imagination, he taxed his friend with it.

"Look here, Phil," he said, "there is something wrong somewhere; I can
see it by your manner. What is it? Out with it, man! You will have to
tell us sooner or later, you know, so you may as well let us know what
it is at once. Have you got into collision with the authorities, or
roused their suspicions in any way, or what is it? We may as well know
first as last, old man; so get it off your mind!"

"So you have noticed it, have you?" responded Milsom, rather grimly.
"Well, you have guessed rightly, Jack; there is something very seriously
wrong, though not in the directions which you have suggested. Of course
the authorities have their suspicions--and very strong ones, too, I
don't doubt--about this vessel; they would be fools if they had not,
seeing the length of time that she has been hanging about in these
waters. But whatever their suspicions may be, they cannot possess an
atom of proof, or they would have seized the craft before now, and
clapped all hands of us into prison. No, it is not that, but--Jack--I
don't know what you will say, or what you will think of me--I give you
my word of honour that it was not through any carelessness on my part--
but--well, the fact of the matter is that--your submarine has been
stolen!"

"The submarine stolen!" echoed Jack. "Nonsense, man; you surely cannot
mean it!"

"By Jove, I do, then, and that is a fact!" answered Milsom. "Just
exactly when she went, or how she went, I know no more than you do; but
we missed her a fortnight ago. As you know, it has been our custom to
keep about a foot of water in the boat which concealed the submarine, to
keep her bottom tight; and, as you may also remember, that water was
changed once a week--namely, every Saturday morning. Well, a fortnight
ago last Saturday, when the canvas cover was taken off the boat in order
to change the water in her, she was found to be empty; the submarine was
gone! Who took her, or by what means it became possible to steal her
without a single soul being a penny the wiser, I cannot tell you, and I
do not believe we shall ever know; for, of course, when I came to
question the crew, there was not a man who was not willing to swear that
he had never closed his eyes for an instant while keeping an anchor
watch, though, of course, something of the kind must have happened. I
suspect the custom-house officers that the authorities have insisted on
keeping aboard u