“Not much!  He wouldn’t wait for us to come and gather him in like that,” answered the chief.  “No; I’m dragging the town, and I also have a man at the railway station, and another watching the water front.”

“I can’t understand how the fellow who called himself Hodges ever got Judson to write him a letter of introduction to me,” muttered Mr. Farnum.

“Do you know Judson’s writing?” asked the police chief, suspiciously.

“No-o-o,” admitted Mr. Farnum.  “But the letter was written on the letter-head of Judson’s hotel.”

“Anyone can get a hotel letter-head,” retorted the police official, sagely.  “You’d better let me have that letter, and I’ll write Judson to wire me whether he ever signed it.”

Farnum passed over the letter, though he muttered, disgustedly: 

“Good heavens, have I reached my present only to be taken in with a faked letter of introduction?”

“If you have,” responded the chief of police, grimly, “you won’t be the only traveled, wide awake business man who has been caught by a trick like that.  In this country, where letters of introduction are passed around as freely as cigars, it’s very seldom that a man stops to wonder whether the letter handed him is genuine.”

An hour later the chief was back, to report that a man answering Hodges’ description had taken a train north bound, not buying a ticket.

“I’ve telegraphed to have the fellow arrested at a point along the route,” continued the police official.  “I don’t expect to get Hodges as easily as that, though.  He undoubtedly will have left the train before it gets to where I have some one waiting to receive him.”

“But the young woman he called his daughter?” asked Jack

“She wasn’t with him.  The fellow traveled alone.  Of course, the handsome daughter was only borrowed for the occasion.”

From the hospital came the word that unfortunate David Pollard was resting comfortably.

“The scheme was one that was intended to put our whole party out of business,” declared Jack Benson, his eyes shining savagely.  “I won’t go so far as to say the Rhinds crowd wanted us killed, but they hoped we’d all be too badly hurt to go on with the submarine tests.  Oh, what a rascally way to succeed in business!”

CHAPTER XIV

RADWIN DOESN’T SEE HIS BEST CHANCE

Late in the afternoon Farnum went up to the hospital to see David Pollard again.

As too many visitors would not be wise the shipbuilder represented, also, his young submarine officers.  He left them in the lobby of the Somerset.

“Don’t go away from here,” smiled Mr. Farnum, wearily.  “Don’t let anybody coax you away from here.  Just stay right here, and I won’t have to worry about you while I’m away.  We can’t take any chances—­can’t lose any more of our crowd.”

“Those are orders, sir,” Jack Benson answered.  “You’ll be obeyed.”