he has not found it out. He is on board to get ahead of you some way
or other--perhaps get up a mutiny and go to the pole himself. He is
the wickedest-looking man I ever saw, and he scared me when I first
recognized him. Will send news as long as I am on hand. Let me know what
you think. I want to chuck him into the scuttle-box.

"SAMUEL BLOCK."

"If that could be done," said Clewe to himself, "it would be an end to a
great many troubles."

The scuttle-box on the submarine vessel was a contrivance for throwing
things overboard. It consisted of a steel box about six feet long and
two feet square at the ends, and with a tightly fitting door at each
extremity. When this scuttle-box was used it was run down through a
square opening in the bottom of the Dipsey, the upper door was opened,
matter to be disposed of was thrown into it, the upper door was shut and
the lower one opened, whereupon everything inside of it descended into
the sea, and water filled the box. When this box was drawn up by means
of its machinery, the water was forced out, so that when it was entirely
inside the vessel it was empty, and then the lower door was closed. For
some moments the idea suggested by Sammy was very attractive to Clewe,
and he could not help thinking that the occasion might arise when it
would be perfectly proper to carry it into execution.

Now that he knew the import of Sammy's extraordinary communication, he
felt that it would not be right to withhold his knowledge from Margaret.
Of course it might frighten her very much, but this was an enterprise in
which people should expect to be frightened. Full confidence and hearty
assistance were what these two now expected from each other.

"What is it exactly that you fear?" she asked, when she had heard the
news.

"That is hard to say," replied Roland. "This man Rovinski is a
scientific jackal; he has ambitions of the very highest kind, and he
seeks to gratify them by fraud and villainy. It is now nearly two years
since I have found out that he has been shadowing me, endeavoring to
discover what I am doing and how I am doing it; and the moment he does
get a practical and working knowledge of anything, he will go on with
the business on my lines as far as he can. Perhaps he may succeed,
and, in any case, he will be almost certain to ruin my chances of
success--that is, if I were not willing to buy him off. He would be
pretty sure to try black