over their
life-belts.

Bill was dauntless even in the face of death.

"You never can tell," he said. "I am guessing that 'Little Mack' has
another card up his sleeve."

Down in the turret of the submerged _Dewey_ an extraordinary scene was
being enacted. McClure, Cleary and Jack were standing together as the
vessel glided away under the water.

"It worked---it worked!" shouted the young lieutenant as he ordered
the submerging process discontinued and the _Dewey_ held on an even
keel.

"What worked?" gasped his dazed executive, who had yet to grasp the
significance of his commander's action in ordering members of the
crew overboard.

"Why, don't you see? Those Germans think they sank us. When they
saw our boys leaping into the water they took it for granted one of
their shots had landed and we were done for. They think the boys
leaped overboard to escape death in the hold of a mortally wounded
Yankee. And here we are, safe and sound, under the water!"

"But what about those fellows swimming around up there?" asked Jack
in startled tones.

"We'll go back and get them in a few minutes after we've tended to
this Prussian gentleman that we hypnotized," shot back his commander,
as his jaw squared and his eyes flashed.

Jack and Officer Cleary stared at each other.

"Well, of all the nerve!" gasped Cleary.

"Great Scott, man! it takes a real honest-to-goodness Yankee like you
to get away with such a trick."

Veering off to port, the skipper steered a straight course for several
hundred yards. Then the _Dewey_ cut out into a short half circle and
in another moment came to a stop sixty-five feet below the surface.

"Put her up," came the order to the navigating officer at the ship's
air pumps.

There was an interval of strained silence as the commander waited until
the eye of the periscope had cleared the spray that dashed against
the glass.

"There they are!" he announced. "Light still turned on the spot where
we went down a minute or so ago. Guess they are waiting to see
whether we really are done for."

A signal to the _Dewey's_ engine rooms put the vessel in motion just
long enough for her commander to turn the nose of the craft slightly
to starboard, and then the submarine rested quietly again.

"Friends, Americans, and fellow patriots: my compliments to the
Imperial German Navy," began "Little Mack" as he leaned forward to
touch off a torpedo---and there was a rare smile on his lips.

F