XXXI. THE "SUITABLE REWARD"

XXXII. THE PLOTTER'S TRIUMPH

XXXIII. IN THE POWER OF THE ENEMY

XXXIV. THE SEARCH FOR JACK

XXXV. THE WIRELESS MAKES GOOD

The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Naval Code.

CHAPTER I.

VACATION DAYS.

"Up with your helm there, Noddy! Luff her up or you'll have the _Curlew_
on the rocks!"

"That's right, luff!" cried Billy Raynor, adding his voice to Jack
Ready's command.

"That's what I _luff_ to do," grinned the red-headed, former Bowery
waif, Noddy Nipper, as, with a dexterous motion, he jerked over the
tiller of the fine, speedy sloop in which the boys were enjoying a sail
on Alexandria Bay, above the Thousand Islands.

The mainsail and jib shivered, and the _Curlew_ spun round like a top
just as it seemed inevitable that she must end her career on some jagged
rocks that had suddenly loomed up ahead.

"Neatly done, Noddy," applauded Jack. "We'll forgive you even that awful
pun for that skillful bit of boat-handling."

The freckled lad grinned in appreciation of the compliment paid him by
the Wireless Boy.

"Much obliged," he said. "Of course I haven't got sailing down as fine
as you yet. How far do you reckon we are from home?"

"From the Pine Island hotel, you mean?" rejoined Billy Raynor. "Oh, not
more than ten miles."

"Just about that," chimed in Jack. "If this wind holds we'll be home in
time for supper."

"Supper!" exclaimed Bill; "I could eat an octogenarian doughnut, I'm so
hungry."

A groan came from Noddy. Although the Bowery lad had polished up on his
grammar and vocabulary considerably since Jack Ready first encountered
him as second cook on the seal-poaching schooner _Polly Ann_, Captain
"Terror" Carson commanding, still, a word like "Octogenarian" stumped
him, as the saying is.

"What's an octo-octo--what-you-may-call-'um doughnut, anyhow?" he
demanded, for Noddy always liked to acquire a new word, and not
infrequently astonished his friends by coming out with a "whopper"
culled out of the dictionary. "Is it a doughnut with legs on it?"

Jack and Billy broke into a roar of laughter.

"A doughnut with legs on?" sputtered Billy. "Whatever put that idea into
your head, Noddy?"

"Well, don't octo-octo-thing-a-my-jigs have legs?" inquired Noddy.

"Oh, you mean octopuses," cried Jack, with another laugh. "Billy meant
an eighty-year-old doughnut."

"I'll look it up when we get back," remarked Noddy gravely; "it's a good
w