“And while you fellows are ‘perhapsing’,” put in Jimmie, “I’ll say that perhaps we’d better stick out! Perhaps he doesn’t want us nosing around his property, and perhaps he’ll touch off a bomb!”
“What’s the matter with you lately?” inquired Frank. “You’re getting to be a regular little ‘fraid-cat’! You never used to be so timid about sticking your nose into other people’s business!”
“I’m not afraid to go looking into things now, only I’ve got a hunch that we’d better not do it, that’s all!” answered the lad. “Just because I happen to want to leave a fellow alone is no sign I’m a ‘fraid-cat’. If you lads want to go anywhere, you tell me the name of the place. I’m game to stick with you until they turn out the lights!”
“Spoken like a man, Jimmie!” declared Frank. “That sounds like the old Jimmie we used to know. Now, let’s go down a ways.”
Harry sprang to the levers. A few shifts of the control brought the storage batteries to work operating the pumps. With the additional water admitted by this process, the false “U-13” sank until far below the level of the rail of the wreck. Still deeper and deeper it settled.
Presently the boys at the port holes could discover the bends of the sides, indicating that they were nearly to the ocean floor. In another moment a slight bump told them that the craft rested on bottom.
“I saw a flash of light just now!” stated Jimmie.
“Where did it come from?” asked Ned, stepping forward.
“Just ahead of us on this side of the ship. The shadow lies heavily there, so I can’t make out what’s located in that place!”
The boys had not long to wait, however, to discover the cause of the flash which Jimmie had seen. Almost following the boy’s words came a dazzling beam of light, piercing the dark shadow like an arrow. For a moment the boys were blinded as the searchlight’s flame played on the forward part of their vessel.