“Are you within, young gentlemen of the cameras?  I am Lieutenant Secor!”

CHAPTER VII

“Periscope ahoy!”

Sudden and unexpected was the knocking, and it found the boys unready to answer it.  They had no idea that the conspirators—­either or both of them—­would come directly from their conference to the room where a watch had been kept on them.

“Do you think he saw us?” asked Joe, in a whisper.

“S’posing he did?” demanded Charlie.  “We have the goods on him, all right.”

Blake held up a hand to enjoin silence, though the remarks of his friends had been made in the lowest of tones.

The knock was given again, and the voice of the Frenchman asked: 

“Are you within, my friends of the camera?  I wish to speak with you!”

“One moment!” called Blake, in a tone he tried to make pleasant.  Then he motioned to Joe and Charlie to seem to be busy over the midget camera, which was kept ready for instant use.  At the same moment Blake threw a black focusing cloth over the mirror, for he thought the Frenchman might notice that it was in a position to reflect whatever took place in the opposite room.

“Act natural—­as if you were getting ready to make some pictures,” Blake whispered in Joe’s ear, and then opened the door.

“Pardon me for disturbing you,” began Lieutenant Secor, “but I have just come down from on deck.  They are having a special lifeboat drill, and I thought perhaps you might like to get some views of it.  Also, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Come in,” said Blake, as he opened the door wider.  At the same time he noticed that the door of the stateroom across the corridor was shut.

“Just came down from deck, did he?” mused Joe, as he took note of the Frenchman’s false statement.  “Well, he must have run up and run down again in jig fashion to be able to do that.  I wonder what he wants to ask us?”

Joe and Charlie pretended to be adjusting the small camera, and Blake smiled a welcome he did not feel.  Black suspicion was in his heart against the Frenchman.  An open enemy Blake could understand, but not a spy or a traitor.

“I thought perhaps you might like to get some of the views from on deck,” went on Lieutenant Secor, smiling his white-toothed smile.  “They are even lowering boats into the water—­a realistic drill!”

Blake looked at Joe as much as to ask if it would be advisable to get some views.  At the same time Blake made a sign which Joe interpreted to mean: 

“Go up on deck and see what’s going on—­you and Charlie.  I’ll take care of him down here.”

“Come on!” Joe remarked to their helper, as he gathered up the small camera.  “We’ll take this in.”

“I thought you might like it,” said the Frenchman.  “That’s why I hurried down to tell you.”

“Now I wonder,” thought Blake to himself, as Joe made ready to leave, “why he thinks it worth his while to tell that untruth?  What is his game?”