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diff --git a/old/54364-8.txt b/old/54364-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6c3684f..0000000 --- a/old/54364-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6077 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Brighton Boys in the Submarine Treasure -Ship, by Lieutenant James R. Driscoll - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: The Brighton Boys in the Submarine Treasure Ship - -Author: Lieutenant James R. Driscoll - -Release Date: March 14, 2017 [EBook #54364] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRIGHTON BOYS *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Ralph and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy -of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - Punctuation and possible typographical errors have been changed. - Archaic, variable and inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have been - preserved. - - - - -THE BRIGHTON BOYS SERIES - -BY - -LIEUTENANT JAMES R. DRISCOLL - - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS WITH THE FLYING CORPS - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS IN THE TRENCHES - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS WITH THE BATTLE FLEET - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS IN THE RADIO SERVICE - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS WITH THE SUBMARINE FLEET - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS WITH THE ENGINEERS AT CANTIGNY - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS AT CHATEAU-THIERRY - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS AT ST. MIHIEL - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS IN THE ARGONNE - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS IN TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT - - THE BRIGHTON BOYS IN THE SUBMARINE TREASURE SHIP - - - - -[Illustration: THE TORPEDO HAD STRUCK SQUARELY ABAFT THE SHIP'S -MAGAZINE] - - - - - The BRIGHTON BOYS in the - Submarine Treasure Ship - - - BY - LIEUTENANT JAMES R. DRISCOLL - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - PHILADELPHIA - - - - - Copyright, 1920, by - THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER 9 - - II. "DOWN WITH THE REDS!" 20 - - III. SIGNED UP FOR SALVAGE 31 - - IV. ON THE GOLDEN TRAIL 42 - - V. A SUBMARINE PICKPOCKET 54 - - VI. JAY FIGHTS FOR HIS LIFE 66 - - VII. DIAMONDS ARE TRUMP 78 - - VIII. UNCLE SAM CALLS 90 - - IX. FOUND--ONE U-BOAT! 102 - - X. CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS 114 - - XI. THE SPY 125 - - XII. INTRODUCING THE "JULES VERNE" 137 - - XIII. DIVING DE LUXE 148 - - XIV. AN UNEXPECTED FIND 159 - - XV. TRAPPED IN THE DIVING BELL 170 - - XVI. AN EXPLOSION IMPENDS 179 - - XVII. A DOG TO THE RESCUE 191 - - XVIII. HONORS FOR HEROES 202 - - XIX. IN THE PIRATES' NEST 214 - - XX. THE TREASURE RECLAIMED 227 - - XXI. BACK TO BRIGHTON 239 - - - - -The Brighton Boys in the Submarine Treasure Ship - - - - -CHAPTER I - -NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER - - -"Look, Dick, what's that out there in the water right on the line of -that ventilator?" - -Jay Thacker, ensign in the Navy of the United States, veteran of many -months' service in the grand fleet of the American Admiral Sims in -European waters, grabbed his old chum Dick Monaghan by the coat sleeve -and pointed a long lean finger out to the open expanse of sea. - -The two bronzed boys, rugged and fit after their experiences of the -Great War, erect and sturdy looking in their natty uniforms, stood on -the aft deck of the giant _Leviathan_, United States army transport, -once the pride of the German merchant marine, now a carrier of men and -merchandise sailing under the Stars and Stripes. - -Homeward bound were they after two years' service in the naval branch -of their country's armed forces. Once ordinary seamen Richard Monaghan -and Jay Thacker, back in the days when they had left Brighton Academy -on a balmy spring morning to enlist in the Navy, they were coming -back Ensigns Monaghan and Thacker, if you please! By virtue of their -splendid records while with the American fleet, they had won the -deserved promotions that had brought them to their present rank. - -Through many weary months they had labored in the mine-sweeping section -of the fleet, alternating with the French and English in clearing the -North Sea of the deadly floating bombs set adrift by the scions of the -German eagle, who sought thus to destroy those riding battleships that -had awaited all in vain the coming out of the monster German fleet -from the safe retreat of the Kiel Canal. It had been hard, tedious, -dangerous work; work to sorely try the nerve and patience of men whose -great desire had been to meet the Hun in the open sea in a free-for-all -fight. - -But better things had remained in store for these two valiant sons -of Brighton who had turned their backs on their dear old alma mater -to honor the call of their country. It had been allotted to them, -along with other chosen men of the American fleet, to lay the famous -mine barrier across the northern bottle of the North Sea--from the -craggy shores of Scotland to the embracing waters of the Scandinavian -countries. And it had been a great day when the marvelous task had -been completed, but there followed a greater day when the first -of the German raiders had run afoul of the mighty barrier and had -been "knocked for a goal" as Dick put it. What a rejoicing when the -President of the United States and the Secretary of the Navy had cabled -the thanks of a grateful nation to every last man in the fleet for this -splendid bit of service that had written a new chapter high in the -pages of Yankee naval history! - -Now it was all over; the long days and nights of untiring vigils, of -tempestuous tussles with the elements, and hard, unrelenting toil. -Back home now to the country they had left in the long ago; to the old -friends and familiar places they had dreamed about in the monotony of -the long night hours at sea. Two years away from home and dear old -Brighton! The hours dragged slowly while the great ship _Leviathan_ -ploughed the deep with her cargo of enlisted officers and men, now -mustered out of service and awaiting only the lowering of the -gangplank at Hoboken until they would be back again in "civvies" and -the comforts of life again. - -"What do you mean? I don't see anything," replied Dick in answer to his -chum's startled exclamation. - -"Don't you see it--something sticking up out of the water like a long -spar, or an old masthead of some sort?" continued Jay. He got behind -his chum now and pointed over his shoulder. - -Dick peered more intently into the misty haze that hung low over the -horizon. - -"Blamed if I can see anything, old pal, except the blue expanse of -water. Guess maybe you are dreaming, or perhaps old man Neptune, King -of the Deep, has thrust one of the prongs of his trident up through the -waves." - -Monaghan guessed his old "bunkie" was "seeing things." - -"Nothing of the sort," retorted Jay. "Now look again, old top, just -where I tell you to." Thacker was positive he beheld some odd object on -the crest of the sea probably two miles or more away. - -As they looked together again their old friend Fismes, dancing at -their feet on the transport deck, manifested an interest in the -proceedings by setting up a raucous barking. Good old Fismes! Once a -mascot aboard a German cruiser, he had been flung to the embrace of -old ocean's gray and melancholy waste on a fateful day when one of -the dandy little American submarines, with a single sting from its -scorpion-like torpedo chamber, had blown the Hun warship off the map -of the world. Swimming in the water, all but exhausted, he had been -picked up by the American crew of which Thacker and Monaghan were -members. By right of their first aid measures he had been allotted to -the two Brighton boys by common consent, and he, too, was coming along -to America as the most treasured war trophy the two lads possessed. -Through all the long days Fismes had been a close companion. Sleek and -fat as a result of good care and plentiful food, he was a favorite -among all the retiring service men. - -"Keep still, Fismes; no more subs, old boy," cautioned Jay, remembering -how the dog invariably had kicked up all kind of canine didoes every -time there had been a likelihood of "going into action," after he had -"joined up" with Uncle Sam. - -"Do you see it now?" asked Jay with a show of impatience. - -Dick was scanning the skyline intently. - -"Sure, I get you, old man," he replied after closer scrutiny of the -water. "Now I see it, sure as guns. About two points off the starboard -quarter. What in the world is it?" he continued, shading his eyes with -cupped hands the better to focus on the object. - -"Blamed if I know," answered Jay. "Wait a minute. I'll run down to -quarters and get the glasses." - -Off he dashed with Fismes at his heels, leaving his chum standing at -the rail. In a moment he was back with a burnished pair of binoculars -which, once adjusted, he trained on the floating object in the sea. - -"Just what I doped it to be," affirmed Jay after one long look. "A -masthead bobbing up and down in the water. Some old battered hulk of a -ship that has sailed its last long voyage, sure as you are born." - -Dick reached for the glasses. "Let's have a look," he requested. - -Jay extended the binoculars, and it took only one hurried glance on the -part of his chum to corroborate the former's surmise. - -"Guess you're right, pal," confirmed Dick. "A derelict loose in the -pathway of ocean traffic. Some one of the vessels belonging to the -allied nations probably sunk by one of the German submarines during the -war. Gone to her last resting-place in the salty brine." - -After studying the derelict for several minutes the two ensigns hurried -off to the executive officer of the _Leviathan_ to report their find. -They found him, too, with glasses examining the derelict. - -"Beg pardon, sir, but we thought perhaps you hadn't seen it," said Jay -deferentially. - -The officer nodded a smiling assent. He was busy taking the latitude -and longitude of the wreck to report to maritime quarters in New York -and London by wireless. No use stopping, for nothing could be done; the -derelict would float until some salvage crew came to blow it up or take -it in tow--a menace to all shipping traveling this way. - -Back to the rail hurried the two young officers, intent on studying -the wreck as long as it remained within vision. Their discussion fell -naturally into the number of grand old ships that had gone down during -the war--the "wind-jammers" of earlier days, the sailing craft that had -been drafted for service in the transportation of supplies, and the -still more modern steam craft--all of them victims of the submarine's -merciless hunger for tonnage through four years of frenzied world war. - -"Many gallant old ships down there under the waves," remarked Jay as -he peered thoughtfully over the rail into the swirling waters that -were churned into a mad rapids by the massive propeller blades of the -_Leviathan_. - -Dick slung the glasses over his shoulder and fell into the speculative -mood of his old Brighton roommate. - -"Right you are, Jay; good old ships of the line that have anchored for -the last time on the bottom of the sea. Imbedded in silt or wasting -away on their rocky beds. Gone but not forgotten." - -Jay stirred from his revery. - -"Not so sure about that 'gone but not forgotten' stuff," was his -observation. "Science will never let all those ships stay there for -keeps--not on your tin cup. Think of all the ships sunk! Think of the -billions of cargo that went down with them--billions of dollars' worth -of valuable stuff of all kinds." - -"Yes, and most of it perishable like foodstuffs, grain and the like -that by this time has crumbled into decay deep down in Davy Jones' -locker," broke in Dick. - -"Yes, I know," continued Jay, "but how about all the coal that could -be reclaimed? Think of the ores and the steel and the guns and shells -and stuff like that; they would still be good should they ever be -reclaimed. And oh, boy, think of all the gold bullion and the silver -and all the priceless stuff that's still as good as the day it first -saw the rays of the sun. Man alive!" - -Jay's eyes sparkled at the thought of the treasure deep down in the -fathoms--ransoms big enough to buy whole countries of the earth! - -"Yes, I know, but how you going to get it up?" interrogated Dick. -Conservative old Dick! He was figuratively from Missouri, and had to be -shown any proposition in cold facts and figures before he would dive -in--except when it was an order of duty. Then he was Johnny-on-the-spot -with all his heart and soul, wherever duty took him. - -"Get wise to yourself," counseled Jay, throwing his arm affectionately -about his chum's shoulders. "You know as well as I do that it's -possible; that salvagers can wrest a big bunch of that good old mazuma -from 'Pop' Neptune. - -"You ought to know; you've seen for yourself how it can be done," went -on Jay at a rapid rate. - -Both boys had, indeed, had sufficient experience under the water to -acquaint them with the fundamentals of deep-sea salvage. While serving -with the Yankee fleets abroad, particularly in the laying of the North -Sea mine wall, they had taken many a dip in diving armor below the -surface of the sea. True, it had not been in the exploration of sunken -ships or the reclamation of submerged cargoes; but their long, hard -hours "down below" while adjusting mine screens and bombs had qualified -them as first class divers in the strictest sense of the word. - -"Sure, I know; I was only kidding. I just wanted to see what you -would say," was Dick's rejoinder. But while he was convinced that -nonperishable cargoes could be reclaimed, he was inclined to be -skeptical about the raising of sunken ships. - -"Well, you just wait, old pal, and see what Uncle Sam, Johnny Bull, and -the rest of them do," argued Jay. "They are raising the Hun warships in -Scapa Flow right now, and pretty soon you'll see them go after all the -cargo ships that lie in shallow water. I'll wager you an apple against -a swell feed at the Astor those Germans are out after them already." - -"I reckon you are right," put in Dick after a moment's reflection. - -"And as for me, I'd like nothing better than to ship with a salvage -crew this summer until Brighton opens in the fall." Jay said it with a -broad grin. - -Dick surveyed his chum for a moment, looking full in his eyes. - -"On the level?" he queried rather incredulously. - -"Nothing would strike me better--action for mine," snapped Jay. "Holy -smoke! think of the chance to stock up on some big coin! If a fellow -got in right he could lay away enough to finish at Brighton and go on -to college. I'd go in a minute if the chance developed." - -Like a flash the whole picture opened up to Dick--an opportunity to use -the experience they had gained in the Navy to rake in some good honest -"kale" during the summer recess. - -"Dad burn it! Hanged if I wouldn't go in myself," came his convincing -reply as he thrust his arm into the arm of his chum and set off across -decks in answer to the evening mess call. - -The chance to reclaim lost treasure measured in millions from the very -bottom of the sea--something that Jules Verne had only pictured. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -"DOWN WITH THE REDS!" - - -"Come on, Fismes, old boy; you've been with us in more than one pinch -and saw us safely through," called Jay a few mornings later to the -famous dog of war that he and Dick Monaghan had brought home with them -from the North Sea. - -Ensigns Thacker and Monaghan, home less than a week, were losing no -time. It was only three months until the opening of Brighton Academy -for the fall term, and both lads were keen on getting back again to -finish their preparatory school courses. A job! That was what they -wanted. The chance to earn a few dollars that would go a long way -toward seeing them through their final year at Brighton. - -Jay was a fatherless lad whose dad had lost his life some years -previously in the big shipyard that was one of the major industries of -the hustling New England city of Bridgeford. His mother had been able -to make things go by reason of a small English estate left her by an -aunt, together with an allowance provided by the shipbuilding company. -An only sister had made ready money during the war in the central -offices. Jay had helped work his way through three years at Brighton -and was all set on a college career. - -His chum, Dick Monaghan, came of a family of moderate means. Neither -lad was averse to good honest toil, and invariably spent the summer -recess between school years working in the shipyards at one job or -another. Tall, well-built as a result of their athletic training on -the football field and in the "gym" at Brighton, they could stack up -against the toughest kind of work and get away with it. - -Back from war, without funds except for the final pay-off, they were -out again for a summer job. The home-coming had been a joyous reunion; -hearty handshakes, reminiscences of the long campaign and a friendly -succession of "Good work, boys," and "We're proud of you." But the job -was now the thing--and the sooner the better for this pair. - -"Come on, Fismes, you'll have to help us put this over," sang out Dick, -as he swung alongside his chum, and together they set their faces -toward the waterfront, with the dog tagging along at their heels. - -"Think we'll have any trouble horning in again at the old works," -suggested Dick as they elbowed their way along, bowing to various -friends whom they chanced to pass. - -"Well, they've been laying some of the hands off, according to what I -hear," answered Jay. "However, there's no telling until we try; there -may be a chance for a couple of retired seadogs." - -"Here's hoping," was Dick's optimistic sally. - -Soon they were in sight of the familiar old shipyard; the giant -steel-framed shipways looming against the sky like monster spider webs; -the throbbing rat-tat-tat of the riveting machines borne into their -ears with a haunting familiarity. - -"Just the same as ever, kiddo," laughed Jay, as he turned to his chum. - -"Only bigger and busier than ever finishing up contracts," came the -reply. - -They were edging toward the main gate, when some one came hurrying up -behind and literally threw himself upon the two lads. - -"Well, I'll be horn-swaggled if it ain't me good old buddies Jay -Thacker and Dick Monaghan," came the precipitous cry. "Mit me, boys, -I'm tickled to death to see you all again." - -Turning, the Brighton boys found themselves face to face with their -old friend, Larry Seymour, one of their old Bridgeford crowd who had -gone away into the army early in the war. Larry, the life of the party, -who could find fun in a funeral and keep things stirring all the time. - -"Hello, Larry," the chums exclaimed in unison, fairly hugging the -newcomer. It had been more than two years since they had last met. And -what a lot had happened! Larry was in overalls and begrimed with all -the firsthand evidences of toil. - -"Working in the yard?" asked Dick after the hand-pumping had subsided -and they had told somewhat in hurried detail where they had been and -what they had been doing since last they were together. - -"Am I working? Say, bo, if rivets was railroad spikes I'd have built a -line to Mars by way of Venus and all around to the moon again," was the -bantering reply. - -"Think we can land a job again?" asked Dick. - -"Aces beat deuces every time, fellows," was Larry's somewhat flippant -reply. "If you guys can't get a job at the works again then the figure -of Justice in the courthouse has lost the scales she's been carrying in -her good right fist all these years." - -Dick and Jay were absorbing some of the optimism of their stout-hearted -old friend. They had been a bit dubious about being able to get a job -right away; and time meant a whole lot when it was only ninety days or -so until the opening of Brighton. - -"Montey Brown still boss of the yard?" queried Jay of the newcomer. He -referred to Montague Brown, who for years had been yard superintendent -of Bridgeford's bustling shipbuilding industry. Brown had told the boys -when they went away into the service that their old jobs would be ready -for them. - -"Bet your life he's still around," was Larry's reassuring reply, to -which he added, somewhat facetiously: "Montey couldn't be pried away -from Bridgeford Yard by all the king's horses and all the king's men." - -In lightning style Seymour traced the activities of the old workshop -during the period of his re-employment following the expiration of his -army term. During the war, it appeared, the yard had sailed serenely -along, turning out new tonnage at a record-breaking clip, particularly -vessels and equipment for the United States Navy. - -Since the armistice there had come a change over the works. The places -of hundreds of men who had gone out into the service had been taken -for the most part by workmen of foreign birth. Many of them illiterate -and unappreciative of American freedom, they had fallen easy prey to -the radical labor leaders who had sprung up within the works like -mushrooms growing overnight. - -Preaching the doctrines of the Russian Reds, these extremists in -economic thought had sown discord among the rank and file of the -men, particularly the foreigners, preaching the dictatorship of the -proletariat, which meant that the men who work with their hands must be -the masters. Jay and Dick heard to their surprise that during the time -the brave boys of America had been offering their services, their very -lives, for their country, these Bolshevists had been openly plotting -against the whole republican plan of American life. - -"Secret meetings, wild speeches and all kinds of goings on," muttered -Larry. "All the time talking about strikes and walkouts, and even -threatening among themselves to take over the whole blamed works and -run 'em themselves." - -To the two naval veterans, who had always shared a distinctive pride -in the big shipyard, this seemed an incredible state of affairs; -laborers who had enjoyed fancy wages during the time of the war while -millions of loyal Americans were serving abroad now fanning the flames -of industrial revolution! - -"Looks like there was lots more good work cut out for us fellows right -here at home," was Dick's rather caustic comment. - -"You bet your life there is, and we are getting back on the job just -in time so far as I can see," was Larry's rejoinder, as he went on to -relate some of the later developments in the yard's labor situation. -Only the previous night, it appeared, the strike leaders, in a long -and noisy meeting, had decided to submit their claims forthwith for a -seven-hour day and a forty percent increase in wages. - -"Things are likely to open up right lively then on a moment's notice," -remarked Dick. - -"No telling when and what them bullshevicks is liable to pull off," -offered Seymour. - -By now the trio had arrived before the main gate of the yard. Old Bill -Cavanaugh, the veteran watchman, recognized the two Brighton boys in -an instant and gave them a hearty welcome. No need for a pass here, -since no more popular boys had ever passed the gate than Dick and Jay. -Fismes, too, got by with a wag of his tail. - -"Hello, what's this," whistled Larry, as he directed attention across -the yard to an open space fronting the administration building. Three -or four score men, riggers, riveters, yard laborers of all kinds, were -swaying to and fro around one who seemed buffeted about like a huge -cork in a mountain brook. Loud cries, angry voices, mingled oaths and -the strident tones of inflamed speakers rent the air. They seemed to be -venting their anger on the lone figure in the midst of the turbulent -group. - -"Looks like a sure enough riot," surmised Dick. - -The three youths came to a dead stop eager to get a line on what was -going on and to make out if possible what it was all about. - -"Let's move up closer and get an earful," suggested Dick. At once the -trio headed across the yard toward the scene of trouble. - -"Likely more of this Red stuff," Seymour was saying. Hardly had the -words escaped his lips before the demonstration, indeed, became a -regular riot. With one accord, it seemed, the crowd closed in upon the -beleaguered one in their midst. Louder and louder grew their voices. -Cries of "Punch the stiff!" and "Soak him!" could be heard at this -distance. - -"Looks like rough stuff here, boys," cried Dick, alarmed at the antics -of the crowd and fearful for the fate of the lone figure whose face was -lost in the pack of swirling humanity. - -"And just about time that we took a hand in it; what do you say, boys?" -came Jay's response. - -"With you all the way," replied the other two. - -Suiting action to words, Jay broke into a run, closely followed by Dick -and Larry, with Fismes flying at their heels, barking furiously. - -Like a flying wedge the trio of sturdy war veterans descended upon the -wrangling mob. Coming closer, the boys found the central figure in the -mass now defending himself against clenched fists that were reaching -out from every direction, trying to land blows on his face and body. He -was a stalwart man of middle age who was hammering back blow for blow -now against the heavy odds pressing against him. - -"Into them, fellows; lay it on thick," yelled Jay as he flung himself -on the outer rim of rioters. - -Bang! Biff! Crack! Three flying figures, two of them in the uniform of -the Navy, the third in blue, begrimed overalls, waded into the mass -before them. Right and left they swung on their opponents, a snarling -canine at their heels leaping with them into the midst of the mêlée. - -"Give it to them, fellows," roared Larry above the tumult as he laid -out a greasy looking six-foot brute with a right uppercut under the -chin, and followed suit with a smashing solar plexus on the abdomen of -another towering belligerent. - -In another moment the fighting trio had cleaved a lane clear through -the rioters to the side of that one lone figure who was still standing -his ground. One swarthy and bewhiskered rioter who seemed to be the -leader of the workmen was pummeling his victim with smashing blows. - -"This for you," bellowed Jay as he let loose with a terrific right -arm swing full in the face. Down he went with a grunt of rage. Jay -leaped to get another of the ring-leaders, but ere he landed the furry -figure of a great dog flashed through the air, full upon Jay's intended -victim. With a snarl of rage the animal set his teeth in the left leg -of the surprised foreigner. - -"Bully for you, Fismes," cried Dick, as he closed with another -antagonist. - -The fight lasted not more than a minute. Two bronzed navy veterans, an -ex-soldier with a fine record and a good old dog who had sense enough -to stick with his friends against any odds--they were more than a match -for a bunch of rioting strikers. Back fell the crowd before the fierce -onslaught, scattering right and left, but not quick enough to evade the -mounted shipyard police who came up on the gallop, swinging riot clubs -with telling effect. - -With their backs to the rescued, the rescuers stood their ground until -order had been restored. Only then did they turn to the man they had -saved against the wrath of the mob. - -"Well, of all things, our old friend Montey Brown," cried Jay in -surprise, recognizing at once the yard superintendent! - -"Jay Thacker! And Dick Monaghan! Did you ever? And Larry Seymour," -exclaimed the veteran official, bruised and battered, but smiling -through it all. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -SIGNED UP FOR SALVAGE - - -"By George! that was a narrow call for me," vouchsafed Brown, the yard -superintendent, to the three rescuers, whom he had invited into his -office following the tilt with the crowd of rioters. His face a mass of -bruises, poor old Montey presented a sorry spectacle. - -"But for you fellows, to say nothing of this bully good dog of war of -yours, things might have gone bad for me," he continued, still somewhat -out of breath. "I'm deeply indebted to you chaps and feel I never can -repay you." - -The boys bowed modestly and asked the old "super" to tell them what it -all was about. - -A truculent delegation of the so-called "Reds," it appeared, had -awaited the superintendent just outside his office, prepared to -present their inordinate demands. Led by their more rabid leaders -they had presented what was virtually an ultimatum, and finally had -become menacing when Brown told them he would have to lay the whole -proposition before the management. - -"We want an answer right now or we will start something," was their -nasty reply. And as the superintendent had turned to make his way back -into his offices they had closed in on him. One hot-headed belligerent -had started the fireworks with a well-aimed blow, and then followed the -riot. - -"But now it's all over and I have to thank you boys for your game stand -against such odds," he concluded. In turn the superintendent quizzed -the boys about where they had been and what they had been doing these -last two years. He listened attentively to Jay's modest statement of -facts, being particularly interested in the description of how the -Americans had laid the mine curtain across the North Sea. - -"You both have had experience at deep-sea diving, haven't you?" he -asked. - -The boys replied affirmatively, Dick adding some details. - -"And I reckon you are both after jobs for the summer, aren't you?" he -asked again after learning that Jay and Dick expected to return to -Brighton in the fall. - -"You're right," they replied together. - -"Well, you chaps come back to see me again day after to-morrow--nine -o'clock in the morning right here in this office," said the -superintendent. "I think I will have something at that time that may -interest you," he added. - -The boys promised to be on hand at the designated time and were quite -overjoyed at the prospect of something doing so soon--and right from -the boss himself, too. - -"You might come along, too, Larry," the official turned to Seymour. -"You sure gave me a boost just when I most needed it, and I reckon you -are fit enough company for this particular project I have in mind." - -Larry eagerly accepted and said he certainly would be on deck. In a few -minutes the trio withdrew from the private office, and once outside -gave themselves over to all manner of speculation as to what the big -boss had in mind. - -"It must be something good the way he talked," began Dick. - -"And whatever it is I'm in on it, for what Montey Brown goes in for -anytime anywhere is sure to be a first-class proposition," added Jay. - -Larry was so happy over the turn of events he grabbed Fismes to him -and gave the dog such a hug that the animal gasped. - -It was agreed they would meet outside the superintendent's office on -the designated morning at five minutes before nine o'clock. Then the -trio separated, Larry going back to his work on the ways and Dick and -Jay adjourning uptown to mingle among some old friends and, among other -things, to lay in new "civvies." The naval uniforms were to be laid -aside as precious mementoes of the war. - -The two Brighton boys found themselves heroes before the day was -over. When the afternoon papers came out on the street they contained -two-column double-leaded accounts of the riot at the shipyard and of -the spectacular part played by two navy veterans in the rescue of the -yard superintendent. Everywhere they went they were hailed with a -hearty welcome and given the glad hand. - -"Gosh, this is awful," moaned Jay after an old resident had nearly -wrung his hand off with a demonstrative felicitation. - -"I'd sooner set mines in the deepest water than face much of this kind -of music," wailed Dick in return. - -The two boys could scarcely contain themselves until the appointed -hour when they were to meet Superintendent Brown in the works. The -nearly forty-eight hours dragged by slowly for the youths who in their -eagerness to find out what it was all about were down at the yard two -days later a half hour before the appointed time. - -"Medals or mischief, whatever it is, here we go," snorted Larry, the -irrepressible, as he joined the group. He was in working togs. - -Just at nine o'clock they sent in their names and were promptly -admitted to the private office of the superintendent. - -"Good morning, boys, I see you are out bright and early, and all set -for the big game," began that official. - -"At your service, sir," answered Jay. - -At one side of the superintendent's big desk sat a grizzled old -chap who had all the earmarks of a salt-sea captain of a matured -vintage--side whiskers, smooth brown skin and steely blue eyes that -twinkled with merriment. - -"Gentlemen, I want you to meet Captain Dwight Austin, whom I will -further identify a little later," said Brown indicating the fifth man -in the room. Deferentially the latter got to his feet and shook hands -all around with a crisp "Glad to meet you, boys." - -Brown indicated