Victor G. Durham

“ Then the sloop's hull came into view again, as the craft headed out toward the open water beyond.
"That's the kind of a craft Jack would give a heap to be on," thought Eph. "Queer that he should spend all his time on gasoline peanut roasters when he's so fond of whistling for a breeze behind canvas."
As the sloop neared the mouth of the little bay, and her lines became rather indistinct in the darkness, Eph Somers turned to resume his pacing of the deck.
"Hullo," muttered the submarine boy, two or three minutes later. "Here's the shore boat coming on its regular trip. ”

“ There was a smile of malicious triumph on Truax's face as he turned a lever a little way over, thus decreasing the ignition power of the motors.
Both Jack and Hal could see that the gasoline flow had been turned on nearly to the full capacity. It was the poor ignition work that was making the motors respond so badly. A little less, and a little less, of the electric spark that burned the gasoline and air mixture—that was the secret of the gradually decreasing speed, while all the time it looked as though the “Farnum” was doing her level best to win the race. ”

“ Your sullen fellow is seldom, or never, one you can tie to in trouble."
Though at first they felt some spirited resentment against the very plain suspicions of Lieutenant Commander Mayhew, it was not long before both the victims of the queer work of the night before began to see that there was an abundance of reason and good sense in the naval officer's belief and attitude.
"There's only one thing we can do, Hal," proposed Jack. "That is, to show Mr. Mayhew, by long-continued good action, that we're just the sort of fellows our friends believe us to be." ”

“ Immediately the nauseating smell of liquor rose on the air.
"Now, if someone finds you before you come to, you'll look like a fellow that has been drinking and fighting," muttered Truax under his breath. "If you come to and get back to the yard without help, you'll walk unsteadily and have that smell about your clothes. Usually, it needs only a breath of suspicion to turn folks against a boy!"
Pausing only long enough to learn that Jack's pulses were beating, and that the submarine boy was breathing, Truax stole off into the might, carrying the bag of sand under his over coat. ”

“ Captain Jack shouted back as he halted at the water's edge, where a rowboat lay hauled up on the shore.
Jacob Farnum's face showed suddenly pallid as he, also, reached the beach. Hal, who was in the rear, did not seem so much startled.
“Do you think Eph has gone off on a cruise all alone?—that he has come to any harm?” gasped the shipbuilder.
“I don't know, but I'm not going to worry a mite about Eph Somers until I have to,” retorted Jack Benson, easily.
“Eph can generally take care of himself,” added Hal Hastings. “He rarely falls into any kind of scrape that he can't climb out of.” ”

“ Almost immediately he closed his eyes, drifting off into stupor.
“Why, your friend is drowsy, isn't he?” laughed the bearded one, turning to the submarine skipper.
Jack Benson's own eyelids were suspiciously close together.
“Why—what—ails you?”
Curtis spoke in a low, droning, far-away voice that caused Jack Benson's upper eyelids to sink. Curtis stood watching him, in malicious glee, for some moments. Then, at last, he took hold of the young skipper.
“Come, old fellow,” coaxed the bearded one, “you'll do best to join your friend in a good nap. Get up in the berth.” ”

“ A man who can't make himself heard over the noise of a big engine hasn't much encouragement to talk. Now, a man who can't find much chance to talk becomes sulky a good many times out of ten."
"We'll have trouble with that fellow, Truax, yet," muttered Eph.
"Oh, I hope not," Jack answered, then added, significantly:
"If he does start any trouble he may find that he has been trifling with the wrong crowd!"
Very little more thought was given to the sulky one. The submarine boys and their companion, Williamson, enjoyed Saturday and Sunday ashore. ”

“ Mayhew.
"Forget his youth altogether," urged Mr. Farnum. "Let us treat him as a man. I've always found him one, in judgment, knowledge and loyalty. Do you mind telling me, sir, in what way he erred in bringing you in here?"
"An error in giving his advice," replied Mr. Mayhew. "Or else it was ignorance of how to handle a craft as large as this gunboat. For my anchorage he told me—"
Here the lieutenant commander repeated the first part of Jack's directions correctly, but wound up with:
"He advised me to throw my wheel over four points to port." ”

“ From looking at the “Pollard” Captain Jack glanced down at the water. His own boat's bows seemed to be cutting the water at a fast gait. The young skipper, knowing what he knew about both boats, could not understand this losing to the other craft.
“The Navy men must know a few tricks with engines that we haven't guessed,” he observed, anxiously, to young Hastings.
“I don't know what it can be, then,” murmured Hal, uneasily. “There aren't so confusingly many parts to a six-cylinder gasoline motor. They aren't hard engines to run. More depends on the engine itself than on the engineer.” ”

“ Mayhew walked to the stern, while a seaman, accompanying them, heaved the lead, reading the soundings.
"We're stuck good and fast," remarked the engineer officer. "We can't drive off out of that sand for the reason that the propellers are buried in the grit. They'll hardly turn at all, and, when they do, they only churn the sand without driving us off."
"Confound that ignoramus of a boy!" muttered Mr. Mayhew, walking slowly forward. It was no pleasant situation for the lieutenant commander. Having run his vessel ashore, he knew himself likely to be facing a naval board of inquiry. ”

