“Why should it?” Oscar replied. “We are bent on peaceable pursuits, and this is a commercial vessel just as much as one of those American-Hawaiian steamships that carry the products of our insular possessions through the canal.”
“Well, I should say they couldn’t hold us back,” laughed Jack. “Why, right now we’re engaged in proving to the world that Americans can build just as reliable undersea boats as Germany, or any other country. See the voyage we’ve undertaken without any accident; and remember the clever work we’re carrying on. Folks will soon know that all our submarines are not in the same class with that one that sunk, and stayed on the bottom, its crew caught like rats in a trap.”
There was considerable patriotism about those three Motion Picture Comrades, and it frequently burst its bonds. Jack echoed the sentiments of his two chums; but in saying what he did he was not boasting, simply stating facts.
It was learned a little later on that Captain Shooks did not mean to head directly for the canal. He had sent a duplicate part of machinery, likely to be needed at some time in the near future, to a certain port of call, and it was now necessary for them to go considerably out of their way in order to secure this. Once they had passed into the Pacific and no one could say when they would be coming back again, or if it would be by the same route; so the wise skipper believed in “making hay while the sun shone.”
Two days later they approached the coast of Panama, intending to enter the canal with as little delay as possible, and cross over the isthmus. Jack, of course, had made all his preparations for taking a wonderful series of pictures, showing the route from end to end, including the famous dam, and the great locks that are the marvel of the age in their massive efficiency.
They met with a certain amount of delay on the way across, but nothing beyond reason, and when night came on congratulated themselves on having made such good progress.
“We’re going to enter the lock right away,” announced Ballyhoo, who had been, as he termed it, “cruising around,” picking up information. “It’s true night has fallen, and we may have to lie here until morning comes; but think of being able to say we actually slept in the locks of the Panama Canal. How few people can ever boast of such a feat as that, tell me?”
Both the other boys were, of course, interested. Jack had stowed away his camera, since with the coming of dusk he had no use for the instrument. In the morning he anticipated catching the strange little submarine craft being towed through the canal with the aid of those powerful electric engines on the massive cement walls, as well as a number of other interesting features connected with the situation.
They stood there on the “hurricane deck” watching all that took place. Not a single move was made but that their vigilant eyes detected it, and many were the comments made, as well as good-natured arguments advanced.
“Seems like there’s another vessel going to come along after us, and be locked in at the same time,” announced Ballyhoo, as he heard much “tooting” from the quarter whence they themselves had just come.