Ned looked at Jimmie in astonishment. He could scarcely credit his senses. He began ascending the iron ladder leading to the deck.

Eagerly the lad glanced about the upper portion of the submarine which now showed black and gleaming above the surface of the water.

“Harry,” he called down the hatchway, “didn’t Mackinder say he was coming on deck to see if he could be of service to Jimmie?”

“He certainly did!” answered Harry. “Then we went on working at the pumps. I was busy with the starboard pump because it wasn’t working just as it should. I saw him start up the ladder!”

“And I saw him when he was about half way up!” put in Jack.

“I’m equally certain he didn’t return, but it may be well enough to stop a minute to search the interior. Perhaps he came back.”

In a moment all five boys were busily going over every corner of the craft. From stem to stern they ransacked every place where it would have been at all possible for their guest to have hidden.

At length they met in the space directly below the hatchway.

“Find anything?” queried Ned glancing about the group.

“Not a hint of anything at all resembling an Englishman!” stated Jimmie. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to put an ad. in the paper.”

“Yes,” scorned Jack. “Like this: ‘Lost—one perfectly good Englishman. Finder please return to the “U-13” and receive reward’!”

“Sure!” agreed Jimmie. “Have them charge it, please!”

“Hush this nonsense, boys!” cried Ned. “This may be serious!”

“Well, where is he?” protested Jimmie. “We haven’t got him!”

“Maybe he fell overboard!” suggested Ned. “Let’s have a look.”

Again the lad mounted the ladder. As he reached the small deck he peered anxiously about the vessel seeking what he hoped he might not find.

The others came crowding after their chum, filling the space.

“There he goes!” cried Jimmie pointing away to the north.

“Where?” inquired Ned looking in the direction indicated. “Oh, I see him,” the lad went on. “He’s swimming a good stroke, too!”

“Is he crazy or just disgusted with the company on board the ‘U-13’?”

“Perhaps he thinks he’ll be picked up by that boat!” stated Jimmie again directing the attention of his comrades to a small fishing craft. “They seem to be heading a course that will reach Mackinder.”

“He was wise enough to take one of the life preservers,” said Harry indicating a space from which a buoy was missing.

“Sure enough!” agreed Ned. “He’s no fool at any rate!”

“Let’s wait a while to see if they pick him up,” suggested Jimmie.

“If they don’t get him, we’ll chase over there and take him aboard again. What do you say?” asked Ned of the others.

There was no dissenting voice raised to this suggestion. Eagerly the lads watched the boat momentarily drawing nearer the swimmer.

In a short time the boat rounded to, losing her way in the water. A sharp skiff was quickly launched over the side. Into this tumbled two men. They soon covered the distance between their vessel and the swimmer. Without difficulty they succeeded in assisting Mackinder into the skiff, then put quickly back to the sailing vessel.

“Ah, he’s safe at any rate!” gladly stated Ned. “Now we can go on and finish our voyage in peace! I’m glad he’s gone!”

“So am I!” declared Jimmie. “He’s a good fellow as one might say, but he’s too awfully stuck on getting some information for that bloomin’ Hinglish Harmy, don’t you know!”

“That’s hardly fair, Jimmie!” laughed Ned. “He didn’t drop his ‘H’s’ and he did only what he considered his duty.”

“He will probably get that fisherman to set him ashore on English soil as soon as possible,” conjectured Jack. “Suppose we follow them.”

“What for?” asked Harry. “Why should we chase after those chaps?”

“Unless we do something of the sort, we’ll have to go at it blindly!” urged Jack. “We don’t really know where we are!”

“That’s so,” admitted Harry reluctantly. “We haven’t a chart nor a course. We don’t know how far we are from anywhere at all!”

“We might keep on steering just as we started,” stated Frank. “I believe southeast was the course we used coming away from Helgoland.”

“That course would surely bring us up somewhere,” put in Ned, “but it would be much better if we could find out exactly where we are. Then we could steer a course with intelligence.”

