e, and you'll see your young men popping out of the
conning tower, rested and as bright as new buttons."

A moment later the shore boat rounded in alongside. Then, quite
suddenly, the three submarine boys projected themselves through the
manhole, and stood in full view on the platform deck.

"Eh? Hey?" gasped John C. Rhinds, utterly nonplussed.

Fred Radwin's lower jaw seemed to drop several inches. He stared as
though he were seeing ghosts, while a sickly, greenish pallor crept into
his handsome face.

"By Jove, you were right, Rhinds!" gasped Jacob Farnum, turning. "Thank
you, old man, for keeping our courage up."

"Good morning, Mr. Farnum! Good Morning Mr. Pollard!" chorused the three
submarine boys. Then, favoring Rhinds and Radwin with brief glances:

"Good morning--_gentlemen!_"

"Gentlemen?" repeated Eph, disgustedly, under his breath. "I think not!"

Though Rhinds and his agent speedily managed to look pleasant, they
hadn't gotten their spirits back when the shore boat pulled away.

Farnum and Pollard went hurriedly below, where Jack and his comrades
followed.

"Jack! Jack! Thank you a million times!" gasped Farnum, seizing the young
captain's hand, then giving the other boys the same hearty gripping
handshake. "Your note that we got, this morning, gave us the information
we needed and we knew just how to act."

"And, from the way Rhinds and his fellow acted, when they caught sight
of you boys," added David Pollard, "we can form a pretty good idea of who
tried to shanghai you three last night."

"The scoundrels!" glowered Farnum, in righteous rage.

"Now, sir," cried Jack, laughing savagely, "why did those fellows try
such a trick on us? Because they hoped, thereby, to beat us in the
distance speed race to-day."

"Of course," nodded the shipbuilder, still savage. "Rhinds builds fast
submarines. I know that, from the reports I've had. Plainly, the
Pollard boats are the only craft he feels much afraid of."

"He'll be more than afraid, to-night," vaunted Jack Benson, proudly.
"More than afraid, sir. When the figures of to-day's distance speed
course are in John C. Rhinds will be frozen cold!"

"If we have to turn on gasoline and run the engines so hot we blow the
whole deck off!" confirmed Hal Hastings, explosively.

"If I should be inclined to forget to-day," growled Eph Somers, "I have
a pain in my head, from a crack I received last night, that will put me
in mind of the whole ou