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 Visual C#®
And Databases
A Computer Programming Tutorial
By
Philip Conrod & Lou Tylee

©2017 Kidware Software LLC

PO Box 701
Maple Valley, WA 98038

http://www.computerscienceforkids.com
http://www.kidwaresoftware.com
Copyright © 2017 by Kidware Software LLC. All rights reserved

Kidware Software LLC

PO Box 701
Maple Valley, Washington 98038
1.425.413.1185
www.kidwaresoftware.com
www.computerscienceforkids.com

All Rights Reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the
publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1-937161-66-8 (Electronic)

ISBN-13: 978-1-937161-74-3 (Printed)

Previous edition published as “Visual C# & Databases - 2012 Professional Edition”

Cover Design by Neil Sauvageau

Illustrations by Kevin Brockschmidt

This copy of “Visual C# and Databases” and the associated software is licensed to
a single user. Copies of the course are not to be distributed or provided to any
other user. Multiple copy licenses are available for educational institutions. Please
contact Kidware Software for school site license information.

This guide was developed for the course, “Visual C# and Databases,” produced by
Kidware Software, Maple Valley, Washington. It is not intended to be a complete
reference to the Visual Basic language. Please consult the Microsoft website for
detailed reference information.
This guide refers to several software and hardware products by their trade names.
These references are for informational purposes only and all trademarks are the
property of their respective companies and owners. Microsoft, Visual Studio, Small
Basic, Visual Basic, Visual J#, and Visual C#, IntelliSense, Word, Excel, MSDN, and
Windows are all trademark products of the Microsoft Corporation. Java is a
trademark product of the Oracle Corporation.

The example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail

addresses, logos, people, places, and events depicted are fictitious. No association
with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo,
person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred.

This book expresses the author’s views and opinions. The information in this book
is distributed on an "as is" basis, without and expresses, statutory, or implied
warranties.

Neither the author(s) nor Kidware Software LLC shall have any liability to any
person or entity with respect to any loss nor damage caused or alleged to be
caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
About The Authors

Philip Conrod has authored, co-authored and edited numerous

computer programming books for kids, teens and adults. Philip holds
a BS in Computer Information Systems and a Master's certificate in
the Essentials of Business Development from Regis University. He
also holds a Certificate in Programming for Business from Warren-
Tech. Philip has been programming computers since 1977. He has
held various Information Technology leadership roles in companies
like Command Plus, BibleBytes Software, Sundstrand Aerospace,
Safeco Insurance Companies, FamilyLife, Kenworth Truck Company,
PACCAR and Darigold. In his spare time, Philip serves as the
President & Publisher of Kidware Software, LLC. He is the proud
father of three “techie” daughters and he and his beautiful family
live in Maple Valley, Washington.

Lou Tylee holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and

a PhD in Electrical Engineering. Lou has been programming
computers since 1969 when he took his first Fortran course in
college. He has written software to control suspensions for high
speed ground vehicles, monitor nuclear power plants, lower noise
levels in commercial jetliners, compute takeoff speeds for jetliners,
locate and identify air and ground traffic and to let kids count
bunnies, learn how to spell and do math problems. He has written
several online texts teaching Visual Basic, Visual C# and Java to
thousands of people. He taught a beginning Visual Basic course for
over 15 years at a major university. Currently, Lou works as an
engineer at a major Seattle aerospace firm. He is the proud father of
five children and proud husband of his special wife. Lou and his
family live in Seattle, Washington.
Acknowledgements

I want to thank my three wonderful daughters - Stephanie, Jessica and Chloe,

who helped with various aspects of the book publishing process including software
testing, book editing, creative design and many other more tedious tasks like
finding errors and typos. I could not have accomplished this without all your hard
work, love and support. I want to also thank my best friend Jesus, who has always
been there by my side giving me wisdom and guidance. Without you, this book
would have never been printed or published.

I also want to thank my multi-talented co-author, Lou Tylee, for doing all the real
hard work necessary to develop, test, debug, and keep current all the ‘beginner-
friendly’ applications, games and base tutorial text found in this book. Lou has
tirelessly poured his heart and soul into so many previous versions of this tutorial
and there are so many beginners who have benefited from his work over the
years. Lou is by far one of the best application developers and tutorial writers I
have ever worked with. Thank you Lou for collaborating with me on this book
project.
 Contents
Course Description
Course Prerequisites
How to take the Course
Software Requirements
Hardware Requirements
Installing and Using the Downloadable Solution Files
Installing Visual C# & Databases
Foreword by David B. Taylor, Former College Professor &
Dept Chair

1. Introducing Visual C# and Databases

Preview
Course Objectives
Course Requirements
What is a Database?
Where Does Visual C# Fit In?
Building a Visual C# Application
Structure of a Visual C# Application
Steps in Developing Application
Drawing the User Interface and Setting Properties
Setting Properties of Controls at Design Time
Setting Properties at Run-Time
How Names are Used in Control Events
Writing Code
Review of Variables
Visual C# Data Types
Variable Declaration
Example 1-1. Mailing List Application
Summary

2. Introduction to Databases
 Review and Preview
Database Structure and Terminology
Relational Databases
Using SQL Server Databases
Sample Relational Database
Sample Database Structure
Virtual Database Tables
Creating a Database
Summary

3. Database Connection
Review and Preview
Data Object Preview
Connection Object
Connection Object – Access Database
Access Databases and 64 Bit Operating Systems
Connection Object – SQL Server Database
Example 3-1. Accessing the Books Database
Command Object
Command Object – Access Database
Command Object – SQL Server Database
Example 3-1 (Command Object). Accessing the Books
Database
DataAdapter Object
DataAdapter Object – Access Database
DataAdapter Object – SQL Server Database
DataSet Object
DataTable Object
DataRow Object
Example 3-1 (Data Table). Accessing the Books Database
Data Bound Controls
Example 3-1 (Data Binding). Accessing the Books Database
CurrencyManager Object
Example 3-1 (Final Version). Accessing the Books Database
Data Wizards
 Example 3-2 (Access Database). Books Database with
Wizards
Example 3-2 (SQL Server Database). Books Database with
Wizards
Using SQL Server Databases in Examples
Summary
Example 3-3. Northwinds Trader Database
Example 3-3. Using SQL Server Databases

