"'Is there nobody but yourself on my side?' says the captain.
"'Nobody now,' says Otto.
"'Very well. Thank you, my boy. I will see that you are rewarded for this. When are they going to do it?'
"'When we are submerged and nearing the three-mile limit.'
"'Thank you, Otto,' says the captain again.
"And there's your third chapter; and your fourth, too, Roy—a dramatic situation, heh?"
Roy appeared to think so, and on the strength of it he filled Vandermeer's glass again. He was anxious to help the creative impulse.
"What follows?" continued Vandermeer. "In your tales to-day you must have psychology. The captain is a clever man. What would you do in that position, Roy? He cannot fight them all. I will tell you what he does. He is a diplomatist. He shapes his policy, standing there on the deck of the submarine all alone, under the stars.
"The next evening he orders rum all round, just like this—good rum, from his own little cask, which he keeps for the sake of his stomach. It is a beautiful evening, a sea like oil, and the setting sun makes a road of gold to the shores of America. They are approaching the happy land. The men themselves are more cheerful, and like a good diplomatist he seizes the cheerful moment.
"Not only does he give them rum but he gives them cigars, also from his private box—expensive cigars, just like these.