. On search
the 'Thor' was found to have the full number of torpedoes issued to her.
Now, government departments must be guided by evidence."

"Humph!" sighed Jack. "As things have turned out, I'd sooner beat the
Rhinds crowd than all the other submarine crowds together."

"I hope you do," rejoined the Lieutenant. "However, my belief is that
the government will order some of your company's boats, and some of the
Rhinds craft. About the only question, really, is who gets the larger
order--and how much larger."

Jacob Farnum had come from his stateroom, and had listened to this talk
in silence.

"How do you feel about it, Mr. Farnum?" asked the naval officer.

"I shall have to be satisfied with whatever share of the business my
company can secure, of course," replied the shipbuilder. "Yet we know,
and so does everyone, that we have proved the Pollard type of boat to be
better than its nearest rival."

"Well, success to you all, and the largest measure of it possible!"
wished Lieutenant Danvers, rising and shaking hands warmly all around.
"For my part, I'd like to see you get orders, at once, for fifty
boats, leaving all your rivals out in the cold. And now I must go
on over to the 'Oakland.'"

Messrs. Rhinds and Radwin were on shore, at the hotel, but they had
received word of the departure of four of the rival boats, and knew the
reason for that departure.

"This," cried John Rhinds, getting up and pacing the room, while he
smoked fast, "is the stage at which the game gets on my nerves!"

"Yes," agreed Radwin, though he spoke rather lazily. "It's fine to have
only one rival left in the field, but it's discouraging to know that
we're number two, and that the other fellow holds number one rank.
Rhinds, I wonder if we can really get an order for any of our boats from
the government. I hope that we can, at least, get rid of the three that
we have on hand."

"Three?" uttered the president of the Rhinds Submarine Company,
scornfully. "I'm going to sell the government at least a dozen!"

As he spoke, he struck his clenched fists together angrily.

"How?" asked Radwin.

"And, on the strength of having the United States' order for a dozen
boats, I'm certain then, of being able to place orders for two or three
dozen more boats with foreign governments."

"How are you going to place the order for a dozen with the United States
government?" insisted Fred Radwin.

"How? By the very simple method of gettin