“Well, two’s company, three’s none,” laughed Jack; “so long as they don’t crowd us, what do we care? It’s little sleep we can expect to get to-night at the best. We’ll have to be on deck to see everything that goes on.”
The submarine had attracted considerable attention, and a number of people even had the audacity to drop down on the lower deck to take a look around. Captain Shooks good-naturedly did not order them off, though, of course, he would not think of allowing any intruder to see the inside of the undersea boat. The comments of these people amused the boys, even as they watched the dim, shadowy shape of the other boat drawing closer in the electric light.
“Great Scott!” Ballyhoo was suddenly heard to exclaim, as though he had received a great shock; “what’s this I see, fellows? Take a good look at that boat, and tell me if you’ve even glimpsed the same before; because, as sure as you live it’s no other than our old friend, the Dauntless!”
CHAPTER XIX
BLOCKING THE GAME OF BADGER
“Here’s a pretty kettle of fish!” declared Jack, in a disgusted tone.
“To think that we’d have to run across that duffer right here in the canal locks,” Ballyhoo went on to say gloomily. “What if those two old filibusters get to scrapping while we’re neighbors here for a while? It might mean the finish of our fine little cruise; for if anything happened to knock Captain Shooks out of the running there’s no one else could manage this queer old tub.”
“We’d have to take charge, pay off the crew, ship the cargo home, and then store the submarine down here in some boatyard until the company decided what to do with her,” said Oscar decidedly; “but what’s the use crossing a bridge before we come to it? The two skippers may not exchange a single word, knowing how they’d get in a fighting humor in consequence.”
It turned out that Ballyhoo was wrong in guessing they would have to remain in the lock all night. With such magical artificial illumination as was afforded by the numerous electric lights scattered along both sides of the great walls, work could be carried on just as well during the hours of night as in the daytime.
It was not long afterwards when water began to come into the lock, and both boats commenced to rise toward the higher levels. The boys could see that their craft was an object of great curiosity to the entire crew of the steam yacht, for a group of sailors gathered along the side to watch them.
Something caused the trio of boys to go ashore in order to observe at close hand the working of the magnificent machinery by which the locks were controlled. Jack hoped that on the return trip they would be passing through here by daylight, for he must secure a set of pictures that would show just how the conditions were.