“There’s no doubt, now, but the Frenchman is a traitor,” whispered Joe to Blake.  “I have been positive about that German being a spy ever since I’ve seen him, but I did have some doubts regarding Secor.  I haven’t any now.”

“It does look bad,” admitted Blake.

“I wish I’d smashed him with my auto, instead of waiting for him to smash me,” remarked Charlie.  “He’s a snake, that’s what he is!”

“Hush!” cautioned Blake.  “They may be around here—­any place—­and hear you.  I wish we could see them.”

They moved along silently, looking on every side for a sight of the two conspirators, but there were so many shadows, and so many places where the men might lurk, that it was difficult to place them.  The sailor, evidently, had had no suspicions, thinking that Blake and his chums had merely come up to be with the two men.

“What are you going to do when you do see them?” asked Joe of his chum.

“I don’t know,” was the whispered answer.  “First, we’ve got to see them, then we can tell what to do.  But where in the world are they?”

Somewhat at a loss what to do, the boys paused in the shadow of a deckhouse.  They were about to emerge from its dim protection when Charlie plucked at Blake’s sleeve.

“Well?” asked the moving picture boy, in a low voice.  “What is it?”

“Look right straight into the bow, as far as you can see,” directed Macaroni.  “Notice those two moving shadows?”

“Yes,” answered Blake.

“I think that’s our men,” went on Charlie.

“Yes, there they are,” added Joe.

It was evident, after a moment’s glance, that the two men who had so silently stolen from their rooms were together in the bow of the steamer, or as far up in the bow as they could get.  The deck was open at this point, and, leaning over the side, it would be easy to flash a signal on either beam.  The lookout on the bridge was probably too much occupied in sweeping the sea ahead and to either side of the ship to direct his attention to the vessel itself.

“Come on,” whispered Blake to the other two.  “We want to hear what they are saying if we can, and see what they’re doing.”

Silently the boys stole forward until they could make out the dim figures more clearly.  There was no doubt that they were those of Secor and Labenstein.  And then, as the boys paused, fearing to get so close as to court discovery, they saw a little light flash.

Three times up and down on the port side of the bows went a little flash of light, and then it suddenly went out.

“My electric light,” whispered Blake in Joe’s ear.

“But I thought you said it would burn out!”

“I hope it has.  I think——­”

From one of the figures in the bow came a guttural exclamation: 

“The infernal light has gone out!”

“So?” came from the other.

“Yes.  It must be broken.  Let me have yours, Herr Lieutenant.  I have not given the signal in completeness, and——­”