Before nine o'clock the next morning news of the night's doings back of
barracks had spread through the entire corps of cadet midshipmen.
With these young men of the Navy there was but one opinion of the
submarine boys--that they were trumps, wholly of the right sort.
As a result, Jack, Hal and Eph had hundreds of new friends among those
who will officer the Navy of the morrow.
Not so bad, even just as a stroke of business!
CHAPTER XIII
READY FOR THE SEA CRUISE
For the next ten days things moved along without much excitement for the
submarine boys.
During that time they had an average of four sections a day of cadet
midshipmen to instruct in the workings of the Pollard type of submarine
torpedo boat.
During the last few days short cruises were taken on the Severn River,
in order that the middies might practise at running the motors and
handling the craft. At such times one squad of midshipmen would be on
duty in the engine room, another in the conning tower and on the
platform deck.
Of course, when the midshipmen handled the "Farnum," under command of a
Navy officer, the submarine boys had but little more to do than to be
on board. Certainly they were not overworked. Yet all three were
doing fine work for their employers in making the Navy officers of the
future like the Pollard type of craft.
After waiting a few days Jack Benson reported to the Annapolis police
his experience with the mulatto "guide." The police thought they
recognized the fellow, from the description, and did their best to
find him. The mulatto, however, seemed to have disappeared from that
part of the country.
There came a Friday afternoon when, as the last detachment of middies
filed over the side into the waiting cutter, Lieutenant Commander
Mayhew announced:
"This, Mr. Benson, completes the instruction desired in the Basin and
in the river. To-morrow and Sunday you will have for rest. On Monday,
at 10 A.M., a section will report aboard for the first trip out to sea.
Then you will show our young men how the boat dives, and how she is
run under water. As none of our cadet midshipmen have ever been below
in a submarine before, you will be sure of having eager students."
"And perhaps some nervous ones," smiled Skipper Jack.
"Possibly," assented Mr. Mayhew. "I doubt it, though. Nervousness is
not a marked trait of any young man who has been long enrolled at the
Naval Academy."
"Can we have a slight f
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