The Captain gazed at Jimmie for a moment without answering. Then heparted his thin lips and uttered the old, familiar word:
"Fawncy!"
"The Cutaria went down as the result of a collision?" Ned hastened toask, observing that Jimmie was growing flushed and angry.
"Yes," was the reply, "and it is asserted in the diplomatic circles offoreign governments that she was rammed by the orders of a poweralleged to be friendly to our Government, and that our department ofstate does not dare remonstrate and ask for reparation for the reasonthat an investigation would reveal the fact that the $10,000,000 ingold which was lost was not really, as alleged, on its way from thesub-treasury in New York to the treasurer of the Chinese Empire."
"But why should Uncle Sam be sending money over there?" asked Ned.
"It is asserted that the money was sent at the command of men high ininfluence in Washington who understood that it was to be seized whilein transit, after reaching Chinese soil, and used to assist theradical fomentation now going on in China."
"An indirect way, a sly and underhand way, of assisting therevolutionary party in China to get control of the government, eh?"asked Ned.
"Aw, that is what is claimed," was the reply.
"And you are to have charge of the expedition?" asked Ned, quietly,his eyes fixed keenly on the face of the visitor.
"Orders," was the slow reply.
"And the Diver has been chosen as the boat?"
"At my request, yes."
"But," Ned then said, by way of protest, "I have made all my trialtrips in the Sea Lion."
"You will soon learn to help handle the Diver," was the lofty reply.
"The Diver is no more like the Sea Lion than she is like the Ark," wasNed's reply. "It will take me another fortnight to learn to run her,I'm afraid."
"You can take lessons from my son on the way over," was theunsatisfactory reply.
"Why, the submarine is not going to sail across the Pacific," said theboy. "As I understand it, we are to take passage in a mail steamer atSan Francisco and find the submarine in some harbor of the island ofHainan, after she arrives on the other side in a man-of-war which willbe detailed to carry her over."
"I have changed all that," said the Captain.
Ned said no more on that phase of the matter at that time, but theboys knew that he had not given up his original intention of makingthe explorations in the Sea Lion, the submarine which the SecretService chief at New York had placed at his disposal soon after hisreturn from South America.
"You will be permitted to take one of your--ah, Boy Scouts with you,"the Captain went on. "Baby bunch, the Boy Scouts, what?" he added,lifting his glass and surveying the boys grouped about in a mannerwhich brought the hot blood to their cheeks.
"I'm afraid you have never investigated the Boy--"
Ned's conciliatory remark was cut short by Jimmie.
"Will the Boy Scout who goes with him be allowed to breathe?" the boyasked.
Captain Moore eyed the lad critically through his glass.
"You needn't concern yourself about that, bub," he said, after anexasperating silence, "for you won't be the one to go, don't you know--notthe Boy Scout to go."
Jimmie was about to make some angry reply, but Frank seized him by thearm and marched him to a distant part of the large room.
"You'll queer the whole thing!" Frank said.
Jimmie shook himself free of the detaining hand and faced the Captainwith flashing eyes.
"I don't care if I do!" he said. "That thing is not going to make uglyremarks about the Boy Scouts without bein' called for it. He's an oldfalse alarm, anyway. I'll bet he never heard a real gun go off!"
Captain Moore heard the insulting words and arose.
"If you'll, aw, come to my office tomorrow morning," he said, to Ned,"we'll discuss the, aw, mattah. I cawn't remain here and quarrel withboys who ought to be, aw, spanked and put, aw, to bed as soon as thesun goes down."
Ned did not rise from his chair to escort the Captain to the door. Hisface was pale and there was a dangerous light in his eyes.
"It won't be necessary for me to visit you in the morning," he said.
The Captain fixed his glass.
"Fawncy!" he exclaimed.
"Anything you like!" Ned said.
"Fawncy!" repeated the Captain.
"As you please," Ned smiled. "Fawncy anything you like--anythingagreeable, you know."
"And why won't you come to my office in the morning?" asked theCaptain, with a tightening of his thin lips.
"I have decided to withdraw from the enterprise," was the quiet reply."I'm out of it."
The boys gathered about Ned with cheers and words of encouragement.
"Go it, old boy!" cried one.
"Don't let him bluff you!" cried another.
"Dad will buy you a submarine!" Frank Shaw put in.
The Captain stood in the middle of the group, gazing in perplexityfrom face to face.
