miry sea bottom
with her keel amidships firmly imbedded and her bow and stern floating
free. The suction of the mud prevented her from rising.

In the wireless room Jack, Ted, Sammy Smith and Bill Witt finally came
together and began speculating on the critical predicament of their
ship. Cooped up in their cage of steel, shut off from the outside
world of fresh air and sunshine, the crew of the _Dewey_ were held
prisoners like rats in a trap, dependent for life upon the air they
were breathing and the precious stores of oxygen in the emergency
tanks!

The next few hours were full of anxiety for the officers and crew of
the stranded _Dewey_. Several times during the morning the ship's
engines were set in motion and valiant efforts made to drag the ship
off the shoal. But each succeeding effort availed nothing, except
to eat up the precious electrical energy in the storage batteries.

In the petrol tanks was plenty of fuel for the engines, but it was
useless here on the bottom of the sea where only the electric motors
could be used in submerged locomotion.

Realizing the futility of these sporadic efforts at escape, Lieutenant
McClure decided to wait until one o'clock for another supreme effort.
It would be high tide at noon and he decided to make the great effort
shortly thereafter on the thin hope that he might get away with the
tide running out to sea.

The time passed drearily. Jack and Ted tried to get interested in a
game of chess, but with little success. Bill Witt sought with mouth
organ and banjo to buoy up the spirits of his downcast mates and
succeeded poorly. Noon mess was served at eleven forty-five and
even Jean Cartier, as he dispensed canned beans, brown bread, stewed
fruit and tea, forgot to smile as usual at his culinary tasks.

"We ought to get away now if we are to get off at all," Jack overheard
Lieutenant McClure say to Cleary after mess kits had been stowed and
preparations were under way for the "big drive."

In a few minutes more the _Dewey_ was primed for the test. Soon the
clatter of machinery aft indicated that the engines were in motion.

"Back away!" was the signal flashed to the engine room. Instantly
the full power of the motors was turned into the giant shafts and the
propellors threshed the ocean with the fury of a wounded whale. With
all the might she possessed the submarine strove to free herself and
float away to freedom.

Thrice were the engines stopped and starte