“Are you sure?” demanded Graves, his look still darkly vengeful.

“You might talk to just one person—­when there’s no one else around to overhear you,” Jack agreed.  “That man is the chief of police in Colfax.  In view of some other things that he knows the chief will agree with my view, and will thank you for keeping quiet and looking puzzled over this affair.”

“All right,” grumbled Mr. Graves.  “I’ll do as you ask, Mr. Benson—­until I’ve talked with the chief of police, anyway.”

By this time the badly-injured members of the party had received first attention from the doctors, and were now being lifted into a big farm wagon that had been brought to the scene.  In this vehicle they were taken to the nearest house, where they were placed on beds for better attention.

“I’m going back to the city, now,” announced the garage man to the young submarine captain.  “I’m going to the chief of police, and I’ll also see to it that a big auto ambulance is sent out to take your friends and my man to the hospital in town.  Hang it, I hate to keep the truth in this matter quiet, even for a moment, and I wouldn’t do it, only to see justice worked out.  You see, Mr. Benson, such a fearful accident, from one of my cars, will hurt my business until the whole truth is known.  But I’ll stick to my word, and keep quiet.”

In three quarters of an hour’s time the ambulance had arrived, and also a car that Graves had sent to bring back Farnum and the three submarine boys.

“Don’t run back at anything like speed, please,” begged Mr. Farnum, with a wan smile.  It had cut the shipbuilder to the marrow to find his friend, Pollard, so badly hurt.

“Nothing faster than ten miles an hour,” promised the chauffeur.

Once in the city the auto followed the ambulance to the hospital, where Farnum went to see that every possible attention was given his friend.  But Mr. Graves had already made splendid arrangements for the care of both injured men.

Then down to the Somerset went the able bodied survivors of the submarine party.  Though they said nothing in the hearing of the strange chauffeur, they were no more than inside Jacob’s Farnum’s room when they let loose their indignation.

It was not many minutes, however, ere the chief of police arrived.

“I’ve been talking with Graves, gentlemen,” announced the chief, “and I’m wholly satisfied that the rascal, Hodges, is the first one we want to find.  When we get him we’ll try to make him tell who’s behind him.”

“Did you get anything out of the four fellows you caught night before last?” asked Jack Benson.

“Not a word to amount to anything, so far,” replied the chief.  “But their case was continued a week by the court, and I’ll find a way to make ’em talk!  Just now, my whole thought is centered on finding Hodges.”

“He isn’t stopping at this hotel?” asked Jack.