“Captain Benson?” he repeated.  “The brainiest young man in America—­with two chums who run him a close race.  We must all dine together to-night,” purred this Judas of the submarine boat world.

CHAPTER VII

EPH SOMERS PLAYS GALLANT

“I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself as much,” exclaimed Rhinds, looking round beamingly over the dinner party in one corner of the dining room.

Lieutenant Danvers was not there, having pleaded another engagement.  But Rhinds and his lieutenant, Radwin, Messrs. Farnum and Pollard and all three of the submarine boys were around the big table.  Radwin had succeeded in seating himself between Jack and Hal.

The dinner had been a fine one.  Only one hitch had occurred; that was when Mr. Rhinds, at the beginning of the meal, had tried to order several bottles of wine.

“Just a moment, Mr. Rhinds,” Farnum broke in.  “None of the wine for us, thank you.”

“Oh, then, some lighter kind of wine,” proposed Mr. Rhinds, anxiously.  “Something good, in which we can all pledge one another.”

“None of that stuff, according to our way of thinking, is any good,” replied Farnum, with a good-natured smile.

“Well, perhaps not for the boys,” conceded the host of this dinner.  “But for the rest of us, as business men ready to cement a friendship.”

“Alcohol isn’t cement,” replied Mr. Farnum, mildly.  “At least, not with our party.  The time was, I admit, Mr. Rhinds, when business men often tried to cement a business friendship with wine or liquor.  But those times have gone by.  Drinking is out of date, nowadays.  The keenest and most dependable business men are those who do not drink.  In fact, I may go a little further, and say that, in our business at Dunhaven, we have come to the point where we no longer have any dealings with business men whom we know to drink.  You will understand, of course, that this is said without criticism of whatever views you yourself may entertain.”

“Oh, well, then,” grunted Rhinds, much taken back by the fairly spoken words of his rival.  “I dare say there was too much drinking in the old days.  Yes, Farnum, I am much inclined to agree with you, and we will do without the wine.”

None the less, it was plain that their host was much annoyed.

“I want to get at the members of the naval board,” declared Mr. Farnum, toward the end of the meal.  “I want to find out what is planned in the tests that are to take place here.”

“The members of the board,” replied Mr. Rhinds, “are the three men, in citizen dress, who are at the sixth table down from here.  They came into their dinner about ten minutes ago.  As to to-morrow, I can tell you that, beginning at eleven o’clock, all the submarine boats entered are to take a straight, out-to-sea speed sail for six hours.  The gunboat, ‘Chelsea’ will start the fleet, and the ‘Oakland’ will go along with the racers.”