“Aw, what do we need of a chart?” scorned Jimmie. “We know that England lies to the southwest of us. It’s big enough so we can’t miss it. If we blunder into the coast we can just cruise along a ways until we come to some place or other and then head in.”

“That’s a good idea, too,” agreed Frank. “When we get to a port we can turn the submarine over to the English authorities as a prize of war. They’ll probably be glad enough to get the machine.”

“Then we’ll head for the little old U. S. A.!” cried Jimmie.

“You’re right we will. When we get there, we’ll chase ourselves out to Long Island. The first thing I’ll do will be to get the factory started on another engine like the Grey Eagle’s!” declared Harry.

“Good enough! Now let’s be ‘wenting’!” added Jimmie.

“But, boys,” objected Ned, “this hit or miss fashion of navigating is not correct. Something may happen to change our course. If we don’t know what we are doing, we might get into lots of trouble!”

“Maybe you’re right, Ned!” assented Frank. “What shall we do?”

“I think we’d better cruise carefully along on the surface until we see a ship. We can ask them for our latitude and longitude. From that we’ll be able to lay a course to any point.”

“Maybe they’ll give us a chart, too!” put in Harry.

“All right, then, here goes!” shouted Jimmie preparing to slide down the ladder. “Somebody’ll have to keep on deck.”

Harry at once followed Jimmie into the interior. The engines responded to his touch. The new “U-13” sprang forward half submerged.

“We’ve got plenty of gas in the tanks, Harry,” stated Jimmie to his chum as the latter moved about the interior looking after the machinery. “We’re making only about fifteen miles now by this log.”

“I’ll give them another touch,” responded Harry. “The sooner we get there, the quicker we’ll arrive, so here goes!”

The increased speed of the engines urged the submarine ahead at a goodly rate. Jimmie presently declared that the log indicator showed a good twenty-five miles an hour. Those on the little deck above the conning tower found the increased speed uncomfortable by reason of the dashing spray, but all felt that this was not unendurable.

“Sail, ho!” Ned presently called down the hatchway.

“Where away?” asked Harry, looking up at his comrade.

“Almost dead ahead!” replied Ned. “We’re overhauling them fast. It looks to be a three masted ship as nearly as I can make out!”

“Hold your course, Jimmie!” directed Jack. “We’ll come up close enough to hail them in a little while just as we are heading!”

In a few minutes the ship was so close that all could make out the details of her rigging. It was a large three masted square-rigged vessel evidently in ballast for the hull was high out of water.

“I believe they see us!” announced Frank, using a pair of binoculars he had found among the fittings of the submarine.

“Can you make out the flag at the peak?” asked Jack.

“Yes, I think so. I believe it is the British flag.”

“Then, they’ll be glad to help us out, especially if they find that we intend to turn the ‘U-13’ over to their government!”

“I don’t know about that!” doubted Frank. “I see men running aloft. It looks as if they’re rigging out studding sail booms on the main yards. And I see others on the topsail yards,” declared the boy.

“Why, in that case, they’re trying to get away from us!”

“It certainly looks that way. Now I can see men setting the studding sails on the booms. They are putting on every rag the old hooker will carry!” cried the lad excitedly.

“I know why,” stated Harry. “They think we’re a German submarine chasing them and they’re trying to get away!”

“Let’s run up a white flag, then,” urged Ned. “They ought to know what that means. They’ll stop for that!”

In response to this suggestion the lads quickly overhauled the flag locker finding just what they sought. The white flag was at once brought to the deck where it was bent on to the halliards. It fluttered gaily at the top of the short flagstaff. Some difficulty was experienced in securing the staff because of an improperly fitting socket.

“Do they seem to be making any change?” inquired Harry presently.

“Yes,” answered Ned. “They’re crowding on more sail!”

“Then we might as well give it up!” stated the other. “They’ll never stop for us. Our only hope is to dive and come up close to some vessel so they can’t get away before we ask the questions.”