4. Database Queries with SQL

Review and Preview
SQL Background
Basics of SQL
Where Does SQL Fit In Visual C#?
Example 4-1. SQL Tester
Example 4-1. Using SQL Server Databases
SELECT/FROM SQL Statement
ORDER BY Clause
WHERE Clause
Single Table WHERE Clause
Multiple Table WHERE Clause
INNER JOIN Clause
OUTER JOIN Clause
Functions with SQL (Access Databases)
Functions with SQL (SQL Server Databases)
SQL Aggregate Functions
SQL Construction Tools
SQL Statements with Access
SQL Statements with the Data Wizard
Building SQL Commands in Code
Example 4-2. Searching the Books Database
Example 4-2. Using SQL Server Databases
Summary
Example 4-3. Northwind Traders Database
Example 4-3. Using SQL Server Databases
5. Visual C# Interface Design
Review and Preview
Interface Design Philosophy
Example 5-1. Mailing List Revisited
Visual C# Standard Controls
Form Control
Button Control
Label Control
TextBox Control
CheckBox Control
RadioButton Control
GroupBox Control
Panel Control
PictureBox Control
Example 5-2. Authors Table Input Form
Example 5-2. Using SQL Server Databases
MessageBox Object
Example 5-3. Authors Table Input Form (Message Box)
Example 5-3. Using SQL Server Databases
Application State
Example 5-4. Authors Table Input Form (Application State)
Example 5-4. Using SQL Server Databases
Entry Validation
Key Trapping
Example 5-5. Authors Table Input Form (Entry Validation)
Example 5-5. Using SQL Server Databases
Input Validation
Example 5-6. Authors Table Input Form (Input Validation)
Example 5-6. Using SQL Server Databases
Error Trapping and Handling
Example 5-7. Authors Table Input Form (Error Trapping)
Example 5-7. Using SQL Server Databases
On-Line Help Systems
Creating a Help File
 Starting the HTML Help Workshop
Creating Topic Files
Creating Table of Contents File
Compiling the Help File
HelpProvider Control
Example 5-8. Authors Table Input Form (On-Line Help)
Example 5-8. Using SQL Server Databases
Application Testing
Other Controls
MaskedTextBox Control
NumericUpDown Control
TabControl Control
Toolstrip (Toolbar) Control
ListBox Control
ComboBox Control
DataGridVIew Control
MonthCalendar Control
DateTimePicker Control
OpenFileDialog Control
SaveFileDialog Control
Summary
Example 5-9. Publisher Table Input Form
Build Interface
Add Message Box(es)
Code Application State
Perform Entry Validation
Perform Input Validation
Add Error Trapping and Handling
Add On-Line Help System
Application Testing
Example 5-9. Using SQL Server Databases

6. Database Management
Review and Preview
Database Management Tasks
Editing Database Records
Phone Contact Database
Example 6-1. Editing Database Records
Example 6-1. Using SQL Server Databases
Adding Database Records
Example 6-2. Adding Database Records
Example 6-2. Using SQL Server Databases
Deleting Database Records
Example 6-3. Deleting Database Records
Example 6-3. Using SQL Server Databases
Finding Records in a Database
Example 6-4. Finding Database Records
Example 6-4. Using SQL Server Databases
Modifying Records in Code
Example 6-5. Modifying Records in Code
Example 6-5. Using SQL Server Databases
Stopping a Database Application
Example 6-6. Stopping a Database Application
Example 6-6. Using SQL Server Databases
Example 6-7. Authors Table Input Form
Additional Navigation Capabilities
Editing Records
Adding Records
Deleting Records
Stopping the Application
Example 6-7. Using SQL Server Databases
Example 6-8. Publishers Table Input Form
Additional Navigation Capabilities
Editing Records
Adding Records
Deleting Records
Stopping the Application
Example 6-8. Using SQL Server Databases
Multiple Table Database Management
Database Keys
Database Modifications
 Final Application
Example 6-9. Books Database Management System
Basic Book Titles Input Form
Finding Records
Navigation Information
Adding Publisher Name
Adding Publisher Editing
Modify Publishers Input Form
Modify Authors Input Form
Adding Author Names
Example 6-10. Database Detective – Author Search
Example 6-10. Using SQL Server Databases
Viewing Author Selections
Viewing Author Names
Saving Author Names
Adding Author Editing
Input Control Navigation
Entry and Input Validation
Titles Form On-Line Help
Example 6-9. Using SQL Server Databases
Summary

7. Database Reports
Review and Preview
PrintDocument Object
Printing Document Pages
Pen Object
Brush Object
Graphics Methods
PageSetupDialog Control
PrintDialog Control
PrintPreviewDialog Control
PrintDocument Object with Databases
Example 7-1. Database Report
Example 7-1. Using SQL Server Databases
 Example 7-2. Titles Listing
Example 7-2. Using SQL Server Databases
Example 7-3. Book Publishers Listing
User Interface
Database Connection and Printing
Example 7-3. Using SQL Server Databases
Other Approaches to Database Reports
Summary

8. Distributing a Database Application

Review and Preview
Accessing Database Files in Code
Database File in Application Path
Example 8-1. Opening Database Files in Application Directory
Example 8-1. Using SQL Server Databases
Database File Location with OpenFile Dialog Control
Example 8-2. Opening Database Files with OpenFile Dialog
Control
Example 8-2. Using SQL Server Databases
Distribution of a Visual C# Database Application
Application Icons
Custom Icons
Example 8-3. Visual C# Setup Wizard
Step 1. Welcome to the Setup Project Wizard
Step 2. Choose a project type
Step 3. Choose project outputs to include
Step 4. Choose files to include
Step 5. Create project
Building the Setup Program
Installing a Visual C# Application
Summary