“ Those boys never tasted a drop of the vile stuff in their lives!”
“I'm inclined to believe you,” nodded the surgeon. “They have splendid, clear skins, eyes bright as diamonds, sound, sturdy heart-beats, and they're full of vitality. I've met boys from the slums, once in a while—beer-drinkers and cigarette-smokers. But such boys never show the splendid physical condition that your friends possess.” ”

“ You don't know them; you don't understand them as Mr. Farnum and Mr. Pollard do."
"Perhaps you wouldn't blame me as much for my opinions," replied Mr. Mayhew, "if you could look at the matter from my viewpoint, Mr. Somers. I am in charge of this cruise, which is one of instruction to naval cadets, and I am in a very large measure responsible for the conduct and good behavior of young men who have been selected as instructors to the cadets. If you were in my place, Mr. Somers, would you be patient over young men who, when they get ashore, get into one unseemly scrape after another? ”

“ On top of the desk lay stacked a voluminous though neat pile of papers, letters, telegrams and memoranda that some rival builders of submarine torpedo boats might have been willing to pay much for the privilege of examining. For, at the present moment, there was fierce competition in the air between rival American builders of submarine fighting craft designed for the United States Navy. Even foreign builders and inventors were clamoring for recognition. Yet just now the reorganized Pollard Submarine Boat Company stood at the top of the line. ”

“ With another nasty oath Truax stepped quickly forward, the steel bar upraised.
He took but one step, however, for Captain Jack Benson had not retreated an inch.
Nor did Jack have his hands up in an attitude of guard.
"Are you going to put that bar down, Truax?" the young skipper demanded, in a voice that betrayed not a tremor.
"No."
"Then you'll have to make good in a moment, for we're going to attack you."
"Bah! I can stave in two or three heads before any number of you could stop me," sneered the fellow, in an ugly voice. ”

“ In spite of his contempt, the submarine boy found himself interested. He had heard about the charms, spells, incantations and other humbugs practised on colored dupes and on some credulous whites by these greatest of all quacks. The voodoo methods of "healing" are brought out of the deepest jungles of darkest Africa, yet there are many ignorant people, even among the whites, who believe steadfastly in the "cures" wrought by the voodoo.
While the mulatto guide was talking, or swearing Jack's half-amused questions, the cab left Annapolis further and further behind. ”

“ He was the blackbearded man who drugged you and shanghaied you in the white knockabout. Only Tip doesn't usually wear a beard. He has grown it in the last three or four weeks, in order to hide himself from people who know him well. Then he came down here to Blair's Cove and rented a house so he could watch things. He had a tip that the instruction cruise would center around this little bay."
"So, acting for Tip Gaynor, you undertook to ruin us all, and the good name of our boats?" asked Jack. "And you even met Dave Pollard, and got him to take you on as a machinist for our boats?" ”

“ Thereupon, the submarine boy plunged into a concise description of what had happened to him the night before. The lieutenant commander did not once interrupt him, but, when Jack had finished, Mr. Mayhew observed:
“That is a very remarkable story, Mr. Benson. Most remarkable.”
“Yes, sir, it is. May I ask if you doubt my story?”
Jack looked straight into the officer's eyes as he put the question bluntly. An officer of the Army or of the Navy must not answer a question untruthfully. Neither, as a rule, may he make an evasive answer. ”

“ One forenoon when Jack, and his mates were about to go ashore, for good, from the "Farnum," Lieutenant Commander Mayhew came on board, followed by Ensign Trahern and three of the midshipmen who had been under submarine instruction.
"Now, Mr. Benson, and gentlemen," smiled Mr. Mayhew, "I'm not going to frighten you by making any set speech. What I have to say is that the cadet midshipmen who have been under your very capable and much-prized instruction of late, wish each of you to take away a very slight memento of your stay here. There is one for each of you." ”

“ Farnum's cigar having burned low, he tossed it away, then leaned back as he lighted another weed.
"What do we think, sir?" echoed Captain Jack, eagerly. "Why, we think we're in sight of the very time of our lives! Annapolis! And to teach the middies how to run a 'Pollard' submarine."
"How soon are we likely to have to start, sir!" asked Hal Hastings, after a silence that lasted a few moments.
"Whenever the 'Hudson' shows up along this coast, and the officer in command of her gives the word. That may be any hour, now."
"Then we'd better find Eph," suggested Captain Jack, "and pass him the word. ”

“ Ten minutes later a shore boat landed the entire party from the submarine craft.
"Going with the rest of us, Truax?" inquired Jack, pleasantly.
"No; I'm going to find a boarding-house. That will be cheaper than the hotel."
So the other four kept straight on to the Maryland House, giving very little more thought to the sulky one.
It was not until after supper that Eph turned the talk back to Sam
Truax.
"I don't like the fellow, at all," declared young Somers. "He always wants to be left alone in the engine room, for one thing." ”