“Maybe that would be a good idea,” admitted Ned. “Anyhow, we’ll have to take down this flag. The signal staff don’t fit!”

Disappointed because their efforts had been unavailing, the lads regretfully folded the flag. It was restored to its proper place.

Harry, however, continued to urge the engines forward in the hope of eventually overhauling the ship. This seemed to be within the range of possibilities, but the boys all knew the maxim concerning a stern chase, and were somewhat discouraged. Knowing that their intentions were of the best, they felt slightly aggrieved that the other did not stop.

“I see a smoke away ahead of the ship!” announced Frank after a few moments. “I can’t tell which way they are headed, though!”

“At this rate of traveling, we’ll soon find out!” declared Jack.

Evidently the smoke had been discovered by those aboard the sailing vessel, for the course was altered slightly in that direction.

This change was noted by the boys. Jimmie shifted the helm slightly in order to keep the submarine directly in the track of the ship.

“I wonder what that other vessel can be,” puzzled Ned. “Let me take the glasses a moment, Frank. I wish we were higher in the water,” he added, “then we could get a better range of vision.”

Long and earnestly the boy inspected the strange vessel. Presently he returned the glasses to Frank with a sigh.

“What is it?” asked Jack with keen interest.

“I believe it is a warship of some sort!” replied Ned.

“Then they’ll capture us and take us to port mighty quick!”

“I guess they’ll capture us all right!” put in Frank. “I can see the sailing vessel making signals. They’ve got a string of flags flying from the foretopmast head. I don’t know what they mean, but they’re calls for help, or I’ll miss my guess! They are something like the U. S. flags!”

Those on board the steamer had evidently seen the string of flags or else by the peculiar actions of the sailing vessel guessed that something was wrong, for the boys saw that their course was at once altered. From the clouds of dense black smoke pouring from the funnels they knew that the stokers were being urged to their best efforts.

In a short space of time the combined speeds of the two vessels brought them close together. As the other approached, Harry shut off the power of the engines, checking them to little more than steerageway.

As the steamer passed the ship Ned could see that some communication had been made between the two. The steamer came quickly on.

“Pass me up that white flag again, Harry,” requested Ned. “I think they’re coming up to speak to us, and I’d just as soon have that handy. Maybe these fellows might misunderstand our motives, too!”

“I wish now I hadn’t painted that ‘U-13’ quite so plainly on the sides!” grumbled Jimmie. “I’ll bet they’ve seen that!”

“Of course, they’ve seen it, but if we show a white flag they won’t do anything to us. They’ll let us ask questions!”

In answer to this statement, a shot echoed across the water. A ball striking the crest of a wave sent a cloud of spray over the “U-13.”

“Get down that hatchway!” ordered Ned, wiping the spray from his face. “Those fellows see the name ‘U-13’!”

“Won’t they observe the white flag if we put it up?” asked Jack.

“I don’t believe they will!” Ned stated. “Better get below!”

As if to emphasize the boy’s opinion another report echoed over the space of water separating the battleship from the new “U-13.”

This time the shell had been aimed a trifle too high. It went directly over the lads on the diminutive deck. Instinctively they all ducked their heads as the missile screamed wickedly in its useless flight.

If anything was needed to decide the matter, this last offering seemed to serve the purpose. All three lads hastened down the ladder without further parley. Ned lingered a moment to close the hatch.

“Hang onto your hats!” cried Jimmie the next instant.

“Let’s get down quick!” urged Jack. “Those fellows up there seem to mean business. My stars!” he added breathlessly, “that last one was certainly a beauty! They are getting the range, too!”

Already Harry had started the pumps, filling the ballast tanks with water to assist the “U-13” in the evolution of the dive. The rudders were deflected to their extreme range. With decks inclined to an alarming angle, the submarine fled toward the bottom like a hunted creature. Until the gauges showed a depth of twelve fathoms, Jimmie held the levers in position. Then he brought the craft to an even keel.

