h to kill a lot of time. After supper we'll
manage to slip back to the submarine, paint 'U-13' on the side, every man
to his post, let go lines easy and skedaddle for the open sea."

"It sounds easy enough," assented Harry.

"Yes, unless you happen to get caught!" agreed Ned.

"What is there to catch us?" asked Jimmie, bristling at this hint of
opposition. "The guards are all wise to the fact that the channel is
mined. They will be sleepy and lazy. They know that the torpedoes are not
aboard yet and believe it impossible for the submarine to leave without a
crew. The weather looks as if it were going to be rough. What more can
you want? It looks to me as if we'd never have another chance like it!"

"Right you are, Mr. Wolf!" declared Frank. "I, for one, am willing to
take a chance. I'll go with you to the limit!"

"Here, too!" heartily agreed Ned. "How about it, boys?"

Eagerly the others signified their willingness to undertake the task
suggested. They felt no compunction over the seizure of the boat.

"Now, we'll have to do some tall thinking before night comes!" stated
Jimmie. "Each of us'll have his station and we must know just what to do
at the proper time. I had this in mind ever since we came up the harbor
past those boats. I noticed particularly the buoys marking the safe
channel leading into this harbor."

"Good for you!" cried Ned, administering an affectionate slap upon
Jimmie's shoulder. "I knew you had something up your sleeve!"

"So did I!" added Jack. "I couldn't guess what it was, though!"

"It was my arm!" declared Jimmie, with mock gravity. "Now, let's go back
to this 'Untervasserbootschiff' and stall around a while."

"Correct!" cried Harry. "We'll rehearse for this evening. We shall depend
on Jimmie to be the pilot, though!"

"Leave it to me!" declared the younger lad. "I know where the buoys are!
I have them all located in my head!"

"But we must be mighty careful," declared Ned. "We don't know how much
English these fellows understand. They must not suspect!"

"Mum's the word!" put in Frank. "Everybody mum!"

First visiting the warehouse at the wharf, where they procured a quantity
of supplies, such as might be needed to carry out the work which they
were supposed to be doing, the lads proceeded aboard the submarine.

Upon their arrival they found a painter at work inscribing the vessel
with identifying marks. He had proceeded so far as to place "U-1--" on
each side of the vessel.