The first officer hurried away. He was back in a few moments with the necessary articles, which Captain Griswold took charge of himself.
"Helgoson," said Captain Griswold, "if you were a younger man I would invite you to take a hand in this party yourself. As it is, you'll have to stick behind with the passengers."
"But I'm younger than you by almost twenty years, sir," protested the first officer.
"Oh, no you're not," laughed the commander of the Ventura, "you just think you are. I've grown twenty years younger this day."
He summoned a pair of sailors, whom he loaded down with the gas, hose and pump with instructions to place them carefully in the small boat.
"And now for the submarine," he confided to his first officer.
On deck, half a dozen passengers approached the captain with inquiries as to what was going on.
"Why," he said with a grin, "we're just going to capture a submarine, that's all. Stick close to the side of the ship and you'll see how it's done. A lesson like this may come in handy some day."
The passengers protested.
"But the danger—" one began.