“Why, it’s nothing but holding the nose of your own boat full on the other craft, amidships, and the torpedo itself does the rest,” uttered the young submarine skipper.

“That’s it,” nodded Lieutenant Danvers.  “But, when you’re below the surface, the problem becomes a harder one.”

“But then I’d come up enough to use the periscope, and get the bearings of the enemy’s vessel,” declared Benson.  “Then I’d drop below, using the compass for direction, and the number of motor revolutions to give me the knowledge of distance traveled.”

“That’s just the way it is done,” agreed Danvers.  “After all, it’s just a matter of accurate boat handling, and being able to judge distances by the eye alone.  And now, Mr. Benson, if you’ll run over yonder, carefully, we’ll pick up the dummies.  After that, we’ve got to make as good a shot, with a real torpedo, and sink the scow.”

“And, if you don’t, sir—?” smiled the young submarine skipper.

“Then we’ll be guilty of poor shooting, and have to try the second loaded torpedo,” replied the naval officer.  “If we miss with the second, then we’ll have to contrive either to tow the scow, or to sink her somehow.  If either of the loaded torpedoes fails to explode, we’ll have to pick it up, at all hazards.  If we left a loaded torpedo floating on the surface of the water, here in the paths of coast navigation, it would sink the first ship that struck the war-head of the torpedo.”

The sea, by this time, was rough and whitecapped, and a brisk wind was blowing down from the north-east.  It was no easy task to get a rope around first one dummy torpedo, and then the other.  Yet at last this was done, and the heavy objects were hoisted aboard and stored below.

“Now, we’ll get off and sink the scow, before dark,” muttered Lieutenant Danvers.

“Are you going to let me fire the torpedo at her, sir?” demanded Skipper Jack Benson, eagerly.

“If you feel sure you can do it,” replied the naval officer.  “For that matter, if you fail, there’ll be one loaded torpedo left, and I can take the second shot.”

At a sign from the young skipper Eph hurried below, to relieve Hal Hastings, who wished to see some of the fun.  Hal came up into the conning tower to take the wheel while Jack Benson slipped below to direct the loading of the torpedo into the tube.  Then Biffens, the sailor, took his post by the firing lever, while Ewald stood back to pass the word from the conning tower.

This loaded torpedo, like the dummies, had been set to run four hundred yards.  Captain Jack, therefore, determined to release the torpedo at a range of three hundred yards.

The “Hastings” had drifted somewhat away from the scow, but Jack, one hand on steering wheel and the other at the signals, ran the submarine over so that he could head the craft around to deliver a broadside fire at the scow, at right angles.  When he had the “Hastings” in this position he shouted down: