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tom swift and his submarine boatby victor appleton chapter inews of a treasure wreck there was a rushing, whizzing, throbbingnoise in the air. a great body, like that of some immensebird, sailed along, casting a grotesque shadow on the ground below. an elderly man, who was seated on the porchof a large house, started to his feet in alarm."gracious goodness! what was that, mrs. baggert?" he called toa motherly-looking woman who stood in the doorway."what happened?"

"nothing much, mr. swift," was the calmreply "i think that was tom and mr. sharp in their airship, that's all.i didn't see it, but the noise sounded like that of the red cloud." "of course!to be sure!" exclaimed mr. barton swift, the well-known inventor, as he started downthe path in order to get a good view of the air, unobstructed by the trees. "yes, there they are," he added."that's the airship, but i didn't expect them back so soon.they must have made good time from shopton. i wonder if anything can be the matter thatthey hurried so?"

he gazed aloft toward where a queerly-shaped machine was circling about nearly five hundred feet in the air, for thecraft, after swooping down close to the house, had ascended and was now hovering just above the line of breakers that markedthe new jersey seacoast, where mr. swift had taken up a temporary residence."don't begin worrying, mr. swift," advised mrs. baggert, the housekeeper. "you've got too much to do, if you get thatnew boat done, to worry." "that's so.i must not worry. but i wish tom and mr. sharp would land,for i want to talk to them."

as if the occupants of the airship hadheard the words of the aged inventor, they headed their craft toward earth. the combined aeroplane and dirigibleballoon, a most wonderful traveler of the air, swung around, and then, with thedeflection rudders slanted downward, came on with a rush. when near the landing place, just at theside of the house, the motor was stopped, and the gas, with a hissing noise, rushedinto the red aluminum container. this immediately made the ship more buoyantand it landed almost as gently as a feather.

no sooner had the wheels which formed thelower part of the craft touched the ground than there leaped from the cabin of the redcloud a young man. "well, dad!" he exclaimed. "here we are again, safe and sound.made a record, too. touched ninety miles an hour at times--didn't we, mr. sharp?" "that's what," agreed a tall, thin, dark-complexioned man, who followed tom swift more leisurely in his exit from the cabin. mr. sharp, a veteran aeronaut, stopped tofasten guy ropes from the airship to strong stakes driven into the ground.

"and we'd have done better, only we strucka hard wind against us about two miles up in the air, which delayed us," went on tom."did you hear us coming, dad?" "yes, and it startled him," put in mrs.baggert. "i guess he wasn't expecting you." "oh, well, i shouldn't have been soalarmed, only i was thinking deeply about a certain change i am going to make in thesubmarine, tom. i was day-dreaming, i think, when your shipwhizzed through the air. but tell me, did you find everything allright at shopton? no signs of any of those scoundrels of thehappy harry gang having been around?" and

mr. swift looked anxiously at his son."not a sign, dad," replied tom quickly. "everything was all right. we brought the things you wanted.they're in the airship. oh, but it was a fine trip.i'd like to take another right out to sea." "not now, tom," said his father. "i want you to help me.and i need mr. sharp's help, too. get the things out of the car, and we'll goto the shop." "first i think we'd better put the airshipaway," advised mr. sharp. "i don't just like the looks of theweather, and, besides, if we leave the ship

exposed we'll be sure to have a crowdaround sooner or later, and we don't want that." "no, indeed," remarked the aged inventorhastily. "i don't want people prying around thesubmarine shed. by all means put the airship away, and thencome into the shop." in spite of its great size the aeroplanewas easily wheeled along by tom and mr. sharp, for the gas in the container made itso buoyant that it barely touched the earth. a little more of the powerful vapor and thered cloud would have risen by itself.

in a few minutes the wonderful craft, ofwhich my readers have been told in detail in a previous volume, was safely housed ina large tent, which was securely fastened. mr. sharp and tom, carrying some bundleswhich they had taken from the car, or cabin, of the craft, went toward a largeshed, which adjoined the house that mr. swift had hired for the season at theseashore. they found the lad's father standing beforea great shape, which loomed up dimly in the semi-darkness of the building. it was like an immense cylinder, pointed ateither end, and here and there were openings, covered with thick glass, likeimmense, bulging eyes.

from the number of tools and machinery allabout the place, and from the appearance of the great cylinder itself, it was easy tosee that it was only partly completed. "well, how goes it, dad?" asked the youth,as he deposited his bundle on a bench. "do you think you can make it work?""i think so, tom. the positive and negative plates are givingme considerable trouble, though. but i guess we can solve the problem.did you bring me the galvanometer?" "yes, and all the other things," and theyoung inventor proceeded to take the articles from the bundles he carried. mr. swift looked them over carefully, whiletom walked about examining the submarine,

for such was the queer craft that wascontained in the shed. he noted that some progress had been madeon it since he had left the seacoast several days before to make a trip toshopton, in new york state, where the swift home was located, after some tools and apparatus that his father wanted to obtainfrom his workshop there. "you and mr. jackson have put on severalnew plates," observed the lad after a pause. "yes," admitted his father."garret and i weren't idle, were we, garret?" and he nodded to the agedengineer, who had been in his employ for

many years. "no; and i guess we'll soon have her in thewater, tom, now that you and mr. sharp are here to help us," replied garret jackson. "we ought to have mr. damon here to blessthe submarine and his liver and collar buttons a few times," put in mr. sharp, whobrought in another bundle. he referred to an eccentric individual whohad recently made an airship voyage with himself and tom, mr. damon's peculiaritybeing to use continually such expressions as: "bless my soul! bless my liver!""well, i'll be glad when we can make a

trial trip," went on tom. "i've traveled pretty fast on land with mymotorcycle, and we certainly have hummed through the air.now i want to see how it feels to scoot along under water." "well, if everything goes well we'll be inposition to make a trial trip inside of a month," remarked the aged inventor. "look here, mr. sharp, i made a change inthe steering gear, which i'd like you and tom to consider." the three walked around to the rear of theodd-looking structure, if an object shaped

like a cigar can be said to have a frontand rear, and the inventor, his son, and the aeronaut were soon deep in a discussion of the technicalities connected with under-water navigation. a little later they went into the house, inresponse to a summons from the supper bell, vigorously rung by mrs. baggert. she was not fond of waiting with meals, andeven the most serious problem of mechanics was, in her estimation, as nothing comparedwith having the soup get cold, or the possibility of not having the meat done toa turn. the meal was interspersed with remarksabout the recent airship flight of tom and

mr. sharp, and discussions about the newsubmarine. this talk went on even after the table wascleared off and the three had adjourned to the sitting-room. there mr. swift brought out pencil andpaper, and soon he and mr. sharp were engrossed in calculating the pressure persquare inch of sea water at a depth of three miles. "do you intend to go as deep as that?"asked tom, looking up from a paper he was reading."possibly," replied his father; and his son resumed his perusal of the sheet.

"now," went on the inventor to theaeronaut, "i have another plan. in addition to the positive and negativeplates which will form our motive power, i am going to install forward and aftpropellers, to use in case of accident." "i say, dad! did you see this?" suddenly exclaimed tom,getting up from his chair, and holding his finger on a certain place in the page ofthe paper. "did i see what?" asked mr. swift. "why, this account of the sinking of thetreasure ship." "treasure ship?no. where?"

"listen," went on tom. "i'll read it: 'further advices frommontevideo, uruguay, south america, state that all hope has been given up ofrecovering the steamship boldero, which foundered and went down off that coast inthe recent gale. not only has all hope been abandoned ofraising the vessel, but it is feared that no part of the three hundred thousanddollars in gold bullion which she carried will ever be recovered. expert divers who were taken to the sceneof the wreck state that the depth of water, and the many currents existing there, dueto a submerged shoal, preclude any

possibility of getting at the hull. the bullion, it is believed, was to havebeen used to further the interests of a certain revolutionary faction, but it seemslikely that they will have to look elsewhere for the sinews of war. besides the bullion the ship also carriedseveral cases of rifles, it is stated, and other valuable cargo. the crew and what few passengers theboldero carried were, contrary to the first reports, all saved by taking to the boats. it appears that some of the ship's plateswere sprung by the stress in which she

labored in a storm, and she filled and sankgradually.' there! what do you think of that, dad?"cried tom as he finished. "what do i think of it?why, i think it's too bad for the revolutionists, tom, of course." "no; i mean about the treasure being stillon board the ship. what about that?""well, it's likely to stay there, if the divers can't get at it. now, mr. sharp, about the propellers--""wait, dad!" cried tom earnestly. "why, tom, what's the matter?" asked mr.swift in some surprise.