“It’s plain to be seen that we’ll not get much help from any ship on the North Sea!” declared Jack at length, as the ballast tanks were found to trim the vessel. “They’re scared of us, I believe!”

“They haven’t any reason to be scared of us!” stoutly protested Jimmie. “We have never done a thing to them. We’re absolutely neutral!”

“It seems to be one thing to be neutral,” laughed Ned, “and quite another thing to convince other folks of the fact!”

“They might at least have given us a chance to explain!” grumbled Jimmie. “We had a white flag flying for them to see!”

“Yes,” argued Ned, “but did you stop to think that we were showing ourselves in a bad light? Remember the newspaper accounts of all the damage done by a submarine? I’m not surprised they ran away.”

“And then we come along in a submarine! Of course, we couldn’t expect them to wait for a German undersea craft to come popping out of the ocean and waltz up alongside so they could say: ‘Good morning, Mr. Dutchman! Won’t you please accept this fine ship?’” added Jack.

“Well, I’m it!” declared Jimmie, joining in the laugh that followed Jack’s facetious remark. “The joke’s on me, all right! If I hadn’t painted that figure ‘three’ in the name, we would have been on our way to England by this time! Oh, well,” the boy added, “we’ll get to England before long, anyhow, so I should worry!”

“It all shows, boys,” spoke up Ned, “that we’ve got to be mighty careful about our appearance and the company we keep. We have gotten into this scrape largely because we were found in possession of goods we had no business to have. This last incident came about because we pretended to be something we were not!”

“I think that ought to be a good lesson to us,” stated Jimmie. “It will be for me, I know! I’m sure I’ll take it to heart!”

“I’m mighty glad we’re away from that inquisitive gunboat!” put in Frank. “Now, what’s the next thing for us to do?”

“I move that we keep below the surface for a while. If we hold on a general southeasterly course, as has been suggested, we can’t fail to bring up somewhere on the English coast.”

“That sounds like the most reasonable plan,” agreed Frank. “I propose that we put on speed and hurry along. Let’s get somewhere!”

“Here we go!” cried Harry, increasing the speed with a touch on the levers. “Let’s keep a sharp lookout, though!”

About half past three o’clock the boys decided to rise to the surface for the necessary airing of the vessel and storing of another supply of fresh air in the tanks provided for that purpose.

In furtherance of this plan, the rudders were shifted while Harry slowed the engines. Directly the craft ascended. The gauges indicated a depth of about eight fathoms when Jimmie, who was at the helm, requested that the rudders be again deflected.

“What’s the matter?” questioned Ned, stepping forward.

“I can see the light reflected down through the water, and there’s a big shadow up there!” declared Jimmie.

“What do you think it can be?” asked Ned wonderingly.

“Probably it’s a big vessel of some sort. It may be a war ship, or it may be only a cargo carrier. In either event I don’t want to get tangled up in the propellers. Let’s sheer off a bit.”

“All right,” agreed Ned. “I’ll go to the periscope. Maybe I can find out something as we rise slowly to the surface.”

Cautiously creeping nearer the surface, the lads put the periscope into action. By its aid Ned made out that the craft was an armed vessel. The new “U-13” lay just submerged about a ship’s length to starboard of the stranger. They maintained about the same speed.

Ned declared that he could make out the British flag at the stern of the other vessel. He stated that he could also notice a number of people aboard the steamer.

“Can you see what they look like?” asked Jimmie.

“They are regular sailors and marines,” answered Ned. “Why,” went on the lad excitedly, “that looks like Mackinder at the rail!”

Curiously the others crowded about the object glass of the periscope. Each declared in turn that they recognized Mackinder.

“Now, I wonder what he’s doing aboard that vessel!” mused Jack.

“Quite likely this ship met the fishing boat and took him off so as to save the other the trouble of going clear back to England!”

“No doubt that’s it,” agreed Jack. “But look!” he continued, “he’s discovered us! See him pointing toward us!”

“Better get ready to dive, then,” cautioned Harry. “If he’s able, he’ll get them to shoot at us. If they hit the ‘U-13’ it’ll be a long way to Tipperary for us! We don’t know how thick this armor is!”

“Down we go!” shouted Jimmie, seizing the wheel. “Lively, now!”

Even as the boy spoke, a muffled roar was distinctly heard by the lads in the submarine. A crash that reverberated through every portion of the vessel told that they had been hit by a projectile.

With a quick, startled glance at his companions, Ned hastened aft to examine the possible damage. He could discover no leak.

“I guess we’re lucky, after all!” he stated presently. “We’re not taking in water, so I’m sure they didn’t do very much damage.”

“It might have been more serious, though!” commented Jack.

“Maybe the shot just carried away some of the light work like railings and so on around the deck. I don’t think the shot struck the hull, or we’d have heard more racket,” went on Ned.

“Let’s keep below the surface for a while. Maybe we can get away from those fellows far enough to be out of their sight while we change air. They’re not the least bit sociable!”

“Full speed ahead, Harry!” cried Frank. “Let’s hurry on!”

“Better take it easy,” cautioned Jimmie. “We may not be out of the woods yet. Let’s just go along slowly for a while.”

“Aw, go on!” scorned Frank. “What’s there out here to bother?”

“Sure!” chimed in Jack. “We’re away out in the North Sea where we can find nothing but warships and sailing vessels and such!”

“Maybe we might run into the real ‘U-13’,” countered Jimmie. “Then, what would you do if you should meet that fellow?”

“Why, put on steam and run away from him, of course!”

“All right, go ahead if you want to,” submitted Jimmie unwillingly, “but I don’t think it wise. It’s taking considerable risk!”

Since the majority seemed to be in favor of more speed, the engines were again urged to greater effort. Suddenly all were startled by a cry from Jimmie. The boat swerved sharply to starboard, rolling until the deck was at an acute angle. Harry reached for the levers, prepared to stand by the engines for orders from the pilot.

Directly Jimmie rang a stop bell. The vessel came again to an even keel. The boys were once more able to stand upright.

“What’s the matter, Jimmie?” cried Ned, as he scrambled to his feet. “Is it a whale, or did you nearly have a collision?”

“Collision is exactly the word!” declared the other. “I saw the masts of a ship standing right in our path. I got this little craft turned just in time! That’s what we get for blundering along so fast!”

“What kind of a ship is it?” asked Frank, peering from one porthole after another. “Are you sure it was the mast of a vessel?”

“Why, certainly, I am sure!” was Jimmie’s decisive answer. “Don’t I know a ship’s masts? I surely do!” the lad answered his own question.

“Let’s swing around and see what it was,” proposed Frank.

“All right, turn the deflecting rudders and down we go!”

Swinging in a broad circle, the submarine was directed downward to a level equal with that of the hull of the ship, whose masts had so nearly proven disastrous to the boys. As the craft sank deeper the crew watched with a great deal of curiosity from the thick glasses over the portholes. Carefully they studied every detail of rig.

Although the sunshine penetrated to some distance below the surface, they found that at the depth where the hull lay a semi-twilight prevailed. The upper portions of the masts had been clearly visible, but the decks lay in a haze that prevented their seeing well.

“Looks like the ship is almost new!” stated Frank.

“Possibly it has been sunk only a short time,” ventured Jack.

“Can you make out what ship it is?” asked Ned.

“Wait a minute until we pass the stern again,” said Frank.

“I can see it!” declared Harry in a moment. “It’s the Wanderer of Sydney! That will be an Australian vessel!”

“And that great gap in the port side indicates that the sinking was the work of our namesake!” stated Ned. “This is another victim of the German ‘U-13’. Probably it is only one of many!”

“No wonder the other fellows don’t seem inclined to be any too sociable!” said Jack. “They really cannot be blamed!”

