hoots up from the surface. In the midst of the
commotion the enemy's battleship is rent, and all on board, perhaps
killed. The cool, dry-eyed Army officer bending over the white
screen-map sees all this scene of horror depicted under the white
surface beneath his eyes. He knows that submarine mine number nineteen,
planted out there in the harbor, has done its duty in protecting this
portion of the coast of the United States.

Here, at Fort Craven, it was desired to find whether an enemy's submarine
boat could creep in, below the surface, find the mine, whose location
was already known through spies, and effectively cut the firing wire.
If this could be done, then, in war-time, it might be that the sergeant
at the wall-board would press the button in vain. No explosion would
follow. With the current thus cut off, the officer bending over the
white screen would not see the miniature reproduction of the destruction
of the enemy's battleship.

A submarine torpedo boat, coming into a harbor underneath the surface,
is not pictured on the white table under the camera obscura. So it was
desired to see whether Eph could come in, knowing the exact locations of
each of the four dummy mines, and quickly cut the firing electric wires.
If this could be done, the Army would have to revise its method of firing
such submarine mines by means of the camera obscura detection.

As Eph listened to the explanation his mind began to revolve plans
rapidly whereby he hoped to succeed in cutting the mine wires.

"You will keep sufficiently below the surface, too, Mr. Somers,"
continued Major Woodruff. "We do not want you so close to the surface
of the water that a ripple would show on the camera obscura table. You
cannot, of course, rise and use your periscope to see where you are.
Even the periscope would betray you."

The "periscope" is a device also of the nature of a camera obscura. In
the case of the periscope a narrow metallic tube is thrust above the
water and the shutter turned about, reflecting all the scene about on a
white-covered table in the boat's cabin.

"I think I can beat you, Major," smiled Eph.

"I certainly hope you can," replied Major Woodruff. "That is what we
want to see today. We shall watch closely, too, and see whether any
plan can be devised for beating a submarine torpedo boat at its own
game."

Lieutenant Kline was to remain on board the "Spitfire," both in order to
watch the work and to give Eph a