"how soon before we can finish oursubmarine?" went on tom, not answering the question."about a month. why?" "why? dad, why can't we have a try for thattreasure? it ought to be comparatively easy to findthat sunken ship off the coast of uruguay. in our submarine we can get close up to it,and in the new diving suits you invented we can get at that gold bullion.three hundred thousand dollars! think of it, dad! three hundred thousand dollars!we could easily claim all of it, since the owners have abandoned it, but we would besatisfied with half.

let's hurry up, finish the submarine, andhave a try for it." "but, tom, you forget that i am to enter mynew ship in the trials for the prize offered by the united states government." "how much is the prize if you win it?"asked tom. "fifty thousand dollars.""well, here's a chance to make three times that much at least, and maybe more. dad, let the government prize go, and tryfor the treasure. will you?"tom looked eagerly at his father, his eyes shining with anticipation.

mr. swift was not a quick thinker, but theidea his son had proposed made an impression on him. he reached out his hand for the paper inwhich the young inventor had seen the account of the sunken treasure.slowly he read it through. then he passed it to mr. sharp. "what do you think of it?" he asked of theaeronaut "there's a possibility," remarked theballoonist "we might try for it. we can easily go three miles down, and itdoesn't lie as deeply as that, if this account is true.yes, we might try for it.

but we'd have to omit the governmentcontests." "will you, dad?" asked tom again.mr. swift considered a moment longer. "yes, tom, i will," he finally decided. "going after the treasure will be likely toafford us a better test of the submarine than would any government tests.we'll try to locate the sunken boldero." "hurrah!" cried the lad, taking the paperfrom mr. sharp and waving it in the air. "that's the stuff!now for a search for the submarine treasure!" >

chapter iifinishing the submarine "what's the matter?" cried mrs. baggert,the housekeeper, hurrying in from the kitchen, where she was washing the dishes."have you seen some of those scoundrels who robbed you, mr. swift? if you have, the police down here ought to--" "no, it's nothing like that," explained mr.swift. "tom has merely discovered in the paper anaccount of a sunken treasure ship, and he wants us to go after it, down under theocean." "oh, dear!

some more of captain kidd's hidden hoard, isuppose?" ventured the housekeeper. "don't you bother with it, mr. swift. i had a cousin once, and he got set in thenotion that he knew where that pirate's treasure was. he spent all the money he had and all hecould borrow digging for it, and he never found a penny.don't waste your time on such foolishness. it's bad enough to be building airships andsubmarines without going after treasure." mrs. baggert spoke with the freedom of anold friend rather than a hired housekeeper, but she had been in the family ever sincetom's mother died, when he was a baby, and

she had many privileges. "oh, this isn't any of kidd's treasure,"tom assured her. "if we get it, mrs. baggert, i'll buy you adiamond ring." "humph!" she exclaimed, as tom began to hugher in boyish fashion. "i guess i'll have to buy all the diamondrings i want, if i have to depend on your treasure for them," and she went back tothe kitchen. "well," went on mr. swift after a pause,"if we are going into the treasure-hunting business, tom, we'll have to get right towork. in the first place, we must find out moreabout this ship, and just where it was

sunk.""i can do that part," said mr. sharp. "i know some sea captains, and they can putme on the track of locating the exact spot. in fact, it might not be a bad idea to takean expert navigator with us. i can manage in the air all right, but iconfess that working out a location under water is beyond me.""yes, an old sea captain wouldn't be a bad idea, by any means," conceded mr. swift. "well, if you'll attend to that detail, mr.sharp, tom, mr. jackson and i will finish the submarine. most of the work is done, however, and itonly remains to install the engine and

motors. now, in regard to the negative and positiveelectric plates, i'd like your opinion, tom." for tom swift was an inventor, second inability only to his father, and his advice was often sought by his parent on mattersof electrical construction, for the lad had made a specialty of that branch of science. while father and son were deep in adiscussion of the apparatus of the submarine, there will be an opportunity tomake the reader a little better acquainted with them.

those of you who have read the previousvolumes of this series do not need to be told who tom swift is.others, however, may be glad to have a proper introduction to him. tom swift lived with his father, bartonswift, in the village of shopton, new york. the swift home was on the outskirts of thetown, and the large house was surrounded by a number of machine shops, in which fatherand son, aided by garret jackson, the engineer, did their experimental andconstructive work. their house was not far from lake carlopa,a fairly large body of water, on which tom often speeded his motor-boat.

in the first volume of this series,entitled "tom swift and his motor-cycle," it was told how he became acquainted withmr. wakefield damon, who suffered an accident while riding one of the speedymachines. the accident disgusted mr. damon withmotor-cycles, and tom secured it for a low price. he had many adventures on it, chief amongwhich was being knocked senseless and robbed of a valuable patent model belongingto his father, which he was taking to albany. the attack was committed by a gang known asthe happy harry gang, who were acting at

the instigation of a syndicate of rich men,who wanted to secure control of a certain patent turbine engine which mr. swift hadinvented. tom set out in pursuit of the thieves,after recovering from their attack, and had a strenuous time before he located them. in the second volume, entitled "tom swiftand his motor-boat," there was related our hero's adventures in a fine craft which wasrecovered from the thieves and sold at auction. there was a mystery connected with theboat, and for a long time tom could not solve it.

he was aided, however, by his chum, nednewton, who worked in the shopton bank, and also by mr. damon and eradicate sampson, anaged colored whitewasher, who formed quite an attachment for tom. in his motor-boat tom had more than onerace with andy foger, a rich lad of shopton, who was a sort of bully.he had red hair and squinty eyes, and was as mean in character as he was in looks. he and his cronies, sam snedecker and petebailey, made trouble for tom, chiefly because tom managed to beat andy twice inboat races. it was while in his motor-boat, arrow, thattom formed the acquaintance of john sharp,

a veteran balloonist. while coming down lake carlopa on the wayto the swift home, which had been entered by thieves, tom, his father and ned newton,saw a balloon on fire over the lake. hanging from a trapeze on it was mr. sharp,who had made an ascension from a fair ground. by hard work on the part of tom and hisfriends the aeronaut was saved, and took up his residence with the swifts. his advent was most auspicious, for tom andhis father were then engaged in perfecting an airship, and mr. sharp was able to lendthem his skill, so that the craft was soon

constructed. in the third volume, called "tom swift andhis airship," there was set down the doings of the young inventor, mr. sharp and mr.damon on a trip above the clouds. they undertook it merely for pleasure, butthey encountered considerable danger, before they completed it, for they nearlyfell into a blazing forest once, and were later fired at by a crowd of excitedpeople. this last act was to effect their capture,for they were taken for a gang of bank robbers, and this was due directly to andyfoger. the morning after tom and his friendsstarted on their trip in the air, the

shopton bank was found to have been lootedof seventy-five thousand dollars. andy foger at once told the police that tomswift had taken the money, and when asked how he knew this, he said he had seen tomhanging around the bank the night before the vault was burst open, and that the young inventor had some burglar tools inhis possession. warrants were at once sworn out for tom andmr. damon, who was also accused of being one of the robbers, and a reward of fivethousand dollars was offered. tom, mr. damon and mr. sharp sailed on, allunaware of this, and unable to account for being fired upon, until they accidentallyread in the paper an account of their

supposed misdeeds. they lost no time in starting back home,and on the way got on the track of the real bank robbers, who were members of the happyharry gang. how the robbers were captured in anexciting raid, how tom recovered most of the stolen money, and how he gave andyfoger a deserved thrashing for giving a false clue was told of, and there was an account of a race in which the red cloud(as the airship was called) took part, as well as details of how tom and his friendssecured the reward, which andy foger hoped to collect.