chairs and bade the boys be seated. - -"I have a proposition to make," he offered by way of introduction. "It -may not appeal to you, and on the other hand it may." - -Drawing his chair closer to the table and surveying his auditors -intently, the superintendent launched into his subject. - -"You all know that during the big war many valuable ships were sent to -the bottom of the sea by the German U-boats, and that with them went -precious cargoes of all kinds measured in wealth that can hardly be -estimated. Many of these ships went down in shallow water, where they -lie to-day awaiting the time when reconstructive men of all nations can -set about the reclamation of this vast treasure that awaits them in the -embrace of the briny deep." - -Jay and Dick glanced quickly at each other, recalling on the instant -how only a few days ago they had discussed the same subject on the deck -of the _Leviathan_ while observing a floating derelict. - -"I want to take you all into my confidence at this time," the -superintendent was saying, "and if what I have to say does not interest -you I must bind you to silence and ask that you say nothing of the -matter to anyone. I trust you implicitly and feel that you will gladly -acquiesce in the matter." - -The three lads eagerly agreed to abide by the will of the old yard boss. - -"All right, then," he went on. "Coming right down to brass tacks, our -company is organizing a salvage company to go out after some of these -lost ships and their cargoes. We have come into some new and original -methods of stalking lost maritime game and have proved these processes -by some very satisfactory experiments. Beyond all doubt we are in a -position to say that the reclamation of millions of dollars' worth of -lost cargoes, to say nothing of the raising of the ships, is a feasible -proposition. Not only is it feasible, but we are about ready now to -send forth our first salvage ship." - -Jay stirred in his chair. It was the fulfillment of his hazy dream--the -groping for lost ships on the bottom of the sea and the exploration of -their battered hulls! - -"What we want to do is to prove to the government that our ship salvage -facilities are all that we claim for them," explained Brown. "It is -our purpose to go out and work first on several ships that we have in -mind right here on the Atlantic coast. Once we have demonstrated what -we can do, we hope to take on government contracts under government -auspices. It is all as clear as crystal in our minds." - -The superintendent paused for a moment while he lighted a cigar. - -"What I have in mind for you fellows is this," he added. "How would -you like to ship aboard this first treasure ship of ours? I understood -that you, Thacker, and you, too, Monaghan, had considerable experience -diving over there in the North Sea." - -The boys nodded their assent. - -"Good enough," replied the official. "You are just the kind of men we -are looking for. Good experienced divers. We know how well Uncle Sam -trains them. As for you, Seymour, you proved your courage the other -day, and while you may have had no diving experience we have a place -for you. What do you say, boys? The pay will be many times anything you -have ever earned in one summer. Go out there into that anteroom and -talk it over for a few minutes." - -The boys jumped to their feet with alacrity and followed the shipping -official into the adjoining room. There, left to themselves, they -plunged into the subject with vim. - -"What do you think of that? Just what I was talking about the other -day!" chirruped Jay as he whacked his chum over the shoulder. Dick was -all smiles. - -"Looks like a good thing to me--a peach of a chance, I should say." For -once, at least, Dick had readily thrown all his conservatism to the -wind. - -"What about you, Larry?" asked Jay, turning to the third member of the -trio. - -"Lead me to it, gentlemen, lead me to it; but pinch me quick, for I -sure think I'm dreaming," piped Larry in his inimitable style. - -The three youths were in high glee. The chance for adventure, to -say nothing of the wonderful remuneration that the job would hold. -In less time than it takes to tell they had filed back into the -superintendent's office and reported their decision. - -"Fine business," said the delighted superintendent. "And now let me -introduce again Captain Dwight Austin, skipper of the good ship _Nemo_, -the first salvage ship turned out at the Bridgeford Yard. If you boys -are in earnest, report to Captain Austin to-morrow morning at 7.30 at -the Emerson wharf. I need not add that I am very well pleased with your -decision and wish you all kinds of luck in your work for the summer. I -don't think you will regret what you have done." - -In high glee the three youths piled out of the office after affixing -their names to the roster of the ship's crew. - -As they bolted down the stairs and turned into the hallway leading to -the exit Jay ran full into a strapping big fellow of brawny build, -with shaggy eyebrows and scowling face, who was shuffling along in an -unsteady gait. - -"I beg your pardon, sir, I didn't see you coming," said Jay -apologetically, as he stepped aside. - -"What's the matter with you, stupid? Can't you watch where you're -goin'?" was the gruff answer. - -Jay insisted it had all been an accident. - -"Keep out of my way hereafter," bellowed the other. "If you don't--this -for you." And he pushed Jay full in the face with his flat dirty hand. - -In an instant Jay's blood was boiling. - -"I apologized to you, but I guess what you need is a lesson in -politeness," was his cool retort as he stepped up close and surveyed -the bully in the eye. - -For answer the obstreperous rowdy made a pass for the Brighton boy's -face with clenched fist. - -Quick as a flash Jay parried the thrust with his left and shot over a -powerful right hand swing--the kind he had planted on the rioters. It -caught the bully flush on the point of the jaw--a clean smash that sent -him sprawling on the floor. His honor requited, Jay stepped back to -survey the damage he had done. - -Half dazed from the punch and muttering to himself, the bully struggled -to his feet and picked up his hat. - -"All right, smarty; I'll get you sometime alone when your crowd ain't -with you," he stuttered and edged away sheepishly. - -It had happened so quickly Dick and Larry hardly knew what it was all -about. Jay explained the circumstances. - -"Serves him right," said Dick. "The world is full of fellows nowadays -who think they can ride roughshod over everybody. They need to be put -in their places and realize that human rights belong to all the people -instead of a few." - -The incident was soon forgotten in the planning for the morrow. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -ON THE GOLDEN TRAIL - - -Imagine the surprise of the boys the next morning when they appeared -at the Emerson wharf to report to Captain Austin to find a trim little -submarine craft hugging the quay, her hatches open forward and aft to -admit her crew, the exhaust of her gasoline engines fluttering from the -rear. - -"Must be some mistake here; I never knew they explored the bottom of -the sea from a submarine," exclaimed Dick in some surprise. - -The boys had expected to find some craft of an altogether different -nature. The submarine was a new one on them. - -"It's the _Nemo_, all right," said Jay, pointing out the name of the -vessel on the prow. - -Captain Austin was standing near the conning tower directing various -members of the crew as they prepared to cast off and head out of the -harbor. - -"Good morning, boys, come right aboard," he called out, noting the -arrival of the new members of his crew. - -Jay and Dick were soon on deck chatting with their captain, noting that -Larry Seymour had already arrived. The three boys were assigned to the -diving work exclusively and so had nothing to do with the navigation of -the craft. In turn Captain Austin introduced the new arrivals to other -divers aboard. - -"This is Mr. Weddigen--Carl Weddigen--also a new man," said the captain -as a huge hulk of a fellow lurched forward when his turn came. - -Jay was almost too dumbfounded to speak. The fellow facing him was none -other than the big bully he had knocked down the previous afternoon in -the corridor of Superintendent Brown's office. - -Weddigen backed away, refusing to extend his hand. - -Jay smiled. "I guess we have met before," he remarked dryly. - -Dick and Larry were on the point of bursting into a hearty guffaw, but -restrained themselves. - -"What's the idea?" asked the amazed ship captain, noting how Weddigen -was reddening. - -"I guess Mr. Weddigen can speak for himself," was Jay's only answer, -not wishing to create a scene right at the outset of the new adventure. - -"Well, that's rather extraordinary," began the captain. - -"Just a little unpleasantness that we had yesterday," added Jay, "But -we'll forget it now for the good of the cause." - -"I hope things will be all right, for he is a very fine diver, -according to my information, and can stand a lot with his big physique, -so I am told," explained the captain. - -"The matter's a closed incident so far as I am concerned," offered Jay. -And so the incident was closed, except for knowing glances exchanged -among the newest additions to the ship's personnel. - -Soon the _Nemo_ had backed away from her moorings and was headed out -into Long Island Sound, the most of the divers and those members of the -crew not actually engaged in the ship's navigation standing out on deck -in enjoyment of the balmy spring morning. - -"I guess you would not be averse to knowing something about this -craft," began Captain Austin after a half hour's run. He had strolled -forward to where Jay, Dick and Larry were watching the backwash of -the water as the steel prow of the _Nemo_ sliced its way forward with -knife-like precision. - -Indeed they would! The three veterans of the war, two of whom had -quite a fund of submarine knowledge from their own experiences abroad, -were wondering what the _Nemo_ was like. Was it possible that the -submersible was a diving bell from which divers could make their exit -while it lay on the ocean bed? Were trap doors opened and the pressure -of sea water held in abeyance by dense volumes of compressed air? -Or did divers go down from the deck of the submarine just as from -any other craft? If so, why the submarine, with its narrow, cramped -quarters, in preference to any other type of vessel? - -These were some of the questions flitting through their minds as they -embarked on their first treasure-hunting voyage. - -The whole thing was soon to be unfolded by Captain Austin. - -"With this craft we do most of our locating," he began. "By that I -mean that we are here equipped with special apparatus for finding the -lost ships. Many a salvaging company has found that it is one thing -to explore a sunken ship or even raise it, but quite another thing -to actually locate the submerged ship. It is one thing to know the -approximate position where a ship has been sunk, but another thing to -know the exact spot. Some charts may give you the exact spot where a -ship has foundered, but this spot may measure five miles or more, and -if the ship is located in any channel or such parts of the ocean where -there is an undertow or heavy undercurrents, the ship will soon be -covered with sand, moss or barnacles, and hard for divers to locate." - -Plainly, this new salvage company must have some new method of finding -ships all their own. The boys were keenly interested and awaiting -eagerly the explanation. - -"There are several ways to locate lost ships," resumed Captain Austin. -"Divers can be sent down with powerful flashlights, but this is a -lengthy procedure, and very often takes weeks of patient search. Then -again, grappling irons or anchors may be dragged from the salvage -ship. This is even less satisfactory than sending down divers. But the -Bridgeford Company has a new scheme all its own. And now you shall see." - -The _Nemo's_ captain climbed into the turret and motioned the boys to -follow him below deck. Dropping straight down into the heart of the -ship the boys followed the captain into a small compartment that he was -pleased to style "the listening post." - -"In here we listen for lost ships just as you listen for the voice of a -friend over the telephone. How does that strike you?" - -While in the Navy Jay and Dick had come to know only too well how -the microphone was used to hear other vessels, and how it had been a -powerful means in the overthrow of the U-boats and the safeguarding of -American troops bound for Europe. The microphone listened for moving -vessels and was acquainted with their movements because the swish of -the propeller blades was borne into the listening device of the Yankee -craft. - -But how could a salvage ship "listen" for a helpless wreck lying -foundered on the bottom of the sea? They were soon to know. Captain -Austin conducted them first into the forward hold and showed them -another compartment with a massive winch used to raise or lower an -object in the water under the keel. Taking them aft he showed another -compartment equipped as was the one forward. - -"We use the so-called Hughes balance," explained the skipper as the -boys gathered close to him in order to hear above the whirr of the -throbbing engines. "They are two massive rings suspended by cables and -raised or lowered at will by the winches. These rings or cups are -wound with copper wire. The lower windings connect with an ordinary -telephone receiver while other spools are in series with a microphone -and three dry cells. This makes a sensitive instrument." - -Dick, who was somewhat of a mechanic, was beginning to see light. - -"When these induction coils are trailed through the water from -underneath the _Nemo_ the telephone receiver in the control station -gives no sound as long as the two balances move through the water," -continued the captain. "But the minute one of them comes within the -vicinity of a wreck, the electrical balance will be disturbed and -the telephone will sound its warning to the operator. The nearer the -balances come to the wreck the louder the sound. All you have to do is -cruise back and forth near the spot where the sunken vessel is supposed -to lie, and sooner or later the faithful induction balance will find -the wreck." - -"How do you judge for the depth?" asked Dick. - -"The depth of the ocean naturally varies more or less," the captain -explained further. "If a deeper strata is encountered the induction -balances must be lowered further in the water than in cruising in -shallow water. Not only will the induction balance give the exact spot -where the ship is located, but it will give the precise location even -though the lost ship is covered with sand or silt." - -"But how do you determine the depth? Do you drop a plumb line, or -have you a new method of depth sounding?" persisted Dick, who was -taking an engineering course at Brighton preparatory to studying -electrical engineering at college. Naturally he was interested in every -engineering problem. - -Captain Austin smiled whimsically. - -"That is another of our new processes," he added after a moment's -reflection. "Echo--that's the answer in a nutshell." - -The captain led the way to the ship's marimeter, a cylindrical -contrivance that looked as though it might house a compass or a -binnacle lamp. - -"The marimeter works on the principle of electricity controlled by -sound vibration," the captain expounded in his competent fashion. "A -sound wave is sent out from the bottom of the vessel by mechanical -means and the instant this sound is started it is picked up -electrically and relayed to the recording instrument and the dial of -the latter begins to register. The sound wave travels to the bottom -of the ocean and returns in the form of an echo, and this echo is -also picked up by the diaphragm in the bottom of the boat and is also -relayed by electricity to the recording instrument, causing the pointer -to stop immediately. Sound travels at practically a uniform rate in the -water, at about 4000 feet a second. The depth is measured by accurately -taking and recording mechanically the time for sound to travel down and -back. The depth is shown on the dial in fathoms, and four soundings may -be made per minute." - -It all sounded so simple, and yet what a wonderful contrivance as -against the old-fashioned method of taking deep-sea soundings. To -demonstrate Captain Austin took an electrical sounding for his new -protegées and in a few seconds the "echo" had returned from the bottom -of the Sound, showing a depth of ten fathoms. - -For some hours, under the guidance of the ship's skipper, the trio -of newcomers thoroughly inspected the _Nemo_. This plainly was the -"prospecting" boat of the salvage company's fleet. It went out and -staked the claim and then called on the full facilities of the fleet -for completion of the job. - -Captain Austin, completely won by the honesty and candor of his new -friends, and acting under instructions of superintendent Brown, took -the boys entirely into his confidence. - -"I do not mind telling you that we are after high stakes this trip," he -told them. "An English steamship, the _Dominion_, was sunk off Martha's -Vineyard late in 1916. She had among her cargo a quantity of gold -bullion and South African diamonds. She took fire after being shelled -by a German submarine and was making a run for the coast when she went -down. She is between two and three hundred feet down and it is our job -to look her over for the next few days and report back to Bridgeford on -our findings." - -The news of impending action was joyously received by Jay and Dick, who -declared they were ready on a moment's notice to take their first dip -into the blue for their new employers. What! thirty dollars a day, and -the chance to win a percentage on any treasure actually reclaimed! It -was a wonderful opportunity, to their minds. - -"Better take a look over your diving equipment and see that everything -is all right," suggested the ship's captain. Jay and Dick accordingly -went thoroughly over their outfits during the next few hours, finding -suits, shoes, helmets and air-line connections quite up to the standard -of the latest improved diving equipment. - -It was a lively crew that spent the warm spring evening above decks on -the _Nemo_ as she worked her way steadily on her course toward Martha's -Vineyard, off the New England coast. By morning they would have arrived -at their destination--ready for the adventure! - -A sense of eager expectancy pervaded the snug little "sub." Although -Captain Austin had not shared his confidences broadcast as he had with -his new divers the men seemed to divine that they were out for real -business this time. They were for the most part singing merrily and -glad to be in on the big game of treasure hunting. - -"Tomorrow morning we'll be back at the old stunt again," mused Dick. -"Rocked in the cradle of the deep." - -"Hope we get the first peep at the poor old _Dominion_," said Jay. -Although this was a dangerous calling the two navy veterans had come to -look upon it by now as any other ordinary duty. - -"Only thing I don't like about this outfit is that fellow Weddigen," -reflected Jay. - -"You mean the fellow you punched on the jaw?" Jay nodded. - -"Well, just let him start something and we'll show him where he's at," -snapped Larry Seymour, who had just strolled up. - -"Yes, I reckon we can take care of that gent if he is inclined to -get frisky," remarked Dick meaningly, convinced in his own mind that -Weddigen was some kind of a tough customer who was playing his own -little game in this adventure. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A SUBMARINE PICKPOCKET - - -"Good morning, Mr. Thacker; I hope you feel like taking a walk on the -bottom of the sea this morning." - -The smiling face of Captain Austin greeted Jay as the latter climbed up -through the forward hatch of the _Nemo_ for a breath of the clear fresh -morning air. The _Nemo_ had arrived during the night at her destination -and rode gracefully at anchor on an easy swell. - -"Never felt better in my life," answered the Brighton boy. The two -lads had enjoyed a fine night's rest even in the cramped quarters of -a submarine. Pretty soon Dick came climbing on deck, throwing out his -chest for an inhalation of the clear balmy ozone. - -The _Nemo_ was riding slightly offshore. Because of her light draft she -had been enabled to go very close. The pounding of the surf could be -plainly heard. - -"You see those ships' ribs sticking out of the water directly -alongside?" asked the captain, pointing off the starboard quarter of -the _Nemo_. - -Both boys followed the line of direction. A glass was not necessary, -for there, not more than thirty or forty yards away, loomed the three -gaunt curved ribs of a ship, clearly outlined against the white of the -breaking rollers beyond. - -"That's what's left of the _Dominion_," explained the captain. "Not -many people know she's here; we're quite a bit out of the regular -shipping lines; but that's her all right." - -Jay was thrilled at the spectacle. Right there under the water reposed -valuable treasure, and he the one who was to dip down deep to clutch it -from the depths! - -"Expect that ship is pretty well battered to pieces, but have every -reason to believe the real booty is still intact," Captain Austin was -saying, as several deckmen began dragging various diving paraphernalia -on deck. - -The chief executive turned to Jay. - -"I want you to go down this morning, if you are feeling fit and fine, -Mr. Thacker." - -Jay indicated he was quite ready and never felt better in his life. - -"This chap Weddigen is also going down," continued Austin. - -Jay held his tongue, having learned well the lesson of discipline -in the navy. Although he distrusted the fellow and knew he nursed a -personal grudge, Jay was determined to make the best of the situation. - -Dick was to remain on board the _Nemo_ and supervise Jay's air and -signal lines. Knowing quite well by his long experience that it was -foolhardy for a diver to eat but a very little before descending into -the pressure of the depths, Jay drank only a glassful of orange juice -and a cup of black unsweetened coffee. - -By nine o'clock final preparations for the descent were under way. -Jay was going off the forward deck of the _Nemo_, and Weddigen was to -take off from aft the conning tower. The huge unwieldy diving suit, -the clodhopper shoes of iron, the ghoulish looking headgear with its -grotesque looking eyes were ready to be donned. The _Nemo_ was anchored -to the lee shore of the island; the water was comparatively quiet and -there seemed little danger of the "life lines" becoming unmanageable. - -"Gee, wish I was going along," sighed Dick a bit wistfully. - -Jay grinned. "Never mind, old pal; you'll get your turn all right -before this is over. I'll stay my limit, probably not find anything, -and then they will send you down." - -Captain Austin called Jay and Weddigen together amidships to give them -their last instructions. With a stub of a pencil he drew a plan of the -wreck as near as he could estimate it from the previous reports of -other divers and the ship's owners. - -"The ribs sticking out of the water yonder are supposed to be forward -of the room where the treasure was stored," he told them. "It is -reported that the diamonds are in a small iron safe that was kept -in the captain's cabin. The bullion was in iron chests also in the -captain's cabin." - -He indicated on the rough map where the strong boxes were supposed to -lie. - -"When the _Dominion_ ran for the shore," he continued, "she was afire -aft and amidships. She struck the sand so hard she buried her nose -in the soft ground, and those ribs you see were planted so solidly -that the surf was never able to beat them down. You ought to find the -captain's cabin about twenty paces aft of the ribs." - -Jay examined the crude sketch long and hard, asking many questions to -make as sure of his ground as possible. Weddigen scowled and guessed -how he would "jes prowl around until he found it." - -"Go ahead then, boys, and get in your togs," ordered the captain. - -With Dick's assistance Jay was soon ready to go over. The suit securely -fastened on to make sure there were no leakages anywhere that would let -in water, he sprawled on a deck chair while Dick put on the ponderous -twenty-pound shoes that were to help anchor him down. Soon the helmet -was adjusted on to the breastplate and the thumb screws set. The -eye-pieces were hinged like a ship's porthole windows and not closed -until the very last minute. - -As Jay was ready for the finishing touches Dick leaned close and peered -into the face of his old chum. - -"All right, old boy," he comforted. "I'll be right here on this end -keeping close watch. If anything happens just give me the emergency -quick. And, for the love of Mike, keep your googley-eyes on that bird -Weddigen." - -Jay smiled, an answering "Yes," and motioned for the eye-pieces to be -closed. Immediately the air pump was started, feeding its supply of -fresh oxygen to the imprisoned diver. With a man on each side of him -Jay scuffed across deck and went over the side on a ladder leading down -into the water. Just before his helmeted head went under he took one -last look around for direction and fixed in his mind the path to be -taken in the journey toward the _Dominion_. - -Down he went. The sun shone into the water, and with the sand for a -background the light in the sea was fairly good. - -"Well, here we are--and now for the _Dominion_," Jay chuckled to -himself as his feet hit bottom and he started along, using a small -peak-nosed shovel as a push-pole to help himself along. - -Through his bull's-eyes he could see ahead some distance. Vainly he -cast right and left for some trace of Weddigen, but nowhere was his -diving companion to be seen. - -"I'll just be careful not to run afoul of that big boy's lines down -here," Jay told himself. It was not so easy to defend against an attack -of any kind under water clad in heavy diving habiliments. - -Groping his way forward steadily inch by inch, Jay figured soon he must -be in the neighborhood of those ships' ribs. The breathing was good and -the air lines were working fine under the expert direction of his chum. -These two had teamed together before; always when one of them was down -the other looked after the equipment above deck, keeping a sharp eye -on the air pump to see there was no let-up in its functioning. - -Pretty soon Jay saw something looming up directly ahead. For the moment -it assumed fantastic shape and the youth was unable to determine -whether it was just some sort of an apparition or some tangible -substance. But only for a moment. - -In another instant the specter of the wrecked ship filtered through the -greenish haze of the water into the eyes of the groping diver; a weird -spectacle that danced and eddied to the tilt of the waters like the -wavering film of a cinematograph. - -"By George! there she is," gasped Jay to himself in sheer delight. In -spite of his accustomed self-complacency and cool nerve the youth found -his pulses fluttering wildly. - -"And now to get busy," he murmured to himself, picking his way -laboriously over a sand hummock. The sea muck was so loose that the -young diver's ponderous shoes settled deep into it at each stride. But -the water was clear and the precious oxygen was coming to him in steady -relays from the _Nemo's_ pump. - -"What could have become of that chap Weddigen?" speculated Jay as he -strained through the windows of his eyes for some trace of the other -diver. Not a hint of him in any direction. - -At last the youth came to the side of the wreck. His sense of direction -and implicit obedience to instructions had carried him right. He had -arrived directly where the nose of the _Dominion_ had imbedded itself -in the sand. - -"Good enough," he thought, as he gazed upward to where the torn timbers -lifted themselves toward the surface of the sea. One glance indicated -that the _Dominion_ lay listed slightly to port in such a slanting -position that her bow was elevated at something like an angle of thirty -degrees. - -Groping his way along the side of the old freighter the persevering -young diver found to his great delight that the tides and deep water -currents had banked in sand all along the side of the _Dominion_. Like -a pillow ridge this sand supported the weight of the lost cargo-carrier. - -"This makes it all the easier; I can walk right aboard without any -formalities," laughed Dick as he dropped to his hands and knees. He -figured it would be easier going "doggey" fashion than to attempt to -walk up the side of the incline and run the risk of sinking deep into -the fluid underfooting. - -Cautiously he made his way forward. And now the giant proportions of -the ship's superstructure were outlined against the green background. -The three wide smokestacks loomed ominously in front of him pitched -at an angle where they seemed tottering to their fall. The main mast -forward with its crow's-nest still intact was poked out like a weird -totem pole bereft of all rigging by reason of the lashing given it by -the submarine currents. - -In a few minutes Jay worked himself up close to the wounded hulk. He -could see he had come alongside directly abaft the forward funnel. - -"Things seem to be breaking right, for I am right off the particular -spot where I want to go aboard," soliloquized the youth as he paused to -adjust his air lines. - -A port hole eyed him directly in front. Jay was minded to step into the -enclosure and thus raise himself into a position where he could grasp -the twisted deck rail and pull himself aboard. He endeavored to thrust -his right leg into the opening but found the distance too great for the -weight of his iron shoe, with the pressure of water against it. Just -at that moment his attention was attracted by two oblique lines drawn -sharply across his line of vision against the background of the ship's -funnels. - -"What in the world----" - -And then it dawned on him. Weddigen was already aboard. The lines were -his air and signal lines. - -"Beat me to it, I guess," was his mental comment. This made him only -the more determined to get into that cabin at all hazards. - -Signaling that he desired to be raised a bit in the water Jay waited -until he had been hauled up four or five feet. As his body came abreast -of the ship's rail he grasped it firmly with one hand and signalled -sharply with the other to stop. It was easy work to clamber over the -rail. - -And now for the captain's cabin! Groping his way forward along the -deck from state room to state room, maintaining his footing on the -sloping incline by grasping the battered woodwork, he came at last to a -companionway leading below. It was just aft the pilot house, and this, -he surmised, was the way to what had once been the quarters of the -_Dominion's_ skipper. It was necessary to go slowly and surely, for -well this young diver knew the danger of entangled air lines. - -As he drew a powerful submarine flashlight from his belt and touched -its illumination spring the life lines of his fellow diver brushed his -helmet. - -"Weddigen got the jump on me, sure enough," he thought. - -Floundering along as carefully as he knew how, the Brighton boy let -himself down the companionway on the rickety stairs. It was ticklish -business. At any moment the air lines might be fouled by the swaying -currents and the diver have to fight for his life or perish of -suffocation. - -"But if that big bully Weddigen can do it, I can do it," he assured -himself. - -By now he was conscious of a faint glow of light in the subaqueous -chamber more remote than the pencil rays of his own flash. This, he -figured, was the light of Weddigen. A slight turn to the left and he -stepped into the erstwhile domain of the _Dominion's_ chief executive. - -Through the blur of water a startling picture was unfolded before his -eyes. Crouched over a square iron chest, playing the rays of his -flashlight over an iron strong box, was the figure of a diver. The -cover of the chest had been pried off. The diver was transferring the -contents of the chest into a long narrow slit of a pocket that bulged -from the side of his diving armor! - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -JAY FIGHTS FOR HIS LIFE - - -"Weddigen helping himself to the diamonds!" - -Could it be possible that this fellow was a submarine pickpocket who -was playing his own little game? Was he a pirate of the deep who -pretended to be working for others and all the time seeking covertly -to appropriate reclaimed treasure solely for himself? Certainly it -appeared so to Jay Thacker as he stood watching the dramatic scene. - -The diver determined to see it through without making the other -acquainted with the fact that he was being watched. Very quickly -Weddigen was working, seemingly on the theory that Jay might arrive on -the scene any moment, and that he must lose no time. - -Jay noted that Weddigen was slipping something like tiny pebbles into -the tiny pocket of his diving suit, letting them in very slowly and -patting them down