t Hodges was only the agent of
some one else. Mr. Graves, do me a great favor--a great favor to all
our party. For the present, if you must say anything, say just as
little as possible about the accident. Let it go at that. Don't throw
out any suspicions against Hodges. Don't let anyone know that I have
any suspicions. Just keep the whole thing quiet--and in that way
we'll get the authors of this outrage."

"Are you sure?" demanded Graves, his look still darkly vengeful.

"You might talk to just one person--when there's no one else around to
overhear you," Jack agreed. "That man is the chief of police in
Colfax. In view of some other things that he knows the chief will agree
with my view, and will thank you for keeping quiet and looking puzzled
over this affair."

"All right," grumbled Mr. Graves. "I'll do as you ask, Mr.
Benson--until I've talked with the chief of police, anyway."

By this time the badly-injured members of the party had received first
attention from the doctors, and were now being lifted into a big farm
wagon that had been brought to the scene. In this vehicle they were
taken to the nearest house, where they were placed on beds for better
attention.

"I'm going back to the city, now," announced the garage man to the young
submarine captain. "I'm going to the chief of police, and I'll also see
to it that a big auto ambulance is sent out to take your friends and my
man to the hospital in town. Hang it, I hate to keep the truth in this
matter quiet, even for a moment, and I wouldn't do it, only to see
justice worked out. You see, Mr. Benson, such a fearful accident, from
one of my cars, will hurt my business until the whole truth is known.
But I'll stick to my word, and keep quiet."

In three quarters of an hour's time the ambulance had arrived, and also
a car that Graves had sent to bring back Farnum and the three submarine
boys.

"Don't run back at anything like speed, please," begged Mr. Farnum, with
a wan smile. It had cut the shipbuilder to the marrow to find his
friend, Pollard, so badly hurt.

"Nothing faster than ten miles an hour," promised the chauffeur.

Once in the city the auto followed the ambulance to the hospital, where
Farnum went to see that every possible attention was given his friend.
But Mr. Graves had already made splendid arrangements for the care of
both injured men.

Then down to the Somerset went the able bodied survivors of the submarine
party. Thou