those of you who care to know how the redcloud was constructed, and how she behaved in the air, even during accidents and whenstruck by lightning, may learn by reading the third volume, for the airship was oneof the most successful ever constructed. when the craft was finished, and thenavigators were ready to start on their first long trip, mr. swift was asked to gowith them. he declined, but would not tell why, untiltom, pressing him for an answer, learned that his father was planning a submarineboat, which he hoped to enter in some trials for government prizes. mr. swift remained at home to work on thissubmarine, while his son and mr. sharp were

sailing above the clouds. on their return, however, and after thebank mystery had been cleared up, tom and mr. sharp, aided mr. swift in completingthe submarine, until, when the present story opens, it needed but little additional work to make the craft ready forthe water. of course it had to be built near the sea,as it would have been impossible to transport it overland from shopton. so, before the keel was laid, mr. swiftrented a large cottage at a seaside place on the new jersey coast and there, after,erecting a large shed, the work on the

advance, as the under-water ship wascalled, was begun. it was soon to be launched in a large creekthat extended in from the ocean and had plenty of water at high tide. tom and mr. sharp made several trips backand forth from shopton in their airship, to see that all was safe at home andoccasionally to get needed tools and supplies from the shops, for not all the apparatus could be moved from shopton tothe coast. it was when returning from one of thesetrips that tom brought with him the paper containing an account of the wreck of theboldero and the sinking of the treasure she

carried. until late that night the three fortune-hunters discussed various matters. "we'll hurry work on the ship," said mr.swift it length. "tom, i wonder if your friend, mr. damon,would care to try how it seems under water? he stood the air trip fairly well.""i'll write and ask him," answered the lad. "i'm sure he'll go." securing, a few days later, the assistanceof two mechanics, whom he knew he could trust, for as yet the construction of theadvance was a secret, mr. swift prepared to rush work on the submarine, and for the

next three weeks there were busy times inthe shed next to the seaside cottage. so busy, in fact, were tom and mr. sharp,that they only found opportunity for one trip in the airship, and that was to getsome supplies from the shops at home. "well," remarked mr. swift one night, atthe close of a hard day's work, "another week will see our craft completed. then we will put it in the water and seehow it floats, and whether it submerges as i hope it does.but come on, tom. i want to lock up. i'm very tired to-night.""all right, dad," answered the young

inventor coming from the darkened rear ofthe shop. "i just want to--" ne paused suddenly, and appeared to belistening. then he moved softly back to where he hadcome from. "what's the matter?" asked his father in awhisper. "what's up, tom?"the lad did not answer mr. swift, with a worried look on his face, followed his son. mr. sharp stood in the door of the shop."i thought i heard some one moving around back here," went on tom quietly."some one in this shop!" exclaimed the aged

inventor excitedly. "some one trying to steal my ideas again!mr. sharp, come here! bring that rifle!we'll teach these scoundrels a lesson!" tom quickly darted back to the extreme rearof the building. there was a scuffle, and the next minutetom cried out: "what are you doing here?" "ha! i beg your pardon," replied a voice."i am looking for mr. barton swift." "my father," remarked tom."but that's a queer place to look for him. he's up front.

father, here's a man who wishes to seeyou," he called. "yes, i strolled in, and seeing no oneabout i went to the rear of the place," the voice went on. "i hope i haven't transgressed.""we were busy on the other side of the shop, i guess," replied tom, and he lookedsuspiciously at the man who emerged from the darkness into the light from a window. "i beg your pardon for grabbing you the wayi did," went on the lad, "but i thought you were one of a gang of men we've been havingtrouble with." "oh, that's all right," continued the maneasily.

"i know mr. swift, and i think he willremember me. ah, mr. swift, how do you do?" he addedquickly, catching sight of tom's father, who, with mr. sharp, was coming to meet thelad. "addison berg!" exclaimed the aged inventoras he saw the man's face more plainly. "what are you doing here?""i came to see you," replied the man. "may i have a talk with you privately?" "i--i suppose so," assented mr. swiftnervously. "come into the house."mr. berg left tom's side and advanced to where mr. swift was standing.

together the two emerged from the now fastdarkening shop and went toward the house. "who is he?" asked mr. sharp of the younginventor in a whisper. "i don't know," replied the lad; "but,whoever he is, dad seems afraid of him. i'm going to keep my eyes open." chapter iiimr. berg is astonished following his father and the stranger whomthe aged inventor had addressed as mr. berg, tom and mr. sharp entered the house,the lad having first made sure that garret jackson was on guard in the shop thatcontained the submarine. "now," said mr. swift to the newcomer, "iam at your service.

what is it you wish?" "in the first place, let me apologize forhaving startled you and your friends," began the man. "i had no idea of sneaking into yourworkshop, but i had just arrived here, and seeing the doors open i went in.i heard no one about, and i wandered to the back of the place. there i happened to stumble over a board--""and i heard you," interrupted tom. "is this one of your employees?" asked mr.berg in rather frigid tones. "that is my son," replied mr. swift.

"oh, i beg your pardon."the man's manner changed quickly. "well, i guess you did hear me, young man.i didn't intend to bark my shins the way i did, either. you must have taken me for a burglar or asneak thief." "i have been very much bothered by a gangof unscrupulous men," said mr. swift, "and i suppose tom thought it was some of themsneaking around again." "that's what i did," added the lad. "i wasn't going to have any one steal thesecret of the submarine if i could help it.""quite right!

quite right!" exclaimed mr. berg. "but my purpose was an open one.as you know, mr. swift, i represent the firm of bentley & eagert, builders ofsubmarine boats and torpedoes. they heard that you were constructing acraft to take part in the competitive prize tests of the united states government, andthey asked me to come and see you to learn when your ship would be ready. ours is completed, but we recognize that itwill be for the best interests of all concerned if there are a number ofcontestants, and my firm did not want to send in their entry until they knew thatyou were about finished with your ship.

how about it?are you ready to compete?" "yes," said mr. swift slowly. "we are about ready.my craft needs a few finishing touches, and then it will be ready to launch.""then we may expect a good contest on your part," suggested mr. berg. "well," began the aged inventor, "i don'tknow about that." "what's that?" exclaimed mr. berg."i said i wasn't quite sure that we would compete," went on mr. swift. "you see, when i first got this idea for asubmarine boat i had it in mind to try for

the government prize of fifty thousanddollars." "that's what we want, too," interrupted mr.berg with a smile. "but," went on tom's father, "since thencertain matters have come up, and i think, on the whole, that we'll not compete forthe prize after all." "not compete for the prize?" almost shoutedthe agent for bentley & eagert. "why, the idea!you ought to compete. it is good for the trade. we think we have a very fine craft, andprobably we would beat you in the tests, but--""i wouldn't be too sure of that," put in

tom. "you have only seen the outside of ourboat. the inside is better yet." "ah, i have no doubt of that," spoke mr.berg, "but we have been at the business longer than you have, and have had moreexperience. still we welcome competition. but i am very much surprised that you arenot going to compete for the prize, mr. swift.very much surprised, indeed! you see, i came down from philadelphia toarrange so that we could both enter our

ships at the same time. i understand there is another firm ofsubmarine boat builders who are going to try for the prize, and i want to arrange adate that will be satisfactory to all. i am greatly astonished that you are notgoing to compete." "well, we were going to," said mr. swift,"only we have changed our minds, that's all. my son and i have other plans.""may i ask what they are?" questioned mr. berg."you may," exclaimed tom quickly; "but i don't believe we can tell you.

they're a secret," he added more cordially."oh, i see," retorted mr. berg. "well, of course i don't wish to penetrateany of your secrets, but i hoped we could contest together for the government prize. it is worth trying for i assure you--fiftythousand dollars. besides, there is the possibility ofselling a number of submarines to the united states. it's a fine prize.""but the one we are after is a bigger one," cried tom impetuously, and the moment hehad spoken the wished he could recall the words.

