ave a good square meal.
Strange to say, for the first time to-day I have an appetite."

CHAPTER XX

DAN BEFORE THE BOARD

The reports that the commanding officer received in his cabin were very
encouraging. No water was found in the hold forward, and there was no
indication that any damage had been done to the ship.

After finishing his lunch, the captain ordered the divers over to make
an examination of the ship's bottom from the outside. They reported
that the bottom was not even scratched by contact with the sand of the
bay.

"We will discontinue torpedo practice for the day, Coates. It will be
too late to do anything more. To-morrow we will go on with the work
where we left off. I shall be busy the rest of the afternoon making a
report to the Navy Department of the accident."

In his report the commanding officer told the full story, including the
warning that Seaman Daniel Davis had wig-wagged to the ship from far
out on the torpedo range.

In the early evening Dan was hunted out by the captain's orderly, who
told the lad that the captain wished to see him in the former's
quarters.

Dan was not sure whether he was in for a reprimand or not. But he
hastened below as fast as he could.

"Good evening, lad," greeted the captain in a kindly tone.

"Good evening, sir," answered Dan.

"You discovered the shoal spot on your way out to the range to-day, did
you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"How did you come to do that!"

"I try to observe everything, sir. The water there did not look like
the rest of the water of the bay, so I looked over and saw the bottom."

"Exactly. Why did you not notify the ship? You had reasons for not
doing so, eh?"

"Yes, sir."

"What were they?"

"In the first place, sir, it would have been presumptuous of me to have
done so. In the second place, I thought that, of course, the navigator
knew every inch of the bottom hereabouts."

"So did I," nodded the captain. "Your suppositions were wise. Knowing
of the shoal place, you kept watch of us?"

"Yes, sir."

"How did you discover our danger from where you were?"

"I took shore sights as I went out, so that I might be able to locate
the shoal if needed."

The eyes of the commanding officer gleamed with appreciation.

"You saw us heading on to it!"

"Yes, sir, I was watching you through the glass. When I saw that you
were going to strike it, if you kept your course, I took the great
liberty of warning you."