"Yes. It would give me a whole lot of satisfaction. What do you say?"
"That would certainly be a revenge of a twentieth century character," spoke the professor.
"By George!" exclaimed the inventor, with more animation than he had shown since our party had encountered him, "we'll do it. Here, Jeff, you take the wheel. Keep her circling round the wreck. Tom Dacre, I've a job for you in the torpedo room."
"A job for me?" echoed Tom wonderingly.
"Yes. You are appointed assistant annihilator of the submarine Huron."
CHAPTER XVII.
CAPTAIN RANGLER RE-APPEARS.
Leaving Jeff at the wheel, with strict orders not to meddle with anything, the inventor preceded Tom into the torpedo room. He produced a bunch of keys and unlocked a metal closet, high up on one wall of the place. From this he produced a globe, about ten inches in diameter and a dull black in color.
From the top of it a small key projected. While Tom watched with fascinated interest, the inventor went into the extreme forward part of the torpedo room, which, of course, was right up in the bow of the Huron.
A cylindrical tube—not unlike the breech of a rapid fire gun—projected into the place, and the inventor rapidly adjusted several small wheels and valves. Then he opened the rear of the tube and motioned to Tom.