19 - Boy Scout Aviators by George Durston

In this international Boy Scout mystery, Harry and his new British friends decode heliographs, outsmart spies, and uncover secrets that could change the course of a war. Discover hundreds of ad-free audiobooks, soothing sounds for sleep and meditation, and more—unwind and learn at www.adfreebooks.com!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Public domain recording by Kangaroo six ninety two. The Silent Wire.
Probably Jack Young and Dick reached the vicarage just about
the time that saw Harry getting into trouble with the
police for speeding. The vicar was still up He had

(00:22):
a great habit of reading late, and he seemed considerably
surprised to find that Jack was not upstairs in bed.
At first, he was inclined even to be angry, but
he changed his mind when he saw Dick and heard
something of what had happened. Get your friend something to eat,

(00:44):
and I'll have them make a hot bath ready, said
the vicar. He looks as if he needed both. This
was strictly true. Dick was as hungry and as grimy
as Harry himself. If anything, he was in even worse shape,
for his flight through the fields in the brook had

(01:05):
enabled him to attach a good deal of the soil
of England to himself. So the thick sandwiches in the
bowl of milk that were speedily set before him were
severely punished. And while he ate, both he and Jack
poured out their story. Mister Young frowned as he listened.

(01:27):
Although he was a clergyman and the lover of peace,
he was none the less a patriot. Upon my word,
he said, wireless, you think, my boy, I'm sure of it, sir,
said Dick, and so am. I chimed in, Jack, You know, sir,

(01:47):
I've thought ever since war seemed certain that bray Park
would bear a lot of watching, and that something ought
to be done. Just because this is a little bit
of the village without even a railroad station. People think
nothing could happen here. But if German spies wanted a headquarters,
it's just the sort of place they would pick out.

(02:10):
There's something in that, agreed the vicar thoughtfully, but in
his own mind he was still very doubtful. The whole
thing seemed incredible to him, yet as a matter of fact,
it was no more incredible than the war itself. What
inclined him to be dubious, as much as anything else,

(02:31):
was the fact that it was mere boys who had
made the discovery. He had read aboutbreaks of spy fever
in various parts of England, in which the most harmless
and inoffensive people were arrested and held until they could
give some good account of themselves. This made him hesitate.

(02:52):
While precious time was being wasted. I hardly know what
to do, what to suggest, he went on, musingly. The
situation is complicated, really, supposing you are right and that
German spy's really own Bray Park and are using it
as a central station for sending news that they glean

(03:14):
out of England, what could be done about it? The
place ought to be searched at once. Every one there
ought to be arrested, declared Jack compulsively. His father smiled yes.
But who's going to do it, he said, We've just
won constable here in Bray and if there are Germans

(03:38):
there in any number, what could he do? I suppose
we might send word to Harrowbridge and get some police
or territorials over there. Yes, that's the best thing to do.
But now Dick spoke up in great eagerness. I don't know, sir,
He suggested. If the soldiers came, the men in the

(04:00):
house there would find out they were coming. I'm afraid
perhaps they'd get away or else managed to hide everything
that would prove the truth about them. I think it
would be better to report direct to Cardinal Throckmorton. He
knows what we found out near London, Sir. You see

(04:21):
and he'd be more ready to believe us. Yes, probably
you're right. Bring him up. Then it's late, but he
won't mind what a different story there would have been
to tell had someone had thought of that only half
an hour earlier. But it is often so, the most

(04:44):
trivial miscalculation, the most insignificant mistake, seemingly may prove to
be one of the most vital importance. Dick went to
the telephone. It was one of the old fashioned sort,
still on almost universal use in the rural parts of

(05:04):
England that require the use of a bell to call
the central office. Dick turned the crank, then took down
the receiver. At once. He heard a confused, buzzing sound
that alarmed him. I'm afraid the line is out of order, sir,
he said, and after fifteen minutes it was plain that

(05:26):
he was right. The wire had either been cut, or
it had fallen, or been short circuited in some other way.
Dick and Jack looked at one another blankly. The same
thought had come to each of them, and at the
same moment They've cut the wires, said Dick. Now what
shall we do. We can't hear from Harry either. We

(05:50):
might have guessed they'd do that, said Jack. They must
have had some one out to watch us, Dick. Perhaps
they'd thought they'd have a chance to catch us. They
know we've find out something, you see. It's a good
thing we stayed where we can make people hear us
if we got into any trouble. Oh nonsense, said the vicar.

(06:14):
Suddenly you boys are letting your imaginations run away with you.
Things like that don't happen in England. The wire's just
out of order. It happens often enough, Jack, as you
know very well, Yes, sir, said Jack doggedly. But that's
in winter or after a heavy storm, not in fine

(06:37):
weather like this. I never knew the wire to be
out of order before, when it was the way it
is now. Well, there's nothing to be done in any case,
said the vicar. Be off to bed and wait until morning.
There's nothing you can do now. Dick looked as if

(06:57):
he were about to make some protests, but glance at
Jack restrained him and said He got up, said good night,
and followed Jack upstairs. There he took his bath, except
that he substituted cold water for hot, for he could
guess what Jack meant to do. They were going out again.

