As the two vessels proceeded on their way the ladies below were made as comfortable as possible.  Mr. Lawton and his steward were provided with dry clothing, and coffee was served.  It was an hour before either Jack or Hal found time to change their clothing in the motor room.

CHAPTER XVII

JACK PERPETRATES A PRACTICAL SEA JOKE

“Searchlight ahead, sir.”

Captain Jack made the report to Commander Ennerling.

It was in the small hours of the morning, and the submarine, having taken its prize in to Clyde City’s harbor, was now on its way up the coast to tie up for the night at Dunhaven.

They were running about six miles off the coast.  As the president of the Naval board had a great desire to test the craft running all but submerged, only the upper portion of the conning tower was above the water.

At Clyde City the “Selma” had been put in charge of the squad of the harbor police boat, and the yacht’s captain and mate, neither of them badly injured, had been freed.

Dry clothing had been secured for the ladies, and they were taken ashore.  Eghert Lawton was profuse in his expressions of gratitude, and declared that he hoped to meet all hands of the submarine party again at an early date indeed.  Our friends learned, later, that the mutineers had been sent to prison.

Now only her regular party was aboard the “Pollard.”  For half an hour the little vessel had been running along, nearly submerged, and with the searchlight not showing.

At Jack’s report Commander Ennerling looked up from the compass he had been studying by the shaded light that showed at only that point in the tower.

“She’s coming head-on toward us,” said Ennerling.  “Benson, Navy men are handling that searchlight.”

“You think so, sir?”

“No; I know it,” was the dry rejoinder.  “There’s a way, in the Navy, of swinging a searchlight; a way that no merchantman or yachtsman has ever yet caught.”

As yet the vessel behind the searchlight was not visible.  Indeed, if she were painted the dark gray color of the Navy craft, it would be some time yet before her hull could show plainly at night.

Commander Ennerling used his glasses for some moments.

“Shall I answer with our searchlight, sir?” inquired the submarine boy.

“No, no, thank you.  I’m more interested in seeing how close we can get to that vessel, since she belongs to the Navy, before she succeeds in picking us up with her light.  It’s of great practical value to know just how close we can get to that other vessel, undiscovered, in the night time.”

“How close would you like to get to her?” inquired young Benson, a smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

“Humph!  I’d like to tie up to the other craft,” muttered the Naval officer.

“Well,” propounded Jack, “what’s to prevent us from doing it?”