the vicinity. I
was in a hospital with my head tightly bandaged.

For a whole day and night I lay there, the nurse forbidding me to speak.

Then suddenly there entered Ray, whose arm was in a sling, accompanied
by young Murphy.

"The spies came back--unexpectedly, and went for me before I could raise
the alarm," Raymond explained. "Dubois hit you over the head with a
jemmy, and by Jove! it's a mercy you weren't killed. He's cleared out of
the country, however, fearing a charge of attempted murder. I've
informed the police, and they are looking for both him and Busch, as
well as Gessner, who is missing from Sydenham."

"Yes, but why had they established these two wireless stations?" I
asked.

"Yes," replied Murphy, "it's a most ingenious piece of work. By some
unknown means both the station here, and at Sydenham, had been tuned
with the one which I daresay you've seen stretched across the top of the
new Admiralty, in Whitehall, hence they could read all the orders given
to the Home and Channel Fleets and the reports received from them, while
I have to-day discovered that there is a similar secret station existing
somewhere near Borkum also in tune with these, and with our Admiralty.
Therefore the Germans are aware of every signal sent to our Fleet! The
station at Sydenham was only temporary, but the one here was evidently
devised in order that the German admiral in the North Sea, on seizing
Hull and establishing a base here, might have constant knowledge of our
Admiralty orders and the whereabouts of our ships. When I was listening
I was surprised at the code, but the truth was made plain by the
discovery of a complete copy of the British naval code lying upon the
table. By means of this, the spies could decipher all messages to and
from our ships. The Civil Lord of the Admiralty and three officials have
arrived in Hull, and I have been with them down at the factory this
afternoon. The chief wireless engineer declares that the secret of the
exact tuning must have been learnt from somebody in the office of the
constructors."

And both Ray and I then remembered the man Fowler, who had, as we
afterwards discovered, been on the verge of bankruptcy, and had suddenly
gone abroad, a fact which was sufficiently instructive for our purpose.

Next day I was well enough to leave the hospital, and I guided the
superintendent of the Hull police and two detectives to Busch's house,
where, on searching his room, we discovered