"Well, that's the little plaything I found in Lieutenant Stein's cabin. I'm going to bore a little hole through it with this gun you were kind enough to get for me."
"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Jack "You'll blow tip the submarine with all on board!"
"My idea exactly," replied Frank carefully.
"But—" protested Jack.
"The fortune of war, you know," said Frank, with some sarcasm. "You heard Captain Von Cromp say he wouldn't blame us for anything we might do. Besides, they didn't give the poor fellows on that British battleship any warning, did they?"
"No," said Jack, "but—"
"Well, there are no buts here. You climb overboard and get ready to dive. When this bullet goes through that little plaything there will be an explosion that will kick up considerable excitement hereabouts. That's why I asked you if you couldn't get a rifle. We could have gone a little farther away then."
"Now see here," said Jack. "I guess those fellows have it coming to them. They don't deserve any better than they will get. As you say, 'the fortune of war.' I'm not kicking about that. What I want to know is if you can hit that thing."
"Hit it? Of course I can hit it. You dive when I say the word, and when you come up, if you do, come up, I'll guarantee you won't see any submarine."
"But how about you?" demanded Jack. "If I dive before you fire, how are you going to get away before the explosion?"