9. Database Design Considerations

Review and Preview
Database Design
Database Modeling
Information Requirements
Table Requirements
Field Requirements
Field Types
Null Values
Database Design Implementation
Building Databases with the Microsoft Access
Example 9-1. KWSALES Database with Microsoft Access
Getting Started
Customers Table
Orders Table
Purchases Table
Products Table
Define Relationships
Building SQL Server Databases with Server Explorer
Example 9-2. KWSALES Database with Server Explorer
Getting Started
Customers Table
Orders Table
Purchases Table
Products Table
Define Relationships
Building Access Databases with Visual C#
Example 9-3. KWSALES Database with Visual C#
Adding Reference to ADOX Library
Create a Database
Create a Table
Add Fields to Table
Define Table Primary Key
Define Table Indexes
Define Table Relationships
Example 9-4. SQL Server Databases with Visual C#
Database Testing and Design Refinement
Summary
10. Sample Database Projects
Review and Preview
Overview of Database Projects
Example 10-1. Sales Order Form Project
Preliminaries
Order Information
Existing Customer Information
Adding a New Customer
Product Selection
Submitting an Order
Printing an Invoice
Suggested Improvements
Example 10-1. Using SQL Server Databases
Example 10-2. Home Inventory Project
Home Inventory Database
Preliminaries
Home Inventory Interface
Database Connection
Display Photo
Database Navigation
Editing Records
Load Photo
Adding Records
Deleting Records
Entry Validation
Input Validation
Inventory Report
Stopping the Application
Suggested Improvements
Example 10-2. Using SQL Server Databases
Example 10-3. Weather Monitor Project
Weather Monitor Interface
Record Weather Data Tab
Weather Monitor Database
 Database Fields
Adding Date Values and Editing Features
Opening Database Files
Date Display Coordination
View Temperature Data Tab
Temperature Summary Statistics
Temperature Plot
View Precipitation Data Tab
Precipitation Summary Statistics
Precipitation Plot
Weather Monitor Printed Reports
Weather Data Report
Temperature Data Report
Precipitation Data Report
Weather Monitor Help System
Weather Monitor Icon
Weather Monitor Distribution Package
Suggested Improvements
Example 10-3. Using SQL Server Databases
Summary

11. Other Database Topics

Review and Preview
Exporting Database Data
Opening a Sequential File for Output
Writing Data to a Sequential File
Saving a Sequential File
Example 11-1. Exporting Database Data
Importing Database Data
Opening a Sequential File for Input
Reading Data from a Sequential File
Closing a Sequential File
Example 11-2. Importing Database Data
Other Database Types
ODBC Data Objects
 Oracle Data Objects
Multi-User Considerations
Database Web Applications
Starting a New Web Applications
Web Form Controls
Building a Web Application
Example 11-3. Viewing Weather Data
Summary
Example 11-4. The Last Database Project

More Self-Study or Instructor-Led

Computer Programming Tutorials by
Kidware Software
Course Description:

Visual C# and Databases is a tutorial that provides a detailed

introduction to using Visual C# for accessing and maintaining
databases. Topics covered include: database structure, database
design, Visual C# project building, ADO .NET data objects, data
bound controls, proper interface design, structured query language
(SQL), and database reports.

Visual C# and Databases is presented using a combination of

over 850 pages of course notes and actual Visual C# examples. No
previous experience working with databases is presumed. It is
assumed, however, that users of the course are familiar with the
Visual C# environment and the steps involved in building a Visual C#
application.
Course Prerequisites:
To grasp the concepts presented in Visual C# and Databases, you
should possess a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows. No
previous experience working with databases is presumed. It is
assumed, however, that users of the course are familiar with the
Visual C# environment and the steps involved in building a Visual C#
application (such background can be gained from our Learn Visual
C# course). You will also need the ability to view and print
documents saved in Microsoft Word. Finally, and most obvious, you
need to have Microsoft Visual Studio Community Edition. This is a
separate product that can be downloaded for free from Micrososoft’s
website:

https://www.visualstudio.com/free-developer-offers/
How To Take the Course:
Visual C# and Databases is a self-paced course. Each chapter will
require a different amount of time. The suggested approach is to
decide how much time you can spend each week working through
the notes. Print out the notes one chapter at a time. Then, work
through the notes at your own pace. Try to do each example as it is
encountered in the notes. Work through the projects. If you need
any help, all completed projects are included in the Code folder.
Software Requirements
Visual Studio 2017 will install and run on the following operating
systems:

• Windows 10 version 1507 or higher: Home, Professional,

Education, and Enterprise (LTSB is not supported)
• Windows Server 2016: Standard and Datacenter
• Windows 8.1 (with Update 2919355): Basic, Professional, and
Enterprise
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (with Update 2919355): Essentials,
Standard, Datacenter
• Windows 7 SP1 (with latest Windows Updates): Home Premium,
Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate
Hardware Requirments
• 1.8 GHz or faster processor. Dual-core or better recommended
• 2 GB of RAM; 4 GB of RAM recommended (2.5 GB minimum if
running on a virtual machine)
• Hard disk space: 1GB to 40GB, depending on features installed
• Video card that supports a minimum display resolution of 720p
(1280 by 720); Visual Studio will work best at a resolution of WXGA
(1366 by 768) or higher
Installing and Using the Downloadable
Solution Files:

If you purchased this directly from our website you received an

email with a special and individualized internet download link where
you could download the compressed Program Solution Files. If you
purchased this book through a 3rd Party Book Store like
Amazon.com, the solutions files for this tutorial are included in a
compressed ZIP file that is available for download directly from our
website (after registration) at:

http://www.kidwaresoftware.com/vcsdb2015-registration.html

Complete the online web form at the webpage above with your
name, shipping address, email address, the exact title of this book,
date of purchase, online or physical store name, and your order
confirmation number from that store. We also ask you to include the
last 4 digits of your credit card so we can match it to the credit card
that was used to purchase this tutorial. After we receive all this
information we will email you a download link for the Source Code
Solution Files associated with this book.

