FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31  
32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   >>   >|  
were to have. The next few days were busy ones. Many little details remained to perfect in connection with the ship, and a lot of supplies and provisions had to be purchased, for the professor was determined to get all in readiness for the trip under the water. He believed firmly that his ship would work, though some of the others were not so positive. "We'll put her into the water to-morrow," announced the inventor after supper one night. "Everything is complete as far as I can make it, and the only thing remaining is to see if she will float, sink when I want her to, and, what is most important, rise to the surface again. For," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "anybody can make a ship that will sink, but it isn't every one who can make one that will come to the surface again." "Golly! I hope dis chile ain't goin' to git in no subicecream ship what'll stay down under de water so de fishes gits him!" exclaimed Washington, opening his eyes wide. "Dat's worser dan freezin!" "Can't you swim?" asked Mark with a wink at Jack. "Co'se I can swim, boy. I can swim like a starfish, but I can't wif ten thousand tons of a subicecream ship on my back." "A sub-ice-cream ship is a new one," commented the professor with a smile. "It's a submarine, Washington." "I can't see no difference," persisted the colored man. "Subicecream am good enough for me." That night Mark and Jack were thinking so much of the proposed test of the ship the next day that they each dreamed they were sailing beneath the waves, and Jack woke Mark up by grabbing him about the neck during a particularly vivid part of the vision. "What's the matter?" inquired Mark, sleepily. "I thought the ship turned over and spilled me out and I was drowning," explained Jack. "I grabbed the first thing I got hold of and it happened to be you." "Well, as long as you're safe you can go to sleep again," said Mark. "I dreamed I was chasing a whale with the _Porpoise_." The boys were up early the next morning, and found the professor and Washington before them. The inventor was inspecting the track which had been built from the shed down to the water's edge to enable the _Porpoise_ to slide into the ocean. With him were the two machinists, Henry Watson and James Penson. They had been busy since daylight making the ways secure. "She goes in after breakfast," announced the professor, "and I'm going to let you christen her, Washington." "Me? I neber c
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31  
32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Washington
 

professor

 

announced

 

inventor

 

dreamed

 
subicecream
 
Porpoise
 

surface

 
breakfast
 

grabbing


secure

 

inquired

 
making
 

matter

 
christen
 

vision

 
thinking
 
persisted
 

colored

 

Subicecream


proposed

 

sailing

 

beneath

 

sleepily

 

difference

 

morning

 

machinists

 

submarine

 

Watson

 

inspecting


enable

 
chasing
 

grabbed

 

daylight

 

explained

 
drowning
 

turned

 
spilled
 

Penson

 
happened

thought
 

freezin

 
supper
 
morrow
 

Everything

 

complete

 
positive
 

remaining

 
important
 

remained