and opened one of the doors.

"Here you are, young gents. This is the spot where I put the last fare
down. An' now you know as much about her whereabouts as I do."

The district into which the submarine boys had come was well outside of
the city, and in a different direction from Craven's Bay and the Fort.

It was bleak and wild here. Even the shanties of the three little
villages, with their fish-sheds, their racks with nets spread, the
rickety wharves--all looked dismal. It seemed as though here must be
one of the spots where only a scanty living is earned and only by the
hardest kind of work.

"Well, we're much obliged to you, driver, and here's the money promised
to you."

"Obliged to you, gents. Will you want to be going back with me?"

"No," Captain Jack answered. "I reckon we're going to be moored here
for a while."

"Now, whereaway? What's the course?" demanded Eph Somers.

Benson glanced at his watch, then up at the sun.

"It'll be dark in about an hour and half," he muttered. "Why not wait
until dark? We can't have been seen from any of the villages yet.
Looking out over the water you don't see a craft of any sort headed
away from here. From this point, looking down, we can see if any of the
boats in port get ready to put out. So Millard, if he hasn't already
escaped, can't get away by sea without our knowing it. If he tries to
get away by land, we're right where we can see him coming."

"Then you think we'd better wait here, keeping out of sight, until
dark?" asked Hal.

"Most decidedly. Don't you?"

"Yes," nodded Hal.

"But it'll be a mighty tedious wait," growled Eph, the impatient one.

"Well, youngster, we're not here to consult our own comfort," retorted
Captain Jack. "There's something higher to consult--the best interests
of our country."

"Oh, if you put it that way!" grumbled Eph, much mollified.

The submarine boys had stepped into a little hollow, just off the road,
and barely below a rise in the ground. There were trees and bushes
about to aid them in concealing themselves. If they saw anyone coming
their way they could easily find better hiding.

No one came, however. Dark found the boys desperately hungry.

"Of course we didn't think to bring anything to eat," uttered Eph,
disgustedly. "What are we going to do about it?"

"We've got to each of us take a village, presently, enter it and search,"
replied Captain Jack. "With only one of us to each village,