Warning: If you purchased this book “used” or “second hand” you

are not licensed or entitled to download the Program Solution Files.
However, you can purchase the Digital Download Version of this
book at a highlydiscounted price which allows you access to the
digital source code solutions files required for completing this
tutorial.
Installing Visual C# and Databases:
The course notes and code for Visual C# and Databases are
included in one single ZIP file. Use your favorite ‘unzipping’
application to write all files to your computer. The course is included
in the folder entitled VCSDB. This folder contains three other
folders: Databases, Notes and Code.

The Databases folder holds the sample databases used in the

course. The Code folder includes all the Visual C# projects
developed during the course. The applications are further divided
into Class folders. Each class folder contains the Visual C# and
Databases project folders. As an example, to open the project
named Example 1-1 discussed in Class 1, you would go to this
directory:

C:\VCSDB\Code\Class 1\Example 1-1\

Foreword By David B. Taylor, Former College
Professor & Department Chair

Most computer programs in use today require some interaction with

information stored in a database so learning to program with
databases increases the marketability of a developer exponentially.

This book is structured as a self-study guide but it is easily adapted

to classroom lectures and discussion. The content of the book is
excellent. It starts with the basics and graduates in small and clear
but functional increments. It makes database programming much
easier to teach and learn.

“Visual C# and Databases” provides a complete, thorough, and easy

to understand explanation of database program development from
two people who came up through the ranks as software developers.
Their examples reflect real-world applications that will help new
developers quickly master database software development. Students
can easily convert and expand the examples for their own
applications. For example, the Books Database in Chapter 4 could
easily be modified to search a similar database of cars, bikes, or
passwords, etc. Examples are created using Microsoft’s Access
database management system (DBMS) and SQL Server. This makes
it easy for the student to compare their capabilities and syntax.

I have sincerely enjoyed reading and working through the examples

in, “Visual C# and Databases”. The examples are clear and easy to
follow. If I had any questions or if my code did not work I could
simply peek at the author’s completed code examples to get back on
track.
Throughout the book the authors bring attention to the importance
of user interface (UI) design. This is more important than may be
obvious at first but developers tend to focus on the code and forget
about the UI but eventually someone needs to use this program so a
functional and attractive presentation of the program can be the
difference between success and failure of the end product.

A major plus for this text is how the authors include additional and
very useful parallel topics such as the On-Line Help system created
in HTML in Chapter 5 and the Graphics Methods in Chapter 7. The
book is not about HTML or graphics but the coincidental inclusion
give the student a valuable glimpse at other topics of importance.
These are just two examples that didn’t have to be included but they
are added as part of other chapters and will ultimately benefit the
student. This took a lot of forethought by the authors and
demonstrates the real value of the book.

As a programmer, a long-time college professor, and as the former

head of the Computer, Engineering, and Business Department, I
have reviewed countless programming books for most of the popular
programming languages. “Visual C# and Databases” by Conrod and
Tylee is my favorite text for helping developers make the leap into
the rewarding field of database development. I highly recommend
this book for anyone who is serious about becoming a professional
software developer/engineer.

David B. Taylor, B.S.E.T., M.A.Ed., Ed.S.

Former Professor and Department Chair
Computer, Engineering, and Business
Seminole State College
Sanford, Florida
 1
Introducing Visual C# and
Databases
Preview
In this first chapter, we will do a quick overview of what the course
entails. We will discuss what you need to complete the course.

We’ll take a brief look at what databases are, where they are used,
and how Visual C# is used with databases. And, we’ll review the
Visual C# development environment and the steps followed to build
an application in Visual C#.
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Code
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Code

Author: L. Paul

Release date: April 26, 2024 [eBook #73468]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: The Butterick Publishing

