, if he had questioned you searchingly, and
pinned you right down?" demanded Eph Somers.

"Of course I would," Jack replied, soberly. "I'm no liar. But I feel
deeply grateful to that officer for not being keener."

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