"eh? what's that?" exclaimed mr. berg."you don't mean to say another government has offered a larger prize? if i had known that i would not have let myfirm enter into the competition for the bonus offered by the united states.please tell me." "i'm sorry," went on tom more soberly. "i shouldn't have spoken.mr. berg, the plans of my father and myself are such that we can't reveal them now.we are going to try for a prize, but not in competition with you. it's an entirely different matter.""well, i guess you'll find that the firm of

bentley & eagert are capable of trying forany prizes that are offered," boasted the agent. "we may be competitors yet.""i don't believe so," replied mr. swift "we may," repeated mr. berg."and if we do, please remember that we will show no mercy. our boats are the best.""and may the best boat win," interjected mr. sharp."that's all we ask. a fair field and no favors." "of course," spoke the agent coldly."is this another son of yours?" he asked.

"no but a good friend," replied the agedinventor. "no, mr. berg, we won't compete this time. you may tell your firm so.""very good," was the other's stiff reply. "then i will bid you good night. we shall carry off the government prize,but permit me to add that i am very much astonished, very much indeed, that you donot try for the prize. from what i have seen of your submarine youhave a very good one, almost as good, in some respects, as ours. i bid you good night," and with a bow theman left the room and hurried away from the

house. chapter ivtom is imprisoned "well, i must say he's a cool one,"remarked tom, as the echoes of mr. berg's steps died away."the idea of thinking his boat better than ours! i don't like that man, dad.i'm suspicious of him. do you think he came here to steal some ofour ideas?" "no, i hardly believe so, my son. but how did you discover him?""just as you saw, dad.

i heard a noise and went back there toinvestigate. i found him sneaking around, looking at theelectric propeller plates. i went to grab him just as he stumbled overa board. at first i thought it was one of the oldgang. i'm almost sure he was trying to discoversomething." "no, tom. the firm he works for are good businessmen, and they would not countenance anything like that. they are heartless competitors, however,and if they saw a legitimate chance to get

ahead of me and take advantage, they woulddo it. but they would not sneak in to steal myideas. i feel sure of that. besides, they have a certain type ofsubmarine which they think is the best ever invented, and they would hardly change atthis late day. they feel sure of winning the governmentprize, and i'm just as glad we're not going to have a contest.""do you think our boat is better than theirs?" "much better, in many respects.""i don't like that man berg, though," went

on tom."nor do i," added his father. "there is something strange about him. he was very anxious that i should compete.probably he thought his firm's boat would go so far ahead of ours that they would getan extra bonus. but i'm glad he didn't see our new methodof propulsion. that is the principal improvement in theadvance over other types of submarines. well, another week and we will be ready forthe test." "have you known mr. berg long, dad?""not very. i met him in washington when i was in thepatent office.

he was taking out papers on a submarine forhis firm at the same time i got mine for the advance. it is rather curious that he should comeall the way here from philadelphia, merely to see if i was going to compete.there is something strange about it, something that i can't understand." the time was to come when mr. swift and hisson were to get at the bottom of mr. berg's reasons, and they learned to their sorrowthat he had penetrated some of their secrets. before going to bed that night tom and mr.sharp paid a visit to the shed where the

submarine was resting on the ways, readyfor launching. they found mr. jackson on guard and theengineer said that no one had been around. nor was anything found disturbed. "it certainly is a great machine," remarkedthe lad as he looked up at the cigar-shaped bulk towering over his head."dad has outdone himself this trip." "it looks all right," commented mr. sharp. "whether it will work is another question.""yes, we can't tell until it's in the water," conceded tom."but i hope it does. dad has spent much time and money on it."

the advance was, as her name indicated,much in advance of previous submarines. there was not so much difference in outwardconstruction as there was in the means of propulsion and in the manner in which theinterior and the machinery were arranged. the submarine planned by mr. swift and tomjointly, and constructed by them, with the aid of mr. sharp and mr. jackson, wasshaped like a cigar, over one hundred feet long and twenty feet in diameter at thethickest part. it was divided into many compartments, allwater-tight, so that if one or even three were flooded the ship would still beuseable. buoyancy was provided for by having severaltanks for the introduction of compressed

air, and there was an emergency arrangementso that a collapsible aluminum container could be distended and filled with apowerful gas. this was to be used if, by any means, theship was disabled on the bottom of the ocean. the container could be expanded and filled,and would send the advance to the surface. another peculiar feature was that theengine-room, dynamos and other apparatus were all contained amidships. this gave stability to the craft, and alsoenabled the same engine to operate both shafts and propellers, as well as both thenegative forward electrical plates, and the

positive rear ones. these plates were a new idea in submarineconstruction, and were the outcome of an idea of mr. swift, with some suggestionsfrom his son. the aged inventor did not want to depend onthe usual screw propellers for his craft, nor did he want to use a jet of compressedair, shooting out from a rear tube, nor yet a jet of water, by means of which the creature called the squid shoots himselfalong. mr. swift planned to send the advance alongunder water by means of electricity. certain peculiar plates were built at theforward and aft blunt noses of the

submarine. into the forward plate a negative charge ofelectricity was sent, and into the one at the rear a positive charge, just as one endof a horseshoe magnet is positive and will repel the north end of a compass needle, while the other pole of a magnet isnegative and will attract it. in electricity like repels like, whilenegative and positive have a mutual attraction for each other. mr. swift figured out that if he could senda powerful current of negative electricity into the forward plate it would pull theboat along, for water is a good conductor

of electricity, while if a positive charge was sent into the rear plate it would serveto push the submarine along, and he would thus get a pulling and pushing motion, justas a forward and aft propeller works on some ferry boats. but the inventor did not depend on theseplates alone. there were auxiliary forward and aftpropellers of the regular type, so that if the electrical plates did not work, or gotout of order, the screws would serve to send the advance along. there was much machinery in the submarine.there were gasolene motors, since space was

too cramped to allow the carrying of coalfor boilers. there were dynamos, motors and powerfulpumps. some of these were for air, and some forwater. to sink the submarine below the surfacelarge tanks were filled with water. to insure a more sudden descent, deflectingrudders were also used, similar to those on an airship. there were also special air pumps, and onefor the powerful gas, which was manufactured on board. forward from the engine-room was a cabin,where meals could be served, and where the

travelers could remain in the daytime.there was also a small cooking galley, or kitchen, there. back of the engine-room were the sleepingquarters and the storerooms. the submarine was steered from the forwardcompartment, and here were also levers, wheels and valves that controlled all themachinery, while a number of dials showed in which direction they were going, how deep they were, and at what speed they weremoving, as well as what the ocean pressure was. on top, forward, was a small conning, orobservation tower, with auxiliary and

steering and controlling apparatus there. this was to be used when the ship wasmoving along on the surface of the ocean, or merely with the deck awash. there was a small flat deck surrounding theconning tower and this was available when the craft was on the surface.there was provision made for leaving the ship when it was on the bed of the ocean. when it was desired to do this theoccupants put on diving suits, which were provided with portable oxygen tanks. then they entered a chamber into whichwater was admitted until it was equal in

pressure to that outside.then a steel door was opened, and they could step out. to re-enter the ship the operation wasreversed. this was not a new feature.in fact, many submarines to-day use it. at certain places there were thick bull's-eye windows, by means of which the under- water travelers could look out into theocean through which they were moving. as a defense against the attacks ofsubmarine monsters there was a steel, pointed ram, like a big harpoon. there were also a bow and a sternelectrical gun, of which more will be told

later. in addition to ample sleepingaccommodations, there were many conveniences aboard the advance. plenty of fresh water could be carried, andthere was an apparatus for distilling more from the sea water that surrounded thetravelers. compressed air was carried in large tanks,and oxygen could be made as needed. in short, nothing that could add to thecomfort or safety of the travelers had been omitted. there was a powerful crane and windlass,which had been installed when mr. swift

