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Dark and grim, with only one light showing weakly, lay the yacht, having been run into the basin, now. A hawser had been stretched across the mouth of the basin. Outside was a little tender, while a searchlight was playing over the water all the time. Evidently whatever interference was feared was expected from the water rather than from the land.

We slunk into the shadow of a row of bath-houses, in order to get our bearings. On the opposite side from the road that led down from the house, it was not so likely that anyone would suspect that interlopers were hiding there.

Still, they were not neglecting that side of the basin, at least in a perfunctory sort of way.

Kennedy drew me back into the shadow, deeper, at the sound of footsteps on the boardwalk leading in front of the bath-houses.

From our hiding place we could now hear two voices, apparently of sailors.

“Do you know the new wireless operator who goes with us tonight?” asked one.

“No. They’ve been very careful of him. I guess they were afraid that someone might get wise. But there couldn’t very well be any leak, there. One of those Englishmen has been with him every minute since he was engaged.”

“They say he’s pretty good. Who is he?”

“A Servian, he says, and his name sounds as if it might be so.”

The voices trailed off. It was only a scrap of conversation, but Kennedy had not missed a word of it.

“That means Petzka,” he nodded to me.

“What is he–a Hungarian or a Servian?” I asked quickly.

Kennedy had craned his neck out beyond the corner of the bath-houses and was looking at the Furious in the basin.

“Come on, Walter,” he whispered, not taking time to answer my question. “Those fellows have gone. There’s no one at all on this side of the basin and I just saw the men on deck go up the gangplank to the boat-house. They can’t do any more than put us off, anyhow.”

He had watched his chance well. As quickly as we could, burdened down by our two heavy packages, we managed to slip across the boardwalk to the piling that formed that side of the basin. The Furious had swung over with the tide nearer our side than the other. It was a daring leap, but he made it as lightly as a cat, landing on the deck. I passed over the packages to him and followed.

Kennedy scarcely paused to glance about. He had chosen a moment when no one was looking, and, bending down under the weight of the packages we dodged back of a cabin. A dim light shining into the hold told us that no one was there and we dived down. It was the work of a moment to secrete ourselves in the blank darkness behind a pile of boxes, aft.

A noise startled us. Someone was coming down the steep, ladder-like stairs. A moment later we heard another noise. There were two of them, moving about among the boxes. From our hiding place we could overhear them talking in hoarse whispers, but could not see them.

“Where did you put them?” asked a voice.

“In every package of explosives and in as many of the boxes of canned goods as I had time. There wasn’t much opportunity except while the stuff was in the boat-house.”

I looked at Kennedy, wild-eyed. Was there treachery in the crew? He was leaning forward as much as our cramped quarters would permit, so as not to miss a word.

“All right,” said the other voice. “No one suspects?”

“No. But the Secret Service has been pretty busy. They suspect something–but not this.”

“Good. You are sure that you can detonate them when the time comes?”

“Positive. Everything is working fine. I’ve done my part of it. Changing wireless operators gave me just the chance I wanted.”

“All right. I guess I’ll go now.”

“Remember the signal. As soon as the things are detonated I will get off, some way, by wireless the S O S–as if it came from the fleet, you understand?”