to make sure the currents would not wash them out. - -"Diamonds!" gasped Jay, remembering instantly that part of the -treasure to be reclaimed from the _Dominion_ was to be diamonds. - -The Brighton youth determined to see it through. Crouching back against -the side of the areaway he brushed the eyes of his helmet the better to -see. Now Weddigen was buttoning over a flap on the pocket! - -Between flashes of light Jay could see that the man was working now on -the chest. First he battered shut the lid again as best he could. Next -he took a coil of chain from his belt and lashed it around the strong -box. Then he picked up a long slim crowbar that he had brought along -as a push-pole and began to work the chest across the floor of the -compartment. He could only move it a few inches at a time because of -its weight and the pressure of the water. Slowly but surely, though, he -pushed the thing along in front of him. - -"He's coming right toward me with it and I might as well make known my -presence," reasoned Jay. - -He was on the point of flashing on his own light when Weddigen stopped, -tossed the crowbar aside and knelt again over the treasure box. For a -time he fumbled in the dark while Jay stood wondering what was going -on. Again a flash of light, and in that instant the Brighton youth saw -that the other diver was making fast on his salvage lines. Beyond a -doubt his plan was to send the treasure chest aloft now that he had -worked it close to the door of the areaway where it might be yanked up -the companionway and thence up through the depths to the deck of the -_Nemo_. - -"Going to send the rest of the diamonds up and try to get away with -what he has already helped himself to," thought Jay as the daring -scheme of his fellow diver was now revealed. But Jay had seen all -and was determined so soon as he got back on the _Nemo_ to compel an -opening of that cunning little pocket on the side of Weddigen's diving -suit. - -But now a real danger confronted the Brighton youth. Suppose Weddigen -gave the signal for the diamond chest to be raised away? Deckmen aboard -the _Nemo_, when the signal was given, would haul away with all their -vigor, eager to perform their part in the salvage of the much desired -treasure. - -Crouched in the areaway outside the cabin Jay would be directly in the -line of the treasure chest as it was yanked away. Suppose that iron -box came his way? Perhaps it might crash full into his life lines? One -swift blow might sever his air hose and leave him helpless against the -inrushing water? Or suppose it cut off his signal lines, leaving him -powerless to ask for a lift off the ocean bed? - -There was only one thing to do, and that was to get out of there as -quickly as possible. Weddigen would not signal for the strong box to be -hoisted away until he, too, was out of harm's way; and Jay, now that -he had been an eye-witness to the theft, was determined not to let the -other know he had seen the theft until they were back on the _Nemo_ -again. - -As quickly as possible he shuffled along the areaway and began climbing -the steps toward the deck of the _Dominion_. He was just in time, too, -for a glimmer of light behind him indicated that Weddigen was following -close behind. Rather than reveal his presence Jay fumbled along in the -darkness, climbing the steps without resorting to the use of his flash. - -Once on deck he turned sharply aft and moved away from the companionway -leading below. In his anxiety to make haste he momentarily let go the -state room door by which he had steadied himself and in that instant -his feet flew from under him. The slimy deck would have been hard -enough walking had the _Dominion_ lay on an even keel; but with the -pitch to port the half-rotted flooring was difficult walking for the -most experienced and careful diver. - -As he felt himself going the unfortunate youth grabbed for his life -lines for the purpose of signaling the "emergency"; but in the swirl -of water he was pitched headlong, the added weight of his own diving -accoutrements bearing him along like a leaf in a windstorm. Clear -across the wide slanting deck of the _Dominion_ he was hurled until he -brought up hard against the rotted deck rail. - -Like a drowning man grasping for a straw Jay reached out to clutch the -iron post outlined directly in front of him; but as he grabbed its -top knob he felt the whole structure rend and twist, its fastenings -loosened by the rust of a prolonged submergence. The impact of the -young diver's body wrenched it loose and in a moment Jay was hurtled -overboard from the inclined deck of the _Dominion_ and enmeshed in a -tangle of the collapsed deck railing. - -It had all happened so quickly the dazed youth was unable to figure out -where he was and what really had happened. - -"What a pretty pickle I'm in," was all he could gasp, as he sought to -tear himself free from his incumbrances. - -And then, to his utter consternation, he found that his air and signal -lines had become all entangled in the demolished railing! Sprawling on -his back in the soft sand that undulated in a wavy crest against the -side of the _Dominion_ he struggled in vain to tear himself free and -get to his feet. But, weighed down by his equipment, tired out by his -long stay under water and imprisoned in the débris of the _Dominion_, -he found his strength fast slipping. - -"I've got to get hold of that emergency line," he said to himself, -gritting his teeth and thrashing the water above his head for a hold on -the precious life line. Eventually he found it and tugged with all his -might, awaiting the welcome pull that would lift him out of the depths. - -But no welcome pull came. The life lines were caught in the débris! And -now he found himself breathing with difficulty. The air lines, too, had -been fouled! The air supply was virtually cut off altogether, and the -young diver breathing only the air contained within his diving armor! - -"Looks as though I was up against it unless I can work these lines -free," the thought flashed through his brain with unrelenting reality. -Now, indeed, was he fighting for life against the very fates! - -With the desperation born of madness Jay battled to free himself. -Caught like a fly in a great spider's web, he knew every moment was -precious. Unless those air lines were freed or he got a signal to the -surface he was doomed. - -Seizing the life lines above his helmet he drew them tight in his hands -and followed them along until he came to the first entanglement of iron -piping. For a moment the impediment thwarted him, and then he tore it -free of the hose lines. But still no relief. - -By now his brain was reeling and he could feel the blood vessels -standing out on his forehead. A sense of suffocation pressed his heart -and lungs and he found his breath coming in short wheezy gasps. - -"Can it be that I'm lost!" he cried half aloud, the sound of his voice -flooding his own ears like the wail of a siren. - -But this was a time for self-control if he was to escape at all the -perilous plight into which he had fallen. By sheer force of will he -calmed himself and set about again to free himself. Taking the air -lines as before he followed them to another point of contact with the -débris and slipped down to his knees as he tugged at another joint of -the tubing. - -Fate, however, was hard and cruel. Try as he did, battling with all -his strength and praying fervently as he worked, he was unable to move -the obstacle. His fingers felt numb and weak; they refused to respond -to his will. Even his legs seemed paralyzed. And again that horrible -clutching at the throat and lungs! - -"I----guess----I----can't----" - -His voice trailed off into a whisper and his brain swam until a -panorama of mythical scenes and figures flitted before his fancy. -Still clutching the lines of hose that refused him life he reeled and -stretched himself helplessly on the floor of the ocean. Dreamily he -thought of home, of Brighton, of the service he had lately left. Now he -was with the fleet vainly tugging to fasten an obdurate mine in place -with other jackies of Uncle Sam's mighty war fleet. - -"Now we've got the haughty Germans," he screamed in his delirium. All -the while he was gasping and gurgling as his shoulders heaved and his -lungs were convulsed in the agony of suffocation. Life was slipping -fast away, and life was sweet to this youth who had dared death for his -country and come through unscathed in the two years' campaign in the -North Sea. By the irony of fate he had lived through all the period -of the war only to come home to an untimely death like this while -searching for lost treasure! - -Now he was floating free in the ocean, a great filmy light suffusing -the whole of the green sea, a myriad of soft-clad figures dancing -before his glazed eyes, the murmur of some cathedral orchestra -intermingled with the song of the sea. Out, out, out through the vast -unknown recesses of the sea he drifted, propelled along by some unseen -force.... - - * * * * * - -"Something wrong down there!" Dick Monaghan, standing guard over the -life lines of his chum aboard the _Nemo_, sensed the danger of his old -Brighton pal. No signal of any kind had come up to him from the depths, -and yet he seemed to realize, for some strange reason, that a mishap of -some kind had befallen Jay. - -"What's that?" called out Captain Austin as he hurried forward to where -Dick held the lines over the side of the _Nemo_. - -"I had a hunch of some kind that Jay was in trouble," explained Dick. -"I've been trying for the last two or three minutes to get some kind -of an answering signal from below, but I can't seem to get him. And -there's been such a tugging on the lift lines at times. I don't quite -understand it." - -"Pump working all right?" asked the captain. - -"So far as we can tell, although it seems to have slowed up somewhat," -Dick replied, somewhat agitated. - -Just then a shout arose from aft the _Nemo_. The deckmen were hauling -something over the side and yelling their heads off with delight. - -"Look, a great iron treasure chest," they chorused, as the attention -of Captain Austin and Dick was diverted for a moment from the possible -plight of Jay Thacker. - -True enough, for as they exulted, the iron box containing diamonds that -Weddigen had reclaimed from the captain's cabin of the _Dominion_ came -over the side, dripping with sediment and seaweed, but firmly held in -an encircling chain band. - -"Hurrah! Hurrah! we have landed some of the lost cargo." The crew were -rejoicing over the big find of the morning, hardly able to contain -themselves over the knowledge that a handsome chest of "swag" had been -ferreted from its submarine hiding place, and that they would get a -fine fat bonus out of the big "divvy." - -"Weddigen on his way up," called out the officer in charge of the -operations aft. - -Only for a moment were Captain Austin and Dick Monaghan deterred from -the subject that engrossed their minds. What had become of Jay Thacker? - -"Haul him up as fast as you can," the captain commanded. - -Jumping to their work, the forward crew began tugging away at the steel -cables with which Jay had been suspended. But pull as hard as they -could they could not budge the lost diver. - -"Quick, men, uncover that deck winch," he ordered, now thoroughly -alarmed. - -In short order it was made ready for service and the steel cables -supporting Jay affixed. A word of command from Captain Austin and the -power was turned on. For an instant the cables wound faithfully, and -then brought up taut. Something had to give; either the cables had -to part, or the contained weight at the sea bottom torn free of its -holdings. More power was turned on. A violent tug, and then the winch -began winding steadily again! - -"Thank God! it's Jay," murmured Dick a minute or so later as the -helmeted figure appeared through the haze of the sea green. But the -arms and lower limbs hung limp, and portions of the _Dominion's_ deck -rail still clung to the suspension cables. - -"Hurry, men, there; haul him on deck and pull that armor off," Austin -directed. - -As the form of Jay was drawn on deck Dick and several assistants tried -to stand him on his feet, only to see him crumple and fall like a man -of straw. One glance through the eye ports showed closed lids. A twist -of the thumb screw and then the helmet was raised. - -"Jay! Jay! Speak to me," implored Dick, bending over his chum. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -DIAMONDS ARE TRUMP - - -Light! The glorious sunlight of the world! Voices, too; the friendly -voices of his old chums aboard the _Nemo_. These were the evidences -of returned life to Jay Thacker as he lay on the deck of the _Nemo_ -looking up into the sky. It was like a dream and his befagged brain -could scarce comprehend the situation. - -"Jay, old boy, look at me. Do you know me? Speak to me, pal, and tell -me you are all right again." - -It was the voice of Dick. He was bending over chafing the wrists of his -comrade in school and in arms. Tears were coursing down his cheeks. -But now he was happy because Jay had opened his eyes again and smiled -feebly through flickering eyelids. - -For some time the rescued diver lay in a stupor. The heavy diving armor -and shoes had been wrenched off. Several members of crew were rubbing -his wrists and ankles, An oxygen tank had been used with successful -results. The tiny spark of life remaining had been fanned again after a -grim battle between science and nature. And science had turned the ally -of nature. - -"Do you know me now?" faltered Dick. - -For answer Jay opened his eyes again, and this time he recognized his -chum. - -"Where have I been? What happened to me?" he began. - -"Don't you remember? You were down there working on the _Dominion_. You -got all tangled up in something and we just pulled you up in the nick -of time." - -And then it all came back to Jay; the terrible struggle for life on the -bottom of the sea. Those twisted air lines! He seemed to be living it -all over again. And that mass of débris that held him fast! - -"Pull it off of me, Dick; cut me free," he moaned feebly. - -"You are all right again, old boy; you're right here on the deck of the -_Nemo_," reassured Dick in soothing tones. - -Slowly but surely the iron constitution of the Brighton boy responded -to resuscitation measures. Good fresh air flowed again into his lungs, -clearing his brain and setting his circulation going anew. - -"Where is Weddigen?" asked Jay, with a startled expression. - -"He's here on the aft deck, pretty well tuckered out, but fine and -dandy, nevertheless," Dick told him. - -"And the diamonds--did he send them up?" inquired Jay. - -"You bet your boots he did; all here safe and sound," was his chum's -rejoinder. "A nice day's work, too; but what would we have cared for -the stones if your life had been forfeit in the deal." - -The diamonds! How did Jay know about them? - -"How did you know Weddigen landed any diamonds?" asked Dick, bending -over his chum. - -"I saw them," came the answer. - -"But Weddigen says he landed them all alone and didn't see a trace of -you all the time he was down. How's that?" Dick was nonplussed. - -"Tell you after a bit," whispered Jay. - -They made him as comfortable as possible on deck, preferring to leave -him out in the fresh air and sunshine rather than carry him below. Dick -took complete charge of him, and a capable physician he proved as he -ministered to the needs of his chum. - -Now that Jay had been rescued, the men of the _Nemo_ were celebrating -hilariously the salvage of the precious jewels, knowing the contents of -the chest must be worth many thousands of dollars. Under the direction -of Captain Austin the strong box was carried below, not to be opened -until the _Nemo_ returned to her base at Bridgeford. - -Weddigen still reclined on deck. It had been a long, hard fight under -water and he, too, had somewhat overstayed his time limit. - -His friends in the crew were fêting him. They crowded about, patting -him on the back and congratulating him for his plucky and successful -efforts to get at the lost treasure. - -"Wait till we get back to Bridgeford--the swellest time you ever had in -your life," shouted one enthusiast. - -All of this adulation pleased Weddigen. The rôle of the hero appealed -to him and he was enjoying the situation immensely. - -Meanwhile Jay was slowly but surely returning to life. The oxygen -tank had performed yeoman service. Color was coming back into the -face and circulation had been restored. A stimulant was offered, but -the stout-hearted lad declined it, smilingly preferring to keep the -temperance pledge that he had taken before he had left home to go to -school. - -"Thanks, Cap, but I'm coming back in fine shape," he mumbled, while -Dick fairly beamed over the recovery of his chum. - -In a few minutes Jay was able to sit up. He drank eagerly the cup of -hot black coffee that was offered him. He was very weak from his trying -ordeal, and no one ventured to ask him about his hazardous trip to the -_Dominion_ and his narrow escape from death. - -By and by Jay motioned Dick to come closer. - -"Did Weddigen land any treasure?" he asked with an inquisitive look. - -Dick launched into the story, telling how the strong box had been -hauled over the side amid wild jubilation and taken below into Captain -Austin's quarters. - -"Are you sure there were diamonds in the chest?" persisted Jay. - -"Sure, Mike," responded his chum. "Oodles of them worth thousands of -dollars. Glittering cut stones; a young fortune big enough to put us -all on easy street for the rest of our lives if they belonged to us." - -Jay pondered the situation for a moment. In his eyes was a queer look -that neither Dick nor Larry Seymour, who had joined the group, could -fathom. - -"Is Weddigen still on deck?" persisted Jay. - -"Still back there resting up while the crew make a fuss over him," -replied Larry. - -"All right, now, Larry, do what I tell you, please," said Jay. -"Just stroll back there casually and look him over without arousing -suspicion. See if you don't notice a narrow slit of a pocket on the -inside of the right leg of his armor suit, buttoned over with a flap. -When he gets up to take off his diving suit just manage to accidentally -flip that pocket open and then keep your eyes on it." - -"Why, what do you mean?" offered Larry, perplexed by the directions -given him by Jay. - -"Remember, I never fooled you in my life, old friend," answered the -latter. "Just do what I tell you, and perhaps you'll have a bit of a -surprise party." - -Jay was weakened by the exertion of talking and sank back to rest again -with closed eyes. Withdrawing a few paces, Dick and Larry discussed the -suggestions made by Jay. - -"Think he is still a little dippy as a result of his experience?" -questioned Larry. - -"Sounds rather queer, doesn't it?" pondered Dick, unable to grasp the -significance of Jay's remarks. - -They agreed, however, there surely must be some ground for Jay talking -so; and, moreover, they shared similar opinions regarding one Carl -Weddigen, notwithstanding the fact that Weddigen had made a game fight -for the diamonds and come off victorious. - -"You stay here with Jay and I'll just stroll aft and look the old bird -over," counseled Larry after a little further deliberation. "To my mind -he's just the kind of a fellow who might put something over on us." - -Dick agreed, and Larry accordingly hurried away, slowing down to a -leisurely gait after he had passed the conning tower and approached the -group of which the much-admired diver was the central figure. As he -drew near, Larry could hear Weddigen recounting his experiences on the -ocean bed in the hold of the _Dominion_. And he was omitting no detail -in the narration. - -All smiles and apparently with all friendly intent Larry eased himself -into the circle of admiring friends. - -"How's Thacker?" queried Weddigen solicitously, breaking away from his -story of the reclamation. - -"Coming along fine," said Larry, detailing how Jay had responded -satisfactorily to treatment. - -"Glad of that," responded Weddigen. "I'm sorry we couldn't both have -come upon the glittering goods together and yanked them out with a -little teamwork. Tell him I'll be over to see him in a few minutes." - -Larry hung around while other members of the crew insisted that -Weddigen complete his story of the salvage expedition. But Carl was in -no mood to continue the yarn and said he guessed he was feeling strong -enough now to take off his diving clothes and go below for a snooze. -Accordingly he struggled to his feet with the aid of several members of -the crew. - -Larry was now all attention. Following out the instructions of Jay he -carefully examined the trousers of the big diver. Yes, there it was; -the telltale little pocket on the side of the right leg. Larry edged up -closer to get a better look at it. There was a certain bulge to it as -though it was well filled. - -"Gee, you're a regular Beau Brummel of a diver with your fancy -clothes," offered Seymour facetiously as he smiled up into the face of -Weddigen. - -"What do you mean, fellow?" blurted the latter, turning short to -survey the Bridgeford seaman whom he remembered as one of the three -he had encountered the day he and Jay had come together just outside -Superintendent Brown's office. - -"Why, with your pretty little side pockets," prattled Larry with a -sickly grin. - -With a flourish of the hand he indicated the bulging patch on the side -of Weddigen's armor, and before the latter could intervene Larry swept -his hand carelessly but unerringly over the pocket, giving it such a -thrust that the button slipped through the stout canvas eye-hole. At -the same time Weddigen clutched the pocket as though to cover it. But -he was too late! - -Instantly a half dozen glittering diamonds popped from the aperture and -rolled on the deck of the _Nemo_, sparkling in the morning sun like the -jewels of a monarch's crown! - -"What do you mean, you big stiff," growled Weddigen in dismay as the -treasure that he had filched from the strong box while yet in the wreck -of the _Dominion_ was revealed. - -"What do I mean? I mean that you're a rascal and a thief," shot back -Larry, fully convinced now that the sparklers were part of the loot -that had been recovered from the lost British liner. - -Immediately there was a great hubbub among the crew as they pounced -upon the scattered diamonds, eager to retrieve them before they rolled -overboard or were jostled below by the roll of the _Nemo_. - -"You're a big fool and I'll break your face so soon as I get in trim -again, that's what I'll do," snorted Weddigen in a rage. - -But Larry was his equal in the showdown. - -"You may have a little trouble smashing my face," he countered, "but -you are going to have a bigger time explaining to Captain Austin and -the Bridgeford Salvage Company how you came in possession of those -diamonds." - -Attracted by the commotion, Captain Austin came hurrying up. - -"What's all the commotion about?" he demanded. There had been -excitement enough on the _Nemo_ for one morning. - -"It's none of your business, and I'll prove mightily easy how I came -about those diamonds," Weddigen was saying as the ship's executive -officer drew near. - -"This man is not playing fair," denounced Larry, pointing out the diver -to Captain Austin. "He's holding back a whole pocketful of diamonds on -you, Captain." - -The captain was so amazed he could only gaze from one to the other. - -"You are making a grave accusation, Mr. Seymour, and against a man -who has risked his life this morning in the recovery of thousands of -dollars' worth of diamonds," the ship captain remarked slowly. There -were murmurs of approval from members of the crew. - -"All right, sir, I only ask that Mr. Weddigen bare the contents of that -pocket on the right leg of his diving suit," retorted Larry. - -All eyes were turned forthwith on the diver. But the crafty Weddigen -was equal to the occasion. - -"I was trying to tell this big boob I could explain everything," he -countered with an air of superiority. "You see, it was this way, -Captain. When I came upon that treasure chest down there I had to bang -it about a bit to get it ready for the lift. You can see for yourself -if you inspect it closely that the hinges were rusted. In prodding -about I loosened up the lid. I thought I'd just take a peep to see if -I really had the goods. There they were, all right. Some of them were -lying loose, so I just scooped them up and slipped them into this vent -in my suit. I didn't want to take any chances on losing them." - -As he talked he stooped over and holding a cupped hand over the pocket -forced out a handful of the finest of diamonds, ranging in size from -one- to three- and five-carat stones. - -"There you are; I never had the slightest intention of keeping them," -blustered Weddigen. "This fresh guy Seymour thinks he gets me in wrong, -and I'll attend to him later. I was waiting until I got rested up a bit -before coming to you with them." - -Upon Larry he cast a murderous scowl of hatred as Captain Austin -hurried the diamonds below, apparently satisfied with Weddigen's story. - -But Larry, hearing the true story later from the lips of Jay Thacker, -knew Weddigen's quick-witted defense was but skilled camouflage to -cover his attempted theft of the pocketed diamonds. With the two -Brighton youths, he formed a pact to keep a watchful eye on the surly -diver in the future. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -UNCLE SAM CALLS - - -Some fellows are pursued by luck no matter where they turn in life. -Others of evil design seem to be able to get away with anything they -attempt solely on their nerve. Carl Weddigen was one of this class. Not -one chap in a thousand, caught as he had been with stolen diamonds, -would have breasted it out and escaped so cleverly by use of his nimble -wits. Criminologists' records show that the average thief trapped as -Weddigen was either surrenders abjectly or makes a break for it in an -effort to escape. The crafty minority stand their ground and worm their -way out by subterfuge. - -"I'll say he's got the nerve, all right," remarked Dick Monaghan. The -_Nemo_ had returned to Bridgeford and the members of the crew were -enjoying a few days' rest after their arduous and successful trip in -exploration of the sunken _Dominion_. - -"Nerve!" retorted Larry Seymour. "Why, if that guy had been sent into -Germany by General Pershing he could have dragged the Kaiser out of -Berlin and made those dazed Fritzies think he was only kidding them." - -Jay Thacker smiled at that. He was feeling much better after his -experiences; in fact, a couple of good nights' sleep and recreation had -put him back in good trim again. Two years at sea in the U. S. Navy -will toughen the bone and muscle of any lad. - -Dick and Larry had been wanting Jay to go to Captain Austin to relate -the whole story of what had happened on the bottom of the sea in the -cabin of the _Dominion_. Magnanimously, Jay had spurned the proposition. - -"They might think I was jealous because Weddigen fished up the diamonds -while all I got was a handful of deck railing that well-nigh finished -me," was his answer. - -"Yes, but you owe it to yourself and to the company," argued Dick. -"Think how that bird may clean out the bunch again." - -Larry was shaking his head. - -"Never on your life. Remember, I'm always on deck when he's working -below, and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll put him under my nice -little X-ray every time he comes up again. No, sir-ee, fellows, I'm -wise to that gink for all time. He may think he's slippery, but he'll -find I'm the original slippery elm." - -Deep down Jay resented this big diver's bold audacity and cunning. -Never had he seen anything so brazen as the way Weddigen had smoothed -over the matter of the diamonds that he had carried in his diving -trousers' pocket. Nervily he had sought out Captain Austin and -explained the whole thing several times over. The captain had seemingly -been pretty well convinced that Weddigen was on the square in the -matter, and this had only strengthened Jay's determination to keep -silence. - -"But I'll get him in the long run, for he's a crook of the deepest dye -and murder is sure to out," he had told himself. - -For some days the two Brighton lads and their friend Larry Seymour -remained inactive about the big shipyard at Bridgeford awaiting the -call to further service. Captain Austin had told them to take things -easy. Superintendent Brown and the higher officials of the company -were elated at the success of the _Nemo's_ crew in bringing up some of -the treasure of the _Dominion_ and had decreed that as part of their -reward they were to loaf a while. Eventually, each lad knew, he would -come in for a slice of the huge "divvy" that was sure to be tendered -the company for salvaging the lost diamonds. The Brighton boys were -delighted with the prospect, for it meant the money would go a long -ways toward payment of their tuition for the new school year. They had -expected to be assigned to the job of bringing up the gold bullion from -the _Dominion_, but more urgent work awaited them. - -Great secrecy was attendant upon the fitting out of a special ship in -the yard that the boys had heard was to be used in salvage work later -in the summer. With it the Bridgeford officials contemplated using some -of their new apparatus and employing some of their lately developed -processes for deep-sea salvage. - -The ship, which they had heard referred to as the _Jules Verne_, was -denied to everybody except the chosen men employed in putting the -finishing touches on her. She was roped off in a portion of the big wet -basin all to herself and armed guards kept prying eyes at a distance. - -"We're apt to know sooner or later," Dick remarked as they discussed -the new venture one afternoon. - -"And as for me, I'm getting tired of laying around this way," said -Dick. For two years they had had so much to do while serving in the -Navy that inaction now palled upon them. - -They had not long to wait, for one morning, a few days later, just -after they had checked in the shipyard, there came a summons to them -to appear in the office of Superintendent Brown. They hurried over at -once, finding that official awaiting them with Captain Austin. - -"Morning, boys," called out the superintendent cheerily. "I hope -you are feeling in good shape again after your tussle with the old -_Dominion_." - -To which they answered they preferred getting down again into the -danger zone rather than to sit around cooling their heels. - -"That's the spirit, all right," remarked the official with a grin. "We -are proud of you fellows who compose the crew of the _Nemo_ for what -you have already done, and we sure are going to take care of you." - -Jay tried to explain that one man alone had recovered the diamonds and -that he was in no sense to be credited with any of the glory. - -"Just the same, you were there trying hard, and what's more you -endangered your own life in an unfortunate accident while in the act of -duty." - -And then the superintendent began telling them why he had summoned them -to headquarters. - -"You chaps doubtless know that the _Jules Verne_ will be ready for her -maiden trip within the next two weeks," he began. - -The boys perked up at this when it seemed likely they were to be let in -on the big secret that had every man in the yard guessing. - -"I can only say at this time," continued Mr. Brown, "that the _Jules -Verne_ combines our latest improved method of searching the ocean -bottom and has facilities that will greatly expedite deep-sea salvage -work. You will know in due time, for you chaps will be among the -first batch of divers sent out on the _Jules Verne_. We shall want to -thoroughly acquaint you at first with the operation of the new diving -bell before you will actually engage in salvage work." - -The yard official paused to draw several times on his cigar. - -"In the meantime, I need you for a diving expedition of tremendous -importance to Uncle Sam. Are you game?" - -He looked from one face to the other, eying the boys with a roguish -smile. - -They nodded their heads eagerly. "If it's for Uncle Sammy, lead us to -it!" - -"Well, listen," said Superintendent Brown, as the boys sat wondering -what was coming. "An executive officer from the Bureau of Naval -Operations in Washington is here on a mission of great importance. It -seems the Navy Department has been watching our salvage work, and read -about what you boys were doing in the hold of the _Dominion_. They -want us to do a piece of work for them that demands speed as well as -secrecy." - -And then he explained in detail. During the war, at the time when a -fleet of German submarines had escaped the allied fleets in the North -Sea and come to this side of the Atlantic to attack shipping, and -particularly supply ships bound for Europe, one of the U-boats had been -sunk off Cape May, N. J., at the mouth of the Delaware River. Submarine -chasers putting out hurriedly from the inlet had dashed up in time to -drop depth bombs on the submerging U-boat. - -That the U-boat, badly crippled, had been sunk had been established -beyond all doubt by navy divers who had located it on the bottom. The -Navy Department had intended salvaging the U-boat at once but had been -prevented by reason of the fact that the war kept the department busy -sending troopships to Europe, guarding them en route and combating the -Hun "mosquitoes" that threatened Atlantic ports and coastwise shipping. - -When the Navy Department had eventually set about the salvage of the -U-boat they had found it by this time so nearly imbedded in the floor -of the ocean that only the conning tower remained above ground. The -Navy was now ready to dig the U-boat out, but had decided to ask the -Bridgeford Company to co-operate with them in the venture. - -"And now we come to the meat of the whole thing," confided the -superintendent. "The men who are to engage in this work must be of the -most trustworthy character, for reasons I will now explain. We have -selected you fellows to get in on this because you are naval veterans -and we know you can be trusted to the limit." - -The superintendent motioned the boys closer and resumed in an undertone, - -"Deep down in that sunken U-boat are plans of United States -fortifications, ship and munition designs and highly valuable -scientific formulas that must be recovered at whatever cost. They were -stolen from the archives of the department at Washington by adroit -tools of the German espionage system. I am not at liberty to tell you -how they were stolen, for it is one of the secrets of the department. -But we are told that those plans are on that submerged U-boat. The -Germans were smuggling them out of the country, and it was a lucky shot -from the 'ash-cans' of our chasers that laid that particular U-boat -low." - -"Naturally, we are elated that the Department has come to us in such -an important matter, and it is needless for me to say that we are more -than anxious to make good, not alone for the sake of our company, but, -and very much more to the point, for the sake of the dear old country -that we love so much." - -"And we--" began Jay. - -"Yes, I rather fancied you two fellows would enjoy getting in on a -project of this kind," interrupted the superintendent. "I don't suppose -it is necessary for me formally to ask you whether you would like to -look up this unlucky U-boat." - -"Well, hardly." Almost in unison they had leaped to their feet to -answer in the affirmative. - -"Bully! You are assigned forthwith, with our hearty good wishes, and -here's hoping you succeed in putting over another neat piece of work -for Uncle Sam just as you did over there in the North Sea. If you -fellows had laid that mine curtain before those U-boats escaped this -Cape May job never would have happened. But now we've got to get those -plans back. They are of immense value to our government." - -"They wouldn't be of much value to Germany now!" interrupted Dick with -a grin. - -"Right!" laughed the superintendent. "Germany doesn't look very -formidable, with her surrendered navy, and her surrendered iron and -coal fields, and her surrendered stores of munitions. But you never can -tell. Besides, there are scientific secrets in that collection that, -even if the defeated Huns couldn't use them, could be sold for sums -that would make you gasp if I mentioned them." - -The boys whistled. - -"This is the information I have from the naval officer. You can see -how urgent the job is. That sunken U-boat is guarded night and day by -American war vessels ever on the alert. The exact spot where she lies -on the bottom is known and guarded like the gold in the United States -Treasury vaults. - -"And now I wish you 'bon voyage,'" concluded the superintendent as he -shook hands with the two lads. "You will go out this afternoon with -Captain Austin on the _Nemo_; and, don't forget, when you come back the -_Jules Verne_ will be waiting for you." - -Elated with the prospects of a new venture of such an important -character, Jay and Dick arose to go, telling Captain Austin they would -report immediately aboard the _Nemo_ and make ready to depart for the -trip down the coast to Cape May. - -"Better luck to you this time, Mr. Thacker," called out the yard -superintendent. - -"Thanks, Mr. Brown. I sincerely hope so," the youth replied. - -Jay turned and opened the door of the superintendent's office. As he -stepped into the hallway he came face to face with Carl Weddigen. For -an instant the latter seemed embarrassed, but quickly regained his -composure. - -"How are you, fellows! Is Captain Austin in there with the -superintendent?" he asked imperiously. - -Dick replied that he was, whereupon Weddigen coolly declared he would -wait where he was until the captain came out. - -The boys hurried along leaving the diver still standing outside the -superintendent's office. - -"Funny thing how he happened to be standing around like that," remarked -Dick as they let themselves out of the administration building. - -"Funny is right," countered Jay. "Looks as though he might have been -spying around or trying to horn in where he hadn't been invited. I've -seen enough to know what kind of a chap he is and I'm here to say I -don't think he wanted to see Captain Austin at all. That was only a -bluff. I'll bet he was listening in on us while 'Montey' Brown was -giving us the dope on that U-boat." - -"So!" whistled Dick. "All right, we have his number right now. If he is -going along to Cape May--look out!" - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -FOUND--ONE U-BOAT! - - -Cape May Light loomed in the distance like a lone sentinel of the -night. At intervals of ten seconds its long penciled rays shot out over -the ocean as the giant electric beacon oscillated in its rhythmic swing -around the horizon. Dimly in the distance were reflected the lights -along the boardwalk of the seashore resort, and far off toward the -north the faint blur against the night skyline marked the spot where -Wildwood nestled on the sands. - -The _Nemo_ rode at anchor on the smooth summer sea. To starboard lay a -trim little United States destroyer that had stood guard for days over -the submerged U-boat. Here and there on the surface of the sea could be -seen the outlines of a submarine chaser, a fleet of them having come -out to welcome the newly arrived salvage ship. - -Mid-afternoon the _Nemo_ had arrived from her home base in Long Island -Sound and was awaiting now the morning to begin operations on the -foundered German submarine. There had remained before sundown only a -brief time for a superficial examination of the sea bottom, but in that -time Jay Thacker and Dick Monaghan, crack divers of the Bridgeford -Company, had donned diving armor and spent an hour under water. - -Imagine the surprise of the navy officials when these two youths had -returned to the deck to report they could find no trace of the lost -U-boat! - -"I don't quite understand this at all," remarked Lieutenant-Commander -Wilberforce, U. S. N. He and Captain Austin were conferring together on -the U. S. S. _Monadnock_, the destroyer. - -"Our men declare positively that this is the identical spot where the -U-boat was located by divers some time ago," explained the officer. -"We have not been sending divers down these last few weeks since the -department ordered us to wait until they sent salvage facilities. But -we have stood guard here continually and can assure you absolutely that -no foreign salvage corps has been working here." - -Captain Austin ventured the opinion that the U-boat had been broken up -by the shifting waters during a recent ten-day gale that had raged up -and down the coast. - -"No, I hardly think so," hazarded Commander Wilberforce. "When last our -divers were down they reported the U-boat well above sea bottom. It's a -mystery to me." - -"Perhaps the German craft has been covered up with drifted sand," -suggested Captain Austin. - -Wilberforce thought that over for a moment. - -"That hadn't occurred to me," he resumed after a moment. "There may -be something to that. You see, we are just off the Delaware River -breakwater and there are all kinds of cross-currents here." - -For an hour or more the two officers discussed the project and -collaborated on their plans for the morrow. - -"I've got some pretty good divers with me," said Captain Austin as he -made ready to return to the _Nemo_ for the night. "I'll stack them -against anything in the world. If they can't find that U-boat then -nobody can find it." - -"Good enough, I'm sure they'll do their best." Commander Wilberforce -had thought well of Jay and Dick, and had so expressed himself during -the afternoon as he saw the boys in action. - -With the morning sun the boys were up and ready for the day's -explorations. They were anxious to get down to business. And -furthermore, they were anxious that one or the other should get the -first assignment of the day. Weddigen was along, but Captain Austin -had not ordered him into diving armor the previous afternoon, and the -Brighton boys were hopeful that the task of searching for the U-boat -was to be entrusted to them alone. - -Jay was first to go over the side of the _Nemo_. The sea had looked -calm and placid as a mountain lake as he started and he figured no -difficulty in getting about over the bottom. But, as every diver knows, -the sea is the most deceptive thing in the world. Stand on the shore on -a quiet day and look out to sea over waters unruffled save for the roll -of the surf. Everything lovely; yet, down deep, mighty forces heaving -and tossing like a hidden monster seeking some prey to devour. - -From hummock to hummock the young diver was tumbled over the submarine -sandbars. First he would be knocked down and then as quickly stood up -once more. At intervals he would be lifted off his feet and swirled -along in the vortex of a deadly current. Then he would be slammed down -hard again and pinned with such force against the ocean bed that it -seemed he never would get to his feet again. Occasionally he found -himself sprawled out on hands and knees like a creeping crustacean. - -Under such circumstances search for the U-boat was next to impossible. -Instead of the usual green radiance of the water Jay found himself in a -deadly saffron light, at times almost opaque. Experience had taught him -that that meant the sand was in motion. Light conditions, therefore, -were not favorable for exploration, since the youth could not see very -far in any direction. Peer about as he did between his many enforced -flip-flops, he saw nothing of the U-boat, even though the navy men had -said it was in these very waters and within a very narrow prescribed -circle. - -Presently, as he was swept helter-skelter along over the sand hummocks -by the twisting waters, he brought up sharp against some object that -projected out of the sand like a slim piling. Instinctively he flung -out an arm as he was swept close to it. His arm struck with such a -resounding whack that for the moment the limb felt numb. - -"What in the name of sense is this?" he speculated, unable to see for a -moment because of the swirling sand. His mind conjectured all manner of -things. - -Clinging tenaciously to his new-found support, Jay ran his hands up and -down the protuberance. It was smooth and round like some cylindrical -metal object. But what was it? - -Soon there came a rift in the cloud of sand particles and the filtered -sun's rays came down through the opulent green. In that moment Jay -cleared the sand from the eyes of his helmet that he might scrutinize -the object more clearly. Turning his gaze upward, he beheld the boxed -lens glass of a periscope--the eye of the submarine! - -"Great guns! here's the old U-boat buried to her eyelashes in the -bottom of the sea!" ejaculated the diver, surprised and stunned at his -discovery. There was no doubt of it; here was the periscopic pole of -a submarine with its great eyes still intact. But what of the U-boat -itself? Was it there under the sandy floor of the ocean? And by what -queer prank of the tides had it come to be covered over? - -In succession, these questions flitted through the mind of the lad as -he further inspected his new find. Leaving it, he paced off first in -one direction and then in another, keeping this up until he had run -a radius in every direction from the periscope pole. But nowhere was -there any trace of a ship's hull within a reasonable distance of that -stranded ship's eye. - -Jay was all excited. To think! He had located the lost submarine in -such an extraordinary manner! - -"I'll have to get out of here, though, and mighty quick," was his next -thought as he began to feel that queer pain across the eyes and at the -base of the brain that tells a diver he has had enough for one time of -the deadly sea pressure. - -In his excitement he gave his signal line a mighty jerk. Afterwards -they told him he had signaled the emergency. And they had been awaiting -the signal so long, thinking some mishap had come to Jay, that they -yanked him up in jig time. - -Jay was a sight when he came over the side of the _Nemo_ again. For -one thing he had stayed too long. His nose was bleeding profusely and -his head was bruised and battered by the pummeling he had gotten down -below in the embrace of that undertow. But when they got his helmet -off and freshened him up with cold water and first aid restoratives he -soon rallied again to his normal self. - -And then he told them all about the U-boat in its sepulcher of sand -with its periscope standing out like a gravestone. - -"Guess you were right," admitted Commander Wilberforce as he turned to -Captain Austin, recalling how the latter had suggested the previous -night that the U-boat might have been covered over by drifted sand, set -in motion by cross currents and undertows. - -"And that being the case, I don't see that there is much that we can -do here for the present," added the Bridgeford official. "It will be -necessary for us to bring down our new salvage ship before we can do -anything with that U-boat. Of course, we have facilities for digging -into the bottom of the ocean just as land engineers employ the steam -shovel to excavate a cut or a tunnel. What do you think?" - -Commander Wilberforce heartily agreed and said he would go ashore at -once to acquaint the department at Washington with the full facts and -ask an authorization on behalf of the Bridgeford Company for the -employment of their entire resources in exhuming the buried submarine. -In the meanwhile the _Nemo_ was to return to Bridgeford. - -But if Commander Wilberforce and Captain Austin were through for the -present, Diver Jay Thacker was not. He liked not at all the prospect -of backing off at this stage of the game, leaving the U-boat possibly -to be buried high over her periscope deeper and deeper until the new -_Jules Verne_ could get on the job from Bridgeford. - -Jay was doing a tall lot of thinking. And he had formulated in his own -mind a plan of action that he hoped to put into effect with the aid of -Captain Austin. Not even taking his own chum into his confidence, Jay -sought out the _Nemo's_ chief executive and drew him below decks for a -star-chamber session of his own making. - -Patiently the captain heard Jay through, shaking his head negatively in -disapproval of the lad's proposition. - -"There's no use of your taking any such risks, and, besides, we'll come -back here a little later with the _Jules Verne_ and worm our way right -into that U-boat." - -But Jay was insistent. - -"Please, Captain Austin, I'm sure I can get away with this and rescue -those plans belonging to the government----" - -Captain Austin, looking over Jay's shoulder, saw some one approaching -and bade the young diver speak softly of the stolen plans. - -The intruder was Weddigen! Jay eyed him keenly, trying to fathom -whether the burly diver had overhead the remark. A cynical smile played -at the corners of Carl's mouth and he smirked at Jay in a leering way. - -"Well, all right, Thacker, I suppose you will have your own way," -decided the ship's captain. "Go ahead, I'll wait the afternoon out for -you; but, remember, we weigh anchor for home to-night." - -Jay climbed on deck and prepared again to don his armor. - -"Bring me a crowbar and that old mushroom anchor that lies up front in -the forward compartment," he asked of one of the deckmen. - -Dick was assisting his chum to get into his diving suit. - -"What are you going to do this time?" asked Dick inquisitively. - -"Well, I've got an idea and I want to see how it works out," replied -Jay. "That freak undertow is doing some funny stunts and I think I can -use it to suit my purposes. I'll let you know after I've had another -look at that periscope pole." - -Pretty soon Jay was over the side again and dangling in the water, -carrying the crowbar in one hand and the mushroom anchor in the other. -Instantly his feet touched bottom, he set off in the direction of the -periscope and soon came upon it by intuitively guiding along the course -that he knew would take him to the goal of his aspiration. The water -was fairly clear and the undertow still setting strong along the ocean -bed. - -"Now we'll see," he murmured, as he set down the anchor within easy -reach and took the crowbar, commencing to dig directly alongside the -periscope pole. It is not easy thus to dig on the sandy bottom of the -sea; one must go in sidewise with a due allowance for the currents -instead of directly down. - -Little by little the sand was dislodged and turned away. And so soon as -it became loosened up and was stirred around the water dragged at it -and skitted it away freakily, dissolving it into particles that filled -all the sea round about the diver. Pretty soon Jay was the center of a -veritable submarine sand tornado. - -"Good enough; just what I wanted," he chuckled. - -All at once as he was digging away the crowbar struck something -hard. With a firm impact it brought up against a solid substance. -The diver's own buoyancy and the swing of the rolling sea kept him -from digging with much force, but pecking away with determination Jay -soon accomplished his purpose, and that was to make a considerable -excavation over the hard metallic substance that his crowbar had -encountered. - -"How do you do, Mr. Submarine," he laughed. For what he had encountered -with his crowbar was nothing more or less than the top of the U-boat's -conning tower! - -Setting the anchor in the hole, he lashed the crowbar to his body again -and gave the signal to be hoisted. - -"See you in the morning," he called to the sunken submarine. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS - - -It was morning. Captain Austin, won over by the arguments of Jay -Thacker, one of his crack divers, had decided to postpone the return -trip to Bridgeford twenty-four hours in order to give the Brighton lad -a chance to work out a plan he had hatched while exploring the wreck of -the submerged U-boat. - -"You say you want us to anchor directly over the submarine and play you -out a hundred feet of hydraulic hose?" asked the captain of the _Nemo_ -as he greeted Jay and Dick on deck after morning mess. - -"Right you are," chirped Jay, "and I want the hose attached to the air -pump just the same as you hitch up my own air lines--only I want all -the pressure of air you can put behind this new hose line." - -"You shall have it, my boy," replied the captain, and gave orders to -various members of his crew to rig out the apparatus for which Jay had -called. - -"What's all this hose line?" chortled Larry Seymour as he watched Jay -preparing again to go over the side of the _Nemo_. "Looks as though you -are going down to spray the mermaids with a little hot air." - -"Nothing doing, kiddo; it's a vacuum cleaner to scrub up Father -Neptune's parlor," remarked Dick, who had been let in on Jay's plans. - -Weddigen sauntered up like a pouter pigeon. - -"Nothing new about this," said he to members of the crew standing -beside him. "This bird Thacker knows his onion; he's simply taking down -a line of hose and proposes to bore his way into the stranded submarine -with a line of compressed air. All you got to do is turn on the air, -point the nozzle of the hose into the sand, and away she goes." - -Jay, getting ready to adjust his helmet, overheard the remark. How did -Weddigen know it was a U-boat? - -"You have it O. K., Weddigen; that's just exactly what I'm going to try -and do," he replied pleasantly. At the same time he was asking himself: -"Has Weddigen overheard about the plans in the U-boat?" - -It was a bold plan, but quite a feasible plan after all. Taking -advantage of the undertow that snatched up every loosened particle of -sand and scurried it away, Jay proposed to do a little excavating in -the neighborhood of the U-boat and leave it to the currents themselves -to exhume the lost ship--at least to free it far enough for the divers -to get inside and salvage the plans so much wanted by the U. S. -Government. - -And now Jay was ready to be off. His new "vacuum cleaner" was ready and -the air pump working smoothly. - -"Good luck to you," called out Captain Austin as Dick prepared to clamp -on his chum's helmet. - -The youth smiled and in a moment shuffled to the side and was over and -gone deep down into the embrace of the green sea, his air hose fastened -at his belt. Pretty soon he was on bottom and groping his way along -from hummock to hummock, now stumbling and now lifted by the whirling -currents. - -Presently he came upon the periscope pole and the mushroom anchor he -had left below the previous night. But now the anchor sat deep down -in a wide depression that opened out of the floor of the sea like the -crater of a volcano. - -"Bless my soul if that undertow hasn't been working for me all night," -he observed while noting that the sand had been scooped out in huge -quantities in every direction radiating from the periscope pole. - -Which made it that much easier for the submarine excavator. The -digging, of course, but not the actual work; for the deadly currents -were dragging the youth to and fro until he reeled and tottered like a -drunken man. But Jay had come prepared so that he would not again be -subjected to the terrific mauling he had received before. This time he -had piled on lead until he was heavily weighted down. A canvas belt, -slung from hips to armpits, with pockets, held close to fifty pounds of -metal. In addition he had fastened around each ankle a bag containing -another twenty-five pounds. - -As he prepared to swing his air hose into action Jay found the sea -clutching and tearing viciously at his own air and signal lines and -he made sure that they were intact and working perfectly before he -gave the signal for the air to be turned into the "spray" line that he -carried. - -At last the youth was ready for his experiment. Jay had no idea how his -plan would turn out, for, while he had heard of this kind of work and -knew of its practicability, he had never tried it out for himself. It -was his purpose to start the sand shifting in the belief that once the -movement was under way the freakish undertow and cross-currents would -come to his assistance and facilitate the task of unearthing the U-boat. - -"Here goes," he cried as he sat down on the sandy bottom and, holding -the nozzle of the hose away from him at an oblique angle of forty -degrees, turned on the air full force. - -Instantly the sea began to boil up around him like a young geyser. -The sand was swept and swirled in every direction by the column of -compressed air that was boring relentlessly into everything it touched. -The young diver could feel his feet sinking slowly into an aperture as -the sea bottom was scooped up and distributed into the yellow clouds -that filled all the space of water around the periscope pole. - -A new danger confronted the youth. Unless he exercised extreme caution -he might dig his own grave. The shifting sand might collect around his -own body and imbed him quickly unless he kept it shifting away from -him instead of around him. The thought of being buried alive made him -shudder for an instant, but he dismissed it and set himself carefully -to keep the moving sand in front instead of behind him. - -He resolved to keep on the move, holding the air hose ever far in front -and drawing himself, as best he could shift the weights that held him -down, in a wide circle around the periscope pole, throwing the sand -off to the left. In this way he hoped to make an excavation that would -gradually bring the conning tower of the U-boat above the level of the -sea bottom. Backing steadily all the time on the circumference of his -circle, he kept the sand moving ever outward; and move it did with the -assistance of the undertow that aided and abetted the work of the air -hose just as Jay had anticipated it would do. - -Despite the perils of the undertaking Jay persisted and soon had worked -himself completely around to the starting-point, a complete circle -having the periscope pole of the U-boat as the hub of the imaginative -wheel. By the feel of it under his feet and by thrusting his right foot -out into the hole that he had dug Jay could tell his efforts had not -been in vain. Considerable sand must have been shifted. - -He decided to turn off the compressed air and await the clearing of -the water so that he could see what he had accomplished. He had by now -been down for considerable time and was commencing to feel the effects -of his hard toil, the wear and tear of the sea, and the weight of his -added incumbrances. Nevertheless, since his breathing was still free -and easy he decided he could risk a few more minutes anyway to view the -results of his handiwork. - -By and by the sand clouds began to settle and the yellow sedimentation -to subside. Imagine his joy when he found that he had successfully dug -a great excavation right over the deck of the U-boat amidships, with -the conning tower standing out entirely freed of all sand investiture. - -"Good enough," he told himself gleefully. "And now to get inside the -U-boat before the sands shift back again." - -Reluctantly he gave the signal to be raised away after lashing the air -hose with which he had successfully accomplished the task fast to the -conning tower of the U-boat. - -By now he could feel his heart pounding fiercely while a fitful -darkness obscured his sight. Well he knew these symptoms--he had -stayed down longer than he should have. But with his signal for a lift -he felt the cables tighten and then he was swept along through the -water toward the surface. Soon they were hauling him over the side of -the _Nemo_ just when his senses were reeling. - -"Boy, you stayed too long," he heard Captain Austin saying as the -helmet was lifted and he breathed again the pure air of the surface. - -He could only nod a reply. But within a few minutes he was himself -again and able to talk. - -"What success, lad?" Captain Austin was eager to know how he had gotten -along. - -Jay told him the story; how he had utilized the air hose in excavating -the U-boat and how it now lay all exposed in its hastily improvised -crater. - -"Some one had better go down right away and see if they can pry into -that conning tower," he counseled. "No telling when those sands will -commence to shift back again with the undertow." - -Immediately Dick Monaghan and Carl Weddigen stepped forward. - -"Please, sir, I'd like to take a shot at it," offered Dick. - -"Give me a chance, Captain; remember how I got along with the -_Dominion_," pleaded Weddigen. - -Other members of the crew who were divers offered to take Jay's place -and the captain for a moment was in a quandary. - -"Guess you better go down, Weddigen, and see what you can do by way of -prodding that conning tower open," the _Nemo's_ executive decided. "You -have big powerful arms and good lungs." At the same time, Austin winked -at Jay, thinking Weddigen knew nothing of the plans in the U-boat. - -Turning to Dick the captain said: - -"I'll send you down after Weddigen works awhile, and we'll see what the -two of you can do." - -So Weddigen hastily climbed into his diving suit and made ready to go. -Weddigen went equipped with tools that he hoped to use in forcing an -entrance into the submarine. He took along with him also the extra air -hose since it was possible the sand was shifting again and he might -find it necessary to do some more digging. - -After he had gone Jay and Dick engaged in earnest conversation. - -"That fellow's not to be trusted," remarked Jay tartly. - -"He may undo all that you've done," added Dick. - -"Yes, or get into that U-boat and make away with those navy plans." Jay -had seen enough of Weddigen to give him the idea that the big fellow -had ulterior motives behind his activities with the Bridgeford Salvage -Company. - -After half an hour's wait Captain Austin told Dick to go ahead and get -ready for a descent to the U-boat. - -"See how Weddigen's getting along. Maybe you can recover those plans -yourself." - -The captain had confided to the two divers, Jay and Dick, that the -coveted plans were contained in a stout steel box that would be found -in a locker in the submarine's wireless chamber just forward of the -main turret. - -Dick was glad of the chance to get the assignment. So far he had not -had an opportunity to prove his ability as a diver to Captain Austin -and he was anxious to make good. What a fine thing if he could be -instrumental in reclaiming for the United States Government the long -lost plans and scientific formulas! It had been hinted that among other -things, the stolen plans included the formula for manufacture of the -deadly gas that U. S. chemists had discovered just before the close of -the war. - -"I'll certainly do my level best," soliloquized Dick as he floundered -along on the sea bottom in the direction of the U-boat. - -Very soon he came in sight of it. The sun, shining strong on the -surface of the sea, lit up the whole area of clear water so that he was -able to see quite a distance in front of him. - -Through the green haze of the sea he discerned suddenly the figure of -another diver. He was dragging after him a long rectangular box of some -kind. Undoubtedly it was Weddigen! But what was he doing and what was -the chest that he dragged with so much effort? - -"The plans!" gasped Dick. In an instant it was clearly revealed to him. -Weddigen had succeeded in getting into the submarine and had salvaged -the stolen plans! - -What was Weddigen doing now? Dick stopped short in his tracks to watch -the maneuvers of the other diver. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE SPY! - - -Peering intently through the water Dick watched every move of Weddigen. -The latter had knelt on the sandy bottom and was tinkering with the -steel chest. His back was turned to the Brighton youth and he, to all -intents, had no knowledge of the proximity of the latter. - -And then Dick made an astounding discovery. Weddigen had unfastened the -extra air hose from his belt, turned on the air and was digging a hole -in the sand some ten or fifteen yards away from the submarine. A cloud -of sediment was stirred up by the air which for the time served the -purpose of hiding the diver at his work. - -Dick's first impulse was to move forward hastily and make known his -presence, thinking perhaps Weddigen was having trouble lugging the -chest and needed assistance. But then, it occurred to him, why would -Carl be digging a hole with the air line when he had already salvaged -the precious box? Why had he not gripped it with a steel cable and -sent it aloft to the _Nemo_? - -"By jove! I know what he's doing," exclaimed Dick to himself. "He's -trying to lose those plans under the floor of the sea rather than give -them back to the government!" - -The youth saw red on the instant. A traitor to America! An enemy of the -United States Government who, rather than return the plans that he had -found, was trying to cover them up where he might return later and dig -for them at his leisure. - -Just for an instant Dick was undecided whether to return at once to -the _Nemo_ and report what he had seen or stay and see it through to -the limit. To grapple with Weddigen here under the sea was next to -impossible. Heavily accoutred as he was with diving paraphernalia and -weighed down by additional anchors, he could hope to gain nothing by -forcibly encountering the big diver in front of him. - -He decided to wait until Weddigen had stopped digging and the water -cleared again. In the meantime he moved closer, thinking perhaps when -Weddigen found that he was being observed he would switch his tactics -and order the steel chest with its precious documents hoisted away. It -was a trying moment for the lad and he bit his lip to think that he had -no submarine weapon of any kind that would enable him to challenge the -traitor and compel him to desist. But it was a time for quick thinking -and direct action, and he firmly resolved to make the best of the -situation. - -Before long the stirring of the sands ceased and the water began to -clear. Dick by now was no further away from Weddigen than ten or -fifteen feet. But Weddigen was still crouched with his back to the -newcomer and all unmindful of Dick's presence. And then, in one quick -glance, Dick discerned that Weddigen had dug his hole, and was dragging -the steel chest into it, preparatory to covering it up. - -"The dirty dog!" hissed the Brighton youth, instinctively clenching his -fists. - -On the instant Dick was minded to grapple with the fellow at all -hazards and wrestle with him for possession of the steel box. The only -thing in the way of a weapon that he carried was a short, slender -crowbar that he had used to facilitate walking, while at the feet of -Weddigen lay the various tools that he had brought along to force his -way into the U-boat. - -And then Dick saw his opportunity! Weddigen was still unmindful of the -presence of another diver, so intent was he on getting the treasure box -buried. Why not steal up behind Carl, grasp his signal lines and signal -for the emergency lift before the scheming diver could interfere? Up he -would go, leaving the unattached strong box behind him! - -"I'll do it, so help me!" the youth exclaimed in sheer delight. - -Stealthily he approached, taking every precaution not to stir up any -more of the sea bottom than he could help in order not to apprise -Weddigen that he was so close at hand. The latter by now had the box -in position and was prepared to swing the air hose in action. In a -moment or two the precious plans would be gone again--covered up by a -dastardly enemy of America! - -Dick was almost on top of Weddigen before the latter wheeled suddenly -to find that he had company. But as Carl swung round in his heavy -shoes Dick took one desperate lunge through the water in the direction -of Weddigen's helmet. His aim was true and his momentum despite his -weights sufficient to carry him to the mark. Eagerly he clutched the -signal lines over Carl's head. - -Weddigen saw the move and divined the intent--but all too late. As -Dick's fingers closed over the conspirator's signal lines he gave -one mighty tug and instantly released his hold, knowing full well -what would happen. And happen it did! Yanked off his feet by willing -hands on the deck of the _Nemo_ the hapless Carl Weddigen was carried -swiftly up through the swirling currents, leaving the salvage that he -had recovered and tried to lose again behind him at the feet of Dick -Monaghan. - -It had been Dick's only play and he had seized his opportunity, just -as at Brighton he had recovered many a fumble on the football field by -quick thinking. - -"Thank heaven!" he murmured in prayerful gratitude. - -Dick now was free to make fast the strong box and hoist it away. Taking -a short length of chain from his belt he trussed up the box securely, -affixed one of his cables and gave the signal to raise away. Up went -the chest over his head, and then he gathered the abandoned tools that -Weddigen had left behind him, strapping them to his sides. - -"Now for the _Nemo_ and the story of Mr. Carl Weddigen and his -despicable infamy before he makes a getaway." - -Presently Dick was back again on the deck of the _Nemo_, still fresh in -body and spirit and none the worse for his rather long stay on the sea -bottom. - -So impatient was the lad to be released from his diving armor that he -could scarce contain himself. Glancing through the eye ports of his -helmet he noted that Weddigen was being relieved of his armor, and that -he was scowling fiercely at those who were assisting him. - -Captain Austin and Jay Thacker were standing close by Dick, waiting -only his release to congratulate him on the recovery of the government -formulas and charts from the sunken U-boat. They had no idea as yet, of -course, as to how they had been reclaimed, for Weddigen had given them -no tangible story. Instead he had proved evasive. - -"Good work, boy," Dick heard Captain Austin say, as his helmet was -lifted. A proffered hand was extended him. - -"Gee, chum, I sure am proud of you," Jay was smiling--all smiles. - -But not so Dick. Anger blazed in his eyes and he emerged from his -diving accoutrements with something like the ferocity of a beast of -prey released from its trap. - -While the captain of the _Nemo_ and Diver Thacker looked on dumbfounded -Dick fairly leaped across the deck in the direction of Weddigen and -shook a fist under that diver's nose. - -"You dirty dog of a traitor; don't think you will get away with it this -time." - -Weddigen recoiled under the fury of the verbal attack, his own teeth -showing like a whipped cur that has been backed in a corner by a giant -mastiff. - -Instantly there was a great hubbub on deck, members of the crew -jostling about just as a crowd collects on a public thoroughfare at -the least sign of a commotion. It was not the first time that Diver -Weddigen was thus confronted by one of the Brighton boys. Sailors of -the _Nemo_ recalled on the instant the scene after the recovery of the -diamonds from the _Dominion_. - -"You are a spy in the service of the German secret service and a -cowardly villain to the very core of your heart." - -Dick Monaghan was fairly railing at the cowering diver. By now Captain -Austin had edged up closer with Jay Thacker right at his heels. - -"Captain Austin, this man Weddigen recovered that chest of government -plans from the U-boat; but he was trying to get rid of them again. He -knew that Jay Thacker and I would stay here as long as you would let us -in an attempt to reclaim them, and that in the event of our failure to -salvage them the U. S. Navy would have persisted until it had gotten -them back again. And so he tried to do away with them when he realized -that it was impossible now ever to get these plans out of this country." - -Captain Austin stepped away aghast with rage. - -"What! Do you mean----" - -Like a human machine gun Dick rattled off the story of what had -happened on the floor of the ocean; how he had come upon Weddigen -tugging away at the chest; how he had stood watch while the diver made -ready to bury the precious documents, and how he had intervened just in -the nick of time. - -Through the whole recital Weddigen cringed like an animal afraid. His -face was ghastly white, but with it all he endeavored to keep quiet -and self-possessed, ready to take advantage of any opening. - -"I've suspected him from the very beginning," Dick was saying. "The -first day you broached this proposition to us, Mr. Thacker found him -spying at the keyhole of your office. Only yesterday, when Mr. Thacker -was telling you how he planned to get into the U-boat, this chap -Weddigen bobbed up unexpectedly." - -Captain Austin was nodding in a knowing way. - -At this juncture some one else took a hand in the proceedings. Jay -Thacker stepped forward. - -"Captain Austin, I'm neither a quitter nor a squealer," he began. Just -for a moment he paused, and then resumed. - -"You recall the scene on the day that we came back with the diamonds -from the _Dominion_--or rather, when Weddigen came back with the -diamonds. Weddigen was accused by Larry Seymour of having stolen some -of the glittering gems and secreted them in a slit pocket in the side -of his diving suit. Weddigen explained that the chest had come open and -that he had slipped some of the jewels into his pocket only when they -were in danger of being lost." - -The captain of the _Nemo_ remembered it all. - -"Very well, captain, I had intended always to keep silent," continued -Jay. "You seemed satisfied to take his word for it; and I did not feel -like speaking out for fear you and some of the fellows would think I -was only jealous because Weddigen had gotten the diamonds and I had -not. But now I'm going to speak out and tell the truth." - -Jay looked full into the face of Weddigen, fearlessly and intently. In -return he was met with a bitter look of scorn. - -Pointing his finger directly at the big diver, Jay said: - -"Weddigen stole those diamonds. By the light of his own flash I saw -him break open the chest in the captain's cabin of the _Dominion_ and -transfer some of those sparklers to his pockets. As God is my judge, I -saw this man take those diamonds." - -The hubbub increased. The crew of the _Nemo_ seemed about to leap on -the accused diver. - -"Since he didn't get away with the theft because of the alertness -of Seymour," Jay continued, "I decided to let the matter go by. But -now that he's been caught again, and this time in a dastardly effort -against the country that we all love, I'm telling the whole story. -He's a thief and a traitor, and Dick Monaghan and I have the goods on -him." - -Jay's dramatic climax in high-pitched voice with an extended hand that -shook with rage aroused the crew of the _Nemo_ to a wild frenzy of -rage. With one accord they moved toward the indicted diver. A traitor -to the United States! More yet, an emissary of the vaunted German -secret service working right in their very midst! - -"String him up! Give him his due! Kill him!" the cries were -intermingled with the hoarse guttural exclamations of the -_Nemo's_ crew. They were minded on the moment to mete out justice -themselves--the mob-rule spirit when it has been whetted to white heat -passion. - -In this trying situation, Captain Austin, exponent of law and order, -took a hand. Enraged as he was at the revelations concerning Weddigen, -he was determined there should be no informal lynching party aboard his -craft. Better to make a prisoner of the man and turn him over to the -United States Government for a trial that would bring out interesting -information and certainly result in punishment of a fitting nature -being visited upon this miserable spy. - -Whipping out his revolver the captain advanced through the crowd to the -side of the dismayed diver. - -"He's my prisoner, boys; I'll just lock him up and take him back to -Bridgeford with us, where we'll turn him over to Uncle Sam." - -As for Dick and Jay, they were thinking not so much of the fate of -the discomfited diver, but of the precious government plans and -formulas that had been saved from falling into the hands of foreign and -unfriendly powers! Weddigen had overheard and knew all the time! - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -INTRODUCING THE "JULES VERNE" - - -"All out for the _Jules Verne_!" - -A familiar voice sounded in the ears of Dick Monaghan as he swung -up through the big shipyard at Bridgeford bound for the office of -Superintendent Brown in the hope that he would find Captain Austin and -his own chum, Jay Thacker, and learn from them some interesting news -concerning the next move to be made in the game of deep-sea salvage. - -"All out for the _Jules Verne_!" It was a familiar phrase to every -Brighton student. At the academy, it was always "all out" when the boys -quit their books at night for a romp in the corridors before "lights -out." - -"All out yourself, old chappie," retorted Dick. "And what's the good -news this morning?" - -"The good news is that the _Jules Verne_ is ready for her maiden trip -out into Long Island Sound, and we are bound thither, old boy, by the -light of this afternoon's sun." - -Dick was pleased. They had been back nearly two weeks now from Cape May -and the recovery of government plans from the lost U-boat. There had -been some tedious delay in fitting out the new salvage ship with its -finishing touches, and the inactivity had tried the mettle of the two -lads. - -Eagerly they set their steps toward the offices of "Montey" Brown, -the yard superintendent, intent upon procuring further and definite -information. On the way they were accosted by "Laughing Larry" -Seymour--"the original optimist" the boys had labeled him. - -"Look who's here!" chortled Jay as Larry came swinging along. - -For once the volatile Seymour was repressed. - -"Heard the news yet today?" Larry was all earnestness. - -"Sure, we know all about the _Jules Verne_--" Jay was in excellent -spirits and not to be daunted by the changed demeanor of the usually -debonair Seymour. - -"Naw, I don't mean the _Jules Verne_! I mean this." - -Larry snatched a newspaper from his pocket and was pointing to a -glaring front page headline. - -"Spy Suspect Escapes Receiving Ship _Exeter's_ Brig at Charlestown Navy -Yard in Boston--Carl Weddigen, Believed to be German Secret Service -Emissary, Makes Getaway on Eve of Trial." - -It was a copy of the Providence _Journal_ that had come into Bridgeford -by the morning mail. Seymour was ready to "blow up" with indignation. - -"What do you know about that!" he was groaning. - -Jay and Dick, their faces buried in the outspread sheet, read every -detail of the news item. How their erstwhile shipmate, Carl Weddigen, -he of the diamond-theft fame and the U-boat plot, had slipped -his chains at Boston, dropped over the side of the _Exeter_ and -successfully made his getaway. Within a few days he was to have been -haled before a Naval Board of Inquiry; and both Jay and Dick were to -have appeared as witnesses in the case. - -"Out of luck!" expostulated Jay. "Just after we round up that -bird--then they let him slip away. Fine state of affairs." - -Weddigen was soon forgotten in the plans for going aboard the _Jules -Verne_ and testing her out on the initial voyage. Captain Austin, -meeting the three lads near the drydock, told them they should report -for duty at seven o'clock the next morning. Jay had heard that they -would go out that same afternoon; but now their chief executive told -them it would be morning before they would get their first peek at the -new salvage ship. - -The hours dragged slowly, so impatient were the youths to see the -_Jules Verne_ at last. They had heard so much about her and speculated -so much on the kind of ship that it might be and how it would operate. -Even carefree Larry Seymour, not much given to the serious side of -life, avowed for once all this secrecy had "got his goat." - -"Must be something wonderful's all I can say," he laughed with a toss -of the head. - -"And tomorrow we're to find out all about it," Jay could hardly wait. - -Morning found the three youths on hand early. Fismes, the war dog, -accompanied them to the yard. Jay had wanted to take the pet along on -the _Nemo_ as a mascot, but it had been decided there was no space -on the under-water craft for a dog. Now it might be different; for -the _Jules Verne_ was a surface cruising craft from which under-water -operations were conducted--that much the boys had wormed out of Captain -Austin. - -"Cap" himself was waiting to greet the lads and escort them aboard the -_Jules Verne_. - -"Ho! Ho! what have we here?" interposed Captain Austin as he wheeled to -look the dog over. - -"Some tramp dog that followed you fellows in?" - -Jay was quick to tell the story of the famous dog of war, and to -introduce Fismes formally to the Bridgeford Yard official. - -"Good enough, old boy," was Cap's greeting as he took the extended paw -of the dog. - -"And now you shall come right aboard the _Jules Verne_ with us. We -need a mascot for this new ship. I know of none better, and forthwith -propose you as a member of the crew. What do you say, boys?" - -Jay and Dick, who shared the pet between them, heartily agreed, and Jay -told how he had really wanted to take Fismes along on the _Nemo_, but -had desisted, knowing there would not be room. - -"But there's plenty of room on the _Jules Verne_. Come along, fellows; -let's be on our way." So saying, the four deep-sea navigators set out -for the new craft, closely pursued by a shaggy brown dog, who, stiff -and proud, walked like an animal all conceited over new honors heaped -upon him. - -"Here she is all ready for us," announced Captain Austin as they came -at last in sight of the _Jules Verne_. - -Both Brighton lads stopped short in their tracks. They had expected -to see something pretentious. Instead, here was anchored a flat -wide-beamed vessel that at first glance looked for all the world like a -car-float with the superstructure of a ferry boat. It might have been a -houseboat at one time in its career. - -But what particularly struck the fancy of the boys was a strange -ram-like nose that projected straight out from the bow of this -odd-looking craft. At this distance it looked like a series of huge -steel cistern sections linked together after the fashion of a long -sewer system. For approximately a hundred feet this cylindrical -projection extended out from the bow of the _Jules Verne_. Less than a -third of it was exposed to view, the remainder being under water. At -the end it terminated in a queer flatiron-shaped turret something like -eight or ten feet across at the back and tapering forward to a thin -prow of inches. - -Truly this was a strange looking outfit! Never in all their maritime -experience had the boys seen anything like it. - -"You sure have one on me," faltered Dick as he surveyed the craft. - -Jay was shaking his head too. "Might be the houseboat on the Styx so -far as my store of knowledge is concerned." - -Captain Austin turned to Larry Seymour. "What do you think of her?" - -"Nix for me, Captain; you have me buffaloed," was all Larry could -hazard. - -Captain Austin laughed aloud. - -"I thought you chaps would be surprised. Well, now let's see. The -_Jules Verne_ is the mother ship"--he pointed out the "houseboat" that -had first caught the eyes of the boys. "She is nothing more than an old -Fall River liner that we bought in and converted into our own uses. She -is simply the base of operations. We live on the _Jules Verne_. She -takes us wherever we want to go and she is entirely seaworthy, I assure -you. - -"Now, look at the access tube." The captain was pointing now to the -long cylindrical tube that led away forward from the bow of the _Jules -Verne_. "That is the way we get into the _Nautilus_. Oh, yes, the -_Nautilus_ is really the big secret of our plan. It is the small diving -compartment that sets out there in the water." - -"You mean the flatiron-shaped section nearly awash?" queried Dick. - -"Exactly," replied the captain. "Call it a diving bell if you will. -What we have here is two distinct vessels connected by a long -passageway. 'The Subway' as Superintendent Brown calls it. First we go -aboard the _Jules Verne_. Then we find the lost ship on the bottom of -the sea that we want to work on. When we are ready we lower the access -tube and the _Nautilus_ right over the wreck. Down goes the tube. -Down we climb just like walking down an enclosed ladder. Through the -air-lock--and there we are in the _Nautilus_! Don't you get it?" - -Jay and Dick nodded understandingly. - -"Tell us more about the _Nautilus_," asked Dick inquisitively. - -"Well, the _Nautilus_ is nothing more or less than a submarine diving -chamber," explained Austin. "It is set on the end of the access tube -by means of a huge differential that enables it to work back and forth -like a flexible hinge. Under the _Nautilus_ and under the access tube -are ballast tanks. You boys who have been in the submarine and the -diving business in the Navy know how easily that works. We raise or -lower the diving compartment simply by 'trimming,' or blowing the -tanks. In case the ballast apparatus gets out of commission, we have -the _Nautilus_ suspended on cables. They will bring her up again if she -gets stuck down there." - -"Oh, I commence to see it now," interrupted Jay. "The mother boat, or -_Jules Verne_, is like your shoulder. The access tube through which you -effect an entrance into the _Nautilus_ is like your arm. The _Nautilus_ -is like your hand. You raise or lower at will, and you can put the -_Nautilus_ down in the water at a distance equal to the length of the -access tube, or arm. Isn't that it?" - -"Exactly, my boy," countered "Cap" Austin. "And can't you see the -advantages of such an equipment? Heretofore, we have had to send you -divers down to go groping around over the bottom of the sea after we -found our quarry. You had to prod and dig and scratch around to find -out the condition of the lost ship, how best she was to be entered, and -all that. And by that time, you were pretty well played out and had to -stop until you got in good trim again." - -"To say nothing of the tides and the storms that kept pulling us away -from our work," added Dick. - -"Right you are," continued the captain. "But now all that is done away -with. When we come to a wreck now we lower the _Nautilus_; you chaps go -down with us and from the ports of the _Nautilus_ we inspect the wreck -without one of you having to step a foot on the bottom of the sea. When -we have looked her over carefully and are all ready to get down to -work, then we can let you out the bottom of the _Nautilus_, instead of -sending you over the sides of the _Jules Verne_. What do you think of -that? Think of it! You are already down in the sea a hundred feet or -more. You are not only conserving your strength, but you are much safer -than when out in diving armor floundering around in quest of your prey." - -"What is the _Nautilus_ like inside, and how does she operate?" Dick, -mechanically inclined, was eager to solve the whole of this riddle. - -"You shall know intimately for yourselves within a very short time," -answered his captain. "We are going right aboard now, and as soon as -Superintendent "Montey" Brown and a number of officials higher up come -along we are going to cast off and go out in the Sound to make our -first practical tests." - -That was good news to the Brighton boys and Larry Seymour. Headed by -Captain Austin and followed by their good friend Fismes, they crossed -the gangplank and stepped on the deck of the _Jules Verne_. - -"Not made for grace or beauty, but a very practical old craft," -remarked "Cap" as he led the way forward. The new recruits were anxious -to learn all about the new diving operations as quickly as possible. - -In a few minutes the rest of the party came aboard and the _Jules -Verne_ slipped out into Long Island Sound--ready for business! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -DIVING DE LUXE - - -"All right, boys; now for the _Nautilus_." - -It was the voice of Captain Austin, hailing the Brighton boys and their -chum Larry Seymour. The three youths, with Fismes at their backs, had -been sitting on a forward promenade as the _Jules Verne_ worked her way -through the shipping that lined the Bridgeford harbor entrance. By now -the new diving ship had escaped the confines of the harbor and was out -part way between the dimly distant shores of Long Island and the state -of Connecticut. Occasionally a train on the New Haven flitted along the -far shore line. A passenger steamship from New York to Boston via the -Sound had but passed. - -"Here's where you get your first peep at the _Nautilus_," said Captain -Austin, as the boys climbed down the companionway to the main deck. -Superintendent Brown nodded to the three youths and then in turn -introduced them to a party of gentlemen composed of officials of the -Bridgeford Company and others who had been interested in the formation -of a syndicate to back the new diving ventures. Members of the party -had heard of the boys' war record, and also of their work on the -_Dominion_, and on the U-boat off Cape May. The lads found themselves -the objects of much attention. - -Captain Austin confided the information that this first trip of the -_Jules Verne_ was to acquaint all hands around with the operation of -the apparatus. In other words, it was to be a demonstration that would -point out the feasibilities and practical virtues of the new plan. He -told them that his company still held the assignment for the recovery -of the gold from the old _Dominion_, but reclaiming the gold bullion -was a man-size job and they had decided to use the _Jules Verne_ for it -if the practical tests turned out satisfactorily. - -"You boys come along now," sang out Captain Austin as he climbed into a -huge hatch standing above deck and lowered away into the depths below. -Without further ceremony the boys followed suit, Jay going first, -followed by Dick and Larry. Fismes had to stay behind, but barked -furiously to manifest his displeasure at being deserted. - -Lowering away from handrail to handrail down the wide hatch, "Cap" -Austin arrived finally at the bottom of the opening, closely pursued by -the others. - -"Low bridge now, fellows," he cautioned. - -And low bridge it was as the party entered the access tube. Like an -oblique ladder leading downward the tube stretched away into the sea. -The steel piping was less than four feet in diameter, and the only way -to negotiate it was to duck down almost on all fours and make your way -along laboriously like a telephone repairman in a conduit. Electric -lights were stationed at intervals along the way to light up the -submarine tunnel. - -"Keep your head down, Fritzie boy, or you'll get an awful bump on the -cranium," cautioned the ship's captain. - -"Now we are going into the air-lock chamber, boys," he told them. "We -are down below the surface of the Sound something like eighty-five -feet. When we get on the deck of the _Nautilus_ we will be down an even -hundred feet. Follow me right through." - -In response to the captain's tapping on a huge port immediately to his -right it had swung open like the fire door of a huge locomotive. There, -in the encircling frame, was the face of Superintendent Brown. - -"Welcome, boys. 'Will you step into my parlor?' said the spider to the -fly." - -The yard official was all smiles as he greeted the boys. - -Captain Austin set his foot through the aperture and crawled through -into the adjoining chamber alongside the superintendent. The boys -followed suit as rapidly as they could. - -They found themselves now in a narrow little prison not more than -four feet high, six or seven feet long, and about two feet wide. With -difficulty the five men distributed themselves in the place. Crouched -closely together, shoulders touching each other, they filled the whole -compartment like so many sardines in a can. - -"This is the air-lock chamber, boys," announced Superintendent Brown. -"From your submarine experience to date you can easily understand the -function of this chamber. We have just stepped in here from the access -tube where there maintains the air pressure of the surface. We want -to go from here into the _Nautilus_, where we can roll back the open -hatch from the bottom of the craft and gaze upon the very sea itself -held in abeyance. How would you go about it, Mr. Monaghan?" asked the -superintendent, knowing of Dick's predilection for mechanical problems -and his desire to pursue his education through college. - -Just for an instant Dick hesitated, and then answered: "I should say -you would have to equalize the air pressure, sir." - -"And you are right," answered the Bridgeford official. "That is exactly -what we have to do here. It is out of the question to go directly from -the pressure of the surface to a pressure of one hundred feet below -the surface. We simply come into this air chamber, shut ourselves off -completely from the world above us, and then step ourselves up to the -required air pressure for one hundred feet." - -So saying, the superintendent slammed shut the door of the port through -which the party had entered the air-lock from the access tube, and -made it doubly secure with a stout pin that slid into place behind a -reinforcing bar. - -"Now to let some more air into the chamber." - -Immediately an air-cock was opened and with a hissing sound a great -volume of compressed air came into the little chamber so tightly filled -with humanity. Wsh-h-h-h-h! it resounded through the narrow space -like the blow-off of a mighty steam exhaust. Just for a few seconds, -and then it was turned off. Even though he had experienced divers -aboard who were accustomed to working in high pressures below water, -Superintendent Brown was taking no chances. It was always best to go -slow, because with every foot of submergence there is an increase of -air pressure upon every square inch of the body's surface of no less -than .43 of a pound. - -At a depth of 100 feet under the sea the total pressure would be -approximately 45 additional pounds pressure against every square inch -of the body. With the average human body representing a surface of -about 2160 square inches, that meant that at a depth of 100 feet a dead -weight of more than 97,000 pounds would be pressing against the body of -each of them. Under such circumstances the blood is forced away from -the surface of the body. The veins become thin, while the deep-lying -arteries are overworked. - -It was a matter of but a short time until, consulting the pressure -gauge, the superintendent found that he had admitted a sufficient -amount of compressed air to equalize the difference between the surface -and the one-hundred-foot submarine level. - -"Now into the _Nautilus_!" As he said this, "Montey" opened the huge -port leading into the diving chamber and stepped through. He was -closely followed by the remainder of the party in single file, and -presently they had emerged in the compartment or working chamber. -Two or three men could work in it comfortably; five filled it too -completely. There was just room for the quintet to stand about easily -without bumping each other. - -Electric lights made the chamber as light as a Broadway office building -in the evening. An electric fan buzzed in one corner to keep the -air on the move. A telephone hung on the wall just to the left of -Superintendent Brown's head. Just at that moment it tinkled merrily. -The official took down the receiver. - -"Hello, hello. Yes, this is Brown. Yes, we are all fine and dandy. Yep. -We are ready. Go ahead now." - -The superintendent turned from the telephone. - -"They are going to move us ahead slowly in the water now. All hands -stand by. Maybe we may run into something." - -Just then a slight jarring motion indicated that the mother ship, -the _Jules Verne_, had gotten under way, and was steering the tiny -_Nautilus_ ahead of her through the waters of the Sound. - -"Now you get the advantage of this system, boys," the superintendent -was saying. "Here you are much safer and much more comfortable than if -you were out there on the bottom floundering around in diving armor. -You can just stand here at ease, breathing normally, with plenty of -fresh oxygen pouring down from above, and with no unfavorable symptoms -of any kind." - -To impress this point, the superintendent switched on an air-cock to -emphasize the point that the _Nautilus_ was completely in touch with -the mother ship up at the other end of the hundred-foot access tube. - -"Look here, boys!" Captain Austin, standing by one of the huge ports -that dotted the face of the _Nautilus_ on either side of the prow, -beckoned them to look out. Through the misty green of the water their -eyes could carry quite a distance with the aid of the bright sunlight -above. Certainly it was light enough so that in the event of any lost -ship being encountered it could be seen in plenty of time. - -Through the floor of the _Nautilus_ the green of the sea showed all -around. The water raced along under the glass of the aquascope as the -_Nautilus_ was pushed steadily ahead. Virtually the whole floor of the -diving bell was framed in a trap that could be raised and lowered at -will; and, from their own knowledge of submarine affairs, the Brighton -boys knew that with the air pressure within the _Nautilus_ equal to -that of the water itself at a depth of one hundred feet, this flooring -could be rolled back, and still the water would not come into the -_Nautilus_! - -"I know just what you are thinking about," laughed the superintendent, -as he caught a glimpse of Jay and Dick surveying the transparent -flooring of the _Nautilus_. "You are thinking what a wonderful thing it -is that we can open the bottom of a craft submerged one hundred feet -down, and yet no water pour in upon us. And it truly is a wonderful -thing. Just like the Lord opened the Red Sea and enabled the children -of Israel to get across and outwit their pursuers." - -Larry Seymour, to whom the experience was all new, was losing no part -of the proceedings. - -"But what if your air pump went on the bum about the time you opened up -that flooring?" he questioned. - -"If the air pump failed, it would not affect the water, but would cut -off our breathing supply," answered the official. - -"How long could we last down here?" - -"Oh, two or three of us working alone could stand it for some hours -without any relief." - -"Suppose some one opened the breech caps leading out into the access -tube while the aquascope was up?" - -"Wow-wow! In would come Mr. Ocean, and I guess it would be all day for -the chaps who would be caught down here." - -"Here you are, boys; see the whole panorama of the sea bottom unfolded -before you," remarked the superintendent as he directed attention -downward through the aquascope. The lads looked in turn and saw the -sea-bottom plainly revealed, with all its sandy bottom and its jagged -contour of shells and marine life. The floor of the _Nautilus_ was, -in fact, so close to the bottom that it was almost touching. Brown at -once gave the signal to the engine room of the mother ship that stopped -the _Nautilus_. With another flip of the air pressure he raised the -flooring of the chamber and there lay the limpid waters of the Sound, -held in check completely even at this depth by the pressure of air -within the chamber! - -"By Jove! You just stopped in time," exclaimed Captain Austin as he -turned from one of the forward ports. - -"What do you mean, Captain?" asked Superintendent Brown. - -"Look here," replied "Cap," indicating the port and motioning the fleet -superintendent to look out into the green haze of water. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -AN UNEXPECTED FIND - - -Closing the aquascope of the _Nautilus_ with a quick turn of the -air control, Superintendent Brown stepped lightly across the diving -compartment of the new salvage ship to the side of the fleet captain. - -"What's up, Cap?" he inquired casually. - -Austin was peering intently straight ahead through the water. The -_Nautilus_ was moving slowly to and fro with the rise and fall of the -tide, but her progress forward through the water had been checked by a -signal to the engine room of the mother ship, the _Jules Verne_. - -"Looks like we had accidentally run upon a wreck our first day out." -Captain Austin had his gaze firmly directed upon the outlines of some -object near at hand, the character of which he was not at all able to -make out as yet. Perhaps it was just a shifting sand formation; or -possibly an apparition in the water due to the passage of the sun -behind clouds, or a school of fish in the bay. - -Superintendent Brown took up his station at another port just to the -left of the captain. His eyes by now, directed by Brown, rested on the -identical object that had first claimed the attention of the captain. - -"Blamed if I don't think you are right, Austin," remarked the -superintendent after a bit. - -He suggested that the _Nautilus_ be moved forward slightly in order -that the two might get a more comprehensive view of the "phantom ship" -that had loomed out of the mist like some specter of the deep that -Jules Verne himself had conjured in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the -Sea." - -Cap Austin fell in with the idea, and at once took down the telephone -connecting with the _Jules Verne_. - -"Move us forward until I give you one bell and then stop right on -the trigger," was the order to the engine room of the mother ship. -Instantly the _Nautilus_ was propelled forward through the water. At -the ports stood the two officials straining their eyes intently. - -Jay and Dick stood conversing in low tones, while Larry kept up his -inspection of the diving chamber. This was a new experience for him and -he was distinctly not at home. - -"Looks like it is a small craft of some kind ... might be a destroyer -... perhaps a fishing boat ... no, it's bigger and of a different -design ... well heeled over to port ... close enough." - -Fragments of the conversation between Cap Austin and the yard -superintendent floated back to the ears of the Brighton boys. They were -as interested as their elders in the proceedings. What an extraordinary -thing if on this first trip of the _Jules Verne_ and the _Nautilus_ a -lost ship should be found! - -"Don't you think we had better stop now and drift up a bit with the -tide?" the superintendent was asking. - -Captain Austin thought it better to go just a little closer. Ten or -fifteen seconds passed when he leaped forward suddenly and rang the -bell for the engines to be stopped immediately. Quietly and with -scarcely a tremor the _Nautilus_ glided to a standstill in the deep. -The locomotion of the craft surely was perfect. - -"Navy craft of some kind," ejaculated the superintendent after a brief -pause. During the interim he had been studying the object now close at -hand. - -"I can see old battleship gray paint first of all," he added. - -A naval craft! For the moment Captain Austin was nonplussed. Surely no -one knew Long Island Sound better than he; and he had no recollection -on the moment of any naval craft having been sunk there for some years. -True, during the war, there had been naval maneuvers of all kinds in -the Sound, particularly of the lighter draught vessels stationed at -various points from the Brooklyn Navy Yard up to Rock Island, Maine. -But none----And then it dawned on his mind: A sub-chaser--the E-70. -Sure enough, such a craft had been accidentally rammed one day by one -of the new Lake submarines just off the ways. Although valiant efforts -had been made to save the craft after she had been rammed, all the work -had been in vain. Down she had gone in many fathoms of water. - -"I have it. It's the E-70 that went down last August," exclaimed the -captain as he turned to the superintendent. - -"Montey" listened while "Cap" Austin unfolded the whole story of the -disaster that had wiped a ship from the roster of the U. S. Navy. - -"Suppose we make sure of our identification then, particularly since we -have been so fortunate as to run upon a derelict our very first trip -out," suggested the superintendent. - -Captain Austin agreed that it would be the ideal thing to thoroughly -test out the _Jules Verne_ and the _Nautilus_ with a minute inspection -of the find that fate had so coincidentally thrown in their way. - -Accordingly they jockeyed the _Nautilus_ to and fro through the water -until they had found the bow of the submarine chaser. Jay and Dick had -been reminded by their captain to keep their eyes open and take in -every detail of the operation of the new diving craft. - -"It will be only a matter of a very few days at the most until you -chaps will be down here as workmen instead of guests, and you might as -well get acquainted with the new boat and learn everything about her -you can," the executive had told them. - -Needless to say, they were more than taking it all in; they were -acclimating themselves to the very best of their versatile natures. It -was marvelous how well the craft could be handled. The telephone kept -them constantly in touch with the mother ship. In case they wanted to -stop or start suddenly, it was not necessary to wait for the telephone. -An electric buzzer rung in accordance with a pre-arranged code of -signals told the engineer just what to do. - -By now the aquascope, or windowed floor, of the _Nautilus_ was poised -directly over the bow of the lost sub-chaser. By moving the chamber -slightly to the left it was possible to lower away toward the bottom -until the name of the lost craft might be noted from the ports of the -_Nautilus_. - -"Drop her down gradually now and I'll keep a sharp lookout," said the -superintendent, at the same time directing Dick to take his position -at the other port and likewise to pay all attention toward finding the -telltale mark of the supposed submarine chaser, E-70, on the starboard -side of the bow. - -Jay remained by the side of Captain Austin. - -"This is one thing you want to learn well in advance and to keep -constantly in mind," the ship's executive cautioned as he signaled the -_Jules Verne_ to swing the _Nautilus_ lower in the water. - -What the captain had in mind was the equalizing of pressures. Every -time the _Nautilus_ was lowered deeper in the water it was necessary -to take a greater air pressure into the big diving chamber before the -aquascope could be raised. The depth always showed on the depth-dial. -Also the amount of air in the chamber was registered by a clock-like -gauge. In a crevice on the steel wall hung a small framed schedule -under glass showing the air pressure necessary to suit varying depths. -As yet the process had not been made automatic. The engineer had to -keep this whole proposition constantly in mind. - -"See anything yet, Montey?" the captain asked of the superintendent as -the _Nautilus_ dropped slowly away into the depths. - -Nothing by way of identification was yet discernible, even though the -superintendent had turned on the powerful submarine searchlights with -which the _Nautilus_ was equipped, and, with the assistance of Jay, was -sweeping the sides of the derelict. - -For several minutes they cast about in the water, when of a sudden Jay -exclaimed eagerly: - -"Hold right there." - -Instantly Captain Austin checked the movement of the diving outfit. - -"There! That looks like E-70 to me," exclaimed Jay. The superintendent -moved over beside him and as Jay withdrew from his port station peered -out through the water. - -With the glaring light of the _Nautilus'_ reflectors shining more -dazzlingly at this close range than any extraneous natural light that -filtered through from the sun, Superintendent Brown beheld the crude -yet only partially obliterated legend: "E-70." - -"Fine and dandy!" he shouted. "It's proof positive. The craft out there -is none other than the lost U. S. submarine chaser that was rammed last -summer, as Captain Austin has told us. A fine feather in the cap of all -of us. A find the first day out." - -The superintendent's enthusiasm was contagious. It spread to Larry -Seymour like wildfire. - -"Three cheers for the _Nautilus_ and the _Jules Verne_!" he cried in -his excitement. - -Deep down under the water, all unseen by the world, these five -submarine navigators rejoiced over the success of their venture. This, -the first trip of the twin diving craft, had so far proved eminently -satisfactory. - -"Boys, we have here the positive proof tangibly before our eyes," -said Superintendent Brown. "But suppose, in order to convince our -many friends upstairs on the deck of the _Jules Verne_" (he pointed -laughingly up "The Subway" out of the _Nautilus_), "we take something -of the E-70 along with us as a souvenir? What say?" - -Everybody nodded assent. - -"What will it be?" asked Captain Austin. - -"Oh, say a smokestack or one of her boilers," snickered the -superintendent, who had a rare good sense of humor for all occasions. - -"Suppose we take the whole blooming sub-chaser with us," shot back -Austin, not to be outdone in the pleasantries. - -They resolved to go fishing for a souvenir of the E-70, and accordingly -signaled the _Jules Verne_ to be lifted in the water. So soon as the -_Nautilus_ had been raised level with the sloping deck of the submarine -chaser he flashed again for a stop and then buzzed for a slow movement -ahead. Unerringly the tiny diving chamber was pushed forward directly -over the forward deck of the E-70. Through the aquascope at their feet -the five men in the _Nautilus_ could see the outlines of the lost craft -silhouetted against the background of the sea bottom. - -"Now to go down slowly," mused the ship's captain. Gracefully as in an -elevator in the Woolworth Tower the _Nautilus_ was eased down until it -was poised directly over the forward deck of the E-70 to starboard. - -"See anything you can get a hold of?" asked Captain Austin as he -brought the _Nautilus_ to a stop not more than five or ten feet from -the submarine chaser. - -Everybody in the party, including the superintendent, was down on his -knees peering through the aquascope. - -"Sure as a cat has kittens!" yelled Larry Seymour. "Slip me a knockout -if I don't see one of that old busted bird's binnacle lamps still -hanging there. See it!" He was pointing now and directing the others -where to look. - -Soon they saw it. And no sooner was it spied than every last one of -them resolved they would stay down here now until they had their -souvenir. Forthwith Captain Austin signaled the _Jules Verne_ again to -be lowered. Three feet was all he wanted. - -And then the miracle again. One hundred feet down in the embrace of -the ocean, bottled up in a diving chamber that stood directly over -a shipwreck, suffering not, even though working in a high-pressure -atmosphere, these five men saw the floor beneath them rolled away again -and the water of the deep sea held completely in check,--an unseen hand -of compressed air hurling it back as King Canute would have swept the -ocean back from the strand! - -"Get it, Seymour," said Superintendent Brown, pointing to the binnacle -lamp of the E-70. For there it was directly beneath the open aquascope -of the _Nautilus_. - -And the debonair young Mr. Seymour, now quite at ease in the diving -chamber that had been both a riddle and a nightmare to him when he came -below for the first time, nonchalantly sat down on the floor of the -_Nautilus_ and thrust his legs out into the sea. With no more effort -than though he were hauling out a huge sea carp, he leaned down and -tore from its rusted fastenings the binnacle lamp of the E-70. Willing -hands reached to assist him lift it into the _Nautilus_; but Larry was -more than equal to the occasion. - -"There it is--E-70," exclaimed Superintendent Brown, pointing to -lettering on the side of the lamp, still visible through rust. - -"And some souvenir to take to our friends on the _Jules Verne_," -replied "Cap" Austin as the party made ready to vacate the _Nautilus_. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -TRAPPED IN THE DIVING BELL - - -Jay Thacker and Dick Monaghan, together with their friend Larry -Seymour, took to the new diving ship of the Bridgeford Salvage Company -like the proverbial ducks to water. Starting with their first trip the -day they reclaimed a binnacle lamp from the deck of the lost submarine -chaser E-70, they showed a ready aptitude for the work at hand and soon -proved themselves adepts. - -News of the _Jules Verne's_ accomplishments had been flashed to all -corners of the world and maritime engineers were much interested. Many -of them came to inquire into her merits and were well pleased after an -inspection of the twin craft. - -Usually Jay and Dick worked together in the diving chamber. At times -they had little to do except to keep an eye upon things generally. -Upon these occasions they had ample opportunity to discuss their own -personal affairs, and so naturally fell into talk about the new -college year. Both were anxious to make the 'varsity football team for -one thing and they were wondering how many of the old boys would be -back and what the chances would be for turning out a championship team. -The gridiron sport was their favorite. - -"Wonder if Bob Greer and Chick Wharton will be back?" speculated Jay, -recalling that it was a great game the pair had won through their -individual efforts in the last game they had played for Brighton just -before enlisting for the war. - -"Yes, and I hope Jack Hammond and Ted Wainwright are on hand, too," -replied Dick, recalling two of his best chums who had enlisted early in -the Navy and gotten into the submarine service. - -One day in early August the boys had gone down in the _Nautilus_ to -place a bomb under the deck of a coal barge that had been located that -morning. More than two thousand tons of coal were to be reclaimed and -the boys realized they would come in for a good premium on the job, -which meant a lot to them, in view of their anxiety to get together as -much of a pile as possible before college opened in the fall. - -Larry Seymour as usual was in charge of the big centrifugal pump--the -"All Day Sucker," as the crew had termed the old pump with which coal -cargoes were raised. - -Everything was working fine. Without a hitch the _Nautilus_ was dropped -in the Sound by the _Jules Verne_ until the access tube lay like the -hypotenuse of a huge right-angled triangle that had the _Jules Verne_ -for its upper apex and the bottom of the sea for its base. - -Casting about over the deck of the barge, Jay, who was really the -executive officer of the diving chamber with Dick as his assistant, -found a suitable spot for a base of operations. Quickly the aquascope -of the _Nautilus_ was rolled back and the waters of the Sound lapped at -the edges of the trap door. - -It was necessary only to make an opening large enough to insert the -time bomb that Jay had brought down from the _Jules Verne_. This was -but the matter of a few seconds' work. While Jay worked at the opening -Dick arranged the mechanism of the time clock. His knowledge of and his -predilection for mechanics made him an expert at this kind of business. - -"She's all ready," he told Jay in a few minutes. - -"And I'm all ready for you, too, chum," came the reply. - -Together they lowered away with their legs through the aquascope until -they stood on the deck of the barge. They were in water up to their -knees, while the rest of their bodies were safe and dry within the -enclosure of the _Nautilus_. Carefully the bomb was inserted and so -held that it would be most likely to rip open a good-sized hole in the -deck when it exploded. - -"Let's go, chum," counseled Jay as they completed this final phase of -their immediate task. So saying they crawled back into the _Nautilus_ -and while Dick attended closing and making fast again the aquascope, -Jay turned to the telephone to tell Larry they were ready to be raised -again. - -"You set that bomb to go off soon, didn't you?" called Jay to his chum, -as he took down the telephone receiver. - -"Yep, in seventeen minutes--just at one-thirty sharp," answered Dick. - -To which Jay nodded in approval and then turned to the telephone. - -"Raise away, Larry; we're all set down here and anxious to get out of -the way." - -In the small chamber of the _Nautilus_ both boys could hear the voice -at the other end of the wire when the one holding the receiver kept it -slightly removed from his ear. - -"Will take you up in two minutes," came the reply from Larry on the -deck of the _Jules Verne_. - -The two minutes went by, but so far as the boys could tell the -_Nautilus_ was not in motion. The depth dial still showed a submergence -of eighty feet, the distance to the deck of the coal barge. - -"Must have forgotten us," mused Jay as he stepped again to the -telephone. - -"Your two minutes are up and we are still waiting, Larry; better hurry -it up." - -There was a pause, and then came the voice of Larry from the other end: - -"Cap wants to know whether you have set your time bomb and when it is -to go off." - -"All set to go off at half-past one--in just a quarter of an hour," was -Jay's rejoinder. - -Jay turned from the telephone with the statement to his chum that the -air pump of the _Jules Verne_ was working none too well and that the -chief engineer, with Cap Austin, was trying to find out what was the -matter. - -"Well, all I've got to say is they better get it working before very -long or you and I are in danger of being blown up when that bomb goes -off in the coal barge directly underneath us," suggested Dick. He was -not exactly an alarmist; but the situation had possibilities that did -not appear at all inviting. - -"You forget there is another way for us to be raised," was Jay's -come-back. - -Dick had forgotten for the moment. - -"You forget that when the air pump fails the _Nautilus_ is raised by -steel cables. Deckmen wind us up with those huge winches that stand -well forward on the _Jules Verne_ near the hatchway leading to the -access tube." - -"Sure enough!" exclaimed Dick. This secondary method had quite escaped -his memory for the present. Reassured, the boys put fear out of their -minds and awaited developments. - -Five minutes sped by, and still nothing happened. Going to the -telephone Jay asked again how they were getting along above. - -"Gee, pal, I'm sorry, but they don't seem to be making much headway as -yet," came Larry's reply. - -As Jay listened he could tell that Captain Austin was talking to -Larry. He could hear him mention the word "bomb." - -"Cap says it don't look like as though we could get the pump going in a -hurry, so he is going to take no chances and will haul you up with the -cables," sang out Larry in return. - -"All right, let 'er go, for the love of Mike!" yelled Jay. - -Time was indeed getting short. In ten minutes more the bomb in the -coal barge would go off. There was nothing else to do. Either the -_Nautilus_ had to be raised at once or the time bomb in the coal barge -had to be disengaged to avert what might prove to be a disaster for -the two Brighton boys. Since the air pump was out of commission it -was impossible for the boys to go out through the air-lock into the -access tube. There was no way to swing back the heavy doors with the -compressed air cut off. - -Neither could the ballast tanks under the _Nautilus_ and the access -tube be blown out so long as the air pump on the _Jules Verne_ was out -of commission. - -In this extremity the cables were the only means of lifting the -_Nautilus_ out of the depths. The men must be working now, for it was -some job to wind the winches by hand, and progress through the water -would be so much slower than if the diving chamber were "trimmed" in -the regular way. - -Jay and Dick were not cowards. They had proved that a number of times -in school and while they served in the Navy abroad during the war. Each -youth had proved his gameness on more than one occasion. So in the -present extremity they were far from flabbergasted at the failure of -the air apparatus on the mother ship just after they had placed a time -bomb in the coal barge. Cool and collected they awaited developments. -Each was a quick-witted lad and could be counted on to make the best of -any situation. - -Finally the telephone bell rang. Jay wrenched off the receiver. Larry -was talking like a phonograph in high gear. - -"Bad news, fellows. Just as they were winding for the first heavy pull -on the cables the right main cable on the under side of the access -tube snapped clean in two. The whole system of cables is put out of -business. Cap says----" - -At this juncture Captain Austin leaped forward and took up the -telephone. - -"How much time have you got until your bomb goes off, boys?" he called -down the tube, quietly and without any show of apprehension. - -Jay eyed his watch for a second. - -"Not more than five minutes," came Jay's even reply. - -"There's only one thing to do," the Captain told him in reassuring -tones. "Our pump has gone back on us and the steel cables have parted -on us--a combination of hard luck that would not happen once in a -thousand years. Can you get your bomb back in any way and detach it?" - -Jay said they would try, and turned toward his chum. "It's our only -chance now, Dick," he told him. - -Together they flung back the aquascope to grapple for the bomb they had -set under the deck of the coal barge. But to their horror and dismay -they found that the tide had swung the _Nautilus_ slightly away from -the opening in the barge--at least three or four feet! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -AN EXPLOSION IMPENDS - - -There was now no chance to avert the explosion of the time bomb within -the coal barge. On the appointed time it would go off as arranged -and unless the mechanism by some freak of luck refused to work; but -the chances on this score were few indeed. The mechanism represented -the very latest scientific thought and the bomb was essentially for -submarine work of this character. - -"Looks, chum, as though we were in for the fireworks," smiled Dick, who -was as cool as though he were standing on the twenty-five yard line at -Brighton waiting for the ball to be passed for a try at a goal from the -field. - -Jay had not yet given up hope of getting the _Nautilus_ moving, or of -escaping from her in some way. He looked at his watch. Little more than -a minute until the bomb would go off! - -"Why in the name of sense don't they start the engines of the -_Jules Verne_ and back her away from the barge?" he ejaculated in -consternation. By moving the _Jules Verne_ the _Nautilus_ also would be -moved. - -"Didn't you hear Larry say there was a breakdown in the engine room of -the _Jules Verne_ that was the cause of the whole trouble?" put back -Dick, who was by far the more self-possessed of the two. - -Slowly Jay shook his head in affirmation. Memory had fled with the -rapid flow of events of the last quarter of an hour. Was it any wonder -his senses reeled? Two youths completely trapped in a diving chamber -that was poised directly over a coal barge in which a high explosive -time bomb was set to go off now at any time! - -There was a chance, of course, that the detonation might not be severe -enough to damage the _Nautilus_. The bomb might explode outward or -downward instead of spending its energy upward under the keel of the -diving bell. In that event the shock might not be sufficient to rend -the seams of the light steel chamber in which the Brighton boys were -crouched awaiting the inevitable crash. If--but no one could tell under -circumstances like these just what would happen. - -"If we could only get into the air-lock we would be farther away from -the explosion and less likely of being bashed up," said Jay as he -looked toward the exit chamber. - -"Yes, and if we could get into the air-lock we could get out into the -access tube," added Dick. - -Steadily they gazed into each other's eyes. Jay held his own watch -in his hand, while Dick at intervals looked at the tiny steel clock -behind a wire socket on the side of the _Nautilus_. By the rays of an -incandescent bulb Dick could see that the minute hand had just turned -twenty-seven minutes after one o'clock. - -Tick by tick the clock was measuring off the few seconds that remained -until the time bomb in the coal bunker underneath was scheduled to go -off. Like two men sentenced to die before an enemy firing squad the -Brighton lads stood facing each other in the diving compartment. Just -the trace of a smile showed over their faces. They clenched hands in a -firm grasp. - -"In half a minute more----" - -The jingling of the telephone bell jarred the stiff silence and stirred -the boys from their stupor. As though hypnotized, they had stood -awaiting the finish, not thinking of any further movement calculated -to free them from their predicament. They had figured everything that -could be done for their rescue having been thought of, or tried out. - -But now the jangle of the telephone receiver, Jay moved to take it -off the hook and as he did so his right foot struck the pin that held -the aquascope in position. When the pin was removed the trapdoor, or -aquascope as they called it, opened upward of its own accord on an -air-cushion that worked on the principle of a door cushion. - -And that was what happened at this particular moment in the _Nautilus_. -The aquascope opened upward, leaving the limpid waters of the Sound -purling at the very feet of the two boys. Just for a second the boys -recoiled in horror, thinking now they were in greater danger. With the -door open there was more chance of the force of the explosion below -being felt within the _Nautilus_. - -Dick sprang to close the aquascope in the few seconds that remained -until the explosion. But imagine his surprise when Jay intercepted and -hurled him away from the trap. - -"Quick, chum, follow me," cried Jay in wild acclaim. - -The opening of the aquascope had given the youth an inspiration. Yes, -he would do it. It was a last desperate chance, but there was no reason -why it would not work if carried out in time. - -Even as Dick started back in consternation when thrust from the -aquascope Jay literally leaped feet first into the aquascope as though -he were jumping into a miniature swimming pool. Down he went until his -feet struck at last on the deck of the coal barge. In this position he -stood in water up to his chest, with his head and shoulders still in -the _Nautilus_. - -"What are you going to do?" gasped Dick. He had failed yet to grasp the -significance of his chum's quick move. - -"Dive out of here and take my chances on shooting up to the surface," -came the instantaneous reply. - -Then it dawned on Dick. What his chum intended doing was to let himself -out of the _Nautilus_ through the trap door, dive free of the salvage -chamber and shoot up to the surface. And why not? They were down about -eighty-five feet, and they were accustomed to the pressure of that -depth since the pressure in the _Nautilus_ had had to be equal that -of the water outside in order to open the trap safely. A sickly grin -spread across the Brighton youth's face. Why hadn't either he or Jay -thought of that before? - -"Come on, Dick, follow me," urged Jay, and almost before the words -escaped his lips he quickly took a full inhalation into his lungs, gave -one last look at his chum and ducked down head first into the waters of -Long Island Sound through the open trap of the _Nautilus_. - -Like some weird specter in a motion picture drama Dick beheld the -spectacle at his feet. First he saw Jay's head under the water; then he -saw his chum flatten out under the bottom of the _Nautilus_, and as he -looked again he could faintly make out Jay's feet as they faded away -from the darker expanse of the barge deck below. Jay had cleared the -_Nautilus_ safely. - -"Here goes, too," gasped Dick to himself as he leaped through the -aquascope. Almost instinctively as he let go, his eyes lifted to the -tiny marine clock in its basket-like cage. Right on the half hour -mark showed the minute hand. With a last frantic gasp for breath -Dick pulled himself down into the embrace of water. Down out of the -_Nautilus_ into the embrace of water and into such close proximity with -that infernal coal bomb! - -"If I can only hurl myself--quickly--to--one--side--before----" - -Just then the bomb exploded with a frightful force that rent the -waters of the Sound in that particular locality with the force of an -earthquake. In the midst of this maelstrom were the two Brighton youths -who had taken a last desperate chance when it seemed they were doomed -to die like rats in a trap. - -What--Where----!!! - - * * * * * - -Up on the deck of the _Jules Verne_ there was the maddest confusion. It -had maintained for nearly half an hour, since the chief engineer had -first reported trouble from below. Frantically, members of the crew -were endeavoring to make the necessary repairs. In the meantime, every -one knew by now of the perilous position of the two Brighton boys who -had been working for some time in the _Nautilus_. - -"My God, man, we've got to get those boys up somehow!" raved -Superintendent Brown as he paced the deck. - -Captain Austin, his face tense with anxiety, was directing the knot -of men who were endeavoring to string up again a set of cables that -ran down along the access tube and connected under the _Nautilus_. -Fortunately, the captain had seen the break coming just before the -steel parted and the severed ends had been held before they had dropped -overboard. - -Watch in hand, Captain Austin was keeping tabs on the time limit until -the bomb in the coal barge was scheduled to go off. Eagerly the captain -had scanned the bay in every direction for some other vessel that might -stand by and give them help. But not a craft showed anywhere close, -not even a sailboat. Unfortunately, the _Jules Verne_ had not as yet -been fitted out with wireless, and there was, consequently, no way to -communicate ashore or with any other vessel. - -"How are you coming, boys, on those cables?" Superintendent "Montey" -Brown kept inquiring every minute or so of the repair crew. - -They were making progress, but it was slow work. Splicing was no easy -task, especially with steel wire. If brand new cables could be run out -it would be a much easier proposition; but that was out of the question -with the _Nautilus_ on the bottom of the Sound over the coal barge -eighty-five feet under water. And there were no diving suits as yet on -the _Jules Verne_ for just such emergency cases as these. - -"Tell them to keep a stout heart," Captain Austin reminded Larry -Seymour several times, who was at the telephone and signal booth -connecting with the _Nautilus_. - -Larry in turn reported that he could not always get a reply from below. - -"Probably they are trying some way to worm their way out," suggested -Larry, who was nearly beside himself with worry for his two old pals. -Poor old Jay and Dick! They had been such good friends for so long. Was -it possible now that some disaster was to overtake them? - -It was while Larry was thus painfully reviewing the possibilities of -the next few minutes that Captain Austin suggested to the boys in the -_Nautilus_ that they try and put the time bomb in the coal barge out of -commission. Eagerly the would-be rescuers on the _Jules Verne_ awaited -developments. - -"It can't be done now, for we have moved away from the opening in -the deck of the barge a yard or so," had been the answer sent up by -Jay after the two imprisoned Brighton youths had inspected the barge -through the aquascope of the _Nautilus_. - -Well, the only chance hope of rescue now, it seemed, depended on -getting the cables spliced and the winches winding before the bomb was -detonated. Like beavers the deckmen of the _Jules Verne_ were exerting -themselves. It was a fight for two lives, and the men of the _Jules -Verne_ were spending themselves to the limit. - -"How much time remains?" asked Superintendent Brown after what seemed -an eternity of tugging with the torn cables. - -In turn he was told that less than five minutes remained. By the -clock in the chart house of the _Jules Verne_ it was just twenty-six -minutes after one. And Jay had sent up word that the bomb was set for -one-thirty! - -As a last resort Captain Austin called for volunteers and asked that -they dive from the deck of the _Jules Verne_ as the bomb was exploded -in the coal barge and see whether they could find any trace of the two -Brighton boys in the water, or learn whether or not the _Nautilus_ -had been ripped open wide by the force of the explosion. A half dozen -stepped forward, and the captain asked them all to be ready. - -"Stand by the telephone and try to get them so soon