Company, 1927

Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CODE ***

 The story of a criminal ship and a warning in

CODE
By L. Paul

THERE was a queer feeling about the ship. “Hush,” thought the man
who stood by the gangway. That was the apt word. A battered ship, a
dirty craft, small, obscene, unseaworthy, of foreign register. And
silent—hush! Grim faced men going about their business, sparing no
word for him, though they might have talked, he guessed, had they
cared to.
This man who watched wore soiled dungarees. There was a
day’s stubble of beard on his thin face. His expression, when a
passing man darted a look at him, was blank. His eyes fell when
other eyes probed him. He looked over his shoulder at times, at the
rotting dock in the small British port of Beverstock near Liverpool,
where this ship, the Cora, lay. He had come aboard, nobody knew
how. One moment, and the ship end of the gangway, creaking as the
current swayed the little tramp, was empty. The next moment he was
there. Nor did these others think it strange. They looked as if this
sudden yet stealthy approach was usual, an accustomed thing, an
item, strange perhaps to some, yet of little moment in their full lives.
The man in dungarees stood there till the first cheerful man he
had seen aboard rolled up, the stout chief engineer.
“That’s him,” said the chief, and tapped him on the shoulder.
 The man winced, turned, and saw, climbing the steep gangway, a
man.
“That’s him,” repeated the stout chief. “Captain Bain.”
The man in dungarees saw a tall, glum seafarer, with graying hair,
his frowsy shore going linen peeping from sleeves of shiny serge, his
lapels greasy; his boots polished long after polish had become a
mockery; and, topping all, a master’s cap.
This was Captain Bain, right enough. He stopped, stared at the
man in dungarees and said briefly—
“Where from?”
“American Bar,” the man in dungarees replied.
“Come this way,” said the captain. “My name’s Bain. This is my
cabin. We can talk here. Out on deck talk’s barred in port. Who sent
you?”
He fell silent, not because he waited for the answer, but more as
if he had run down, as if this long speech had been an effort, a
breaking down of his accustomed reserve. The man in dungarees
waited, as if expecting him to say more, then at last replied:
“Who sent me? Dip Laplace.”
He fumbled in the pocket of his dungarees and found a wad of
crumpled paper.
“He sent this, too.”
The captain of the Cora took the paper, opened it, held it up to the
beam of light that stole through the grimy port. The man in
dungarees sat down on a locker.
“My name’s Drake,” he remarked.
His eyes were fixed on the captain. He saw a wave of color
sweep up over old Bain’s weatherbeaten neck, into his cheeks, then
recede again.
What the captain read, spelling out large printed words, was this:
Sparklers—they’re wise—watch.
The captain of the Cora crumpled the paper in his hand.
“You read this, of course?”
“I’m no liar. I did, of course,” the man in dungarees mimicked him.
“As I said, my name’s Drake—”
 “And this paper?”
“I’ve forgotten what was on it,” Drake told him.
“Dip gave it to you. Dip grows jocular,” the captain laughed
harshly. “Are you another of his jokes?”
“I am a passenger.”
“I don’t carry passengers.”
“My kind? Dip sent me, remember.”
“You know then; you have money?”
Drake spread five fifty-pound notes out on his knee.
“As bad as that?” The captain whistled. “You could swank aboard
a liner for that.”
“And swank off across the pond?”
The captain stroked his long jaw reflectively. His eyes wandered
over Drake’s face, stopped for a moment on the wall clock above his
head, dropped to the pile of treasury notes and dwelt there.
“As bad as that?” said the captain of the Cora. “Not murder?”
“No, Dip sent me. He knows. Need you?”
“Need I? God forbid. Can you swim?”
“Yes, why?”
“You’ll have to. I see you don’t know the game we play. Better
learn before I take your money. You find it—convenient—to travel
informally, to land on the other side incognito— No, your name may
be Drake, and I don’t care if it is or not. Names don’t count here. But
you wish to land as Drake, unknown to anyone. We arrange that. No
immigration folk to pester you. No police. We sail for Montreal. Below
that city fifty miles or so are islands. Sometimes we go slowly
through them, close to land. An active swimmer, dropping overside—
you have more money, have you not?”
“Yes, Captain, a little.”
“There’s a man on one island, there. He has a boat. If you give
him more than five pounds, he’s robbing you. After that your
movements are not my concern.”
Again, as the captain paused, Drake had that strange feeling that
here was a man talking overmuch—a man more fond of silence.
“And that’s all?” Drake asked. “Simple, isn’t it?”
 “Why do you say that?”
“I feared I’d have to work my passage, and I’m lazy.”
The captain of the Cora reached for the little pile of notes.
“A man must live,” he growled, as if apologizing for his
delinquencies. “A man must live, and there’s no money in tramp
shipping. You’ll find a small cabin on the port side—the empty one.
It’s yours. We sail with the tide. If you come on deck before that and
are nabbed—” he patted his pocket where he had stowed those
notes—“that’s your lookout, Drake.”
Drake rose and crossed the little cabin. At the threshold he
paused.
“Those other cabins—”
“You are three. The others, you won’t meet till we are at sea.”
Drake stepped out, dropped down a steep iron stair to the deck,
slid into the port alley, where tiny doors formed a row, tried first one,
then another, till he found one unlocked, entered, and found himself
in a cabin so small that it could scarcely contain a bunk and its
occupant at the same time.
Men had watched him—shadowy figures, heads out of the galley,
the engine-room, the firehold. They had said nothing, betrayed no
surprise at his coming. They were silent men.
“Hush!”

THE SALT wind drifted across the deck of the Cora. She was
wallowing in the Atlantic.
Drake and the fat chief sat in the lee of the funnel. They had
struck up an acquaintance during the first half of the voyage. Drake
had traveled; he knew things. The fat chief, a jovial rascal, had the
curiosity of a child and a stout man’s zest for effortless, vicarious
adventure.
The two other passengers had kept apart. There was Quayle, as
yet sticking close to his cabin, save at mealtimes when he joined
Drake at the captain’s table. He had given that name, Quayle,
casually, as if it had just occurred to him, as if names were matters of
only passing importance.
 He was a tall, silent man, middle-aged.
The third passenger messed with the crew. He was a small
Liverpool dock rat. He claimed that he had not killed his wife, but had
only beaten her. The captain, after discreetly calling up a hospital,
found that this was true. Because he had but twenty pounds they
had taken him for that. He never came up on the boat deck; he
viewed the ocean with ignorant terror and kept behind the high steel
bulwarks of the well deck, when he came out for air.
The chief, having a romantic mind, decided that the Liverpool
man’s wife would probably take a turn for the worse and die. He held
that the other passenger, Quayle, was a Bolshevik.
The chief and Drake sat there and yarned through the long sea
morning.
“A rum ship,” Drake hazarded.
“We are that,” the chief grinned, “at home to rum company.”
“True, but you know each other; we don’t, we passengers.”
“Five new faces in the ship’s company,” the chief laughed. “Ye
see, we can’t keep ’em. We ship so many passengers that it has
made their pile easy, or on the way to make it easy. It corrupts the
lads. Five new faces—five old ’uns gone to do likewise—on the trail
o’ easy money. Man, dear, ’tis restless labor is getting to be—”
“Eight of us, new chums, not knowing each other—for five and
three is eight.”
Drake stared out to sea.
“Eight souls,” sighed the chief. “Where they comes from. Gawd
only knows. Where they’re bound, Gawd don’t care; speakin’ more
exact, nine. For I’d forgot Sparks.”
Drake glanced forward. The tall radio man was in his hencoop, a
scant twenty feet away. The door was open.
“Why him?”
“Another bird o’ passage. D’ye notice his duds?”
“New and fancy.”
“Know what the pay is? Man, dear, if he bought them out of
wages, he’s never had smoke nor drink in years. Ever see a tramp’s
wireless wonder before? No. Know what I think? He’s an absconding
Scot. He figured we’d soak him hard for an unconventional passage.
You know what you paid, so—”
The chief closed his eyes and gave the details of his imaginative
romance in a few low words:
“Sparks gets him a uniform. Eighty bob, mebbe; or steals one. He
finds out we’re gettin’ a new radio man this voyage. An’ then, back in
port some poor dub brass pounder is wakin’ up, mebbe in hospital.
And this sport—well, he’s on the papers as Sparks, but we lose our
dividend on his passage thereby.”
“So you figure him, as you might say, a jailbird of passage.”
Drake had raised his voice. The chief clutched his arm.
“Don’t ye now; don’t rile that one. Man, dear, every time that
devilish contraption spits sparks I shudder. Think o’ the slander yon
lad could spread and nobody knowin’.”
“Slander?”
“Slander ’bout—you—or me, M’Ginley. Oh, aye, there’s tales he
could tell, even if he’s new. Would ye believe it?” The old chief rose.
“Ye might not; but some o’ the lads aboard here has loose tongues.
A thing I abhor, personal.” And off the old man waddled.
Drake sat there a moment. He was thinking:
“I wonder. Another little swimmer when we come to that island?
Will there be four of us in the water? Will the fourth be Sparks? If so
—best watch him.”
Rising, he added a codicil to this conclusion.
“There’s nine aboard, counting myself,” he thought, “nine that
may be, well, anything. Best start figuring this one out. That’ll leave
eight. And one of the eight is me, Drake. Wonder what I’ll be, when
we come to the end of the voyage?”
He glanced aft. The stout chief engineer was there, where he had
paused on the stair that led below.
“Them that don’t talk here,” said M’Ginley, “them that don’t talk on
this ship—they guesses.”

