onged to me.
I wanted the package badly. I thought he would assist me."

"That wasn't a very nice way to go about it," declared Jimmie with
emphasis. "After searching our baggage twice, and after we had told you
how the package was in our kits without our knowledge, also that it had
been stolen away from our possession, why didn't you believe us?"

"There is an old saying that all is fair in love and war!" replied
Mackinder. "You know that my country and Germany are at war. As an
officer in the British army, it is my duty to do everything possible to
assist my country. I believe that package contains information that my
country could use. That is my justification for my acts, and I hope you
boys are fair-minded enough to hold no resentment."

"I'm just fair-minded enough to be neutral," declared Jimmie, "if I have
to fight for the right to remain that way. I'm just a little sore at you
for supposing that four boys who are citizens of a neutral country would
be carrying information around for another country at war!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way," said Mackinder. "I assure you there was
nothing personal in my acts. I simply tried to do my best!"

"Well, you did a lot, at that!" returned the lad.

"All right, folks, let's drop the subject," spoke up Ned. "I feel that
the air in here is getting bad. Suppose we go to the surface."

"Right you are," agreed Harry. "Let's rise and fill the tanks!"

Jimmie, in compliance with this wish, steered the craft upward.

At the surface the boys found the water much smoother than they had
expected would be the case. Jimmie declared that he intended painting the
balance of the name "U-13" on the vessel while the other lads were
occupied in airing out the vessel and refilling the compressed air tanks.

Slung in a boatswain's chair over the sloping deck the lad soon completed
this task. Feeling a considerable degree of elation at the success of his
undertaking Jimmie returned with his brush and paint.

"If you're ready now we'll dive again and proceed!"

"Wait a minute, Mackinder's still on deck!" stated Jack.

"He wasn't there when I came below!" protested Jimmie.

CHAPTER XV

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Ned looked at Jimmie in astonishment. He could scarcely credit his
senses. He began ascending the iron ladder leading to the deck.

Eagerly the lad glanced about the upper portion of the submarine which
now showed black and gleaming above the surface of the water.

"Ha