Night Probe! facts for kids
First Edition Hardcover (US)
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| Author | Clive Cussler |
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| Cover artist | Lou Feck |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dirk Pitt novels |
| Genre | Adventure, Techno-thriller novel, secret history |
| Publisher | Viking Books (US) Hodder & Stoughton (UK) |
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Publication date
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August 1981 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 344 pp (Hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | 0-553-05004-4 |
| Preceded by | Vixen 03 |
| Followed by | Pacific Vortex! |
Night Probe! is an exciting adventure novel written by Clive Cussler. It's the fifth book starring his famous hero, Dirk Pitt. Published in 1981, the story takes place in the near future of 1989. This book also includes a big secret from history!
Contents
About the Story of Night Probe!
The world in Night Probe! is facing a huge energy crisis. The United States is almost completely out of money. To save the country, the President asks Dirk Pitt and NUMA for help. Their mission is to find two important lost items.
What "Night Probe" Means
In the book, the character Dirk Pitt explains the title. He says "Night Probe" is an old term used by divers. It means exploring dark underwater caves.
Summary of the Adventure
The story is set in 1989. The United States is in a tough economic situation. This is partly because of past financial decisions. Also, there's a growing shortage of oil around the world.
The CIA believes that oil fields in the Middle East will run dry in just two years. The world needs more oil than it can get. Even with nuclear and other energy sources, there isn't enough power. Canada has become the main supplier of electricity for parts of the Northeastern United States. This happened after Canada built a huge new hydro-electric power plant in Quebec. To make things even more complicated, a secret NUMA submarine finds a huge oil deposit. This oil is located just across the border in Quebec's waters.
Quebec's Independence Movement
Some radical groups in Quebec want Quebec to become independent from Canada. These groups are secretly led by Henri Villon, a French Canadian Member of Parliament. The Canadian Prime Minister, Charles Sarveux, worries. He fears that if Quebec leaves, other Canadian provinces might also seek independence. Some might even try to join the U.S.
The Lost Treaty
Meanwhile, Heidi Milligan, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, is working on her history degree. She finds a mention of a "North American Treaty" in an old letter. She's very curious because all records of this treaty seem to have disappeared from the National Archives.
It turns out this treaty was a major agreement between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. In 1914, the U.K. was having money problems. A world war was also about to begin. To get money, the British Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, and King George V secretly offered to sell Canada to the U.S. for one billion dollars. President Woodrow Wilson agreed and paid $150 million as a first payment.
Tragedy Strikes
On the same day in May 1914, two accidents happened. The American copy of the treaty fell into the Hudson River. This happened when a train tried to cross a broken bridge. The British copy fell into the St. Lawrence River. This occurred when the ship RMS Empress of Ireland crashed with another ship. With both copies lost, and the British government angry about Canada being sold, President Wilson ordered all records of the treaty destroyed. He listed the $150 million payment as a war loan.
The Race to Recover the Treaty
Now that the treaty is known about again, the U.S. President orders Dirk Pitt and NUMA to find the lost copies. These copies have been underwater for over 70 years. The treaty is key to the President's plan to save the U.S. from financial ruin. He wants to propose a bold idea: to merge the U.S. and Canada into one country, "the United States of Canada."
The British government sees losing Canada as a terrible blow to their Empire. They fear that if Canada leaves, other parts of the Empire, like Australia, or even Wales and Scotland, might follow. The British Secret Intelligence Service calls back Brian Shaw, one of their best former agents. His mission is to watch the American search efforts. He must make sure the North American Treaty is destroyed at all costs.
Underwater Challenges
The salvage team first tries to find the St. Lawrence copy of the treaty. They hope this copy was packed in waterproof material. Despite efforts by Shaw and a hired bad guy named Foss Gly to stop them, the treaty is found. However, the waterproof covering didn't last, and the document has turned to pulp.
Next, they try to find the Hudson River copy. They hope it somehow survived. The search becomes very tense as they can't find any trace of the wrecked train. There's also a mystery about a "ghost train." On stormy nights, it seems to howl up the old tracks and then vanish at the bridge site.
Solving the Ghost Train Mystery
Pitt solves the ghost train mystery by accident. One night, he sees the "ghost train" pass him. He realizes it's fake: just a headlight and train sounds played from a cable system. This gives him a clue about the real train. It was actually part of a clever plan to steal gold from it.
One group of robbers blew up the bridge. Then, they pretended to rob a nearby station. While one robber held the stationmaster, another played train sounds and flashed a light. This made the stationmaster think the train had fallen off the bridge. But in reality, another group of robbers had hijacked the train earlier. They diverted it into an old underground quarry. Then, they blew up the entrance, hiding the train. This allowed them to slowly remove the gold through old ventilation tunnels.
Pitt finds the quarry. He discovers that the robbers didn't check if the ventilation tunnels were clear. They were flooded, trapping both the robbers and the train passengers inside. Pitt uses diving gear to go through the tunnels and finds the train. Shaw, the British agent, has also dug into the quarry from above. They arrive at almost the same time. There's a fight for the treaty, which is still in perfect condition. Pitt wins the fight.
The Final Race
Pitt races to deliver the treaty to the President. The President is about to give a very important speech. The treaty will decide everything. Pitt makes it just in time. The President receives the treaty and announces that Canada and the U.S. will unite as "The United States of Canada."
Heidi Milligan and Pitt say goodbye at John F. Kennedy Airport. Pitt has arranged for Shaw, who is under arrest, to also say goodbye. After Heidi leaves, Pitt tells Shaw he arranged for Shaw's release. Shaw will be on the same plane as Heidi. Pitt jokes, "James Bond would have been proud of you... I hear you two were quite close."
Main Characters in "Night Probe!"
- Dirk Pitt – He is the Special Projects Director for NUMA.
- Admiral James Sandecker – The chief director of NUMA.
- Al Giordino – Dirk Pitt's assistant director for special projects at NUMA.
- Rudi Gunn – He manages all the supplies and operations for NUMA.
- Heidi Milligan – A U.S. Navy lieutenant commander. She is studying history and discovers the first clues about the North American Treaty. Heidi also appeared in the previous Dirk Pitt book, Vixen 03.
- Brian Shaw – A former agent from the British Secret Intelligence Service. He is called back to stop the Americans from getting the treaty. It's hinted that Shaw is actually James Bond using a different name.
- Foss Gly – An American living abroad. He leads a team of assassins who work for the radical Free Québec Society. Gly is also very good at disguises.
- Henry Villon – A member of the Canadian Parliament and the secret leader of the Free Québec Society.
- Alan Mercier – The National Security Advisor for the United States.
- Charles Sarveux – The newly elected Prime Minister of Canada.
Book Release Information