“Right you are, Jack,” responded Ned. “When anyone hits at the pocketbook we’re apt to consider everybody under suspicion.”

“Let’s get closer and examine the damage done by the torpedo,” suggested Frank. “I’d like to observe the effects of the attack.”

Shortly the misnamed “U-13” was creeping alongside the hull of the sunken vessel. Jimmie handled the wheel dexterously, ever alert for possible danger. Harry stood by the engines, ready at a moment’s notice to assist in executing any maneuver desired.

“Looks as if the whole side of the ship had been torn away,” stated Ned, as the submarine crept slowly past the jagged wound.

“Those torpedoes surely are powerful,” agreed Frank. “I hope everybody got away from the ship before the explosion took place.”

“They probably gave the crew plenty of time to escape if this is the work of the ‘U-13’,” commented Ned. “You say they gave the crew on your vessel ample time to get safely away?”

“Yes, but the men let themselves become panic-stricken. They lost their heads and consumed a good deal of time. Besides that, they forgot they were civilized. One of them hit me an awful clip.”

“And pretty nearly left you on board to be drowned!”

“These fellows did the same thing!” announced Jack, peering out.

“Did what?” queried Ned, wondering what the other meant.

“Left a man aboard when the ship sank,” stated Jack, pointing through the little port hole. “There he is, walking about!”

Clearly the boys saw a figure apparently crossing the deck.

“Good night!” almost shrieked Frank. “That’s uncanny! Whoever heard of a man walking about at the bottom of the ocean?”

“Where did he come from, Jack?” asked Ned.

“I saw that figure come out of the companionway,” stated Jack. “I thought I was mistaken at first, because of the dim light. I looked again as you boys were talking. Then I saw that it was the figure of a man, apparently. He seems to be carrying something in his arms!”

“There he goes over the side of the vessel!” whispered Harry in an awestruck voice. “What sort of deal is this, anyway?”

“Did you notice the knapsack thing he was wearing on his back?” asked Frank. “If I was superstitious, I’d say it was the ghost of a soldier who had been drowned and was seeking his way back home!”

“We don’t take any stock in that ghost business!” declared Ned stoutly. “Some things may look supernatural because we don’t understand them, but there’s always an explanation if we seek it!”

“What is your explanation of this thing, Ned?” questioned Jack.

“Probably some mass of seaweed or some other substance got caught in a current and lodged against the cabin on the Wanderer. When we circled about the wreck we set up counter currents that may have released this mass. It then floated along in the current to finally sink on the other side of this submerged hull. That’s all there is to it!”

“I wonder what sort of a current is bringing the bloomin’ thing back again!” announced Jack as Ned concluded his explanation. “It’s moving its lower edges most remarkably like a man walking!”

Ned’s look of bewilderment increased. Clearly the boy was puzzled. Even he, himself, was not quite satisfied with the explanation of the strange sight which had greeted the boys.

Slowly forging ahead, the submarine passed toward the stern of the Wanderer, shutting the strange figure out of sight.

“Turn around the stern again, Jimmie,” requested Ned. “Go easy on the engines, and we’ll have a look from a new angle. This is getting rather spooky, I must say. I want to examine into it!”

Again the false “U-13” rounded the stern of the wreck. Slowly the craft nosed along the port side to a point abreast the mizzen chains. Directly at a signal from the pilot, Harry shut off power altogether.

The strange magnetism that seems to exist in all objects at sea slowly drew the submarine toward the ship. Its drift had been sufficient to bring the vessel to a point abreast the main rigging before it stopped.

By this time the craft had approached close to the wreck. A very slight jar told the boys that their vessel had touched the other. Eagerly all watched from the portholes, now but a short space above the level of the rail across which they looked. Directly all was still. At this depth, no movement of water was discernible.

Feeling awed by the strangeness of the situation, the boys refrained from speech. They watched for the reappearance of the strange figure.

Soon Jimmie hissed a warning. He reached out a hand to turn the switch controlling the lights. The boat lay in utter darkness.

