read only a little of that language. Part of it is handwritten and I can’t figure it out. Nelda, how about your trying to translate it?”
The girl from Johannesburg picked up paper after paper and read the contents. Several times she frowned as she finished one and put it down.
“What do they say?” Bess asked impatiently.
Nelda did not reply at once. She kept going from one document to another. Some seemed to be letters; others looked like business contracts.
There was complete silence in the cabin for some time. Finally Nelda turned around and faced the others.
Her voice was tense as she said, “These are secret papers that tell of a newly discovered diamond mine in South Africa. I judge that they have been stolen from the government offices in Johannesburg. They should not be in the hands of outsiders, especially jewel thieves!”
Everyone in the room was astonished. Each had the same question. Had these letters and documents been stolen by the same people who put the jewels in the mystery trunk, or did the girls now have another mystery to solve?
CHAPTER XV
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As Nelda paused, Nancy asked, “How do you know the papers are secret?”
The girl pointed. “See the small stamp in the left-hand corner of each one? It says so.”
Rod Havelock whistled. “How in the world did they get into this trunk? Obviously they’re not being carried legitimately. But how does a jewel thief become involved with espionage?”
No one answered the question, but Nancy said, “I think the papers should be put into the captain’s safe at once.”
Everyone agreed. Rod looked at his watch. “I must go back on duty in a short time. Nancy, suppose you put the papers in a bag and we’ll carry them up to Captain Detweiler’s quarters.”
Nancy smiled. “Good idea. And I’m glad of your protection. It’s possible that spies are watching us every time we leave our cabin. If I should go alone, one of the men might pounce on me and take the papers away.”
The assistant purser nodded. He waited while she found a large beach bag into which she placed the letters and agreements. Then she zipped the bag shut.
“If anyone is looking, I hope he thinks I’m going swimming,” Nancy said.
Turning to the other girls, she asked them if they would put the trunk back in the wardrobe. “And lock all the doors and hide the keys,” she urged.
“We’ll be glad to,” Nelda replied.
As soon as Nancy and Rod were gone, George locked the door of cabin one twenty-eight on the inside. Then she went back to one thirty to help the other girls.
Bess said, “What are we going to do with this soaking-wet flowered paper that Nancy and Rod took off the lid? We can’t put it back yet. It won’t stick.”
“It certainly won’t,” Nelda agreed.
“Let’s see if there is any room left under the bed,” George suggested. “That’s where we put it last time. When it’s all dry, we can come back and paste it into the trunk again.”
“What if it shrinks?” Bess asked.
The other girls had to admit that they had not thought of this.
Nelda said, “I have a pressing iron with me.
Do you think we dare attempt to iron the paper dry? Then it won’t shrink.”
George and Bess were against attempting this. Bess added, “We don’t know how old it is, or what’s in it. The paper might burn.”
The girls decided to hide the wet paper under the bed; then they locked everything and went back to cabin one twenty-eight.
In the meantime, Nancy and Rod Havelock had been walking along the deck. In order to fully protect her, the assistant purser took her arm and kept a sharp eye out for a possible attacker. Presently they saw little Bobby run out of the lounge near them.
He stopped short, looked at the couple, then burst out, “Have-a-lock! Arm-lock! Have-a-lock! Arm-lock!”
Rod Havelock let go of Nancy’s arm and dived for the little fellow, but Bobby was too quick and he ran off laughing.
Nancy knew the youngster was only
The girl from Johannesburg picked up paper after paper and read the contents. Several times she frowned as she finished one and put it down.
“What do they say?” Bess asked impatiently.
Nelda did not reply at once. She kept going from one document to another. Some seemed to be letters; others looked like business contracts.
There was complete silence in the cabin for some time. Finally Nelda turned around and faced the others.
Her voice was tense as she said, “These are secret papers that tell of a newly discovered diamond mine in South Africa. I judge that they have been stolen from the government offices in Johannesburg. They should not be in the hands of outsiders, especially jewel thieves!”
Everyone in the room was astonished. Each had the same question. Had these letters and documents been stolen by the same people who put the jewels in the mystery trunk, or did the girls now have another mystery to solve?
CHAPTER XV
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As Nelda paused, Nancy asked, “How do you know the papers are secret?”
The girl pointed. “See the small stamp in the left-hand corner of each one? It says so.”
Rod Havelock whistled. “How in the world did they get into this trunk? Obviously they’re not being carried legitimately. But how does a jewel thief become involved with espionage?”
No one answered the question, but Nancy said, “I think the papers should be put into the captain’s safe at once.”
Everyone agreed. Rod looked at his watch. “I must go back on duty in a short time. Nancy, suppose you put the papers in a bag and we’ll carry them up to Captain Detweiler’s quarters.”
Nancy smiled. “Good idea. And I’m glad of your protection. It’s possible that spies are watching us every time we leave our cabin. If I should go alone, one of the men might pounce on me and take the papers away.”
The assistant purser nodded. He waited while she found a large beach bag into which she placed the letters and agreements. Then she zipped the bag shut.
“If anyone is looking, I hope he thinks I’m going swimming,” Nancy said.
Turning to the other girls, she asked them if they would put the trunk back in the wardrobe. “And lock all the doors and hide the keys,” she urged.
“We’ll be glad to,” Nelda replied.
As soon as Nancy and Rod were gone, George locked the door of cabin one twenty-eight on the inside. Then she went back to one thirty to help the other girls.
Bess said, “What are we going to do with this soaking-wet flowered paper that Nancy and Rod took off the lid? We can’t put it back yet. It won’t stick.”
“It certainly won’t,” Nelda agreed.
“Let’s see if there is any room left under the bed,” George suggested. “That’s where we put it last time. When it’s all dry, we can come back and paste it into the trunk again.”
“What if it shrinks?” Bess asked.
The other girls had to admit that they had not thought of this.
Nelda said, “I have a pressing iron with me.
Do you think we dare attempt to iron the paper dry? Then it won’t shrink.”
George and Bess were against attempting this. Bess added, “We don’t know how old it is, or what’s in it. The paper might burn.”
The girls decided to hide the wet paper under the bed; then they locked everything and went back to cabin one twenty-eight.
In the meantime, Nancy and Rod Havelock had been walking along the deck. In order to fully protect her, the assistant purser took her arm and kept a sharp eye out for a possible attacker. Presently they saw little Bobby run out of the lounge near them.
He stopped short, looked at the couple, then burst out, “Have-a-lock! Arm-lock! Have-a-lock! Arm-lock!”
Rod Havelock let go of Nancy’s arm and dived for the little fellow, but Bobby was too quick and he ran off laughing.
Nancy knew the youngster was only
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