as the explosion -goes off, for they may not be hurt at all," were Larry's orders. With -receiver glued to his right ear he sat awaiting the crash. - -Just then the foreman in charge of the cable repairs reported that he -could commence to wind in another half minute. - -"Tell Thacker and Monaghan we are going to raise them now by the cables -and to keep a stiff upper lip down there," commanded Austin. - -Larry buzzed and buzzed, but in vain. No answer came from the interior -of the _Nautilus_. What had happened? Larry was frantic as he pushed -down hard and harder on the button. - -"Look!" cried one of the crew forward as he pointed off the starboard -bow of the _Jules Verne_ at an object that had just shot up out of the -water. It was the head of a man! - -As members of the crew of the _Jules Verne_, with Superintendent Brown -and Captain Austin in the lead, swarmed to the side of the ship there -came an upheaval from beneath and a tremor that shook the old boat from -stem to stern. It was as though a geyser had let loose directly under -the new diving ship. - -"The bomb! It has exploded!" Larry Seymour, his face ashen white, -sought anew to get a telephone communication with the two Brighton boys -whom he loved so dearly. - -But even as he despaired there came a welcome cry forward. - -"Thacker! It's Thacker! He escaped unharmed from the _Nautilus_." - -But where was Dick? - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A DOG TO THE RESCUE - - -Even as the crowd of sailors on the _Jules Verne_ cheered, Jay Thacker -turned on his back in the waters of Long Island Sound and waved a -hearty salute to his friends. Unharmed, he had completely escaped from -the _Nautilus_ just a few seconds before the bomb was exploded in the -sunken coal barge. - -"Jay! Jay! Keep afloat--we'll have you in a minute," yelled Larry -Seymour as he crowded to the rail, tears of joy streaming down his face. - -"Catch the rope!" Jay heard the cry from the deck of the _Jules Verne_. -Turning he beheld a group of sailors and from their midst one who was -ready to cast a line. But even before the line was hurled the figure of -another lithe youth poised for a second on the rail and then dived into -the water. - -"Good boy, Seymour!" came the re-echoing shout. And in the next moment -Jay saw the round and puffing face of Larry directly beside him. It -was Larry who had dived overboard to the rescue. With a few strokes he -was close up and thrust a sturdy shoulder under Jay's shoulders. Jay -had turned on his back to rest for a moment. - -"Thank God, boy, you got out!" gasped Larry. "Are you hurt? Can you -swim?" - -Jay replied he was still able to take care of himself. - -"Better look for Dick; he must be somewhere around here," was Jay's -rejoinder. - -But taking no chances, Larry supported his old friend until the line -had come over the side of the _Jules Verne_. When Jay had taken hold -and was being yanked aboard Larry turned and swam back in the general -direction whence Jay had come, hoping against hope that he would be -able to find some trace of Dick. But he was nowhere in sight! - -As for Jay, he was given a wonderful welcome when at last he was hauled -over the side of the _Jules Verne_. Eager hands clasped him and landed -him in safety at last upon the deck of the vessel. - -"Thank heaven, lad, you are safe again--I had almost given up hope of -ever seeing you again!" exclaimed Captain Austin as he clasped Jay with -a fatherly hug. - -"Nor I either," said "Montey" Brown as he, with others who had come out -on the trip of the _Jules Verne_ and _Nautilus_, crowded around. - -But Jay was thinking of something else. Dick! Where was his chum, Dick -Monaghan? What had happened to him? - -"We've got to find him somehow; I am sure that he followed me out of -the _Nautilus_. He said he would follow suit as I prepared to lower -away through the aquascope." - -Under orders of Captain Austin a small dory was being lowered aft, -manned by a trio of sailors who had orders to patrol the waters just -forward of the _Jules Verne_ over the spot where the _Nautilus_ had -been submerged. - -"Let me go along; I've got to find my chum," wailed Jay as he saw the -boat going over the side. But friendly hands restrained him. He was in -no condition for further effort after his hazardous exploit. - -Just then there came a cry from the bridge of the _Jules Verne_, where -a number of visitors had taken their station earlier in the day to -watch the demonstration of the new diving craft. - -"Look! What's that object floating in the water off the port bow? Not -more than three or four points off and about fifty feet ahead." - -A gentleman in panama hat and palm beach suit, a representative of a -maritime magazine, who had come aboard as a guest of Superintendent -Brown, was pointing out over the water. - -Immediately all attention was directed that way. Jay had come up out -of the depths on the starboard bow of the _Jules Verne_; so, of one -accord, passengers and crew of the vessel surged to the port rail and -scanned the waters of the Sound. Jay was one of the first across the -deck. - -"Where is it? What is it?" he called out excitedly. - -The journalist pointed. Every eye followed the general direction -indicated by the pointing finger. - -"Some object floating in the water. Can't see what it is from here," -added the lookout. Several others standing by his side agreed there was -something out there in the water. - -"It's Dick! It's Dick, my chum!" Jay was in a frenzy and would have -leaped overboard to go to the rescue had he not been restrained. -Captain Austin by this time had run aft and with megaphone in hand -directed the sailors in the dory to row around the stern of the _Jules -Verne_ and come up on the port bow of the vessel. - -In all this confusion, amid all the babel of voices, there resounded -the furious barking of a dog. Fismes, an eye-witness of the rescue of -Jay, had become all excited, too, and was giving vent to himself with -raucous barking. With canine instinct the animal seemed to sense the -situation. And when everyone began pointing in a certain direction over -the side, the dog concluded there was something out there demanding -attention; something to be retrieved from the water. - -It required no word of instruction, no exhortation, to tell this dog -what to do. Gathering himself with all his strength, the lean hound -leaped from the deck of the _Jules Verne_ directly into the water. No -one told him to go; none had an opportunity to hold him in check. - -"Fismes! Fismes! Good old dog! Go to it!" screamed Jay in sheer delight. - -Almost breathlessly the crowd on the ship watched the dog. As though -guided by some uncanny power the dog swam straight and true in the -direction of the floating object. Was it the body of a man? Was it the -form of Dick Monaghan? The dog knew not; he sensed only the fact that -something was floating out there in the water, and it was something -that all eyes on board were watching. - -"Good dog, Fismes!" they were shouting. - -On and on the faithful canine swam with all the strength of his slim -legs. And soon he had reached the side of this mysterious object and -set his teeth in it. They who were shouting encouragement from the -_Jules Verne_ saw all this and marveled at the strength of the animal. -They saw him take a firm hold. They saw him stop for an instant. They -saw him start to swim again, this time toward the ship--and towing the -object along through the water as best he could! Only a dog--but what a -wonderful animal! Swimming superbly and maintaining a vise-like grip on -the salvaged object. - -A mighty shout arose from the deck of the _Jules Verne_. - -"It's Monaghan," came the cry from Superintendent Brown, who had rushed -into the wheel-house for a pair of glasses that he might get a closer -view of the magnet that had lured the dog into the water. - -"Hurrah! it's Dick! Hurrah for Fismes!" screamed Jay in a perfect -delirium of joy. - -And Dick it was. By this time the rescue boat had arrived alongside and -dragged both the inert form of Dick and the wet, tousled dog into the -dory. One of the sailors was tugging at the blouse of the rescued diver -and feeling for the heart pulse. The other two pulled with all their -might for the _Jules Verne_. - -"He's still alive," the sailor shouted as the dory came alongside. - -"Thank God for that!" cried Jay as he bent over the rail of the _Jules -Verne_ looking down into the face of his chum. The eyes were closed and -the body crumpled in an inert mass. But life still remained, and surely -the spark that remained could be fanned again into a flame! - -Tenderly they took the unconscious Brighton youth aboard. Expert hands -began working over him immediately. First the water was drained out of -the throat and lungs. Then next the pulmotor was brought into action. -Every device known in the resuscitation of the drowned was applied -under the direction of Captain Austin. - -And in the meantime a lean brown German police dog answering to the -name of Fismes was being patted and fêted by an admiring throng! - -By and by they who ministered to the unconscious diver were rewarded -by a flicker of the eyes and a stirring of the pulses that bespoke the -return of life. The pulmotor with its stores of precious oxygen was -getting in its effective work. And none watched more solicitously than -Jay Thacker as he knelt close beside his old Brighton chum. - -"Dick! Dick! Open your eyes. Speak to me," pleaded Jay. - -And presently the eyes opened. Just for an instant and then closed -again. Slowly but surely respiration became normal again. The splendid -physique of the boy who had always taken good care of himself and lived -a normal outdoor life was standing him good in the pinch. Where a -weakling would have succumbed to such an ordeal the athletic Brighton -student who had served his country so faithfully and efficiently in the -Navy was pulling through. - -After what seemed an eternity to Jay consciousness came back at last to -his chum. Opening his eyes Dick gazed first into the face of his old -"bunkie." - -"It's you, Jay," he mumbled feebly. - -"Yes, Dick, old boy, it's Jay," sobbed the latter. The strain had told -on Jay. He was about ready to collapse but held himself together by -sheer grit. And now he was rewarded, for Dick had been saved. Jay could -only throw his arms around Fismes and hug the dog in his delight. - -Jay told them all and in turn asked what had happened on the mother -ship that had put the air pumps and the engines out of commission. -Engineers were still working on repairs, and by now had succeeded in -getting the engines working again. But it was some time before the air -pumps were working. - -In the meantime Dick responded wonderfully to treatment. For a time -he was completely bewildered, knowing not what had happened to him, -where he was and how he had been brought back again safe on the _Jules -Verne_. But slowly it all came back to him and he was able to tell what -had happened to him. - -It developed that just as he had lowered away through the trap of the -_Nautilus_ to follow Jay in a desperate effort to escape to the surface -from the depths the bomb in the coal barge had exploded. Just as he -had dipped his head into the water it had gone off. Caught off balance -in an awkward position before he had had a chance to dive from the -deck of the barge, he had been flung against the steel side of the -_Nautilus_. He had felt the impact, and then he knew nothing more, for -the blow had rendered him unconscious. - -And then, in turn, Dick heard the story of how his body had been -discovered floating in the water, and how Fismes had dived overboard to -the rescue, and held his friend safely until a rescue boat picked them -both up. Dick's eyes gleamed as he heard of the splendid part played in -the rescue by the war dog. - -"Where is he?" asked the Brighton boy. - -Jay sprang up on deck and came back presently with Fismes, fairly -carrying him all the way. - -"Here he is," he cried, as he appeared again in Dick's bunk room with -the dog. - -Old Fismes, wagging his tail and laying his silken ears back by way -of recognition, stalked sheepishly across the room and licked the -outstretched hand of the youth on the cot. - -"I owe my life to you, and I'll guard your life as long as life is -spared to me," said Dick as he pulled the nose of the dog over on the -counterpane and stroked the still wet head. - -"Back to Brighton he goes with us; and he'll be the best mascot the -academy ever had," added Jay emphatically. - -Dick nodded approval with a smile and sank back on his pillow to rest -again, weak from the exertion. - -In another hour the repairs had been completed and the _Jules Verne_ -was able to move again under her own power. The _Nautilus_ had been -raised, but so far there had been no opportunity to determine whether -the diving chamber had been damaged. - -"But that is small concern, indeed, when we consider the fact that -these two brave young divers are safe and sound again after a terrible -experience," exclaimed Superintendent Brown as he directed Captain -Austin to start back again to Bridgeford. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -HONORS FOR HEROES - - -It was the sixteenth day of August. Only a month remained until -Brighton Academy was scheduled to begin another school year. And what -a year it promised to be! Many lads who had dropped out of school at -the beginning of the World War were expected to return again to the -familiar dormitories to renew old friendships and to continue the -interrupted courses of study that would fit them either for college -entrance or for active careers of usefulness in the world of work. - -None looked forward more eagerly to the commencement of this new school -year than Jay Thacker and Richard Monaghan, the two lads who had been -spending the summer vacation, following their discharge from service -in the spring, with the Bridgeford Salvage Company in the reclamation -of lost treasure and in testing out new apparatus lately devised by -shipyard officials, together with noted scientists. - -Ten days' rest had served to restore the boys completely to good health -again after their harrowing experience in the _Nautilus_ when they had -been trapped at the bottom of Long Island Sound. Jay had come through -entirely unaffected by his experience. As for Dick, he had felt the -effects of his experience more severely. The bump that he had received -when hurled against the side of the _Nautilus_ by the explosion of -the time bomb in the sunken coal barge had bruised him up somewhat, -although no bones were broken. The nervous strain, together with the -prolonged stay under heavy pressure, had left their marks. For a few -days he had remained dazed; but in the end his iron constitution had -triumphed. Expert medical attention, combined with complete rest, had -brought him around in fine shape again. - -One morning just a week after the affair in the Sound the boys were -summoned to the office of Superintendent Brown. - -"Bring Fismes along with you," was the additional summons. - -Arriving half an hour later at the headquarters of the shipbuilding -officials, the Brighton boys were surprised to find all the officials -of the company assembled, together with other distinguished looking -persons, none of whom they recognized. - -"Come right in, and bring that dandy dog in with you," the -superintendent called when the boys' arrival was announced. - -In walked the trio, the war dog falling into dignified step between his -two masters. Eager eyes turned to catch a glimpse of the illustrious -dog and his even more illustrious sponsors. At this juncture, Mr. John -R. Walter, the president of the Bridgeford Company, stepped forward and -greeted the Brighton boys. Jay and Dick had heard his name, of course; -but not until now had they had the privilege of knowing him. - -"I have wanted to know you boys for some time," he began. "I have heard -of you both, as indeed the whole world has lately. It is a pleasure to -know such manly fellows, and I want here personally to congratulate -both of you for your splendid work with this company during the last -month or so. I have heard of your school and of your desire to complete -your education there, now that the war has ended and you have served -your country so well. You are, indeed, a great credit to Brighton -Academy. This is not said, my boys, by way of flattery, as I believe -you are both too level-headed to be victims of self-conceit. What I -have to say is merely in recognition of your good work, and is only a -deserved tribute." - -The president took from his inner pocket two long envelopes. One he -handed to Dick; the other to Jay. - -"Take these, please, as a token of our appreciation and an expression -of our goodwill and kindly interest in both of you. Please do not open -them until you have withdrawn from this assemblage. It is not possible -to place a value upon what you have done for us lately, but possibly -this may prove of some value to you in your plans for pursuing your -education to its completion. With all my heart I wish you God-speed -wherever you go and whatever you do." - -Overwhelmed by the unexpected ovation, the lads could only mumble their -thanks as they took the proffered envelopes and transferred them to -their own pockets. Deferentially they bowed, while the little audience -grouped about them in the shipbuilders' office applauded. And then -President Walter turned to the dog. - -"It is a pleasure also to know this great dog," he continued, -stroking the head of the hound. "He, too, is worthy of some special -recognition. To that end, gentlemen, I desire to introduce Mr. Henry -LeFevre, of New York, representing the Society of the Blue Cross." - -Mr. LeFevre stepped forward and explained about the organization -that he represented; how it was an international organization that -looked after the interests of animals, particularly horses and dogs. -Throughout the war it had rendered valiant service on the battlefields -of Europe looking after the interests of the Animal Kingdom. - -"The brilliant work of this dog in rescuing his master from Long Island -Sound a few weeks ago came to our attention," he told the assemblage. -"We decided that such a meritorious act was deserving of fitting -recognition. So I am here this day personally to greet Fismes the War -Dog and his owners, and to confer upon this splendid dog the Blue Cross -of our Society." - -So saying, the speaker took from his pocket a neat plush-lined box -from which he lifted the beautiful decoration of the Blue Cross. He -stooped to fasten it on the collar of Fismes, but at this juncture -Superintendent Brown and Captain Austin stepped forward and suggested -that the dog be placed on the big mahogany table. Jay and Dick at once -lifted the hound to a place of honor amid the plaudits of the crowd. -Then, with a few well chosen words, the decoration was affixed. - -An impromptu reception followed the ceremony, everybody crowding around -to felicitate the Brighton boys and to pet the big hound on the table -who stood patiently taking it all in, alternately rubbing his nose over -the sleeves of Jay and Dick as they came close to him. - -"How much will you take for him?" asked one of the guests, a twinkle in -his eye. - -Dick smiled. "I reckon he's not for sale at any price," was his reply -as he put one arm around his protegée. - -"That dog is going to school," remarked Jay. "He's slated to enter -Brighton with us next month. He'll be the mascot of our athletic teams; -but all the time he'll be the particular pal of chum and me. We have a -special reservation for him in the academy stables." - -Soon it was all over and the boys with their pet had withdrawn. It had -been somewhat of an ordeal for the two modest youths, and they were -glad when it was all over. - -"Gee, I'd sooner be a prisoner in the _Nautilus_ any time than stand up -under that stuff," groaned Jay. - -"Well, I should say so," re-echoed Dick. - -But the big surprise was still in store. - -"What do you suppose is in here?" smiled Jay, taking from his pocket -the envelope that President Walter had given him. Dick followed suit. - -"I have no idea; let's look." - -They did. Imagine their joyful surprise when they drew out a check on -the Bridgeford Salvage Company for one thousand dollars each! - -"G-o-o-d N-n-n-ight!" was all Jay could say. As for Dick, he just -whistled and passed his hand over his face with a gesture of -bewilderment. - -One thousand dollars! It would permit them to finish their courses at -Brighton and give them a good start on their college careers. There it -was in black and white on a note that accompanied the checks: - -"From the Bridgeford Salvage Company as a testimonial of faithful and -efficient service in order that you may apply it to the completion of -your education." - -Both boys were overwhelmed with the bonus. They had expected to be -paid off at the expiration of their contracts, according to the terms -of the agreement under which they had been employed in June. This had -stipulated they would receive an additional honorarium in the event the -company was successful in salvaging any treasure during the summer. But -this additional check for $1000 was almost too good to believe. - -"Now we can go right through to the diploma at Brighton," chirruped Jay -as he danced around Fismes. - -"And have some left for college," added Dick. - -Delighted, they ran straight home to acquaint their families with the -good news. To have been so handsomely rewarded was something they -had never dreamed of. Now they were certain to go through with their -cherished plans for an education that would enable them to compete with -the best brains of the world. - -A few days later the boys received a summons to the office of "Montey" -Brown again. Their contracts ran on until September 10th, and they were -still subject to call. - -They found Captain Austin and Superintendent Brown awaiting them. - -"What do you say, boys, to a little more fun before you leave us?" -asked "Montey." - -"Good enough," replied Jay. To which Dick added a "Fire away." - -"All right," resumed the superintendent. "You remember we didn't finish -up the job on the old _Dominion_ off Martha's Vineyard. Remember, we -got most of the diamonds, but left the gold bullion. Thousands of -dollars' worth of precious metal down there yet." - -"What we want to do is to go back there and finish up the job while you -boys are still with us," "Montey" Brown was saying. "We propose to use -the _Jules Verne_ and the _Nautilus_ this time instead of sending you -down as divers from the _Nemo_--that is, if you are willing." - -Were they willing? Sure they were, and anxious to be off whenever the -salvage ship officials said the word. They said so, too, in emphatic -words that left no doubt as to the fact that neither of the Brighton -lads had lost his nerve as a result of their experiences of the summer. - -"Let's go, men," Jay responded. "We still have a few weeks of our -contract time left and nothing would suit us better than to visit the -old _Dominion_ again." - -That settled it. The boys were informed the _Jules Verne_ would sail -the following morning at sunrise and they would be counted on to report -in time for the sailing. - -The _Jules Verne_ and the _Nautilus_ had been completely repaired -again after the breakdown in Long Island Sound on the occasion of the -coal barge incident. Taken into drydock and carefully examined, it had -developed that the _Nautilus_ was intact, despite the bomb explosion. -None of her seams had been strained and she had been fitted out with -new equipment that made a repetition of the accident in which the two -boys nearly lost their lives next to an impossibility. - -So, on the following morning, the Brighton boys found themselves headed -again out Long Island Sound toward the Atlantic Ocean and the new seat -of action off Martha's Vineyard. - -"We'll have no Weddigen around this time to ball things up or put any -phoney stuff across again," remarked Dick as they discussed the work at -hand. - -That set them talking about Weddigen. Not a trace of him had been found -since his escape from the Navy Yard at Boston, although government -secret service men had sought everywhere for him. But the boys had -heard from the Navy Department concerning their exploit off Cape May -in reclaiming government plans and formulas from the submerged U-boat. -From the Secretary of the Navy had come a letter congratulating them -for their service. - -"I only wish Weddigen was here, though," said Jay. "I've got a score to -settle with him, and I'd enjoy nothing more than the chance to turn him -over to Uncle Sam." - -"Some day we may meet up with him again," returned Dick. "In that event -we'll see that he doesn't escape." - -Through the day the _Jules Verne_ made her way slowly along. Because -of the fact that she was pushing the _Nautilus_ along ahead of her, -navigation was necessarily slow. The speed was no better then eight -knots an hour. It was nearly dusk when they arrived in the vicinity of -Martha's Vineyard and quite dark when they approached the spot where -the _Dominion_ lay under many fathoms of water. - -Quite a stir was created aboard the _Jules Verne_ when Captain Austin -reported that another vessel of some kind had anchored for the night in -the immediate neighborhood. - -"As near as I can estimate it, she is anchored just about over the spot -where lies the _Dominion_," Captain Austin confided to the Brighton -boys as he climbed down from the bridge of the _Jules Verne_ and joined -them on deck. - -What manner of craft was this? Who was aboard her? And what was she -doing here in this neighborhood quite out of the path of ocean travel? - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -IN THE PIRATES' NEST - - -Peering through the darkness the new arrivals on the _Jules Verne_ -could scarcely make out the outlines of the other craft. She seemed at -first glance like a good-sized sloop with a leg-of-mutton mainsail that -bellied wide against the night skyline. And then again she appeared -to be a huge cabin cruiser. Lights appeared from a row of ports well -forward. - -"What do you suppose it is?" asked Jay as he edged up close to his -captain. - -"Likely an auxiliary craft of some kind--sail and motor," replied the -chief executive of the _Jules Verne_. - -For a few minutes the trio watched the other vessel lying to only a few -cable lengths away. Captain Austin had a glass that he trained on the -stranger. But it was too dark to get many details of her. - -"Who do you suppose he is?" asked Dick. - -Captain Austin shook his head. There was no way of telling. "Looks as -though some one had beat us to it," he mused. - -"Do you reckon they have gotten down into the _Dominion_ and gotten up -any of the bullion?" queried Larry Seymour, who had joined them. - -"Indeed, son, I haven't the least idea," said the captain. "It does -seem mighty strange that some one else should have anchored right -in the vicinity of the _Dominion_. Very few people know where the -_Dominion_ lies, and if this chap doesn't know, it surely is an odd -coincidence that he should be anchored for the night right where he is." - -The engines of the _Jules Verne_ were still in motion. The anchors were -just being run out and it was not possible to hear distinctly any noise -that might have been wafted over the waters from the mythical craft. -Captain Austin announced he would speak the vessel as soon as the -_Jules Verne_ had settled for the night and the engines had stopped. In -the meantime the crew indulged in all manner of speculation. - -"Maybe it is a United States revenue cutter," offered Dick. - -"Or one of the fishing fleet that has gotten off her course and stopped -here for the night," suggested Larry. - -"Might be some millionaire's pleasure craft, too," put in Captain -Austin. "She looks like a pretty swell boat, whatever she is. What do -you think, Mr. Thacker?" - -The captain turned to Jay. That youth slowly shook his head. - -"I'm not a trouble-hunter, but my own private opinion is that that ship -over there, whatever is she and whoever is aboard her, is here for no -good," replied Jay deliberately. - -"You mean--" began Dick. - -"I mean that I think those fellows over there right now are after the -gold in the _Dominion_," interrupted Jay. "They may have been here -for days. They may have the _Dominion_ pretty well cleaned out, or -they may have just arrived. At any rate, my hunch is that she is a -treasure-hunter--a submarine pirate." - -"How are we going to find out?" interrogated Larry, very much aroused -by the possibility of encountering a pirate. - -"Wait until morning, I reckon," answered Jay. - -Just then Captain Austin, who had moved off during the conversation, -came back. He was carrying a megaphone. - -"I am going to hail them," he announced. The _Jules Verne_ had been -anchored and her engines shut off. So the captain of the salvage ship -advanced to the rail and trained his megaphone in the direction of the -other ship. - -"Hello! Who are you?" he bellowed, slowly and distinctly. - -Eagerly the crowd waited. But no reply. Again the captain shouted and -still no response. A third time he shouted, this time in an even more -imperative tone. And back came an answer. - -"None of your business who we are. Who are you?" - -If there had been any suspicion aboard the _Jules Verne_ as to the -character of the other ship, that answer settled it. Whoever it was, he -was not going to make himself known. He was averse to disclosing his -identity and he wanted no interference, as was manifested by his saucy -answer. - -In reply Captain Austin gave no information to disclose his identity -either. Instead he yelled: - -"Never mind who we are. You can find out in the morning." - -And in that same moment he resolved in his mind that he would keep -the stranger well covered during the night and see that no effort -was made to escape. Turning from the rail, the captain immediately -called his executive officer and gave orders for the crew to be armed -with sidearms, that a sentry with a rifle be posted to starboard on -the side facing the stranger craft, and that a machine gun that the -_Jules Verne_ carried for just such protection as might arise out of an -emergency of this kind be mounted on the bridge. - -"Seymour, I want you to stand close by the wireless tonight, for we -might want you at any time," the captain directed. - -Officials of the salvage company had deemed it wise to arm the _Jules -Verne_; for, since her fame as a salvage ship had gone abroad it was -possible that pirate ships might lay for her and attempt to rob her. -The wireless had been installed also because virtually all sea-going -vessels were now so equipped. Larry Seymour, who had been with the -radio service while in the army, had proved an ideal man for the post -of wireless operator on the _Jules Verne_. - -With these preparations complete Captain Austin ordered all men below -for evening mess and called his two special divers, Jay Thacker and -Dick Monaghan, into his own stateroom to have dinner with him. The -three sat down to eat and were soon engrossed in a deep discussion of -the mysterious ship that was their neighbor for the night. - -"I'll say he has a nasty tongue in his head to answer the way he did," -said Jay. He was ready for a fight; his blood was up. - -"Mighty discourteous, to say the least," was the captain's comment. - -They were agreed by now that the strange craft had come to Martha's -Vineyard with some design rather than that she had accidentally -anchored for the night in the vicinity of the submerged _Dominion_. But -who she was and who was aboard her was more than they could surmise. -Only daylight would reveal her--provided she stayed that long. What was -to prevent her slipping away? - -"I'll tell you what we'll do"----Jay had jumped from the table, -overturning a plate of food in his excitement. - -"I'll go aboard her myself this very night. I'll find out who she is -and who is aboard her and what they are doing. I'll----" - -"How will you go aboard her? Row over in a small boat and take your -chances on being shot or done away with by a band of pirates? Not if I -have anything to say about it," said Captain Austin firmly. - -But Jay was insistent. Nothing would deter him, he said. He would -swim. It was the logical thing to do. If the ship were a pirate craft -they could take measures at once to capture her or wireless for help. - -"But you would be running quite a risk," offered the captain. - -"Nonsense," rattled off Jay. "That would be just a lark, and I am more -than able to take care of myself." - -In the end the leader of the salvage crew surrendered to his determined -diver. It was agreed they would wait until ten o'clock when all was -quiet and that no word should be spread among the crew of the _Jules -Verne_. So while Captain Austin went off to inspect the ship, and in -particular the guard whom he had posted, Jay repaired to his stateroom -and stretched out for a little rest. Dick was with him and Fismes -snoozed near the open door. - -"How many men do you suppose they have on board over there?" queried -Dick, pointing in the direction of the unknown vessel. - -"Goodness only knows; they