d?" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
"Has a giant squid attacked us, as one did some time ago, and is he
roiling up the water?"

"No, it isn't a squid, Mr. Damon," replied the young inventor easily;
"though the water does look as if a squid had spilled a lot of his ink
in it. This is just the effect of mud stirred up by our propellers.
There may be more of it."

Ned looked toward Mr. Hardley to see how he was taking it. The seeker
after gold apparently had good control of his nerves, or else he was
ignorant of what was going on. For he asked, casually enough:

"Have we stopped?"

"We have," answered Tom. "I thought I'd give you a view of the scenery."

Perhaps he spoke sarcastically, but, if he did, Mr. Damon's friend did
not seem to be aware of it. Coolly enough he replied:

"Well, if this is a fair sample of underwater scenery I prefer
something up above, though I appreciate that this may be needful."

"We'll soon be traveling along," announced Tom. "Koku," he added to the
giant, who had been calmly sitting during the excitement, "go to the
engine room and help with the big levers."

"Yes, Master," was the answer. Koku had implicit faith in Tom.

Waiting a moment for his faithful servant to reach the post assigned to
him, Tom again signaled to his helpers and then quickly turned a wheel
which produced startling results. For all within the submarine suddenly
slid forward across the cabin floor.

"Bless my hammock hooks, Tom! are you standing her on her head?" cried
Mr. Damon.

"That's exactly what I'm doing," was the answer. "I've started to empty
one of the after ballast tanks, and that, naturally, raises the stern
while the nose is held down."

The submarine was indeed in a peculiar position. She was on a slant in
the water, her nose held fast in the soft mud bank, and it was Tom's
idea that by making the stern buoyant it might help to pull her free.

To this end he also gave what assistance the propellers were capable of
adding by starting the motors again, so that the craft once more
trembled and vibrated.

But it all seemed to no purpose. Aside from the slanting position,
there was no change in the M. N. 1. Ned, looking out into the murky
water, which had cleared slightly, saw that the craft was still held
fast. And then, for the first time, Mr. Hardley seemed to become aware
that something serious was the matter. Up to now he seemed to think
that all that had occurred was done for the purpose of testing the