DRAKE slipped forward till he stood by the open door of the wireless
coop. The new Sparks looked up.
 “Want anything?” he asked.
“Just loafing round.” Drake rolled a cigarette slowly, clumsily.
“Smoke?”
“Yes.”
The wireless man reached for pouch and papers, twisted with
swift fingers, struck a match and was exhaling smoke, almost before
Drake himself had lighted up.
“You’ve been in the States?” Drake asked. “Learned to make a
gasper there, didn’t you?”
“And you’re from the old country, calling a cig that?”
“A good country to come from—and the faster the coming the
better,” Drake drawled. “Old country’s not—healthy.”
“For some.”
The wireless man bent over his complicated machinery, as it
became alive. Drake looked on, wonder in his eyes, almost a childish
wonder.
“But that’s marvelous,” said he. “Words coming out of the air.”
“Dot dash dot dash,” said the wireless man. “See that smoke
yonder? The Paladin. She’s asking the Caradoc if they’ve met ice.
Bergs drifting now, you know.”
Drake glanced at the wall clock, then drifted toward the door.
It was eleven o’clock. It was Wednesday—five days since they
had left port. This old ruin of a ship was traveling with speed.
The voice of the wireless man followed him.
“I’m Cray; come again,” he called. “This packet doesn’t run to
rules.”
Drake turned. He seemed uneasy.
“If—” he began.
“If what?” Cray waited.
“If you hear something with that gadget about a man named
Drake, the fewer know—the better. Get me?”
“Don’t slip me money.” Cray’s hand met his, thrust it back. “You’ll
need all you got. A rum lot, on a rum ship.”
“And you as rum as they come,” thought Drake, as he walked
away.
 Cray watched him go.
“Wonder if he knew what was on the air just now,” he scowled. “If
I shove it to the Old Man will he—well, this time I’m a wireless man.
Next time we’ll see.”
To him, too, this strange ship was saying, “Hush!” Yet his pencil
slid over flimsy paper. He rose with a message, took it to the captain
on the bridge.
“Rum lot aboard, sir.” He handed the message over, winked.
The captain started, backed away into a wing of the bridge,
scanned that message.
“You are right,” he replied. “This came in code, I presume?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then why not leave it in code. We don’t want the world knowing.”
“Nobody’s seen it, sir, but me.”
“Damn you! That’s an order. Anything else comes, leave it in
code.”
Cray went white and was about to speak. Then he checked
himself. He walked away; he was thinking.
“Him, too—the Old Man. Wonder what he knows that the world
don’t, that he’s afraid of the world learning? I’ll, maybe, find out. I’ll
see. Tonight, maybe. He might work in. Who knows?”
The captain, staring at the retreating back was staring at words
that floated before his eyes.
For that message had read:

All ships. All ships. All ships.

Varnavosk necklace stolen. Suspect at sea.
Watch passengers. Stand by for more.
—Scotland Yard.

The urgency of the thrice repeated “All ships”—that stabbed him,

made him wince. Trouble, trouble in large consignments, coming out
of the air. Other messages, and the field of search might narrow,
perhaps, till it centered on an old tramp wallowing across the
Western Ocean; till some swift offshore craft might draw alongside,
and some officious jackanapes would climb up the ladder and ask
fool questions about eight new faces aboard the Cora.
There was trouble on the ship that said, “Hush.”
The captain walked stiffly across the bridge and down to his
cabin. Cray, on the boat deck, watched him go.
“Yes, we’ll use you, my bucko,” said Cray. “Now I wonder—” and
he stared down on the well deck, forward, where the little Liverpool
passenger sprawled on a hatch cover.
“You’ve got a shiner on your eye, my lad,” thought Cray, “and you
mess with the crew. They’ll be eating any moment now. I think we’d
better not wait. We’ll begin with you.”
He followed the old captain of the Cora to his cabin.
When the passengers who messed with the skipper came in to
lunch, that worthy’s chair was vacant. Cray it was who greeted them,
smiling at Drake, bowing stiffly to tall Quayle.
“Old Man’s busy,” said Cray. “Don’t wait for him, gentlemen.”

THAT was Wednesday. On Thursday the fat engineer M’Ginley

sought the warm lee of the funnel once more. Drake was there,
waiting.
“I made my peace with Cray. If he was mad about what I said, he
didn’t show it.”
“A bad case,” the fat old chief growled. “There’s more in this ship
than ballast. There’s a mystery.”
“Eight little mysteries,” Drake jeered, “of which one is my humble
self. Maybe nine, counting Cray. Or ten—”
“What you alludin’ to now?”
“You, honest old M’Ginley.”
“Me? Man could see clean through me.” The chief winked at him.
“But look at this code; and all that pencilin’ under it is writ by the
most talented engineer on the Western Ocean.”
Drake glanced down at the flimsy bit of paper. He saw first a
jumble of phrases and part words. But below that a penciled legend
made sense.
 All ships.
Varnavosk dying. Look for strong man capable killing bare-
handed.

No signature this time.

