveenough to warrant holding the tramp, suspicion pointed to the factthat the leader of the gang of criminals was somewhere in thevicinity. Owing to mysterious radio messages, the party chartered aschooner and went to the neighboring island of St. John.
Here they met a Dutch naturalist named Van Brunt who was dealing withthe "reds." Rawlins, spying on him, was held up and narrowly escapeddeath at the hands of a man whom he recognized as the master criminalthey were seeking. Later, this man was found dead and proved to be aperson disguised to impersonate the real leader, while Van Bruntvisited the schooner and convinced Mr. Pauling and Mr. Henderson thathe was innocent and knew nothing of the "red's" activities.
Becoming friendly with the boys, the Dutch scientist took them on atrip into the bush and while they were in a huge cave, deserted them.Soon afterwards a severe hurricane swept the island, imprisoning thetwo boys within the cavern by a tree falling across the entrance. Inthe meantime the other members of the party were compelled to seekrefuge from the hurricane in the village on shore and were amazed tosee the tramp steamer entering the harbor to escape the storm. As soonas the gale was over a searching party started out to find the missingboys and discovered that Van Brunt's house had been destroyed bylightning.
While they were hunting for the boys, Tom and Frank had been madeprisoners by a red-bearded man whom they knew was one of the gang.They had been placed on a submarine where Van Brunt confronted them,admitting he was a member of the "reds" and had purposely betrayed theboys. From the submarine they were taken to a locked cabin on a vesseland later were rescued in a most astounding manner by Sam, theBahaman, who also killed Van Brunt. During their imprisonment the boyshad overheard a plot to capture the other members of the party bymeans of a decoy letter and reaching their friends safely Tom andFrank related their tale in time to save the others from falling intothe scoundrels' trap. Soon afterwards a destroyer, which was inconstant touch with the schooner by radio, arrived in response to Mr.Pauling's summons. The tramp, in a last desperate attempt to escape,tried to run down the schooner but failed owing to Rawlins' quick wit.Then, turning, the tramp endeavored to leave the harbor by a narrowentrance, but was sunk by a shot from the destroyer's guns.
From the boys' descriptions and Sam's discoveries the Americanslearned that the tramp was a "mother ship" for the submarine with ahuge cradle or opening in the hull wherein the underseas boat couldrest and be carried from place to place. But although a search wasmade of the wrecked tramp no trace of either the submarine or ofbodies could be found. Mr. Pauling and the others felt convinced,however, that the leader of the gang was still at large and whilediscussing this matter their attention was drawn to a seaplane whichthey decided was a United States government machine sent from PortoRico or St. Thomas to learn the cause of the explosion.
After the aircraft had disappeared the party returned to the destroyerand to their amazement were given a radio message from the aviatorwhich Mr. Pauling recognized as coming from the arch criminal whomthey were seeking.
But although their quarry had once more escaped them and had taken tothe air, Rawlins insisted they would yet capture him and pointed outthat the seaplane must descend and that when it did they should be onhand.
Although it seemed but a slim chance, still the diver's hunches hadinvariably proved so reliable that Mr. Pauling had at once decided totake Rawlins' advice and, transferring himself and his party to thepartially disabled destroyer, had at once started forth to search theneighboring islands for the aircraft which had last been seen flyingsouthward.
And as the lean gray craft slipped out of the shelter of Coral Bay andfelt the heave of the Caribbean sea, Rawlins was speaking. "Airplanesaren't so common down here that they can fly over the islands withoutbeing noticed," he asserted. "If we stop in at them here and there weought to be able to trail him. He'd have to head for some place and byfinding out where he's been seen we can get his direction. I'll bethe's got some hang-out down here. Of course, he could land on thewater, but it would have to be in the lee of an island even if he wasgoing to be picked up by a ship."
"Or the submarine," put in Mr. Pauling. "Don't forget that the chancesare the sub escaped and is to meet him."
"Yes, but he can't land on a sub and he couldn't have started off fromit. No, he's either got some ship or a secret landing place and hangarfor his plane on shore. Besides, if he tries sending messages the boyscan pick them up."
"To my mind," declared Mr. Henderson. "It is like hunting for theproverbial needle in the haystack. There are a score and more ofislands—to say nothing of cays—and although he started south we haveno means of knowing how soon he may have shifted his course. Why, evennow, he may be over in Santo Domingo, Cuba or Tortuga or he may haveturned east to St. Barts or Barbuda. If we went to every island wewould be here for the next year."
"I'll say we would!" laughed Rawlins. "But we don't need to. Once wepick up his trail and know his course it'll be easy. A fellow can'tfly far in any direction without being in sight of an island and if welose him we can easily find his trail again by calling at an island ortwo."
"Sounds easy, I admit," remarked Mr. Henderson rather sarcastically."But what is to prevent him from going straight across to SouthAmerica for example? Then we'd have a nice job trying to find where helanded—I suppose we'd have to hunt the entire northern coast of thecontinent."
"I expect you're jollying me a bit," replied the diver, "but honestInjun you know he couldn't make a nonstop flight to South Ame