ght, and I felt that Providence was speaking by the
mouth of the officer. Certainly Providence could not have chosen a
better agent to work its will.

In the light of the lamp I examined him. He was about thirty years of
age, cool, phlegmatic, with resolute physiognomy--the English officer
in all his native impassibility--no more disturbed than if he had been
on board the _Standard_, operating with extraordinary _sang-froid,_ I
might even say, with the precision of a machine.

"On coming through the tunnel I estimated its length at about fifty
yards," he remarked.

"Yes, Lieutenant, about fifty yards from one extremity to the other."

This calculation must have been pretty exact, since the new tunnel cut
on a level with the coast is thirty-five feet in length.

The order was given to go ahead, and the _Sword_ moved forward very
slowly for fear of colliding against the rocky side.

Sometimes we came near enough to it to distinguish a black mass ahead
of it, but a turn of the wheel put us in the right direction again.
Navigating a submarine boat in the open sea is difficult enough. How
much more so in the confines of a lagoon!

After five minutes' manoeuvring, the _Sword_, which was kept at about
a fathom below the surface, had not succeeded in sighting the orifice.

"Perhaps it would be better to return to the surface, Lieutenant," I
said. "We should then be able to see where we are."

"I think you are right, Mr. Hart, if you can point out just about
where the tunnel is located."

"I think I can."

"Very well, then."

As a precaution the light was turned off. The engineer set the pumps
in motion, and, lightened of its water ballast, the boat slowly rose
in the darkness to the surface.

I remained at my post so that I could peer through the lookouts.

At last the ascensional movement of the _Sword_ stopped, and the
periscope emerged about a foot.

On one side of me, lighted by the lamp by the shore, I could see the
Beehive.

"What is your opinion?" demanded the lieutenant.

"We are too far north. The orifice is in the west side of the cavern."

"Is anybody about?"

"Not a soul."

"Capital, Mr. Hart. Then we will keep on a level with the surface, and
when we are in front of the tunnel, and you give the signal, we will
sink."

It was the best thing to be done. We moved off again and the pilot
kept her head towards the tunnel.

When we were about twelve yards off I gave the signal to stop. As soo