“Where’d you get this?”
Drake stiffened. He glanced forward uneasily; but Cray’s blind
was drawn on the little window of his cabin. Cray’s door was shut.
“Where’d you think? Notice the Old Man yesterday and today?”
the old chief asked. “Well, he’s fair wild. He come down this mornin’
an’ asks me to trot along, confidential. We goes to that wife beatin’
runt’s cabin. The runt is out on deck. Old Man and me, we rip up the
floorboards, we pry apart the bunk.”
“Looking for what?”
“He wouldn’t tell at first. Then, when we found nothin’, he begun
to rave about jewelry. Him, that’s carried such downan’-outs before,
lookin’ for jewelry in that cabin. Told me to shut up. Left me standin’
on air, like. So I mooched. Half an hour ago Cray comes down with
this. Old Man looks her over, puzzles her out. He was standin’ by his
cabin. Next he dives in, grabs somethin’, pockets it—an’ comes out
again. Know what he grabbed?”
“No.”
“His gun. Me, I grabs somethin’ else. This. Now you know as
much as I do, unless you know more.”
Drake stared at him, then dropped his eyes.
“And if I do?”
“Cray and the Old Man know a heap. My guess is there’s been
robbery; and now it looks like murder. Like as not the search’ll narrer
down. Scotland Yard ain’t manned by fools. Like as not there’ll be
other messages. Liverpool runt’s been cleared. He don’t pack no
valuables. There’s seven new faces aboard beside him, leavin’ Cray
out. If things gets hot and they start to search the lot—well—him that
has them jewels is like to swing.”
“Unless—” Drake seemed to be master of himself now—“unless!”
“Unless the lad slipped ’em to a good natur’d old fool of an
engineer. There’s places below.” Old M’Ginley winked. “Well, if you
meet the man aboard here, you tell him.”
“Thanks, I will. Cray’s blind’s gone up.” Drake rose. “I’m going to
have a chin with him.”
“If there’s one thing more’n another has hanged fool men, it’s
words,” M’Ginley warned, and left him.

CRAY grinned as Drake opened the door.

“You—you heard anything?” Drake asked, nervously.
“Nothing.”
“Thought, maybe, some message might have drifted in; seen you
writing a while back.”
“There was,” Cray laughed. “Fool operator on the Jessamine was
askin’ me if I’d bought my girl that diamond yet.”
Drake stood by the table, his lean fingers clasped about its
beveled edge. Cray, watching covertly, smiled. That table was
shaking, though it was fastened to the floor.
“You’re a strong man, ain’t you?” Cray asked.
“There’s stronger aboard this packet,” Drake answered
tonelessly. “Where’d the Old Man dig up those new sailormen? Two
of them I saw this morning, ramming at that bent stanchion that
supports this deck. Take four of me to make one of them.”
“That’s an idea,” Cray smiled, as if relishing his chance to play
with this man.
“What is?” Drake frowned. “Makin’ one of them from four of me?”
“Then there’s Quayle; he’s husky, too. Well, beef don’t count with
me.” Cray shoved a chair forward. “Want to listen in?”
He reached for an extra headset, plugged in, adjusted it for
Drake, then watched him, keenly, as some faint message came.
“So that’s what it sounds like?” Drake looked up. “I’ve often
wondered.”
But Cray was busy, writing. His pencil fairly shook as it sped over
the paper.
“What’s that?”
Drake looked over his shoulder. Too late, Cray shoved a hand
over what he had written, for Drake had seen, seen plainly, the
uncompleted sentences:

All ships.
Varnavosk died this morning.
Communicate with us if....

“You seen, hey?” Cray fidgeted, seemed annoyed; yet he might

be pretending. He was, at any rate, ill at ease.
“You seen? Well, what’s a Russky more or less to you or me?
Don’t tell the Old Man I showed you. The others came in code. This
one’s plain English. Best beat it; I’ve got to take this to the Old Man.”
Drake got up and walked silently out. On the threshold Cray
stopped him with:
“Ever know any Russians, Drake? Some of them is big men—
hard fighters. Take a powerful man to handle them.”
“Meaning—” Drake spun about fiercely— “Meaning—”
“You know more’n you let on,” Cray laughed. “Thought I’d catch
you. You know who Varnavosk was, owner of the Varnavosk
necklace? You know why he’s dead—”
Drake rolled a cigaret with his usual clumsiness.
“What mobsman doesn’t know?” he asked. “Come, come, Cray.
You know what sort we passengers are on this dirty little ship. Know
Varnavosk and his necklace? Who does not, in my walk of life? What
gang but has had their eyes on him and his jewels? And now, that a
cleverer man than myself has pulled the trick—”
“So you’re a crook,” Cray jeered. “So—”
Drake smiled pleasantly.
“Did you think me a lily?” Drake was composed now.
“Imagination’s a grand thing, Cray. Sometimes it leads men into
trouble, though. You’ve been reading dime novels.”
Drake walked away. Cray watched him go aft along the boat deck
and down the steep stairs.
“You’ll worry, my man,” growled Cray. “Now, what’s next.
Liverpool swine is ruled out. That fool of a skipper—a child could see
through him. He’s ripped that dub’s cabin to pieces. At this rate he’ll
have the whole ship torn apart, every manjack on edge. Not one’ll
get by him without him poking and prying. And he’s fool enough to
make a bad break. So, we’re five days from port, and—”
He stared at that last message, which he had left incomplete.
With a swift pencil he ended it.

All ships, westbound. Communicate with us if you have news.

