"You never can tell," he said. "I am guessing that 'Little Mack' has another card up his sleeve."
Down in the turret of the submerged Dewey an extraordinary scene was being enacted. McClure, Cleary and Jack were standing together as the vessel glided away under the water.
"It worked—-it worked!" shouted the young lieutenant as he ordered the submerging process discontinued and the Dewey held on an even keel.
"What worked?" gasped his dazed executive, who had yet to grasp the significance of his commander's action in ordering members of the crew overboard.
"Why, don't you see? Those Germans think they sank us. When they saw our boys leaping into the water they took it for granted one of their shots had landed and we were done for. They think the boys leaped overboard to escape death in the hold of a mortally wounded Yankee. And here we are, safe and sound, under the water!"
"But what about those fellows swimming around up there?" asked Jack in startled tones.
"We'll go back and get them in a few minutes after we've tended to this Prussian gentleman that we hypnotized," shot back his commander, as his jaw squared and his eyes flashed.
Jack and Officer Cleary stared at each other.
"Well, of all the nerve!" gasped Cleary.
"Great Scott, man! it takes a real honest-to-goodness Yankee like you to get away with such a trick."