"I know what the answer is! I've been reading my little dream book!"

"All right, wise man, let's have it! Don't keep it bottled up!"

"Mackinder!" declared Jimmie impressively.

"You don't mean to say that he beat us to the ship and managed to get the captain to refuse us pa.s.sage on his vessel?" asked Ned.

"I believe I'm right at that!" maintained Jimmie, stoutly.

"Then the only thing we can do is to try to find some coasting vessel to carry us out of the Zuider Zee into the North Sea and make a port in England. We can then go overland to Liverpool and get a ship from there home. Suppose we try that?" offered Ned.

The boys were pa.s.sing along a covered dock at the moment. As they turned a corner they saw Mackinder standing near. A smile of triumph lighted his face.

CHAPTER IV

THE LENA k.n.o.bLOCH

"What did I tell you?" inquired Jimmie, as the boys pa.s.sed the man.

"There he stands with his arms folded and grins like a cream stealing cat! I wish I had a half a brick! We'll have to watch out for him!"

"It surely looks as if you were right, Jimmie!" a.s.sented Ned.

"But what gets me," put in Harry, "is why he should be after us! What have we done? He seems to have information that we're criminals!"

"It looks mighty strange that he should have stolen the package out of that hut and then continue to insist that we have it," remarked Ned. "Are you sure he's the same fellow, Jimmie?"

"It's the very same hand," declared the lad, "and that hand is a dead give away! I wonder he didn't wear a glove or bandage!"

"Maybe he didn't have time when he got the package," explained Jack. "Can anyone tell me how the thing got into our kits?"

This question was unanswerable by any of the lads. Puzzling over the strange adventures they had recently encountered the lads proceeded to their hotel, where they spent some time in freshening both themselves and their uniforms and in rearranging their baggage.

At supper time they were tired and very hungry. At the first opportunity they proceeded to the restaurant where they had formerly eaten.

Jimmie's spirits revived as food was set before them. In a moment he was laughing and chatting away without a care in the world. His good humor was infectious. Soon all four boys were in a merry mood.

"I wish we could get a civilized paper," declared Jack at length. "I'd really like to see what's going on in the world."

"Maybe we can get one at the desk. Or possibly the cashier can tell us where they will have English papers for sale," suggested Harry.

"Here comes a man who looks as if he were a native," spoke up Jimmie.

"I'll bet he can tell us a whole lot of things we want to know!"

The boys glanced up to observe a man approaching their table. He was evidently a seafaring man. His dress and manner betokened the deep sea mariner. A decided air of the ocean marked him to the boys' eyes.

"Goot efening, Chentlemen!" the stranger said as he approached.

"Howdy!" replied Jimmie, with a wave of his hand. "What'll you have?"

"Vell," replied the visitor, "schnapps vas goot, but you couldn't get 'em here. Dis isn't no blace for dot! No, sir!"

"I wasn't inviting you to have a drink," snapped Jimmie somewhat confusedly, "I meant to ask you what's on your mind."

"So-o-o-o!" exclaimed the newcomer with a long drawn expression of surprise. His s.h.a.ggy eyebrows raised as he extended his chin and shrugged his shoulders, pantomiming an apology. "So, dot's it, eh?"

"Sure thing!" answered Jimmie, regaining his composure in a measure but with his face still flushed. "We want to know what you're after."

"Vell," went on the visitor, "my name's Captain Johannes von Kluck. Don'd forgot dot 'Captain' part, eider. Und I haf learned dot you chentlemans vas lookin' for a fine, fast ship. Und I have chust dot!"

As he made this announcement Captain von Kluck smiled a wide look of friendship at the entire party. It was a wonderful smile, beginning at the tiny wrinkles surrounding the corners of his eyes. From there it spread all over his face, gradually distorting the features until, as Jimmie afterward declared, the boys were forced to smile in spite of themselves.

"And where does your fine ship go, Captain von Kluck?" asked Ned.

"Chust vherefer you vant to go!" declared the captain solemnly. "Me, I am a goot navigator, und mine mate he is, too, a goot von!"

"We want to go to New York," continued Ned. "If you can arrange to furnish us pa.s.sage to that port, we'll pay you well."

To this the captain answered by spreading his hands and shrugging his shoulders until they nearly reached his ears. Over his beaming face spread a look of despair. He slowly shook his head.

"To New York I cannot go!" he answered dolefully. "Bud I vill put you ash.o.r.e in England, und from dere you can easy get a ship!"

"Well, that's better than nothing at all!" admitted Ned.

"Sure!" declared Jimmie. "Anything to get out of this place!"

"When can you be ready to sail, Captain?" inquired Ned.

"Who, me?" questioned the captain in a tone of surprise.

"n.o.body else but you, your crew and we boys!" laughed Ned.

"Sure! Dot's all ridt!" nodded von Kluck. "Vh.e.l.l, I'm ready now. Yet I haf some cheeses on board to put, und some odder tings!"

"Can you accommodate the boxes containing our airship?" asked Jimmie. "We have the Grey Eagle over here at the railroad station and don't want to leave it behind us when we leave the country."

"Maybe it vould on de schip go!" consented von Kluck.

"Hurrah!" exultantly cried the lads. "That's fine!"

"How big is your ship, Captain?" asked Ned, "and what's her name?"

"Mine schip is der Lena k.n.o.bloch!" smiled the captain. "Dot's vot you English beoples call garlic. Und id vas a goot schip alreaty!"

"Well, then," suggested Ned, "suppose the captain takes supper here as our guest. Two of us will remain with him to arrange details while the other two hasten away and get a truck to take the boxes to the dock. Can you give us directions for reaching the vessel, Captain?"