“Good gracious,” laughed Ned, “here comes the first enemy we have encountered since we have been in commission.”
“Who is that?” inquired Herc, not unnaturally puzzled by Ned’s remark.
“The reporters and photographers from the New York papers,” laughed Ned. “Look yonder, there’s a whole boatload of them on their way out.”
“Thunder and turtles, and I forgot to part my auburn hair!” gasped Herc, hastily diving below. He was followed more leisurely by Ned. By this time the rest of the party was up and about, and in the galley Tom Merlin was setting about his preparations for breakfast, aided by Sim, who had been pressed into service as “first deputy assistant cook and bottle washer in ordinary,” as Tom described it.
“How about letting the reporters on board?” asked Lieutenant Parry, as soon as Ned had apprised him of the imminent invasion of the boarding party from shore.
“Of course, it will be impossible to allow them the run of the craft,” rejoined Mr. Lockyer. “I think, however, that we can extend them all the courtesies in our power, provided, of course, that it will not conflict with the navy regulations.”
“I don’t think that it will do any harm to let them have a few pictures of the boat from the outside, and a general description,” was the reply. “I’m pretty sure that if we ask them not to mention certain things about the boat, they won’t. Reporters are a mighty decent class of fellows, as a rule, and if they promise you not to do a thing, they won’t break their words. Besides, it would be too bad if they had all this trip down here for nothing.”
So it was arranged that the press was to be allowed a view of the outside of the boat and to be permitted to snapshot her exterior to their heart’s content. But the interior of the novel craft and her wonderful machinery and devices were, as yet, to remain a sealed book to the public.
“Good morning, gentlemen, can we come aboard?” hailed a tall, young fellow in the bow of the press boat, as she drew alongside and her occupants shot keen, interested glances at the odd-looking craft.
“By all means,” was the rejoinder from the inventor, who, with Lieutenant Parry, Midshipman Stark, and the others, now stood on the deck; “but before you set foot on board I want you to promise not to pry into anything that we ask you not to, nor to print anything but the facts we will tell you.”