ine around
the knob on the stateroom door.

"Haul in, my hearties," he hailed.

Eph stood up, balancing himself nicely while the sailors hauled the
slack until the door lay bumping against the side hull of the gunboat.

"Look out," sang out Eph. "Little Willie, the Boy Dewey, is coming
on board."

With that he began to climb the rope, hand over hand, until he reached
the rail and clambered over, standing dripping on the deck.

"Say," remarked a petty officer, "you left the line fast to that raft."

"Certainly," nodded Eph, with cool assurance. "That's so you can haul
the door on board, too. Mother'd make a fuss if I got home without the
door to her ice chest."

"Shall we haul the door aboard, sir?" called the petty officer to the
bridge.

"Yes," nodded the young officer up there.

So that came aboard, too, almost in a jiffy.

Eph, with a very wide grin on his face, stood regarding the sailors who
had curiously gathered around him.

"Where are you from?" asked one of the seamen.

"Just in from the salt water," Eph assured him.

"Let the boy alone, men," warned the officer on the bridge. "I'll have
the guard take care of him for the night. In the morning I'll report
the case to the captain. But bring the boy up here for a moment."

Two sailors thereupon escorted Eph to the bridge. The officer in charge
looked him over curiously.

"Now, young man," began the young officer, "have you anything to tell me
about yourself!"

"Yes," volunteered Eph.

"Go ahead."

"I'm wet."

"Boy, you're in the wrong place to try to get funny," came the stern
rebuke. "I guess I know what you need."

Just at that instant the sounds of a decided though indistinct commotion
came from aft.

"Then shake," begged Eph, offering his hand. "I know, too, what you
need."

"What is it that you think I need?" demanded the officer, suspiciously,
eyeing the boy closely.

"You need to get wise," declared Somers, promptly. Then, noting that
the sounds from aft had caught the officer's quick ear, the submarine
boy added, with another grin:

"By the time you've found out the meaning of the rumpus aft you'll know
a lot more."

Over in one corner of the bridge a cadet midshipman had stood silent
during this talk. Turning to him, the watch officer said hurriedly:

"I leave you in charge here. Look after this boy."

Then the watch officer ran quickly down from the bridge, making his way
aft.

No wonder there was exci