“You know, Hal, old fellow, I’ve got to look out for the feeding of a lot of boarders to-day,” complained Eph, whimsically.

This task of Eph’s took time, though it was not a hard one.  The food for the cadets had been sent aboard.  Eph had to make coffee and heat soup.  For the rest, cold food had to do.  The young men, on this trip, were required to wait on themselves.

Hal found Sam Truax sitting moodily in a corner of the engine room, though there was something about the fellow’s appearance that suggested the watchfulness of a cat.

“Why don’t you go on deck a while, Truax?” asked Hal, kindly.

“Don’t want to,” snapped the fellow, irritably.  So Hal turned his back on the man.

“Doesn’t that part need loosening up a bit, sir?” asked the cadet in charge of the engineer division.

“Yes,” replied Hastings, after watching a moment; “it does.”

“I’ll do it, then,” proposed Truax, roughly.  He attempted to crowd his way past Hal, but the latter refused to be crowded, and stood his ground until the midshipman passed him a wrench.  Then Hastings loosened up the part.

“You might let me do a little something,” growled Sam Truax, in a tone intentionally offensive.

“Don’t forget, Truax, that I’m in command in this department,” retorted Hal, in a quieter tone than usual, though with a direct, steady look that made Sam Truax turn white with repressed wrath.

“You won’t let me forget it, will you?” snarled the fellow.

“No; for I don’t want you to forget it, and least of all on this cruise,” responded Hal Hastings.

“You don’t give me any chance to—­”

“Silence!” ordered Hal, taking a step toward him.

Sam Truax opened his mouth to make some retort, then wisely changed his mind, dropping back into his former seat.

The noon meal was served to all hands.  By the time it was well over the mouth of the Bay was in sight, the broad Atlantic rolling in beyond.

The sea, when reached, proved to be almost smooth.  It was ideal weather for such a cruise.

Then straight East, for an hour they went, getting well out of the path of coasting vessels.

“Hullo!  What in blazes does that mean?” suddenly demanded Hal, pointing astern at starboard.

The “Pollard” lay tossing gently on the water, making no headway.  Hardly ten seconds later the “Hudson” signaled a halt.

Then followed some rapid signaling between the gunboat and the submarine that had stopped.  There was some break in the “Pollard’s” machinery, but the cause had not yet been determined.

“Blazes!” muttered Jack, uneasily.  “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.  This looks bad for our firm, Hal!”

The “Farnum” now lay to, as did the “Hudson,” for the officer in command of the “Pollard” signaled that his machinists were making a rapid but thorough investigation of the unfortunate submarine’s engines.