ined to prosecute my search in other channels.

"Piece by piece in different shops I had this vessel constructed after my
own designs. The pieces were assembled in a part of the Gulf of Mexico
little frequented. There I tried out the undersea boat, named it the
'U-13'--the 'U' standing for Undersea and the '13' in defiance of the
popular superstition. But I found a new difficulty.

"The instrument, although working perfectly on land, was not reliable
under the ocean, for as you know there is a large amount of suspended
gold in sea water. That made the instrument unreliable."

"What did you want to go under water for, anyway?" asked Ned.

"Gold!" was the curt reply. "So I had to construct another device that
would neutralize the local attraction of the sea water just on the same
principle that the mariner has the two iron balls near his compass to
overcome the local attraction on his vessel.

"Then I was prepared to pursue my quest for treasure undisturbed. My
first venture was the recovery of a large sum from a sunken ship in
Havana harbor. This provided me sufficient funds so that I put stores
aboard and came across to seek for the vessels of the Spanish Armada."

"How did you get across the Atlantic?" asked Jimmie incredulously.

"In this vessel!" was the reply. "And most of the way under water, too,
you know! I didn't want anyone to see me!"

"But you had to come up once in a while to get air!"

"Oh, no! Here is a contrivance," indicating a huge box-like affair, "with
which I separate the oxygen from the hydrogen by electricity. Water, as
you know, is composed of two gases--oxygen and hydrogen. Two atoms of
hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen and make a tiny bit of water.
By the aid of this special device I segregate the two gases, use the
oxygen and discharge the hydrogen overboard."

"I'm going to take my hat off to you!" declared Jimmie. "But you had to
have some means to prevent discomfort from the storage batteries!"

"Not with these!" smiled the other. "I'm using, without permission, of
course, a new storage battery that does away with the lead-sulphuric acid
type of battery. The inventor is a man whose name is familiar to you all.
He uses a nickel, iron oxide and steel combination in a solution of
potash. This battery, instead of causing inflammation or even proving
deadly as is the case with the old type, is actually a benefit to a
person. It is exactly opposite in its effect to the old style.