nce at the strange creatures who appeared to
have come to dispute with them for possession of Father Neptune's
element.

Moving more slowly than usual, because of the greater pressure of water
at that depth, Tom and the others made their way around the nose of the
submarine. And then, in the glow of the big searchlight, they saw the
dim outlines of a steamer, partly imbedded in the sand. Her stern was
toward the undersea craft that had rammed her, and the name was not so
obliterated but what the young inventor could read it.

"The Pandora!" exclaimed Tom, speaking into his helmet telephone
transmitter, the others all hearing him. "We've found the treasure-ship
at last!"

And so they had. An accident had brought them to the end of their
quest, though it is probable they would have found the Pandora anyhow,
since they were making careful circles in her vicinity.

"Yes, that's the Pandora," said Ned. "And now the thing to do is to
find out if she really has any treasure on board."

"That's what I'm going to do," declared Tom. "But first I want to
investigate this queer current. We can't feel it here, but we may if we
get out beyond the wreck. We don't want to be swept off our feet."

"Yes, we had better be careful," said one of the officers.

Accordingly they proceeded with caution along the length of the sunken
Pandora. And as they neared her bow they all began to feel some
powerful force in the current.

"This is far enough!" said Tom. "Don't get out beyond the protection of
the hull. I see what it is. The steamer has drifted here from where she
was originally sunk. And here two currents meet, forming a very strong
one. It was that which threw us off our course. As long as we remain
behind the wreck we'll be safe. But beyond her we may be in danger.
She's firmly held in the sand, or, at best, is drifting only slightly.
She'll be a sort of undersea breakwater for us. And now to see if we
can get on board!"

This proved comparatively easy. Several lengths of chain and one iron
ladder were over the stern, evidently having been used when the crew
abandoned the ship in the storm that destroyed her. By means of these
Tom and his companions gained the main deck near the stern.

The Pandora was a typical tramp steamer. She was high in the bows and
stern and low amidships, and it was evident that the quarters of the
officers and passengers, if any of the latter were carried, were in the
stern. Tom was glad to find t