s ready."

Then they fell silent, for, with the roar of wind and waters, it was
necessary for them to shout when they talked.

As the minutes went by slowly, the two conscious midshipmen found
themselves filled with amazement.

A dozen times the launches darted by, not far away. It seemed impossible
that the keen, restless eyes of the seekers should not discover the
imperiled ones.

At such times Dave and Dan shouted with all the power of their lusty
young lungs.

Alternately Dan and Dave tried the effect of rising as far as they could
and frantically waving an arm. There was not a cap to wave among the
three of them.

"I'm beginning to feel discouraged," grunted Dave in disgust at last.
"They must have spent a full half day already looking for us."

"Merciful powers!" gasped Dan at last, as they rode half way up the
slope of a big wave. "I just caught sight of the 'recall of boats'
flying from the flagship!"

"No!" gasped Dave incredulously.

"Yes, I did!"

"But--"

"They've failed and have given up the search," spoke Dan rather
despairingly.

"But--"

"We may as well face it," muttered Dan brokenly. "They don't believe
that any of us has survived, and we've been abandoned."

"Then," spoke Dave Darrin very coolly, "there's nothing left for us but
to die like men of the American Navy."

"It seems heartless, needless," protested Dan.

"No," broke in Darrin. "They've done their best. They're convinced that
we're lost. And I should think they would be, after all the time they've
searched for us--half a day, at least."

Dan said nothing, but tugged until he succeeded in bringing his watch up
to the light.

"The blamed thing is water-logged," he uttered disgustedly.

"Why?"

"The hands point to less than half past nine!"

Darrin managed to get at his own watch.

"My timepiece doesn't call for half past nine, either," he announced.

"Can it be possible--"

"Yes; the time has only seemed longer, I reckon," observed Dalzell.

"Well, we'll face it like men," proposed Dave.

"Of course," nodded Dan. "At least, we're going down in the ocean, and
we wear the American Naval uniform. If there's any choice in deaths, I
guess that's as good and manly a one as we could choose."

"Poor old Hally won't know much about it, anyway, I guess," remarked
Darrin, who seemed unnaturally cool. Possibly he was a bit dazed by the
stunning nature of the fate that seemed about to overtake them.

"Maybe the ships