Captain?"

"Why, there's nothing to do, sir, but to take aboard more gasoline
and water. We can do that in an hour."

"We'll drop out to sea, then, about five o'clock this afternoon,"
decided Mr. Farnum, as he and the inventor rose. "Don't get flurried
about anything, Captain Benson."

"Be very sure I won't, sir," replied Jack, earnestly. "And we'll be
ready to start at the stroke of five. But I've been thinking, sir,
and there's one question I want to ask. Does Grant Andrews go with us?

"No," replied Mr. Farnum, dropping his voice. "I need Grant for other
work. The first hint I get at Cape Adamson that we have a winner
in the way of a submarine, I'm going wire Andrews to start laying
the keel for another. He has his orders, and knows what may be coming."

"We really ought to have a fourth member of the crew, sir," explained
Captain Jack, "if we're to keep watch and perhaps run on long trips."

"I'll see if I can get someone who'll be any good to us," nodded Mr.
Farnum, seriously. Then he and the inventor went ashore, leaving
the young captain to the leisurely task of fitting for sea service.

The news that the "Pollard" was going to attend the naval manoeuvres
at Cape Adamson soon became noised about Dunhaven, for Mr. Farnum
saw no reason for holding back the nature of his orders from Washington.
It was not long before groups of people gathered on the shore, on
either side of the boat yard, to gaze with increased interest at the
grim, mysterious looking submarine.

Before one o'clock Mr. Farnum put off in the tender with a stranger,
a swarthy, stalwart, almost gigantic looking man of about forty.

"I've got you just the man you want, Captain," called the builder,
joyously, as he came aboard. "Captain, this is Bill Henderson, late
boatswain's mate, of the United States Navy. He knows all about our
line of work, for his papers show that he has served aboard various
submarine torpedo craft belonging to the Government. He's a crack
helmsman, a navigator, and knows all about our kind of machinery."

During this introduction Henderson had saluted and scraped. He now
stood at attention.

"The youngest captain I've ever sailed under, sir," he said to Jack.
"But I'm satisfied you know the business, or Mr. Farnum wouldn't have
given you the berth. At your orders, sir."

After Mr. Farnum had returned to shore Benson put his new hand through
a searching quiz. If there was anything Boatswain's Mate Hend