“I’ll show him!” exclaimed Blake’s chum and partner, and this served to make Blake himself aware of the danger of acting too hastily.  Quickly Blake put out his hand and held Joe back.

“What’s the matter?” came the sharp demand.  “I want to go and ask that fellow what he means by following us!”

“I wouldn’t,” advised Blake, and now he had control of his own feelings.

“Why not?”

“Because,” answered Blake slowly, as he smiled at his chum, “he might, with perfect truth and considerable reason, say it was none of your business.”

“None of my business?  None of our business that he follows us aboard this ship when we’re going over to get official war films?  Well, Blake Stewart, I did think you had some spunk, but——­”

“Easy now,” cautioned Macaroni.  “He’s looking over here to see what the row’s about.  There!  He’s looking right at us.”

The Frenchman did, indeed, seem to observe for the first time the presence of the boys so close to him.  He looked over, bowed and smiled, but did not leave his place near the rail.  He appeared to be occupied in looking at the docks and the shipping of New York harbor, glancing now at the tall buildings of New York, and again over at the Jersey shore and the Statue of Liberty.

“Come on back here—­behind the deckhouse,” advised Blake to his chum and Macaroni.  “We can talk then and he can’t see us.”

And when they were thus out of sight, and the vessel was gathering way under her own power, Joe burst out with: 

“Say, what does all this mean?  Why didn’t you let me go over and ask him what he meant by following us on board this vessel?”

“I told you,” answered Blake, “that he’d probably tell you it was none of your business.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“Because this is a public vessel—­that is, public in as much as all properly accredited persons who desire may go to England on her.  Lieutenant Secor must have his passport, or he wouldn’t be here.  And, as this is a public place, he has as much right here as we have.

“And of course if you had asked him, Joe, especially with the show of indignation you’re wearing now, he would have told you, and with perfect right, that he had as much business here as you have.  He didn’t follow us here; I think he was on board ahead of us.  But if he did follow us, he did no more than some of these other passengers did, who came up the gangplank after us.  This is a public boat.”

Joe looked at his chum a moment, and then a smile replaced the frown on his face.

“Well, I guess you’re right,” he announced.  “I forgot that anybody might come aboard as well as ourselves.  But it does look queer—­his coming here so soon after he spoiled our films; whether intentionally or not doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I agree with you there—­that it does look funny,” said Blake Stewart.  “But we mustn’t let that fact get the better of our judgment.  If there’s anything wrong here, we’ve got to find it out, and we can’t do it by going off half cocked.”