nkly, I'm afraid that's just what will be in the present case,"
admitted Jacob Farnum.

"Then," grumbled Captain Jack, making a rather wry face, "it would seem
that being a foreign spy, in this country, provides one with a calling
that is a good deal safer than being just a lightning rod peddler or a
bill collector."

"Yes; it's really so," admitted the shipbuilder, thoughtfully.

"If that is the case," muttered Captain Jack, "the spies here at Spruce
Beach will probably keep a bit quiet until they see how things are going
to turn out. As soon as their minds are made easy by our generous
government, then they'll plot their next moves. If they can't accomplish
anything more, they may content themselves with a general revenge of
some sort on the whole lot of us."

"You're not afraid of their vengeance, are you?" asked Mr. Farnum,
looking up, and into the eyes of his young captain.

"I'm not afraid, of anything, sir," retorted Jack. "The master of a
submarine boat has no right to be afraid of things. Even if these
scoundrels should get me, in the end, all I can to is to smile, and
say: 'So be it.'"

Then, in the next breath, Benson added, earnestly:

"It doesn't matter so much if these rascals get me, but I don't want them
to work any mischief to the submarine."

"Bravo!" nodded David Pollard, looking on with a smile.

It is a fact that life in a constant atmosphere of danger renders the
average man all but indifferent to fear. Those who meet perils daily
grow to consider danger as all a part of the day's work. Perils which,
a year before, would have kept Jack Benson awake with dread for a week
now appeared to him as not worth thinking about until they happened.

Jack remained ashore until half-past nine. He hoped to hear some word
of what the Secret Service men might have learned, or of what these
representatives of Uncle Sam were doing. But no word came, so the
submarine boy went down to the beach. There was but one harbor boat
in sight.

"Ah done thought yo'd be gwine back to do little ship, sah, so Ah
done waited fo' you'," explained the negro in the boat. "Any mo'
ob yo' pahty to go abo'd to-night, sah?"

"No," Jack answered. "I'll be the last one to put off to-night."

Nor did he forget to reward the darkey's enterprise by handing him
rather more than the usual boat hire.

As he stepped aboard Jack found Hal pacing the platform deck.

"Keeping deck watch, old fellow? I'm glad see that,"