of the pair of very
capable submarine torpedo boats that lay at moorings out in the little
private harbor.

Hal, in the meantime, had quietly swung the shed door to and locked it.
The great white word, "Danger," was once more in plain view.

"What are you going to do now!" asked young Hastings of his chum.

"I reckon I'll spend my time wondering where the Navy man is," laughed
Captain Jack.

"Let's go up to the office, then. Mr. Farnum may have had some word in
the matter."

As they neared the door of the office building, Eph Somers, who was a
combination of first officer, steward and general utility man on board
the Pollard boats, came in through the gate, joining his friends at
once.

Readers of our previous volumes are now well acquainted with these young
men and their friends. In "_The Submarine Boys on Duty_" was told how
Jack and Hal came to Dunhaven at just the right moment, as it happened,
to edge their way into the employ of Jacob Farnum, the young
shipbuilder, who was then engaged in the construction of the first of
those famous submarine torpedo craft. The first boat was named the
"Pollard," after David Pollard, the inventor of the craft and of its
successors. By the time that the "Pollard" was ready for launching Jack
and Hal had made themselves so valuable to their employer that the boys
were allowed to take to the water with the boat when it left the stocks.
Eph Somers, freckle-faced and sunny aired, was a Dunhaven boy who had
fairly won his way aboard the same craft by his many sided ability. Yet,
under the direction of Messrs. Farnum and Pollard these youngsters so
rapidly acquired the difficult knack of handling submarine boats that
they remained aboard. In the end Jack Benson became the recognized
captain of the boat. Some notable cruises were made, in which the great
value of the Pollard type of submarines was splendidly proved, thanks
largely to the cleverness of the boys who handled her.

The "Pollard" was present during naval manoeuvres of a fleet of United
States warships. Captain Jack conceived and carried out a most laughable
trick against one of the battleships, which attracted public attention
generally to this new craft.

In the second volume of the series, "_The Submarine Boys' Trial Trip_,"
our readers found the young men engaged in giving further and much more
startling demonstration to naval officers of the full value of the
Pollard type of boat. Incidentally, it was to