"My word!" he said, presently.
"What about it?" asked Jimmie, edging closer.
"Not going?" continued the Captain; "why?"
"I've changed my mind," was the unsatisfactory reply.
"But the submarine is waiting," urged the Captain.
"I shall never go to the bottom in the Diver," Ned replied.
"My word!"
The Captain loitered, as if anxious to reopen the whole matter, butNed turned his back and seemed inclined to consider the case closed.
"And so we're not going?" asked Frank.
"Rotten shame!" declared Jack.
"So fades me happy, happy dream!" chanted Jimmie.
The Captain stuck his glass in his eye and moved toward the door, anexpression of satisfaction on his stern face.
No one opened the door for him, and when he opened it for himself, hefound a slender, middle-aged man with a pleasant face and brillianteyes confronting him. His supercilious manner vanished instantly, andthe military cap he had already donned came off with a jerk.
"Admiral!" he exclaimed.
The boys gathered about the doorway, all excitement. A real, liveadmiral in the Boy Scout clubroom! That was almost too much to expect.
The admiral saluted and stepped inside the room.
"Pardon me," he said, addressing Ned rather than the Captain, "but Imust confess that I have been doing a discourteous thing. I have beenlistening at your door."
"I sincerely hope you heard all that was said," the Captain ventured."I have been shamefully insulted here."
"Did you hear all that was said?" asked Nestor.
The Admiral bowed.
"I think so," he said.
"I'm glad of that," Frank said, "for this Captain does not tell thetruth."
Captain Moore frowned in the direction of the speaker but said not aword.
"When I reached the door," the Admiral said, "I heard Captain Mooresaying that the trip was to be made in the Diver, and that he was tohave charge."
"That is the way I understand it," Captain Moore hastened to say."And," continued the Admiral, "he said, further, that only one BoyScout would be permitted to accompany Mr. Nestor."
"That will be quite enough, judging from the samples we see here," theCaptain observed, with a vicious glance toward Jimmie, whose face wasnow set in a broad grin.
"Those are the statements made by Captain Moore," Ned said. "I refusedto accept them."
"Quite right!" said the Admiral.
Captain Moore stuck his glass in his eye again and, saluting, turnedtoward the door.
"Wait!" commanded the Admiral.
The angry Captain turned back, a scowl on his face.
"Mr. Nestor," the Admiral continued, "goes in charge of theexpedition, and in the Sea Lion, the submarine he has beenexperimenting with. He will be permitted to take three of hiscompanions with him. Any officer who goes in the Sea Lion willnecessarily remain under Mr. Nestor's orders."
"Then I ask for a transfer," scowled the Captain.
"Granted," answered the Admiral. "You may go now."
Captain Moore lost no time getting out of the door, and then theAdmiral seated himself and motioned Ned to do likewise. The boysgathered about, but Ned asked them to proceed with their sports, andonly the ex-newsboy remained at the table.
"I'm sorry to say," the Admiral began, "that there are hints of themost despicable disloyalty and treachery in this matter. I don't liketo cast suspicions on Captain Moore, who really is an expert submarineofficer, but it appears to me that he went beyond his authority inchanging the plans for the cruise."
"He had no authority for changing from the Sea Lion to the Diver?"asked Ned.
"Not the slightest."
"Or for changing from a steamer ride to China to a long journey on thesubmarine?"
"Not at all."
"But he was sent here by the Secret Service department to instructme," Ned said.
"Exactly, and that is all he was expected to do in the case. I don'tunderstand his conduct."
Jimmie, who had been looking over an afternoon newspaper which lay onthe table, now broke into the conversation.
"Just look here," he said. "This tells why Captain Moore butted intothe game wrong. Just read that."
The Admiral took the newspaper into his hand and read, aloud:
"The Diver, the famous submarine boat invented by Arthur Moore, thetalented son of Captain Henry Moore, of the United States navy, issoon to be put in commission for a most extraordinary voyage. Underthe command of Captain Moore, who will be accompanied by the inventor,his son, the Diver will make the trip from San Francisco to China,almost entirely under water. It is understood that the submarine goeson secret service for the Government."
"There you are!" cried Jimmie.
"I rather think that does explain a lot," laughed Ned.
"The Diver," said the Admiral, thoughtfully, "has not yet beenaccepted by the Government, and I see trouble ahead for the Sea Lion."
CHAPTER III
"THE DANDY SUBMARINE"