"It is," responded Ennerling, with emphasis. "It's the gunboat
'Massapeqna.' She's in these waters just now. You'll find I'm right."
Jacob Farnum began to laugh heartily when he caught the whole of Captain
Jack Benson's new idea of a sea joke.
Eph was quickly in his bathing suit. He and Jack unhinged a stateroom door, carrying it up through the conning tower. Hal, in the meantime, under orders, had attended to bringing the "Pollard's" platform deck briefly above water.
The movements of the searchlight ahead convinced the submarine boat's observers that the gunboat's watch officer had not yet detected the presence of so small and unlighted an object as the "Pollard," miles away.
As the door was floated on the water alongside, Eph stepped out onto it, squatting. He had with him a lantern, three rockets and a box of wind matches.
"Don't forget I'm here, if I'm overlooked by the other people," called
Eph, with a wave of his hand, as he floated slowly astern.
"And don't let 'em know where you came from, or what's up," called back
Jack Benson.
"Say, do you think I'm as foolish as I look?" blurted Eph, half-indignantly. Those were the last words exchanged, for the "Pollard," now moving slowly forward, had left its detached door astern.
With only a couple of feet of the conning tower above surface, the "Pollard" began to make good submerged time forward. Presently the little craft dropped below the water altogether. Ten minutes later the tower flashed above the water for just a moment.
The Naval commander quickly brought the night glass into play.