thought his boat might be bought by thegovernment. this was to be used for raising wrecks orrecovering objects from the bottom of the ample stores and provisions were to becarried and, once the travelers were shut up in the advance, they could exist for amonth below the surface, providing no accident occurred. all these things tom and mr. sharp thoughtof as they looked over the ship before turning in for the night. the craft was made immensely strong towithstand powerful pressure at the bottom of the ocean.the submarine could penetrate to a depth of

about three miles. below that it was dangerous to go, as theawful force would crush the plates, powerful as they were. "well, we'll rush things to-morrow and thenext day," observed tom as he prepared to leave the building."then we'll soon see if it works." for the next week there were busy times inthe shop near the ocean. great secrecy was maintained, and thoughcuriosity seekers did stroll along now and then, they received little satisfaction. at first mr. swift thought that the visitof mr. berg would have unpleasant results,

for he feared that the agent would talkabout the craft, of which he had so unexpectedly gotten a sight. but nothing seemed to follow from hischance inspection, and it was forgotten. it was one evening, about a week later,that tom was alone in the shop. the two mechanics that had been hired tohelp out in the rush had been let go, and the ship needed but a few adjustments tomake it ready for the sea. "i think i'll just take another look at thewater tank valves," said tom to himself as he prepared to enter the big compartmentswhich received the water ballast. "i want to be sure they work properly andquickly.

we've got to depend on them to make us sinkwhen we want to, and, what's more important, to rise to the surface in ahurry. i've got time enough to look them overbefore dad and mr. sharp get back." tom entered the starboard tank by means ofan emergency sliding door between the big compartments and the main part of the ship. this was closed by a worm and screw gear,and once the ship was in the water would seldom be used. the young inventor proceeded with his task,carefully inspecting the valves by the light of a lantern he carried.

the apparatus seemed to be all right, andtom was about to leave when a peculiar noise attracted his attention. it was the sound of metal scraping onmetal, and the lad's quick and well-trained ear told him it was somewhere about theship. he turned to leave the tank, but as hewheeled around his light flashed on a solid wall of steel back of him.the emergency outlet had been closed! he was a prisoner in the water compartment,and he knew, from past experience, that shout as he would, his voice could not beheard ten feet away. his father and mr. sharp, as he was aware,had gone to a nearby city for some tools,

and mr. jackson, the engineer, wastemporarily away. mrs. baggert, in the house, could not hearhis cries. "i'm locked in!" cried tom aloud."the worm gear must have shut of itself. but i don't see how that could be. i've got to get out mighty soon, though, ori'll smother. this tank is airtight, and it won't take melong to breath up all the oxygen there is here. i must get that slide open."he sought to grasp the steel plate that closed the emergency opening.his fingers slipped over the smooth,

polished surface. he was hermetically sealed up--a captive!blankly he set his lantern down and leaned hopelessly against the wall of the tank."i've got to get out," he murmured. as if in answer to him he heard a voice onthe outside, crying: "there, tom swift!i guess i've gotten even with you now! maybe next time you won't take a rewardaway from me, and lick me into the bargain. i've got you shut up good and tight, andyou'll stay there until i get ready to let you out." "andy foger!" gasped tom."andy foger sneaked in here and turned the

gear.but how did he get to this part of the coast? andy foger, you let me out!" shouted theyoung inventor; and as andy's mocking laugh came to him faintly through the steel sidesof the submarine, the imprisoned lad beat desperately with his hands on the smooth sides of the tank, vainly wondering how hisenemy had discovered him. chapter vmr. berg is suspicious not for long did the young inventorendeavor to break his way out of the water- ballast tank by striking the heavy sides ofit.

tom realized that this was worse thanuseless. he listened intently, but could hearnothing. even the retreating footsteps of andy fogerwere inaudible. "this certainly is a pickle!" exclaimed tomaloud. "i can't understand how he ever got here. he must have traced us after we went toshopton in the airship the last time. then he sneaked in here. probably he saw me enter, but how could heknow enough to work the worm gear and close the door?

andy has had some experience withmachinery, though, and one of the vaults in the bank where his father is a directorclosed just like this tank. that's very likely how he learned about it. but i've got to do something else besidesthinking of that sneak, andy. i've got to get out of here.let's see if i can work the gear from inside." before he started, almost, tom knew that itwould be impossible. the tank was made to close from theinterior of the submarine, and the heavy door, built to withstand the pressure oftons of water, could not be forced except

by the proper means. "no use trying that," concluded the lad,after a tiring attempt to force back the sliding door with his hands."i've got to call for help." he shouted until the vibrations in theconfined space made his ears ring, and the mere exertion of raising his voice to thehighest pitch made his heart beat quickly. yet there came no response. he hardly expected that there would be any,for with his father and mr. sharp away, the engineer absent on an errand, and mrs.baggert in the house some distance off, there was no one to hear his calls for

help, even if they had been capable ofpenetrating farther than the extent of the shed, where the under-water craft had beenconstructed. "i've got to wait until some of them comeout here," thought tom. "they'll be sure to release me and make asearch. then it will be easy enough to call to themand tell them where i am, once they are inside the shed.but--" he paused, for a horrible fear came over him. "suppose they should come--too late?"the tank was airtight. there was enough air in it to last for sometime, but, sooner or later, it would no

longer support life. already, tom thought, it seemed oppressive,though probably that was his imagination. "i must get out!" he repeated frantically."i'll die in here soon." again he tried to shove back the steeldoor. then he repeated his cries until he wasweary. no one answered him. he fancied once he could hear footsteps inthe shed, and thought, perhaps, it was andy, come back to gloat over him.then tom knew the red-haired coward would not dare venture back.

we must do andy the justice to say that henever realized that he was endangering tom's life.the bully had no idea the tank was airtight when he closed it. he had seen tom enter and a sudden whimcame to him to revenge himself. but that did not help the young inventorany. there was no doubt about it now--the airwas becoming close. tom had been imprisoned nearly two hours,and as he was a healthy, strong lad, he required plenty of oxygen. there was certainly less than there hadbeen in the tank.

his head began to buzz, and there was aringing in his ears. once more he fell upon his knees, and hisfingers sought the small projections of the gear on the inside of the door.he could no more budge the mechanism than a child could open a burglar-proof vault. "it's no use," he moaned, and he sprawledat full length on the floor of the tank, for there the air was purer.as he did so his fingers touched something. he started as they closed around the handleof a big monkey wrench. it was one he had brought into the placewith him. imbued with new hope be struck a match andlighted his lantern, which he had allowed

to go out as it burned up too much of theoxygen. by the gleam of it he looked to see ifthere were any bolts or nuts he could loosen with the wrench, in order to slidethe door back. it needed but a glance to show him thefutility of this. "it's no go," he murmured, and he let thewrench fall to the floor. there was a ringing, clanging sound, and asit smote his ears tom sprang up with an exclamation."that's the thing!" he cried. "i wonder i didn't think of it before. i can signal for help by pounding on thesides of the tank with the wrench.

the blows will carry a good deal fartherthan my voice would." every one knows how far the noise of aboiler shop, with hammers falling on steel plates, can be heard; much farther than cana human voice. tom began a lusty tattoo on the metal sidesof the tank. at first he merely rattled out blow afterblow, and then, as another thought came to him, he adopted a certain plan. some time previous, when he and mr. sharphad planned their trip in the air, the two had adopted a code of signals. as it was difficult in a high wind to shoutfrom one end of the airship to the other,

the young inventor would sometimes pound onthe pipe which ran from the pilot house of the red cloud to the engine-room. by a combination of numbers, simplemessages could be conveyed. the code included a call for help.forty-seven was the number, but there had never been any occasion to use it. tom remembered this now.at once he ceased his indiscriminate hammering, and began to beat out regularly--one, two, three, four--then a pause, and seven blows would be given. over and over again he rang out thisnumber--forty seven--the call for help.

