et when the question of "sir"
came up.

Presently the squad filed into the engine room. Here Hal Hastings had the
floor for instruction. He did his work coolly, admirably, though he asked
Jack Benson to explain a few of the points.

Then the questions began, directed at Hal. This time none of the cadets,
under the watchful eyes of Mr. Mayhew, forgot to say "sir" when speaking
to Hastings.

Sam Truax edged up behind the big cadet whose eyes he had seen flash a few
moments before.

"Go after Benson, good and hard," whispered Truax.

The cadet looked keenly at Truax.

"You can have a lot of fun with Benson," whispered Truax, "if you fire a
lot of questions at him, hard and fast. Benson is a conceited fellow, who
knows a few things about the boat, but you can get him rattled and
red-faced in no time."

CHAPTER X: A SQUINT AT THE CAMELROORELEPHANT

The big cadet wheeled upon Jack.

"Mr. Benson, how long have you been engaged on submarine boats, sir?"

"Since July," Jack replied.

"July of this year?"

"Yes."

"And it is now October. Do you consider that enough time, sir, in which to
learn much about submarine boats?"

"That depends," Skipper Jack replied, "upon a man's ability in such a
subject."

"Is it long enough time, sir, for a boy?"

That was rather a hard dig. Instantly the other cadets became all
attention.

"It depends upon the boy, as it would upon the man," Jack answered.

"Do you consider, Mr. Benson, that you know all about submarine boats,
sir?"

"Oh, no."

"Who does, sir?"

"No one that I ever heard of," Jack answered. "Few men interested in
submarine boats know much beyond the peculiarities of their own boats."

"And that applies equally to boys, sir?"

"Yes," Jack smiled.

"Do you consider yourself, sir, fully competent to handle this craft?"

"I'd rather someone else would say it," Jack replied. "My employers,
though, seem to consider me competent."

"What is this material, sir?" continued the cadet, resting a hand on a
piston rod.

"Brass," Benson replied, promptly.

"Do you know the specific gravity and the tensile strength of this brass?"

Before Jack could answer Mr. Mayhew broke in, crisply:

"That will do, Mr. Merriam. Your questions appear to go beyond the limits
of ordinary instruction, and to partake more of the nature of a
cross-examination. Such questions take up the time of the instruction tour
unnecessarily."

Cadet Merriam fl