Can you win any of those tests?" jeered Rhinds, harshly.

"No; but I can do what will, perhaps, be the next best thing. I can
stop the boys aboard the Pollard craft from being on hand to put their
boat through all its paces. All you need is to have the Pollard end
blocked. You can more than hold your end against the other submarines."

"Well, what can you do to stop the boys on the Pollard boats?" demanded
Rhinds, unbelievingly.

"I can stop them from being on hand at the next tests. Or else I can
attend to them so that they'll be of very little use, anyway."

"Bah! You're dreaming, Fred! The boys were too smart for you last time;
Now that they're on their guard, don't you realize they'd be harder
than ever to catch."

"Jack Benson and his friends don't know that I was behind what happened
last night," retorted Radwin. "Besides, if they're on their guard, now,
so am I. I know them to be smarter than I first thought, so I shall
spread a deeper, tighter net for them. John Rhinds, you shall win the
rest of the submarine tests. At least, the Pollard boats won't win!"

Radwin talked so confidently that John Rhinds began to look at him more
hopefully.

"What are you going to do, Fred?" the wretch inquired, at last.

"I'm going on shore--now."

"Everybody will know, if you call a boat at this hour of the night."

"Bosh! You and I are both going on shore--back to the Somerset House.
Anything very strange about that?" demanded Radwin. "We're tired out
from the day's cruise, and want to be off the water. So we're going to
the Somerset. We'll drift in, get something to eat, and then start
upstairs. You can hardly go to sleep, Rhinds, but I shall start out
again, on the sly, and go to find some handy people I know in the little
city of Colfax. So that's settled, and I'll signal for the boat now."

Jack and his comrades slept on the "Benson" that night. For one thing,
they felt so tired, after the day's long strain, that they really
lacked the desire even to go to larger, softer beds on shore. So they
awoke in the morning feeling as fresh as sea-larks should.

"There are no tests on for to-day, and nothing to be done on board,
except to clean the engines," spoke Jacob Farnum over the breakfast
table in the little cabin. "So, youngsters, we'll go ashore and refresh
ourselves. Grant's men will clean the engines. That's what they're
really here for."

"Don't you think it would be wiser, sir, to remain