"if mr. sharp only comes back he will hearthat, even in the house," thought poor tom "maybe garret or mrs. baggert will hear it,too, but they won't know what it means. they'll think i'm just working on thesubmarine." it seemed several hours to tom that hepounded out that cry for aid, but, as he afterward learned, it was only a littleover an hour. signal after signal he sent vibrating fromthe steel sides of the tank. when one arm tired he would use the other. he grew weary, his head was aching, andthere was a ringing in his ears; a ringing that seemed as if ten thousand bells werejangling out their peals, and he could

barely distinguish his own pounding. signal after signal he sounded.it was becoming like a dream to him, when suddenly, as he paused for a rest, he heardhis name called faintly, as if far away. "tom! tom!where are you?" it was the voice of mr. sharp.then followed the tones of the aged inventor. "my poor boy!tom, are you still alive?" "yes, dad!in the starboard tank!" the lad gasped out,

and then he lost his senses. when he revived he was lying on a pile ofbagging in the submarine shop, and his father and the aeronaut were bending overhim. "are you all right, tom?" asked mr. swift. "yes--i--i guess so," was the hesitatinganswer. "yes," the lad added, as the fresh aircleared his head. "i'll be all right pretty soon. have you seen andy foger?""did he shut you in there?" demanded mr. swift.tom nodded.

"i'll have him arrested!" declared mr.swift "i'll go to town as soon as you're in good shape again and notify the police.""no, don't," pleaded tom. "i'll take care of andy myself. i don't really believe he knew how seriousit was. i'll settle with him later, though.""well, it came mighty near being serious," remarked mr. sharp grimly. "your father and i came back a littlesooner than we expected, and as soon as i got near the house i heard your signal.i knew what it was in a moment. there were mrs. baggert and garret talkingaway, and when i asked them why they didn't

answer your call they said they thought youwere merely tinkering with the machinery. but i knew better. it's the first time we ever had a use for'forty-seven,' tom." "and i hope it will be the last," repliedthe young inventor with a faint smile. "but i'd like to know what andy foger isdoing in this neighborhood." tom was soon himself again and able to goto the house, where he found mrs. baggert brewing a big basin of catnip tea, underthe impression that it would in some way be good for his. she could not forgive herself for nothaving answered his signal, and as for mr.

jackson, he had started for a doctor assoon as he learned that tom was shut up in the tank. the services of the medical man werecanceled by telephone, as there was no need for him, and the engineer came back to thehouse. tom was fully himself the next day, andaided his father and mr. sharp in putting the finishing touches to the advance. it was found that some alteration wasrequired in the auxiliary propellers, and this, much to the regret of the younginventor, would necessitate postponing the trial a few days.

"but we'll have her in the water nextfriday," promised mr. swift. "aren't you superstitious about friday?"asked the balloonist. "not a bit of it," replied the agedinventor. "tom," he added, "i wish you would go inthe house and get me the roll of blueprints you'll find on my desk." as the lad neared the cottage he saw,standing in front of the place, a small automobile. a man had just descended from it, and itneeded but a glance to show that he was mr. addison berg."ah, good morning, mr. swift," greeted mr.

berg. "i wish to see your father, but as i don'twish to lay myself open to suspicions by entering the shop, perhaps you will ask himto step here." "certainly," answered the lad, wonderingwhy the agent had returned. getting the blueprints, and asking mr. bergto sit down on the porch, tom delivered the message. "you come back with me, tom," said hisfather. "i want you to be a witness to what hesays. i'm not going to get into trouble withthese people."

mr. berg came to the point at once. "mr. swift," he said, "i wish you wouldreconsider your determination not to enter the government trials.i'd like to see you compete. so would my firm." "there is no use going over that again,"replied the aged inventor. "i have another object in view now thantrying for the government prize. what it is i can't say, but it may developin time--if we are successful," and he looked at his son, smiling the while.mr. berg tried to argue, but it was of no avail.

then he changed his manner, and said:"well, since you won't, you won't, i suppose.i'll go back and report to my firm. have you anything special to do thismorning?" he went on to tom. "well, i can always find something to keepme busy," replied the lad, "but as for anything special--" "i thought perhaps you'd like to go for atrip in my auto," interrupted mr. berg. "i had asked a young man who is stopping atthe same hotel where i am to accompany me, but he has unexpectedly left, and i don'tlike to go alone. his name was--let me see.

i have a wretched memory for names, but itwas something like roger or moger." "foger!" cried tom."was it andy foger?" "yes, that was it. why, do you know him?" asked mr. berg insome surprise. "i should say so," replied tom. "he was the cause of what might haveresulted in something serious for me," and the lad explained about being imprisoned inthe tank. "you don't tell me!" cried mr. berg. "i had no idea he was that kind of a lad.you see, his father is one of the directors

of the firm by whom i am employed. andy came from home to spend a few weeks atthe seaside, and stopped at the same hotel that i did. he went off yesterday afternoon, and ihaven't seen him since, though he promised to go for a ride with me.he must have come over here and entered your shop unobserved. i remember now he asked me where thesubmarine was being built that was going to compete with our firm's, and i told him.i didn't think he was that kind of a lad. well, since he's probably gone back home,perhaps you will come for a ride with me,

tom.""i'm afraid i can't go, thank you," answered the lad. "we are very busy getting our submarine inshape for a trial. but i can imagine why andy left sohurriedly. he probably learned that a doctor had beensummoned for me, though, as it happened, i didn't need one.but andy probably got frightened at what he had done, and left. i'll make him more sorry, when i meet him.""don't blame you a bit," commented mr. berg."well, i must be getting back."

he hastened out to his auto, while tom andhis father watched the agent. "tom, never trust that man," advised theaged inventor solemnly. "just what i was about to remark," said hisson. "well, let's get back to work.queer that he should come here again, and it's queer about andy foger." father and son returned to the machineshop, while mr. berg puffed away in his auto. a little later, tom having occasion to goto a building near the boundary line of the cottage property which his father had hiredfor the season, saw, through the hedge that

bordered it, an automobile standing in theroad. a second glance showed him that it was mr.berg's machine. something had gone wrong with it, and theagent had alighted to make an adjustment. the young inventor was close to the man,though the latter was unaware of his presence. "hang it all!"tom heard mr. berg exclaim to himself. "i wonder what they can be up to?they won't enter the government contests, and they won't say why. i believe they're up to some game, and i'vegot to find out what it is.

i wonder if i couldn't use this fogerchap?" "he seems to have it in for this tomswift," mr. berg went on, still talking to himself, though not so low but that tomcould hear him. "i think i'll try it. i'll get andy foger to sneak around andfind out what the game is. he'll do it, i know." by this time the auto was in working orderagain, and the agent took his seat and started off."so that's how matters lie, eh?" thought "well, mr. berg, we'll be doubly on thelookout for you after this.

as for andy foger, i think i'll make himwish he'd never locked me in that tank. so you expect to find out our 'game,' eh,mr. berg? well, when you do know it, i think it willastonish you. i only hope you don't learn what it isuntil we get at that sunken treasure, though."but alas for tom's hopes. mr. berg did learn of the object of thetreasure-seekers, and sought to defeat them, as we shall learn as our storyproceeds. chapter viturning the tables when the young inventor informed his fatherwhat he had overheard mr. berg saying, the

aged inventor was not as much worried ashis son anticipated. "all we'll have to do, tom," he said, "isto keep quiet about where we are going. once we have the advance afloat, and tryher out, we can start on our voyage for the south american coast and search for thesunken treasure. when we begin our voyage under water i defyany one to tell where we are going, or what our plans are.no, i don't believe we need worry about mr. berg, though he probably means mischief." "well, i'm going to keep my eyes open forhim and andy foger," declared tom. the days that followed were filled withwork.

not only were there many unexpected thingsto do about the submarine, but mr. sharp was kept busy making inquiries about thesunken treasure ship. these inquiries had to be made carefully,as the adventurers did not want their plans talked of, and nothing circulates morequickly than rumors of an expedition after treasure of any kind. "what about the old sea captain you weregoing to get to go with us?" asked mr. swift of the balloonist one afternoon."have you succeeded in finding one yet?" "yes; i am in communication with a man ithink will be just the person for us. his name is captain alden weston, and hehas sailed all over the world.

he has also taken part in more than onerevolution, and, in fact, is a soldier of fortune. i do not know him personally, but a friendof mine knows him, and says he will serve us faithfully.i have written to him, and he will be here in a few days." "that's good.now about the location of the wreck itself. have you been able to learn any moredetails?" "well, not many. you see, the boldero was abandoned in astorm, and the captain did not take very

careful observations. as nearly as it can be figured out thetreasure ship went to the bottom in latitude forty-five degrees south, andlongitude twenty-seven east from washington. that's a pretty indefinite location, but ihope, once we get off the uruguay coast, we can better it. we can anchor or lay outside the harbor,and in the small boat we carry go ashore and possibly gain more details.for it was at montevideo that the shipwrecked passengers and sailors landed."

