sting. I shall
be anticipating more wonderful sights."

"And you'll get them!" exclaimed Ned. "Do you remember, Tom, the time
the big octopus tried to hold us back?"

"Yes, indeed," answered the young inventor. "That gave us a scare for
the time being."

Steadily the M. N. 1 kept on her way under water. Her path was
illuminated to a considerable degree by a broad, diffused beam of light
from a powerful searchlight that was fixed just back of the conning
tower, giving the helmsman a certain degree of vision. This light also
served to illuminate the water, so that those in the forward cabin
could see what was going on around them.

"There isn't much of interest in the river," said Tom. "No big fish, or
anything else of moment. Even in the bay we won't see much to attract
our attention. But I want to make sure everything is working smoothly
before we start for the West Indies."

"That's right!" agreed Mr. Hardley. "We want to make a success of this
trip."

He remained at the glass bull's-eyes, now and then exclaiming as some
shad or other fair-sized fish came into view. Suddenly, however, his
exclamation was sharper than usual.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "There's part of a wreck!"

Ned, Mr. Damon, and Tom looked out and saw, sweeping past them, the
ribs and worm-eaten timbers of some craft, lying on the bottom of the
river.

"Yes, that's the remains of an old brick scow," the young inventor
explained. "That's one of our water-marks, so to speak. It is at the
bend of the river. We turn now, and head for the bay."

As he spoke they all became aware of a sudden swerve in the course of
the submarine. The helmsman had, doubtless, noted the "water-mark," as
Tom termed it, and as an automobilist on land might swing at the
cross-roads, the steersman was changing the course of his craft.

"We'll go deeper," said Tom a moment later, as the wreck passed out of
view. "We can go about fifty feet down now. Yes, he's sinking her," he
added, as a gauge showed the craft to be descending. "Nelson knows his
business all right."

"He is your captain?" asked Mr. Hardley.

"One of the best, yes. He'll go with us on the search for the Pandora."

They talked of various matters, Tom relating to Mr. Hardley how a tug
had rammed the brick scow some years ago, and sunk it in the river.

The submarine was now about forty-eight feet below the surface, and
suddenly they all became aware that her speed had increased.

"Guess he's goin