By
A. HYATT VERRILL
AUTHOR OF “THE RADIO DETECTIVES,” “THE RADIO DETECTIVES
UNDER THE SEA,” “THE RADIO DETECTIVES
SOUTHWARD BOUND,” ETC.
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK :: 1922 :: LONDON
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CONTENTS
RADIO DETECTIVES IN THE JUNGLE
CHAPTER I—STRANGE PLACES
A hurricane had swept through the West Indies leaving death anddestruction in its path and wrecking scores of vessels, uprootingtrees, stripping the tops from palms, destroying crops and blowingdown the flimsy native houses.
Now that it was over and there was no danger of its return those shipsthat had escaped the storm within snug harbors began to creep forth toresume their interrupted voyages. Some were uninjured. Others hadrigging or deck fittings carried away, while some were so badlycrippled that they limped as rapidly as possible towards the nearestdry dock for repairs.
Among them was a lean gray destroyer which slipped out of Coral Bay atSt. John and headed her sharp prow southward. That she had borne thebrunt of the terrific gale was evident, for of her four funnels onlytwo were standing, her decks had been swept bare, fathoms of herrailings had been carried away and from half way up her military mastshe was white with encrusted salt. But she had received no vitalinjury. From her two remaining funnels dense volumes of smoke werepouring, a busy crowd of bluejackets labored like ants at repairingthe damages to superstructure and fittings and, despite the buffetingshe had received and the fact that half her boilers were out ofcommission until the funnels could be replaced, she slid through theoily seas at a twenty-knot clip.
To those who have followed the Radio Detectives through their previousadventures the group upon the crippled destroyer’s decks will need nointroduction. There was the trim, spick-and-span Commander Disbrow,the deep-sea diver, Rawlins, Mr. Pauling and his friend Mr. Hendersonand the two boys, Tom Pauling and his chum Frank.
But for the benefit of those who now meet the Radio Detectives for thefirst time a few words of explanation will be needed.
Months before the story opens, Tom Pauling and Frank had discovered amost astounding plot by means of their radio telephones and therebyenabled Tom’s father and his associate, Mr. Henderson, who werefederal officers in the Secret Service, to make prisoners of a numberof members of an international gang of