his outer clothing and resolved to do the
best he could. Suddenly he was startled by a splashing, gurgling noise
behind him, and, looking around, was surprised and puzzled to see what
looked like the back of a huge whale floating within fifty feet of the
stern of his little craft. In a second he understood, and a great wave
of joy surged over him.

"It's a submarine," he thought, "and an American one at that," as he
recognized the design.

Even as he looked, a hatch was thrown open in the deck of the submarine,
and the head and shoulders of a man emerged from the aperture. Almost at
the same instant Bert's rowboat gave a gentle lurch and disappeared
beneath the surface. As he felt it sinking, Bert gave a great shout, and
the man on the submarine whirled around in his direction, surprise
written large on his countenance.

"By thunder!" he exclaimed, "what in the name of--" But here he dived
below and in a few seconds reappeared with a life preserver attached to a
long cord. This he cast toward Bert, who in the meantime had been
swimming steadily toward the submarine. Bert grasped the preserver and
was rapidly drawn on board by the first man who had appeared, and by two
others who by now had joined him. Bert was soon safe on the sloping
deck, and was besieged by a thousand questions.

The man who had first espied Bert was evidently an officer, and he soon
quitted the others and took the cross-examination in his own hands. It
was some time before Bert was able to answer, and probably at no time in
his strenuous career had he come nearer complete exhaustion.

Finally, however, his strength began to return, and he staggered to his
feet.

"For Heaven's sake!" he exclaimed, "take me to the captain and let me
give him a message I have for him. Never mind anything else just now--I
can tell you all about that after we get started."

The officer saw that he was in deadly earnest, and although he was rather
inclined to think this young fellow's experiences had unbalanced his
mind, he led him below without further loss of time.

They descended a steep ladder, and presently entered the room in which
were kept the machinery controls, gauges, and other apparatus relating to
the operation of the submarine. There was a solidly built table in the
center of this room, and at this, carefully examining a chart spread out
in front of him, sat a sturdy, thick-set man of perhaps fifty years of
age. As the officer entered,