In fact, so much business did these new happenings bring that Jacob Farnum speedily became sensible of the fact that the villagers looked upon the Melvilles with decided favor.
"The Melville crowd are at their new enterprise in real and bustling earnest," remarked Farnum, with an air of uneasiness, to his a.s.sociate, the inventor.
"I imagine those people can control millions of dollars, if they need that much money," hazarded David Pollard.
"Undoubtedly," nodded the boatbuilder "And, though I am seeking for capital that will come in on terms fair to us, it"s mighty uphill work."
This conversation was carried on in young Benson"s hearing. Captain Jack turned to them with a laugh, to say: "Wait and see, though, if the exhibition before the newspaper correspondents won"t take a lot of wind out of the Melville sails."
"It ought to," nodded the builder, "unless the Melvilles, or some of the experts they"re dealing with, are shrewd enough to figure out how you left the boat and returned to it."
"Would you have figured that out, Mr. Farnum, if I hadn"t told you?"
"Probably not, Jack. It"s one of the things that are too simple to guess at easily."
Pa.s.sers by the Melville yard were now able to hear the hammering of the riveters daily. It looked as though the new yard must be pushing a submarine boat to rapid completion.
"There hasn"t been a launching, anyway, so I don"t believe the Melville people will be able to do anything to beat our show to-morrow," remarked Captain Jack, on the night before the day that had been set for the show before the newspaper men.
Early the next forenoon newspaper correspondents began to arrive in numbers from half a dozen large cities. As the hotel was monopolized, by the Melville crowd, Mr. Farnum had engaged other quarters at which to entertain the men of the press. Some of the newspapers sent women writers.
None of these visitors were taken direct to the yards. Mr. Farnum and Mr. Pollard took the journalistic visitors in charge and finally conveyed them in carriages to the boatyard, arriving at about a quarter before eleven.
Here Jack, Hal and Eph, looking at their best in their natty uniforms, were on hand to be presented. Of course, the mere fact of a competent, well-trained boy crew was a novelty to the newspaper writers, who made much of the submarine boys and asked them many questions about their work.
"How soon are you going to take us out aboard the "Pollard"?" inquired one of the women reporters.
"Just as soon as Captain Benson and his young men have had a chance to show you the remarkable feat that you have come here to see," promised Mr. Farnum.
"And what is that remarkable feat?" asked another journalist.
"The wonder of it will strike you all the more if we do not announce it in advance," rejoined David Pollard.
"Captain Benson, what have _you_ to say about it?" pleaded one of the newspaper women. "Won"t you give us at least a hint?"
"I"d like to, immensely," smiled Captain Jack, "but I"ve always had a great respect for Mr. Farnum"s judgment."
"Good enough, captain," laughed the boat builder. "And now, signal for the boat that is to put you aboard."
As the boat was coming in Captain Jack turned to the newspaper writers to say:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the thing that is to be done to-day is something that has never been done on any other boat than the "Pollard." If it looks a bit dramatic, you will understand, of course, that that is a means toward making it all the more impressive."
"Oh, dear, but you _are_ making me dreadfully inquisitive," complained one of the newspaper women, plaintively.
Embarking in the sh.o.r.e boat, the "Pollard"s" crew were soon aboard the submarine. From the platform decks they waved their caps, then, one by one, disappeared through the tower, the manhole cover being pulled down after them.
"Are they going to take the boat out and submerge it?" asked one of the correspondents.
"Yes," nodded Mr. Farnum.
"And what else--please?" asked the particularly impatient newspaper woman.
Mr. Farnum smiled, then added:
"There they go, under electric power. Watch!"
By the time that the boat had gone a little more than a hundred feet one of the correspondents called out:
"They"re sinking!"
"All a part of the performance," stated Mr. Pollard.
Before some of the visiting journalists could quite realize it, the tip of the conning tower had disappeared below the surface.
"That"s all very interesting to look at," half shuddered one of the women.
"But what if they couldn"t bring the boat up again?"
"The boat is built to go up or down, at need," Mr. Farnum a.s.sured her.
"Captain Benson has never had an accident yet."
So the group of some thirty newspaper people watched intently, keeping their gaze on the place where they had seen the last ripples close in over the vanishing conning tower.
The minutes pa.s.sed by. The sh.o.r.e boat, with the hundred-pound anchor and cable in the bow, hovered just where Captain Jack had directed, but what could be going on in the submarine at the bottom of the little harbor?
"Mr. Farnum, don"t you sometimes get nervous over such things?" demanded one of the women.
"Never," the boatbuilder a.s.sured her.
Yet is was not long before the yard"s owner pulled out his watch to look at the dial. Eleven minutes had pa.s.sed since the disappearance of the submarine. The next time Farnum glanced at his watch the time had lengthened to fifteen minutes. Then the time dragged by to half an hour.
David Pollard was fighting hard to conceal the nervous dread that had seized him.
"Farnum," he found chance to whisper, at last, "something tragic has happened to the boys, at last. What on earth can it be? Whatever it is, we"re utterly powerless to help them!"
CHAPTER VII
MISSING--A SUBMARINE AND CREW
Fifteen minutes more dragged by.
"Where"s your show, Mr. Farnum?"
"Something has gone wrong, eh?"