(07:18):
That was certain. And while it is easy to take cold,
especially when one is tired after hot bath, there is
no such danger if the water is cold. Do you
know where the telephone wire runs, he asked Jack. Yes,
I do. I watched the men when they ran the

(07:39):
wire in. There are only three telephones in the village
except for the one at Bray Park, and that's a
special private wire. We have one here, Doctor Brunt has one,
and there's another in the garage. They're all on one
party line too. We won't have any trouble in finding

(08:01):
out if the wire was cut. I fancy their chief
difficulty laying getting out of the house. True, Jack had
not been positively ordered not to go out again, but
he knew that if his father saw him, he would
be ordered to stay in. And he had not the

(08:22):
slightest intention of medicing any part of the finest adventure
he had ever had a chance to enjoy. Not he
He was a typical English boy, full of the love
of adventure and excitement for their own sake, even if
he was the son of a clergyman. And now he

(08:43):
showed Dick what they would have to do. I used
to slip out this way sometimes, he said, that was
before I was a scout. I well, since I joined,
I haven't done it. It didn't seem right. But this
is different, don't you think so, Dick, I certainly do,

(09:08):
said Dick. Your potter doesn't understand Jack. He thinks we've
just found a mare's neess. They fancy. Jack's root of
escape was not a difficult one. It led to the
roof of the scoollery at the back of the house,
and then by a short and easy drop of a

(09:29):
few feet to the back garden. Once they were in that,
they had no trouble. They could not be seen or
heard from the front of the house, and it was
a simple matter of climbing fences until it was safe
to circle back and strike the road in front of
it Again. Jack led the way until they came to
the garage, which was at the end of the village

(09:52):
in the direction of London. Their course also took them
nearer to Bray Park, but at the time they did
not think of it. There's where the wire starts from
the garage, d'ye see, said Jack, pointing you see how
easily we can follow it. It runs along the poles

(10:12):
right beside the road. It seems to be all right here,
said Dick. Oh, yes, they wouldn't have cut it so
near the village. We'll have to follow it along for
a bit. I fancy a mile or so. Perhaps better
not talk much either, And I say, hadn't we better

(10:35):
stay in the shadow. They must have been watching us before.
Better not give them another chance if we can help.
It was Jack's very wise suggestion. They had traveled nearly
a mile when Dick suddenly noticed that the telephone wire
stacked between two posts. I think it has been cut,

(10:59):
and that we're near the place too, he said. Then look, Jack,
there's probably not a break far from here, right, Oh,
said Jack. Now we must be careful. I just thought, Dick,
that they might have left somebody to watch the place
where they cut the wire. Why Jack, Well, they might

(11:22):
have thought we or someone else might come along to
find out about it, just as we're doing. I'm beginning
to think those beggars are mightily clever, and that if
they'd think of doing anything, they're likely to think that
we'll think of it. They've outwitted us at every point
so far. So now instead of saying under the hedge

(11:47):
but still in the road, they crept through a gap
in the hedge, tearing their clothes as they did so,
since it was a BlackBerry row, and went along, still
inside of the poles in the wire, but protected by
the hedge so that no one in the road could
see them there, said Jack. At last, see you were right, Dick.

(12:11):
There's the place, and the wire was cut too. It
wasn't an accident, but I was sure of that as
soon as I found the line wasn't working. Sure enough,
the wires were dangling, and there was some one else.
Just as they stopped, they heard the voices of two men.

(12:32):
There's the break bill, said the first voice. Leave me
if she ain't cut too. Now who did that? Bringing
us out of our beds at this hour to look
for the trouble? I'd like to lay my hands on them,
that's all, said the second voice. A good job they

(12:53):
didn't carry the wire away. Twon't take us long to
prepare her, And that's one precious good linemen, said Jack.
But I wonder why they're here. They must have come
a long way. I shouldn't be surprised if they had
ridden on bicycles, and I had never heard of their

(13:13):
sending to repair a wire at night before listen, said Dick,
perhaps we will find out. Well, now that we've found it,
we might as well repair it, said the first lineman, grumblingly.
All comes of someone trying to get a message through

(13:34):
to Bray and making the manager believe it was a
life and death matter. Harry must have tried to telephone.
That's why they've come, said Jack. I was wondering how
they found out about the break. You see, is a
rule no one would be trying to ring up anyone
in Bray after seven o'clock or so, And of course

(13:57):
they couldn't tell we were trying to ring with a
wire cut like that. Oh, Jack, said Dick suddenly. If
they are linemen, I believe they have an instrument with them.
Probably we could call to London from here. Do you
think they will let us do that. That's a good idea.

(14:17):
We'll try it anyway, said Jack. Come on, it must
be safe enough now. Those chaps won't hurt us. But
Jack was premature in thinking that, for no sooner did
the two linemen see them than they rushed for them,
much to the lad's surprise. You're the ones who cut

(14:37):
the wire, said the first, A dark young fellow, I've
a mind to give you a good hiding. But they
both rushed into explanations, and luckily the other linemen recognized Jack.
It's the vicar's son from bray Tom, he said, let
him alone. And then while their attention was distracted, a

(15:01):
bullet sang over their heads and hands up, said in
a guttural voice. End of Chapter twelve. Recording by Kangaroo
six ninety two