While all these thoughts were driving through her brain, she was being slowly lowered toward the water.  Down, down she sank until it seemed to her she could feel the wash of the water on her skirts.  At that instant, when all seemed lost, strong arms seized her and she was carried down a clanking iron stairway.

She caught her breath.  She must now be far below the level of the water.  What place was this she was being taken into?  And why?

She was finally flung down upon a leather covered lounge.  The next moment the whole place seemed to be sinking with her as if she were in some slowly descending elevator.

Opening her eyes she looked about her.  The place, a long and narrow compartment, was dimly lighted by small incandescent bulbs.  The trapdoor, or whatever it had been, through which she had been carried, was closed.

Eight or ten men were grouped about the room, while in one of the darkest corners cowered a little Japanese girl.  One of the men came close to Mazie and untied her bonds, also removing the gag.  She was now free to move and talk.  She realized the utter uselessness of either.  The walls of the room appeared to be of steel.  There was a strange stuffiness about the air of the place; they must be either underground or under water.  She did not know what was to be the next move, or why she was here.  She realized only that she could do nothing.

Instinctively she moved toward the girl in the corner.  Before she had gone half the distance, a man uttered a low growl of disapproval, and motioned her to a chair.  She sat down unsteadily and, as she did so, she realized that the place had a slightly rolling motion, like a ship on the sea.

CHAPTER XIX

“I seen it—­A submarine!”

When Johnny realized that it was Jerry the Rat who was whispering at the keyhole he admitted him at once.

“I seen it!  I seen it; a submarine!  A German submarine in the river!” the Rat whispered excitedly.  “I seen dose blokes wid me own eyes.  Dey wuz packin’ a skirt thru de hatch.  Den dey dropped in too.  Den dey let down the hatch, an’ swush-swuey, down she went, an’ all dey left was a splash in de ol’ Chicago!”

“A submarine!” Johnny exclaimed.  “That doesn’t sound possible; not a German submarine surely!”

“The same,” insisted Jerry.  “Some old tub.  Saw her over by the Municipal Pier, er one like her.  Some old fish!”

Johnny sat in silent thought.  Hanada was gazing out of the window.  Suddenly the Jap exclaimed in surprise: 

“Did you see that?  There it goes again!  Lights flashing beneath the water.  It’s the ‘sub’ for sure.  Couldn’t be anything else.”

“I have seen such lights before,” said Johnny, striving hard to maintain a sane judgment in this time of great crisis, “but I attributed it to phosphorus on the water.”