"does captain weston know our object?"inquired tom. "no, and i don't propose to tell him untilwe are ready to start," replied mr. sharp. "i don't know just how he'll consider asubmarine trip after treasure, but if i spring it on him suddenly he's less likelyto back out. oh, i think he'll go." somewhat unexpectedly the next day it wasdiscovered that certain tools and appliances were needed for the submarine,and they had been left in the house at shopton, where eradicate sampson was in charge as caretaker during the absence ofmr. swift and his son and the housekeeper.

"well, i suppose we'll have to go backafter them," remarked tom. "we'll take the airship, dad, and make atwo-days' trip of it. is there anything else you want?" "well, you might bring a bundle of papersyou'll find in the lower right hand drawer of my desk.they contain some memoranda i need." tom and mr. sharp had become so used totraveling in the airship that it seemed no novelty to them, though they attracted muchattention wherever they went. they soon had the red cloud in readinessfor a flight, and rising in the air above the shop that contained the powerfulsubmarine, a craft utterly different in

type from the aeroplane, the nose of theairship was pointed toward shopton. they made a good flight and landed near thebig shed where the bird of the air was kept. it was early evening when they got to theswift homestead, and eradicate sampson was glad to see them.eradicate was a good cook, and soon had a meal ready for the travelers. then, while mr. sharp selected the toolsand other things needed, and put them in the airship ready for the start back thenext morning, tom concluded he would take a stroll into shopton, to see if he could seehis friend, ned newton.

it was early evening, and the close of abeautiful day, a sharp shower in the morning having cooled the air. tom was greeted by a number ofacquaintances as he strolled along, for, since the episode of the bank robbery, whenhe had so unexpectedly returned with the thieves and the cash, the lad was betterknown than ever. "i guess ned must be home," thought ourhero as he looked in vain for his chum among the throng on the streets. "i've got time to take a stroll down to hishouse." tom was about to cross the street when hewas startled by the sound of an automobile

horn loudly blown just at his side. then a voice called:"hey, there! git out of the way if you don't want to berun over!" he looked up, and saw a car careeningalong. at the wheel was the red-haired bully, andyfoger, and in the tonneau were sam snedecker and pete bailey. "git out of the way," added sam, and hegrinned maliciously at tom. the latter stepped back, well out of thepath of the car, which was not moving very fast.

just in front of tom was a puddle of muddywater. there was no necessity for andy steeringinto it, but he saw his opportunity, and a moment later one of the big pneumatic tireshad plunged into the dirty fluid, spattering it all over tom, some even goingas high as his face. "ha! ha!" laughed andy."maybe you'll get out of my way next time, tom swift." the young inventor was almost speechlessfrom righteous anger. he wiped the mud from his face, glanceddown at his clothes, which were all but ruined, and called out:

"hold on there, andy foger!i want to see you!" for he thought of the time when andy had shut him in the tank."ta! ta!" shouted pete bailey. "see you later," added sam. "better go home and take a bath, and thensail away in your submarine," went on andy. "i'll bet it will sink."before tom could reply the auto had turned a corner. disgusted and angry, he tried to sop upsome of the muddy water with his handkerchief.while thus engaged he heard his name called, and looked up to see ned newton.

"what's the matter?fall down?" asked his chum. "andy foger," replied tom."that's enough," retorted ned. "i can guess the rest. we'll have to tar and feather him some day,and ride him out of town on a rail. i'd kick him myself, only his father is adirector in the bank where i work, and i'd be fired if i did. can't afford any such pleasure.but some day i'll give andy a good trouncing, and then resign before they candischarge me. but i'll be looking for another job beforei do that.

come on to my house, tom, and i'll help youclean up." tom was a little more presentable when heleft his chum's residence, after spending the evening there, but he was still burningfor revenge against andy and his cronies. he had half a notion to go to andy's houseand tell mr. foger how nearly serious the bully's prank at the submarine had been,but he concluded that mr. foger could only uphold his son. "no, i'll settle with him myself," decidedtom. bidding eradicate keep a watchful eye aboutthe house, and leaving word for mr. damon to be sure to come to the coast if he againcalled at the shopton house, tom and mr.

sharp prepared to make their return tripearly the next morning. the gas tank was filled and the red cloudarose in the air. then, with the propellers moving atmoderate speed, the nose of the craft was pointed toward the new jersey coast. a few miles out from shopton, finding therewas a contrary wind in the upper regions where they were traveling, mr. sharpdescended several hundred feet. they were moving over a sparsely settledpart of the country, and looking down, tom saw, speeding along a highway, anautomobile. "i wonder who's in it?" he remarked, takingdown a telescope and peering over the

window ledge of the cabin.the next moment he uttered a startled exclamation. "andy foger, sam snedecker and petebailey!" he cried. "oh, i wish i had a bucket of water toempty on them." "i know a better way to get even with themthan that," said mr. sharp. "how?" asked tom eagerly."i'll show you," replied the balloonist. "it's a trick i once played on a fellow whodid me an injury. here, you steer for a minute until i getthe thing fixed, then i'll take charge." mr. sharp went to the storeroom and cameback with a long, stout rope and a small

anchor of four prongs. it was carried to be used in emergencies,but so far had never been called into requisition.fastening the grapple to the cable, the balloonist said: "now, tom, they haven't seen you.you stand in the stern and pay out the rope. i'll steer the airship, and what i want youto do is to catch the anchor in the rear of their car.then i'll show you some fun." tom followed instructions.

slowly he lowered the rope with thedangling grapple. the airship was also sent down, as thecable was not quite long enough to reach the earth from the height at which theywere. the engine was run at slow speed, so thatthe noise would not attract the attention of the three cronies who were speedingalong, all unconscious of the craft in the air over their heads. the red cloud was moving in the samedirection as was the automobile. the anchor was now close to the rear ofandy's car. suddenly it caught on the tonneau and tomcalled that fact to mr. sharp.

"fasten the rope at the cleat," directedthe balloonist. tom did so, and a moment later the aeronautsent the airship up by turning more gas into the container. at the same time he reversed the engine andthe red cloud began pulling the touring car backward, also lifting the rear wheelsclear from the earth. a startled cry from the occupants of themachine told tom and his friend that andy and his cronies were aware something waswrong. a moment later andy, looking up, saw theairship hovering in the air above him. then he saw the rope fast to his auto.

the airship was not rising now, or the autowould have been turned over, but it was slowly pulling it backward, in spite of thefact that the motor of the car was still going. "here!you let go of me!" cried andy. "i'll have you arrested if you damage mycar." "come up here and cut the rope," called tomleaning over and looking down. he could enjoy the bully's discomfiture. as for sam and pete, they were muchfrightened, and cowered down on the floor of the tonneau."maybe you'll shut me in the tank again and

splash mud on me!" shouted tom. the rear wheels of the auto were liftedstill higher from the ground, as mr. sharp turned on a little more gas.andy was not proof against this. "oh! oh!" he cried. "please let me down, tom.i'm awful sorry for what i did! i'll never do it again!please, please let me down! don't! you'll tip me over!"he had shut off his motor now, and was frantically clinging to the steering wheel."do you admit that you're a sneak and a

coward?" asked tom, "rubbing it in." "yes, yes!oh, please let me down!" "shall we?" asked tom of mr. sharp."yes," replied the balloonist. "we can afford to lose the rope and anchorfor the sake of turning the tables. cut the cable."tom saw what was intended. using a little hatchet, he severed the ropewith a single blow. with a crash that could be heard up in theair where the red cloud hovered, the rear wheels of the auto dropped to the ground. then came two loud reports."both tires busted!" commented mr. sharp

dryly, and tom, looking down, saw the trioof lads ruefully contemplating the collapsed rubber of the rear wheels. the tables had been effectually turned onandy foger. his auto was disabled, and the airship,with a graceful sweep, mounted higher and higher, continuing on its way to the coast. chapter viimr. damon will go "well, i guess they've had their lesson,"remarked tom, as he took an observation through the telescope and saw andy and hiscronies hard at work trying to repair the ruptured tires.

