He pulled himself up by means of the periscope mast, and shook his fist after the alligator, which was returning to the bayou.
“You don’t make some meals off me, I bed you!” he taunted. “Nexdt time you do a t’ing like dot, meppy I vill haf a rifle hanty. Den I gif you more dan you can take care of.”
“You’ll have to pay Speake for that harpoon, Carl,” laughed Bob.
“Mit bleasure,” answered Carl. “Id vas der harpoon vat safed my life.”
“It’s just as well, I guess,” said Bob, “that the dugout has been destroyed. If we were attacked here by the rebels, the boat would have helped them. But you should not have left the submarine, Carl. The noise we have made here may have been heard. In that event, we can expect trouble.”
Just at that moment, Clackett and Gaines came up through the hatch.
“What’s been going on?” Clackett asked.
“You’ve missed the fun,” returned Dick. “Carl had a little trouble with an alligator, and just got out of it by the skin of his teeth.”
“Clackett an’ me was asleep,” said Gaines. “Blamed funny, though, we didn’t hear the rumpus. What woke me was you fellows, talking and walking over the deck. Haven’t Speake and Jordan shown up yet?”
“What time is it?” asked Bob.