ord, the main ballast lad opened his outer valves,
and down she started. We knew this, as always, by the moving green
finger on the wide-faced gauge. Downward she kept on going, and to a man
not too long shipmates with the creature she certainly did seem to be
going down in a hurry. She was nearing the appointed depth; she made the
appointed depth, and--went on by. "What's this!" said one observer to
himself, and directed an interested eye toward the saint-like lad on the
camp-stool.

But it was only for a few feet. The indicator slacked up, fluttered,
stopped dead. And then--without the husky tank boy to lift a finger--we
heard the rumph-h and rumbling of the valve-seats as the sea-water was
driven out of her ballast-tanks; and then up she started. Soon there she
was--did it all by herself--atop of the water. And the face of the young
fellow of the automatic devices was like the face of the devout
missionary who has just put something over on the heathen.

Later, when you express the feeling of almost holy comfort which these
little automatic safety devices give you, the manager--the same with the
stop-watch and the note-book--says, "Puh! Look here," and sits down and
details--drawing good working plans of them on a pad while he talks--three
different ways by which a submarine crew can beat the game should any
evil happen to the ordinary and regular means of getting to the surface.

She has a turn at porpoising then; that is from a moderate depth the
diving-rudder man shoots her near enough to the surface for the captain
to have a look through the periscope--a long-enough look to plot the
enemy on a chart, but not long enough to give that enemy much of a
chance to pick him up; and then under again. And then up for another
peek; and quickly under again, the captain at the periscope taking each
time a fresh bearing of the enemy, who is supposed to be at some
distance and steaming at good speed. After two or three such quick
sights, changing course after each sight, it will be time to discharge a
torpedo or two at her. And--the layman may note it--with expert men at
the periscope and diving-rudder, a porpoising sub can sight, discharge
her torpedo, and dive--all within five seconds.

Steaming back to harbor after our trial run that day, we caught the
first rip of the gale which the gummed-over moon and the low barometer
had forecast the night before. It was too rough to tie her up to the
supply-ship, so the sub was anc