A figure stepped out of the Wanderer’s companionway.

It appeared to be that of a person of medium build. The boys could now see that it was clothed in what seemed to be a diver’s suit. The helmet, however, was not connected to any air pipe. Neither was there a line leading upward to indicate the presence of assistance. A hump on the shoulders, giving the impression of a knapsack, afforded much wonderment and increased the mysterious look of the newcomer.

“Sh-h-h!” warned Ned in a sibilant hiss, as the figure came directly toward their position. “Keep quiet!” he whispered.

A few steps carried the stranger to the rail. The boys saw him give a start of amazement as he prepared to go over the side of the ship. Clearly the strange diver was surprised to see the craft in that position. He stepped back a pace, then came gingerly forward.

Evidently the man was astonished to observe the “U-13”. He climbed slowly into the main shrouds. From that position he surveyed the craft more completely. Again he returned to the deck.

During this examination the lads had remained quietly at their posts, not caring to make their presence known until they were sure of the identity of the other. They still remained with their faces at the portholes, where they observed, so far as possible, every move of the stranger.

Directly they observed the diver pick up the burden he had brought from the cabin. He hastened to the rail of the wreck. In a moment he had clambered overboard, letting himself down by means of a line secured to a belaying pin at the mainmast.

“That’s funny!” observed Ned, as the other disappeared from view. “What do you suppose made him scuttle out of sight so hurriedly?”

“Maybe he, like the warship, saw our name—‘U-13’—on the side of the vessel!” ventured Jimmie. “They all run away from that!”

“It surely doesn’t make us many friends!” declared Ned.

“You’re right!” answered the other. “It’s the original killjoy!”

“Let’s dive a little deeper,” suggested Jack. “Perhaps we can find out where this new chap is going with those bundles.”

“Perhaps we’ll find out how he got here!” added Frank.

“And while you fellows are ‘perhapsing’,” put in Jimmie, “I’ll say that perhaps we’d better stick out! Perhaps he doesn’t want us nosing around his property, and perhaps he’ll touch off a bomb!”

“What’s the matter with you lately?” inquired Frank. “You’re getting to be a regular little ‘fraid-cat’! You never used to be so timid about sticking your nose into other people’s business!”

“I’m not afraid to go looking into things now, only I’ve got a hunch that we’d better not do it, that’s all!” answered the lad. “Just because I happen to want to leave a fellow alone is no sign I’m a ‘fraid-cat’. If you lads want to go anywhere, you tell me the name of the place. I’m game to stick with you until they turn out the lights!”

“Spoken like a man, Jimmie!” declared Frank. “That sounds like the old Jimmie we used to know. Now, let’s go down a ways.”

Harry sprang to the levers. A few shifts of the control brought the storage batteries to work operating the pumps. With the additional water admitted by this process, the false “U-13” sank until far below the level of the rail of the wreck. Still deeper and deeper it settled.

Presently the boys at the port holes could discover the bends of the sides, indicating that they were nearly to the ocean floor. In another moment a slight bump told them that the craft rested on bottom.

“I saw a flash of light just now!” stated Jimmie.

“Where did it come from?” asked Ned, stepping forward.

“Just ahead of us on this side of the ship. The shadow lies heavily there, so I can’t make out what’s located in that place!”

The boys had not long to wait, however, to discover the cause of the flash which Jimmie had seen. Almost following the boy’s words came a dazzling beam of light, piercing the dark shadow like an arrow. For a moment the boys were blinded as the searchlight’s flame played on the forward part of their vessel.

Presently the light shifted. It was turned against the side of the sunken Wanderer. Up and down the light traveled, revealing the rugged sides of the hull, with its covering of barnacles below what had been the water line. Outward the beam went, showing nothing but ocean floor. Fishes were illuminated and dazzled by the strong ray.

Finally the light returned to the false “U-13”, where it settled for a moment. Directly the light was turned off.