Proceed with caution.
—Scotland Yard

“And that,” said Cray to himself, as he took the message to the

captain of the Cora, “that’ll hold him for a while. This ship is jammed
full of strong men.”
“SO YOU can’t find him, the thief,” Cray jeered.
There was no deference in his tone, no respect. Here he sat in
the Old Man’s cabin and yarned away as if such a thing as discipline
had ceased to exist.
“The thief? He’s been a murderer for two days.” Old Bain scowled
at him. “You have me nigh crazy. First we rip up that little rat’s cabin
—”
“That was you; I just hinted—” Cray began.
“Hinted like you did when that message came about lookin’ for a
strong man who could kill barehanded!”
“A strong man; you’ve found several,” Cray retorted. “Was it me
said it might be one of those two sailors? Oh, yes. I admit I didn’t
contradict you. I’ll say I let you have your way, do your own crude
sleuthing, searching that forecastle. Don’t you know that sailormen
are a neat lot, even such scum as this? They know this moment that
you have been prodding about. And now you say—”
“You put things into my mind, damn you!” The Old Man glowered
at him. “I thinks things, and says things, and there ain’t no reason to
them when said and thought. They ain’t my thoughts; they ain’t my
actions, an’—”
“Mine, of course, hey? I do it all? Mebbe I did this. This came
today.” Cray shoved a sheet of paper at him. The Old Man ran his
eye over a jumble of code, then reached for his book, translated.
 “You know what it is?” He lifted his head and stared at Cray. “You
know—”
“All ships? No, not this time. The search has narrowed down,”
Cray grated. “This one is:

“Ships outward bound, Beverstock. Man aboard you. Hold him.”

“Which means—” The skipper of the luckless Cora waited.

“Us!” Cray’s face was tense. “Scotland Yard—they’ve got a line
on us; they’re closing in on their man.”
“And when—when some detective comes up the ladder— We’re
nigh into St. Lawrence Gulf—” the Old Man stared out of the grimy
port—“When the showdown comes.”
“Never such a ship for secrets as this,” Cray said. “They’ll come
for one. They’ll find a heap.”
“You, for instance,” the captain suggested.
“Sure, me an’ you. Think I’m sweating over this just for fun? Think
I give a damn if they get their man? Me? Hell, no! I got my reasons;
so have you. They’ll come aboard with the pilot, maybe. They’ll begin
poking round. Unless—”
“Unless what?”
“Unless the man’s ready for them. Then, it’s a pat on the back
and a clean bill of health for you; and, ‘Thanks, my noble radio man;
your message was music to our honest ears,’ for me.” Cray stopped.
“And so—”
Cray leaned closer.
“Get this. There’s two men we ain’t searched yet—Drake and
Quayle. Either one, mebbe—”
The old captain rose.
“We’ll start with Quayle, eh?” He made for the door, but he
stopped, turned. “You put that into my head, damn ye!”
“What if I did?” Cray cried. “What if I did? Since you have no
detective aboard, what price Cray, hey?”
“What price Cray? I’ll tell ye. I’d as soon to God we had a
detective aboard,” the captain growled. “That’s what price Cray!” He
stumped out.
 The wireless man got up slowly and idled about the cabin as if it
were his own. That last remark of the skipper’s had hit him.
“A detective,” said Cray softly. “Maybe we have, at that, my brave
old sea-dog. Maybe we have, at that.”
He followed the captain on deck and twitched his sleeve. He drew
him into a corner.
“I’ll do this next job myself,” said Cray.
“You mean Quayle?”
“Him. You better stick to your knitting. Talk like a human being at
lunch, keep that solemn-faced, secretive Quayle there, until— You
ever figure there’ll maybe be a reward for them diamonds?”
“Reward?” The old captain of the Cora snorted. “Reward? If I can
sleep again o’ nights, that’ll be reward enough.”
“I could do with a good sleep myself,” Cray laughed. “I might
sleep through lunch hour, while Quayle’s cabin is empty.”

MORNING again and bright sunlight on the Gulf. Tomorrow would

see the pilot coming aboard at Father Point. Tomorrow would see,
well, something rather ghastly to men who clutched secrets close,
who feared the eye of the law.
But today the sun shone. Drake and the old engineer sat there by
the funnel.
Old M’Ginley was sleepy. A bearing had been heating. He had
not yet been to bed. He had come up for a whiff of fresh air. He was
soon wide awake, for Drake, leaning over, whispered—
“I’ve been thinking what you said.”
“I said a heap, laddie.”
“About hiding things.”
He opened his dungaree suit. The old man saw a long thin packet
of brown paper, sealed with wax, tied with many intricate knots.
“I’ve been thinking—and whispering a bit,” Drake went on.
“Oh, aye, doubtless.”
M’Ginley’s eyes glinted. A chief engineer, he knew, could hide
things, where nobody, not even the man who had trusted them to
him, could find them.
 “Oh, aye,” he repeated, “something else has whispered, me bold
lad. Fear has, I’m thinking.”
Drake’s face was blank.
“I told the person what you said. There’s been funny work. Cray
and the skipper searching yesterday, today, all cabins but mine.
Tomorrow—”
“Perhaps yours. Tomorrow the pilot and—”
The old man too was leaning closer. The packet passed.
“If a knot’s untied, or a seal broken—my—my friend says there’ll
be no split,” Drake grated.
“Unless he goes where splittin’ is hard, save he split rocks,”
M’Ginley laughed, and he drew back. “That bearin’—it needs a pile
o’ lookin’ after.”
He lumbered away. Drake sat there. The man Quayle, the silent,
secretive Quayle came up on deck. He walked along. He bent over
Drake. He whispered something. Drake sprang to his feet. Quayle
was of an age with him, taller by a head, powerfully built.
Both the captain, staring down from the bridge, and Cray, peering
out of his little window, saw Drake’s fist shoot out—a blow that
seemed but to glance off Quayle’s jaw. Yet Quayle fell, lay there,
knocked out.
Drake walked forward. He beat on Cray’s door with his fists,
crying:
“What kind of a ship’s this? What sort o’ man are you? Blabbin’—
blabbin’—”
The captain, clutching the bridge rail, leaned over and bawled:
“You keep still, mister. What’s wrong with ye? One more crack like
that and—”
He paused. Tomorrow, when the pilot and whoever else was
waiting came aboard, he would no longer have the power, save to
stand dumbly by and watch.
But now, now Cray had his door open and was talking to the
enraged Drake. And Drake, calming himself by an effort, was being
drawn inside. The captain wished that this strange man Cray would
leave that door open. He hoped, at least, that afterward he would tell
him frankly what now was going on.
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