ped his friends make a
few pictures of the approach and the convoying of the destroyers to add
to the views they had of the submarine and her defeat--temporary defeat
it might prove, but, none the less, a defeat.

"Well, hardly all right," remarked Blake, as the camera was dismounted.
"We're still in the danger zone, and the Huns won't let slip any chance
to do us harm. But I guess we have more of a chance for our white alley
than we had before."

Though the French ship was now protected by the three convoying vessels,
the crews of which kept a sharp watch on all sides for the presence of
more submarines, there was still plenty of danger, and this was felt by
all.

At any moment a submarine, approaching below the surface with only her
periscope showing--and this made a mark exceedingly hard to see and
hit--might launch a torpedo, not only at the merchant-man but at one of
the destroyers.

"It's like sleeping over a case of dynamite," observed Joe, as he and
his chums went below. "I'd rather be on the war front. You can at least
see and hear shells coming."

"That's right," agreed Blake. "Well, if nothing happens, we'll soon be
there now."

"_If_ is a big word these days," observed Charlie.

"Now that we're comparatively safe for the moment, I want to ask you
fellows something," said Blake, after a pause.

"Ask ahead," returned Joe. "If you want to know whether I was scared,
I'll say I was, but I was too busy getting pictures to notice it. If it
is something else----"

"It is," interrupted Blake, and his manner was grave. "Come below and
I'll tell you. I don't want any one else to hear."

Wondering somewhat at their friend's manner, Joe and Charlie went to
their stateroom, and there Blake closed the door and took the dark cloth
down from the mirror. A look into it showed that the transom of the room
opposite--the cabin of Levi Labenstein--had been closed.

"So we can't tell whether he's in there or not," said Blake.

"Did you want to talk about him?" asked Joe.

"Yes, him and the lieutenant. Did you fellows happen to notice what they
were doing when the submarine was attacking us?"

"Not especially," answered Joe. "I did see Lieutenant Secor looking at
us as we worked the camera, but I didn't pay much attention to him."

"It wasn't him so much as it was the German," went on Blake.

"In what way?"

"Did you see where he was standing when the submarine came out of the
water?"

Neither Joe nor Charli