Jimmie had been shading his eyes with a protecting hand. He was, therefore, not so much blinded by the glare as the others had been.

“There they go!” he cried, as the light was removed from the port hole through which it had been shining. “They’re rising!”

“Who can it be, I wonder?” questioned Ned.

“I’ll never tell you!” declared Jimmie. “Oh, yes, I will, too!” he amended his statement. “If you want to know, it’s the ‘U-13’!”

“The ‘U-13’?” questioned the lads in chorus.

“The ‘U-13’!” positively stated Jimmie. “Here,” he cried, turning a switch leading to the searchlight. “Take a look!”

The powerful storage batteries on the vessel occupied by the boys generated a ray of light that pierced the darkness of the undersea world with ease. Sharply outlined in the circle of flame the lads clearly saw the form of a submarine vessel similar in many respects to their own. There was the same sharp prow, the same tapering stern with conning tower, keel, port lights, and every essential feature of the vessel upon which they were located.

Outlined upon the side, in letters fully the same size as those upon their own vessel, the lads saw distinctly the mark “U-13.”

“What do you know about that?” gasped Frank. “That’s fierce!”

“Is it the same vessel you saw off Land’s End, Frank?” asked Ned.

“I’m sure I can’t say,” returned the other. “I think it is! Of course, we’re somewhat below it. Besides the difference in perspective from this angle the water has a great deal to do with changing the appearance of everything. The general outlines appear similar, however.”

“Then we’re in a ticklish position!” declared Ned. “Suppose those fellows take it into their head to torpedo us?”

“If they do,” stated Frank decisively, “they’ll play havoc!”

“They’re going over the wreck!” stated Jimmie in a whisper.

“Let’s rise a little and see which way they head for,” proposed Frank. “We can then go in the opposite direction for a while.”

“I think we’d better slide right along to the southwest,” stated Jimmie. “I know I’m meeting a good deal of opposition, but I’ve a hunch that we’ll be better off if we get right away from this spot!”

“Been reading that dream book again, little man?” asked Ned, with a laugh. “Sorry, Jimmie, but the majority seems to be against you!”

“All right, Boss!” returned Jimmie with a smile. “I’m game to stick with the bunch! You’ll find me right here smiling all the while!”

“Jimmie,” gravely stated Ned, “I wish we could all get some of that sunny disposition of yours. We need a lot of your optimism.”

“Thanks!” was Jimmie’s reply, delivered with an excess of politeness. “Now, I’m at the wheel, Captain. Where to, sir?”

“Let’s rise first and see what the other is doing!”

“Ding, ding!” cried Jimmie. “Touch up the mule, Harry!”

Harry’s manipulations of the levers brought the false “U-13” rapidly to a level with the Wanderer’s deck. Through the port lights the boys could see the other submarine across the sunken ship. It seemed to be gradually descending toward the bottom.

“Let’s follow them and see where they go!” proposed Jack.

“At your service, sir!” cried Jimmie, saluting. “We’ll proceed to proceed!” he added with a grin. “Here goes after the real ‘U-13’!”

“Go ahead slowly, Harry,” cautioned Ned. “We don’t want to overtake them yet. We’re in the shadow here, so they probably won’t see us if we hang back a little. Just give the wheel a little kick.”

Slowly the vessel carried the boys over the sunken Australian. They were passing between the main and mizzen rigging at a level slightly lower than that of the main yard.

“What’s that just ahead of us?” queried Jack, at the porthole.

“I don’t see anything,” replied Ned. “What and where is it?”

“Right here,” declared Jack, pointing. “No, you’re too late! I thought it looked like a snake in the water at first, but I see it was only a piece of rope hanging from the rigging. It’s all right!”

“Possibly it has been hanging down all the time but the current caused by the passage of the other vessel swung it outward,” ventured Ned. “It will no doubt slip past in a moment!”

But this prediction was not fulfilled. With a sudden lurch, the stern of the false “U-13” rose, tilting the deck sharply forward.

With a groan the propellers stopped.