Gaston, his eyes threatening to bulge from his head, had fallen back against the wall opposite.  His mouth was wide open, but he ventured no answer.

“Stow my sidelights, Jerry,” muttered the big sailor to his mate, “but this is a queer looking hold!  And two young men here who’d look like officers of the service, if they wasn’t so young.”

“There never was anybody more delighted to you,” broke fervently from Jack Benson’s.  “You belong to the ’Waverly’?”

“Aye, aye, shipmate.”

“Then you know the submarine, of course?”

“Aye, shipmate.”

“I am the captain, and my friend the engineer, of that craft.”

The big sailor’s reply was an explosive yell.

“Don’t let that snake-in-the-grass Frenchman get away, mates,” begged Jack, earnestly.

“Jerry, I reckon you can hold the only gang way that opens in on this place, can’t ye?” demanded the big sailor, turning to his sturdy looking shipmate.

“I reckon, Hickey,” said the other.

“This Frenchman is one of a gang of foreign spies, who have taken this means to force us to furnish plans, drawings and all information about the Pollard submarine boats,” Jack continued.  “You see how he has us ironed down here.”

“Got the keys to them irons, Frenchy?” demanded the big sailor, turning upon Gaston.

“Yes,” shivered the fellow, looking yellow with fright.

“Then turn our shipmates loose.  Not too much delay about it, either,” ordered Hickey.

Gaston obeyed as meekly as a lamb.  There was a look in Hickey’s steady eyes which would lead one to suppose that the big sailor might be able to use his strength in tearing a worthless human being apart.

“I hope you can understand all the thanks I feel like giving,” remarked the young submarine captain, as he rose to his feet, then offered his hand to the big sailor.

“Oh, stow the thanks, anyway,” laughed Hickey.  “But Jerry and me ain’t in for what we thought might be coming to us.”

“What was that?” asked Jack, with interest, turning back as he held out his hand to Jerry.

“Why, ye see,” nodded Hickey, after glancing down at the Frenchman, who was now unlocking Hal’s handcuffs, “I’ve got a home, a little plantation about two miles back here, that I’m going to settle on for good one of these days.  The wife and kids live there.  I’d been telling Jerry about the craft and crew, and, as soon as we got shore leave, I took Jerry in tow.  We’ve seen up there two days, and to-night we started back through the woods, ’cause our leave is up at six in the morning.

“Well, while we was coming through the woods we happened to stop a minute.  Then we see this Frenchy sneaking through the woods.  We wondered what was up.  Then he vanished.  We looked about, some quiet-like, and on tiptoe, and then we saw this shipmate o’ your’n pry apart some bushes and head in this way.  It looked queer to us.”