"All right, George, we'll give the spot decent burial," answered Oscar, dryly, and then a laugh went up.
With no time to lose, preparations were made to go through the great canal with all speed.
In the meantime the enemy heard of the proposed trip and it caused all foreign nations to worry a good deal.
They knew that if once the new Holland got into the Pacific Ocean she could do incalculable damage to their warships.
A plot was at once instituted to blow up several of the canal locks, thus rendering the artificial waterway useless.
This was to be accomplished when the Holland was half way to the Pacific side, so that the submarine craft might be left high and dry some seventy miles from either coast.
Ten miles from the Atlantic coast entrance, or more particularly the Caribbean Sea entrance, the Holland put up for a few hours at the town of Ambrose, a Spanish settlement.
Oscar went ashore for despatches and with him went Andy, glad to have the chance of stretching his legs on Mother Earth once more.
The despatches filled Oscar with suspicion, for there was one from the Pacific end of the canal which read as follows:
"Be on your guard, or the Holland XI. will suffer while coming through the canal."