may have a dozen or fifty," said Jay. "She -looks like a pretty big boat as near as you can size her up in the -dark. If they came out here after any of that gold you can make up your -mind they are well equipped to take care of themselves. They have -enough men to put up a good fight and quite likely are as well armed if -not better than we are." - -"What makes you think they are here after the _Dominion's_ gold? I -thought only a few people knew where the liner went down, let alone -that she carried such wealth," pondered Dick. - -"True enough," said Jay. "Not many people do know where she is. But -they could find out. You remember that we were out here once before -on the _Dominion_. Possibly some member of the crew of the _Nemo_ has -spread the news." - -Ten o'clock found Jay ready for the venture. He had divested himself -of all his outer clothing and had resolved to make the trip dressed -only in a bathing suit. The night was warm and the water just the -temperature for a cool swim. The youth went unarmed. - -"Just going out to reconnoiter a little bit," he had said. Jay's -plan was to get aboard the strange craft in some way, look her over -and report back his observations. What they would be he had not the -slightest idea. His sole intent was to learn something about the -unfriendly ship that had refused to divulge its identity and to bring -back this information to the _Jules Verne_. He resolved to go unarmed, -deciding not even to carry a dirk in his belt, although Dick had -suggested that for the sake of self-protection in a possible surprise -attack. - -"No, if the worst comes to the worst I'll just jump overboard and get -back here in a jiffy," Jay had said. - -Accompanied by his chum, Jay started from his stateroom for the bridge, -there to consult a moment with Captain Austin before leaving. On the -way the two Brighton boys dropped in on Larry Seymour in the wireless -room just to say "howdy." - -"Good enough, fellows," said Larry, as the two Brighton boys stepped -into the wireless station. "I've just been talking with a revenue -cutter--the _Marblehead_. She's anchored for the night in a cove about -five miles around the bend of the coast line from us." - -"Fine!" exclaimed Jay, as he brought his fist down on the table. And -then he added: "Tell him we might need his services around here pretty -shortly and to keep a sharp ear out for us." - -"I've already done that much," smiled back Larry, "and he's so -inquisitive he wants to know what's up. But I've told him nothing more. -He knows we are a salvage ship and that we are always likely to be -mixing it up with some highway--I mean high sea--robber." - -"Good work," answered Jay. "And now I'm off, fellows." - -Jay ran off for a moment to speak to Captain Austin and then came back -to the rail, where Dick and Larry awaited him. - -"You all right, chum?" queried Dick anxiously. - -"Never felt better in my life," the other answered. And then they shook -hands all around. - -Jay waved a farewell and went over the side on a tie rope. Soundlessly -he slipped into the water and straightway began to swim. He had laid -his course several times during the evening and found it easy going -because the strange craft had dim lights forward and aft. Jay's target -lay directly between. - -Accustomed to the water, a stout swimmer and in the best of condition, -he made rapid progress. The youth's chief concern was to make no -noise. By no means must he make the slightest sound that would betray -his approach to any who might be watching aboard the mystery ship. That -some one or perhaps many were on guard Jay felt only too sure. - -Here was a sure enough adventure! He prided himself on the exploit. It -was just what suited his daring nature. Like Bainbridge in the harbor -at Tripoli, or Hobson at Santiago! Jay remembered American naval heroes -who had performed spectacularly and bravely for their country. - -"This may not be war, but it's good live stuff all right!" He chuckled -to himself as he swam stealthily along in the water, conserving his -energy in every possible way and aiming true to his target. - -Presently he came close up to the craft. Yes, she was a palatial -auxiliary, just as Captain Austin had divined. Her sails were furled -by now and she was wrapped in a mantle of darkness save for her signal -lights and a solitary light that twinkled from the cabin ports well -forward. - -Jay swam closer. He was swimming slowly with only his face out of -water. What was that just over the rail on a line with the main mast? -The youth turned smoothly on his back and lay looking up on the deck -of the stranger craft. It was a guard! Jay could see faintly the glow -of a cigar and a moment later heard the man clear his throat! - -Immediately the Brighton youth swam in close to the side of the vessel. -There was less chance of being seen. Quietly he set his course toward -the bow. Likely the guard was only to starboard since that side was -next the _Jules Verne_ in the near distance. Jay resolved to go around -to the port side and take his chances there on getting aboard. - -Accordingly, he swam quietly forward and slipped around the bow of the -mystery ship, sliding in under her taut anchor chain. Once on the port -quarter, Jay worked his way rapidly along looking for a line that might -lead aboard the vessel. What was his great joy to find a rope ladder -fully extended and firmly held above. - -It was only the work of a minute to draw himself up, round over round. -At the rail he paused and surveyed the deck in both directions. No one -was in sight. Only from the cabin forward came a murmur of voices. -The guard--if there was one--was to the far side and apparently in -ignorance of the fact that a boarder had come over the side. - -Jay's mission was to find out something of the craft and her crew. -He resolved first to take a peep into that lighted cabin. Forthwith -he directed his course in that direction, keeping a sharp lookout on -either side of him. His presence so far was undiscovered. - -In a few seconds he had arrived by the nearest port. Now he must be -careful, indeed. Inch by inch he moved his head along until one eye -gazed through the glass. And what a sight! - -There in the cabin sat three men around a table. Upon the table were -laid a number of bars of shining metal. Gold--the bullion, at least a -portion of it, from the _Dominion_! - -The lad gasped. Here were pirates who had discovered the _Dominion_ and -salvaged some of her precious stores. But who were these men? Jay could -see the faces of two of them. They were unfamiliar faces to him. The -third sat with his back to the Brighton youth. But there was something -about the shape of the head, the contour of the shoulders and the -general physical build that was familiar. - -Who was he? - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE TREASURE RECLAIMED - - -Just then one of the trio stirred at the table and Jay drew back -hurriedly lest his presence be noted. At the same time the Brighton lad -heard the guard moving on the other side of the ship. It was time to -get out of here. And why not? He had seen enough to acquaint him with -the fact that whoever these men were aboard this palatial craft, they -were pirates bold who had filched from the _Dominion_ some of her gold -bullion. - -The lad hesitated not a moment, but quickly ran back over the deck to -the rope ladder and as deftly lowered over the side. He had come aboard -all unsuspected and undetected. Now he would hasten back to the _Jules -Verne_ and tell Captain Austin all that he had seen. It would be up to -the chief officer of the salvage ship to say what next should be done. - -"They must not get away at all hazards," Jay told himself. He hated to -go, for his own disposition was to confront these chaps and demand of -them by what right they had helped themselves to the gold that reposed -here in American waters where only qualified agents could search it -out. But that, of course, would have been foolhardy. The only thing to -do was to get back to the _Jules Verne_ and report his find. - -The trip back was as easily negotiated as the trip over. The distance -was short, not more than two hundred yards at most, and the athletic -diver found himself still strong and sturdy as he came alongside the -_Jules Verne_. A low soft whistle brought Dick to the rail in a hurry. - -"That you, Jay?" came the friendly challenge. To which Jay replied -affirmatively, and was quickly drawn aboard by the eager hands of his -friends. - -"What luck?" asked Captain Austin, who came up on the _qui vive_. - -Jay motioned them all into his stateroom and there, while Dick and -Larry rubbed him down and helped him into his clothes, Jay told the -whole story as rapidly as he could. Captain Austin, Dick, Larry and -Jay--these composed the group--with the addition of Fismes, who was -snoring in one corner. Wide-eyed, they sat hearing the whole narrative. -Patiently they heard him through. - -"Did you recognize any of them at all?" asked Captain Austin. - -"No, not one, except that one looked familiar," replied Jay. And then, -in explicit detail, he told of him who seemed to be the leader of the -trio in the cabin, who sat with his back turned. - -"I could not get a look at his face, but he looked familiar to me and -I've been trying to place him in my memory," added the youth. - -After deliberating for a time Captain Austin decided to get in touch -with the revenue cutter _Marblehead_ and tell them the whole story. If -the pirates decided to slip away in the night the slow-going _Jules -Verne_ with her diving bell, the _Nautilus_, could not pursue. But the -fast little revenue cutter could overhaul them in a hurry. - -Consequently, Larry Seymour repaired at once to the wireless room and -in a few minutes was telling the whole story to the _Marblehead_. -For some time the wireless spat its messages into the ether and then -subsided as its receiver got busy. Larry was transcribing the messages. - -"Captain Fowler, of the _Marblehead_, says he will move up closer to -us," said Larry. "He wants us to keep a sharp lookout during the night -and apprise them of the slightest movement aboard the pirate ship. If -they move at all the _Marblehead_ will charge down upon them. Captain -Fowler proposes to go aboard at daybreak and find out who they are and -by what authority they come taking the gold from the _Dominion_." - -"Tell him O. K. and to keep his wireless receiver constantly on the -alert," replied Captain Austin. - -In the meantime extra precautions were taken to guard the pirates. An -additional guard was posted and both the powerful searchlight and the -machine gun on the bridge of the _Jules Verne_ were inspected to see -that they were in prime condition. - -Captain Austin told Jay and Dick to turn in; that he would call them -on the slightest provocation that their services were needed. Jay, -although a bit fatigued by his swim, was for remaining up, but listened -to the counsel of his chum, and together they withdrew to their -stateroom. - -"Might as well rest a bit, for there is bound to be some excitement in -the morning," advised Dick. - -So they repaired to the quiet of their own stateroom and with light -extinguished lay in their bunks enjoying the cool night air that was -such a relief after the heat of the day. From the corner came the -gentle snores of Fismes, who was curled up fast asleep and entirely -oblivious of the stirring events the morrow might hold for his masters. -And pretty soon Jay and Dick, who had talked for a long time there in -the darkness of their quarters fronting on the water about amidships, -lapsed into slumber. - - * * * * * - -It was Dick who was first roused by a slight noise outside the -stateroom. Was he dreaming, or had he heard a slight movement? The -youth stirred and raised himself on one elbow. Did he imagine it, or -was that the figure of a man--a head silhouetted through the stateroom -window against the starry sky background? He was minded on the moment -to cry out, demanding who was there. But he kept silence. - -Reaching quietly under his pillow he was a bit dismayed to find his -revolver not there where he expected it. Then he remembered; he had -left it on the table. But he could not reach it without getting out of -his bunk. Jay was still asleep. - -How about Fismes? Funny the dog wouldn't be awake if some one was -there. Dick listened but could hear no gentle snore that would indicate -the dog was there as usual. Possibly Fismes had gone out on deck or -below. The animal would prowl about at times. - -Just then there was a slight stir again at the window. This time -there was no mistake--some one was there. What Dick had thought was a -head moved slightly. And then through the open door of the stateroom -appeared in firm outline the form of a man--a huge hulk of a figure! - -And then Dick did a funny thing. The best course was to have kept -silence until the figure moved on. Then the Brighton youth could have -slipped out of bed, grabbed his revolver and followed on. But he was -not sure in his drowsy condition whether it was really a man, and -whether it was friend or enemy. It might be only the guard on patrol. - -At any rate, Dick sat up in bed, reached for the electric light and -snapped on the light. Instantly the intruder, who had been going by the -door, swung on his heel and thrust a revolver through the open door. - -"Not a word, or I'll blow your brains out," snapped the visitor. - -Awakening with a start, Jay jumped up in bed. The newcomer at once -swung his revolver to cover him. - -"Throw up your hands, and don't say a word," came the command. "If -either of you speak, it means death. Not only to you, but to everybody -on board. One sound and I'll blow this"--he indicated a whistle tied -around his neck on a cord. "Your old boat is well covered from the -little ship over yonder. We can blow you out of the water with one -little broadside and the world will never know what became of you." - -"Who are you?" demanded Jay as he sat on the edge of his bunk with both -hands up. The youth was thinking rapidly. What could he do, though, in -the face of that ugly looking revolver? - -"Never mind who I am," came the reply. "Your game is up. We have -cleaned out the _Dominion_ of all her gold. Our ship is on the move -now. You will never know us nor catch up to us. A little swim for me -and then into a fast motor launch that will take me safely aboard my -own ship. Do you get me? The jig is up. You have come too late. The -_Dominion_ has been cleaned as clean as a whistle. Haw! Haw!" - -He laughed softly. That laugh! Where had Jay and Dick heard it before? -Somewhere--this man---- - -They were both stirred by a quick command from their visitor. - -"I'll trouble you for the key to your stateroom," he was saying. "I'll -have to lock you both in until I get safely away. Come across, quick." - -Jay was inclined to parley, hoping to engage the fellow until help came. - -"Don't imagine it is so soft for you," he sneered. "Just off the cove -here lies a U. S. revenue cutter. They know all about you. I was aboard -you myself to-night and saw you getting your treasure together in the -cabin. We are equipped with wireless and we have the revenue cutter -_Marblehead_ right outside here waiting for you. You'll never get away." - -The muscles of the intruder's face contracted at that, and his eyes -bulged a bit at Jay's startling declaration. And then his finger sought -the trigger of the revolver. - -"If it were not for stirring up a fuss I'd plug you both full of lead -before I leave," hissed the figure in the doorway. "As it is, you'll -either give me the key to your stateroom immediately or I'll shoot you -both and then take my chances on getting away. Come along smart now or -I'll bore you both through with this shooter." - -And he took a new grip on the revolver as he stepped menacingly forward. - -But just then came an ominous growl on deck just outside the stateroom. -It disconcerted the intruder for a second and he turned his head -slightly as there came another growl. In that instant Dick leaped for -his own revolver as the lean figure of a stalwart hound dog leaped -through the air, launched fully and fairly upon the giant in the -doorway. - -"Fismes!" yelled Jay. "Get him! Get him!" - -It needed no direction to tell this dog what to do. With a malignant -howl of hatred the huge war dog dove for the body of the visitor and -sank his teeth in the flesh of the thigh. Bang! went the revolver, but -taken off his balance by the unexpected flank attack, the intruder -shot harmlessly over the head of the boys in the stateroom. At the -same moment Jay hurled himself in a flying tackle just as he had flung -himself at many a foe on the gridiron at Brighton. - -Down went the pirate leader. Jay's lightning-like tackle cut both feet -from under him. Before he could shoot again Dick leaped upon him and -wrested the revolver from his hand. Against the infuriated dog and -the combined attack of two such sturdy youths as Jay Thacker and Dick -Monaghan he was outclassed. The struggle was short and in the end the -prowling visitor lay panting and helpless. - -Outside came the tramp of many feet and then the face of Captain -Austin, Larry Seymour and others of the crew who had heard the shot and -had been attracted by the commotion. - -"What have we here?" demanded Austin heatedly as he bent over the -confused mass of dog and men. It took only a glance to show what had -happened. Some one had come slyly aboard the _Jules Verne_ and had been -trapped in the stateroom of the Brighton boys. - -Jay and Dick struggled to their feet, relaxing their hold now that -help had arrived in overwhelming numbers. But not so the dog. Fismes -held on as though his life depended on it. With difficulty his masters -succeeded in getting him to let go the figure on the floor. - -"Quick, captain," shouted Jay. "The pirate ship over there is making -ready to get away. This chap came aboard here to see who we were and -to pay his compliments with a bomb before he left. Quick! notify the -_Marblehead_." - -Like a flash Larry was away to the wireless to call the revenue cutter. -Order followed order as other members of the crew sprang to the -searchlight and turned its blazing rays on the pirate craft. Others -manned the machine gun and stood by awaiting the order to fire in case -the ship so close by attempted to move. - -"Zzz-t-t-ttt!" the wireless snapped out its radio call. Then the key -was closed awaiting the answer. - -"_Marblehead_ half a mile away only," reported Larry as he came dashing -back to the stateroom. "She has seen our light and knows right where -we are. She has two boatloads of armed men on the way now to take the -pirates in tow." - -The figure on the floor stirred uneasily, torn between the hurt of the -wound where the dog had sunk his sharp teeth into the flesh and the -despair of knowing that the game was all up. - -"Get up until we can take a look at you," commanded Captain Austin as -he turned to the prisoner. - -Slowly the latter struggled to his feet. All eyes were on him. Who was -he? - -Captain Austin turned the fellow with his face full to the light. He -moved closer and gazed intently for a moment. - -"Don't think you can fool me, you rascal. Don't think I can't see -through that disguise. You have grown beard and moustache since last we -saw you. But I know you; and so do these boys. Take a good look at him, -fellows--don't you recognize him?" - -"Carl Weddigen!" gasped the boys almost in unison. - -"Just who he is!" affirmed Captain Austin. "And believe me, he'll not -get away this time." - -They were fastening handcuffs on the prisoner when the sound of rifle -fire across the water indicated the men of the revenue cutter were -boarding the pirate. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -BACK TO BRIGHTON - - -Several days had elapsed since the capture of the mysterious pirate -ship and her motley crew. The _Jules Verne_ had remained on the job at -Martha's Vineyard while her divers carefully combed the interior of the -old sunken British liner _Dominion_ to find whether any of the gold -bullion still remained in her hold. Relentless search, however, had -disclosed no more of the precious booty--all of it had been ferreted -out by the arch-conspirator, Carl Weddigen, diver extraordinary, -adventurer, spy and piratical chief. But all of it in turn had been -reclaimed from the interior of the _Monterey_, the fast auxiliary that -Weddigen had commanded. - -The fight on the _Monterey_ had been short and sweet. Taken -unexpectedly by the surprise attack of Captain Fowler and his men from -the U. S. revenue cutter _Marblehead_, the men of the _Monterey_, -deprived of the leadership of Weddigen, who was a captive on the -_Jules Verne_, had given up at the first show of strength on the -part of the government forces. Two huge motor launches, armed with -two-pounders and machine guns, had come swooping down upon the -_Monterey_. Although the crew of the _Monterey_ were well armed with -modern rifles and ammunition, they had hastily thrown down their arms -at the first withering fire from the launches of the _Marblehead_. This -fire had swept the decks of the pirate craft, killing two of her crew -and wounding others. - -Immediately the _Monterey_ had been searched. Just as Jay Thacker, -diver aboard the _Jules Verne_, had related to Captain Austin and to -Captain Fowler, of the _Marblehead_, the gold bars--a dozen and more -crates of them--had been found aboard the pirate craft. Thousands of -dollars' worth of precious metal that would have been spirited off by -Weddigen and his crew unless the resourceful salvagers from Bridgeford -had intervened. - -"Lucky thing you called us in time," Captain Fowler declared. - -"Yes, and a lucky thing you were near," said Captain Austin. Which was -true, indeed, considering that the _Jules Verne_ and her crew could -hardly have hoped to prevent the escape of the pirates. - -And then came the unfolding of the story of Carl Weddigen. Yes, it -was Carl himself; the same ingenious plotter who had first entered -the service of the Bridgeford Salvage Company with the idea of -gaining information as to where treasure ships were submerged; the -same intriguer who had hoped to profit through his own thefts while -ostensibly working for Superintendent Brown and Captain Austin; the -same despicable traitor who had been thwarted in the act of stealing -valued U. S. Government plans taken from the lost U-boat at Cape May. - -Carefully and noting every particular, Captain Fowler, who was in fact -a policeman of the high seas, had heard from Captain Austin, and from -his star divers, Jay Thacker and Dick Monaghan, the whole story of Carl -Weddigen. The Brighton boys started with their first encounter with -Carl in the plant of the Bridgeford Company. They told of the first -experience on the _Dominion_ when Carl had been discovered in the act -of secreting diamonds in his diving suit, and how he was compelled -to disgorge through the craftiness of Larry Seymour. The affair off -Cape May was related, and this was the most damaging evidence, for it -proved the fellow an enemy of the United States Government. - -"It surely will go hard with this chap after we turn him over to the -Department of Justice at Washington," Captain Fowler had ventured in -an opinion on the future status of the prisoner. For Carl was now a -prisoner aboard the _Marblehead_, closely confined under constant guard -in such a way that he could not possibly escape. - -At first Weddigen had been sullen and close-mouthed. Repeated efforts -to get him to tell his story had failed; how he had fitted out his -pirate craft, where he had got the speedy little vessel, and how he had -shipped his crew; and, finally, how he had cleaned out the _Dominion_. -But now that he had come to realize that he was literally "up against -it" and that he was to be delivered over to the United States -Government to face a court trial and possible death for espionage and -high crimes against the government, to say nothing of his plots against -the lives of the men of the _Jules Verne_, the German prisoner had -decided to tell his own story in the hope that it might in some way -mitigate the whole case against him. - -And this was the story he had told: Following his escape from the -Navy Yard at Boston after the Cape May affair he had shipped aboard a -coastwise trader bound that same day for Rio Janeiro. Going down the -coast he had ingratiated himself in the favor of members of the crew -by rescuing one of their number who had gone overboard in a terrific -midsummer storm. The crew, most of them Latin-Americans, had acclaimed -Weddigen their hero, and he at once assumed leadership among them. One -night he had confided to some of them the story of the _Dominion_ and -the gold bullion that still remained to be taken from her hold. In awe -and in envy they had listened to the story. Their own greed aroused, -they had proved willing converts to a plan to fit out an expedition and -go after the treasure. - -On the day that the Brazilian merchantman had touched at Vera Cruz for -fresh supplies the little band under Weddigen deserted their ship and -took refuge in the Mexican city. From there they had worked their way -into the Tampico oil field region and one night stole the handsome new -twin-screw auxiliary _Monterey_, the property of a wealthy American -oil magnate. Joined by other confederates whom they had recruited -among Mexican refugees and bandits, the little party of adventurers had -worked their way out of the Tampico River into the Gulf of Mexico, and -thence up the Atlantic coast to the little cove where the _Dominion_ -had run aground, and where Weddigen had seen enough while employed -by the Bridgeford Salvage Company to satisfy him that the desperate -effort in quest of the hidden treasure would be well worth the effort, -provided he was successful. From a point near the scene of operations -the crafty skipper of the _Monterey_ had sent several of his crew -ashore in a powerful launch to bargain in a New England seafaring town -for a diver's modern outfit. - -Uninterrupted in their quiet retreat, the German and his Latin-American -crew had worked steadily in the reclamation of the gold bullion in the -hulk of the _Dominion_. Weddigen had found among his crew one who had -had experience as a diver in the West Indies, and they had worked in -relays. Just when they had completed their enormous haul, on the very -evening that the _Jules Verne_ had arrived, the pirates had completed -rifling the treasure ship. They had expected to sail the following -morning early for a South American port, there to make away with their -loot and dispose of their stolen ship. Weddigen had seen the _Jules -Verne_ from his vantage point within the cove long before Captain -Austin and his men knew of the presence of another craft at the old -anchorage. But he had decided to wait until after midnight and make -a run for it in the darkness. He had refused to answer the challenge -of Captain Austin, although he recognized the voice of that official, -hoping against hope he might get away unrecognized. - -Finally, when pressed for an explanation as to why he had foolishly -gone aboard the _Jules Verne_ in the early morning hours and thus -risked his chances of getting away at all by putting himself in the way -of capture, Weddigen brazenly admitted he carried a powerful bomb with -which he hoped to sink the salvage ship and her crew before they could -sound an alarm. But in this he had been thwarted just as he was ready -to set the bomb and leave the _Jules Verne_. Loudly the pirate chief -had cursed the war dog Fismes and the two Brighton youths who, he said, -had been his nemeses from the very first day he had met them. - -"Luckily for the United States Government and all parties concerned -with the ownership of this gold bullion, there are such brave youths -as Mr. Thacker and Mr. Monaghan," the revenue cutter captain told him. - -Thus had been accomplished the undoing of Carl Weddigen. Now he was -headed for prison and a trial where he would have to answer for all his -crimes. The gold bullion from the _Dominion_ had been transferred from -the _Monterey_ to the _Jules Verne_. Taking the _Monterey_ in tow, the -_Marblehead_ left on the afternoon of the second day for Boston, while -the _Jules Verne_ put back to Bridgeford. - -On the deck of the latter, as the _Marblehead_ drew away from the -cove in Martha's Vineyard, stood two stalwart youths who had played a -stirring part in the drama that had been staged. By their side sat a -lean hound with silken ears well set up and a silver-plated collar that -reflected the afternoon sun with brilliant shafts of light. - -"Well, how do you like Treasure Cove, old pal?" asked Dick of his chum. -Treasure Cove was the name they had dubbed the inlet and bar where the -_Dominion_ had gone ashore during war days. - -"Fine, indeed," laughed Jay. "Even though I nearly lost my life here -earlier in the summer." - -"And even though we both have been having a nice little party with lots -of gun play these last few days," facetiously added Dick. - -"One thing about it--Weddigen saved us all the work of digging up this -gold out of the _Dominion_," said Dick, with a whimsical smile. - -"And came near blowing us all to kingdom come--would have done it sure -as guns but for Fismes here, who saved the day." Jay took the nose of -the big pet in his hands and rubbed the dog's forehead while the animal -grunted in appreciation. - -They discussed Weddigen again and agreed he was just about the toughest -customer they had ever encountered. It was a satisfaction to them to -know that he had been apprehended, and that they had played a signal -part in bringing him to bay. - -After a time Jay said: - -"Well, it's been a pretty nice summer after all, hasn't it?" - -Dick shook his head in emphatic approval. He wouldn't have missed it -for all the world, he added. - -"And likely to prove a very profitable summer." This came from another -voice near at hand. - -The Brighton boys turned to greet their captain. - -"Likely to net you chaps a handsome profit, indeed, after all this -Treasure Cove fight heaped up on top of your various other exploits. -I'll wager you it's a young fortune you draw down at Bridgeford before -you go back to school." - -"Perhaps more than we deserve," offered Jay. - -"More than you deserve?" Captain Austin's voice rose to a high pitch. -"You chaps surely merit every single dollar that will be paid to you. -And it will be a good roll, my boys. Just think of it. First of all, -you have the thousand dollars each that were voted you by President -Walter, of the Salvage Company. Now you get a bonus on all the treasure -that we have reclaimed in addition to the wage scale agreed upon in -your contract. On top of this is still another item." - -Both boys looked up. - -"Don't forget that the United States Government offered a prize for the -capture of Carl Weddigen." - -"But we didn't capture Weddigen--it was Fismes," protested Jay in happy -vein. - -"All right then, have it your own way; Fismes gets the prize money -from Uncle Sam," laughed Captain Austin. - -Arm in arm, the trio retreated from the deck of the _Jules Verne_ in -quest of one good square meal and a full night's sleep after nearly -a week of the merriest kind of adventure--actors in a great game of -treasure hunting. Out on deck a brown-haired police dog stretched -himself luxuriously and nestled his jaw into the embrace of two paws -crossed scissor-like. - - * * * * * - -In September, on a morning that dawned in full autumnal splendor, -two young men stood on the station platform at Bridgeford awaiting a -train bound for New York. With them were many friends, young and old, -including officials and employes from the big shipbuilding yard. They -had come to wish a farewell to these two youths bound for Winchester -and the opening of the new school year at Brighton Academy. - -In the pocket of each youth reposed a bank book showing healthy -deposits to their credit. More than six thousand dollars each in the -name of Jay Thacker and Richard Monaghan--this from the Bridgeford -Salvage Company for the splendid work the young divers had done -throughout the summer! Enough to carry each young man through -preparatory school and on into college! - -"But those friendships are not counted in terms of dollars and cents, -are they, chum?" said Dick Monaghan, with just a trace of a lump in his -throat as he indicated the group of friends on the station platform. -The train was moving out. Larry Seymour--good old Larry--had staged the -farewell. - -It might have been a cinder in Jay's eye; at any rate, he was blinking -hard as the train gathered speed. - -"You said a whole heaping mouthful that time," replied Jay, trying to -laugh off the flood of emotion that welled up in him. - -Up in the baggage coach ahead, a skinny brown hound, accustomed to -making the best of every situation, winked at the baggage agent and -curled himself up for a snooze and a dream of the new life to come at -Brighton Academy. - - -THE END - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Brighton Boys in the Submarine -Treasure Ship, by Lieutenant James R. 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