"that certainly was a corking good trick.""yes," admitted mr. sharp modestly. "i once did something similar, only it wasa horse and wagon instead of an auto. but let's try for another speed record. the conditions are just right."they arrived at the coast much sooner than they had dared to hope, the red cloudproving herself a veritable wonder. the remainder of that day, and part of thenext, was spent in working on the submarine."we'll launch her day after to-morrow," declared mr. swift enthusiastically. "then to see whether my calculations areright or wrong."

"it won't be your fault if it doesn'twork," said his son. "you certainly have done your best." "and so have you and mr. sharp and theothers, for that matter. well, i have no doubt but that everythingwill be all right, tom." "there!" exclaimed mr. sharp the nextmorning, as he was adjusting a certain gage."i knew i'd forget something. that special brand of lubricating oil. i meant to bring it from shopton, and ididn't." "maybe i can get it in atlantis," suggestedtom, naming the coast city nearest to them.

"i'll take a walk over. it isn't far.""will you? i'll be glad to have you," resumed theballoonist. "a gallon will be all we'll need." tom was soon on his way.he had to walk, as the roads were too poor to permit him to use the motor-cycle, andthe airship attracted too much attention to use on a short trip. he was strolling along, when from the otherside of a row of sand dunes, that lined the uncertain road to atlantis, he heard someone speaking.

at first the tones were not distinct, butas the lad drew nearer to the voice he heard an exclamation."bless my gold-headed cane! i believe i'm lost. he said it was out this way somewhere, buti don't see anything of it. if i had that eradicate sampson here nowi'd--bless my shoelaces i don't know what i would do to him." "mr. damon!mr. damon!" cried tom. "is that you?""me? of course it's me! who else would it be?" answered the voice.

"but who are you.why, bless my liver! if it isn't tom swift!" he cried."oh, but i'm glad to see you! i was afraid i was shipwrecked! bless my gaiters, how are you, anyhow?how is your father? how is mr. sharp, and all the rest ofthem?" "pretty well. and you?""me? oh, i'm all right; only a trifle nervous. i called at your house in shoptonyesterday, and eradicate told me, as well

as he could, where you were located.i had nothing to do, so i thought i'd take a run down here. but what's this i hear about you?are you going on a voyage?" "yes.""in the air? may i go along again? i certainly enjoyed my other trip in thered cloud. that is, all but the fire and being shotat. may i go?" "we're going on a different sort of tripthis time," said the youth.

"where?""under water." "under water? bless my sponge bath!you don't mean it!" "yes. dad has completed the submarine hewas working on when we were off in the airship, and it will be launched the dayafter to-morrow." "oh, that's so. i'd forgotten about it.he's going to try for the government prize, isn't he?but tell me more about it. bless my scarf-pin, but i'm glad i met you!

going into town, i take it.well, i just came from there, but i'll walk back with you.do you think--is there any possibility-- that i could go with you? of course, i don't want to crowd you, but--" "oh, there'll be plenty of room," repliedthe young inventor. "in fact, more room than we had in theairship. we were talking only the other day aboutthe possibility of you going with us, but we didn't think you'd risk it." "risk it?bless my liver!

of course i'll risk' it!it can't be as bad as sailing in the air. you can't fall, that's certain." "no; but maybe you can't rise," remarkedtom grimly. "oh, we won't think of that.of course, i'd like to go. i fully expected to be killed in the redcloud, but as i wasn't. i'm ready to take a chance in the water.on the whole, i think i prefer to be buried at sea, anyhow. now, then, will you take me?""i think i can safely promise," answered tom with a smile at his friend'senthusiasm.

the two were approaching the city, havingwalked along as they talked. there were still some sand dunes near theroad, and they kept on the side of these, nearest the beach, where they could watchthe breakers. "but you haven't told me where you aregoing," went on mr. damon, after blessing a few dozen objects."where do the government trials take place?" "well," replied the lad, "to be frank withyou, we have abandoned our intention of trying for the government prize.""not going to try for it? bless my slippers!

why not?isn't fifty thousand dollars worth striving for?and, with the kind of a submarine you say you have, you ought to be able to win." "yes, probably we could win," admitted theyoung inventor, "but we are going to try for a better prize.""a better one? i don't understand." "sunken treasure," explained tom."there's a ship sunk off the coast of uruguay, with three hundred thousanddollars in gold bullion aboard. dad and i are going to try to recover thatin our submarine.

we're going to start day after to-morrow,and, if you like, you may go along." "go along! of course i'll go along!" cried theeccentric man. "but i never heard of such a thing.sunken treasure! three hundred thousand dollars in gold! my, what a lot of money!and to go after it in a submarine! it's as good as a story!""yes, we hope to recover all the treasure," said the lad. "we ought to be able to claim at least halfof it."

"bless my pocketbook!" cried mr. damon, buttom did not hear him. at that instant his attention was attractedby seeing two men emerge from behind the sand dune near which he and mr. damon hadhalted momentarily, when the youth explained about the treasure. the man looked sharply at tom.a moment later the first man was joined by another, and at the sight of him our herocould not repress an exclamation of alarm. for the second man was none other thanaddison berg. the latter glanced quickly at tom, andthen, with a hasty word to his companion, the two swung around and made off in theopposite direction to that in which they

had been walking. "what's the matter?" asked mr. damon,seeing the young inventor was strangely affected."that--that man," stammered the lad. "you don't mean to tell me that was one thehappy harry gang, do you?" "no. but one, or both of those men, mayprove to be worse. that second man was addison berg, and he'sagent for a firm of submarine boat builders who are rivals of dad's. berg has been trying to find out why weabandoned our intention of competing for the government prize.""i hope you didn't tell him."

"i didn't intend to," replied tom, smilinggrimly, "but i'm afraid i have, however. he certainly overheard what i said.i spoke too loud. yes, he must have heard me. that's why he hurried off so.""possibly no harm is done. you didn't give the location of the sunkenship." "no; but i guess from what i said it willbe easy enough to find. well, if we're going to have a fight forthe possession of that sunken gold, i'm ready for it. the advance is well equipped for a battle.i must tell dad of this.

it's my fault." "and partly mine, for asking you suchleading questions in a public place," declared mr. damon."bless my coat-tails, but i'm sorry! maybe, after all, those men were sointerested in what they themselves were saying that they didn't understand what yousaid." but if there had been any doubts on thisscore they would have been dissolved had tom and his friend been able to see theactions of mr. berg and his companion a little later. the plans of the treasure-hunters had beenrevealed to their ears.

chapter viiianother treasure expedition while tom and mr. damon continued on toatlantis after the oil, the young inventor lamenting from time to time that hisremarks about the real destination of the advance had been overheard by mr. berg, the latter and his companion were hasteningback along the path that ran on one side of the sand dunes."what's your hurry?" asked mr. maxwell, who was with the submarine agent. "you turned around as if you were shot whenyou saw that man and the lad. there didn't appear to be any cause forsuch a hurry.

from what i could hear they were talkingabout a submarine. you're in the same business.you might be friends." "yes, we might," admitted mr. berg with apeculiar smile; "but, unless i'm very much mistaken, we're going to be rivals.""rivals? what do you mean?" "i can't tell you now.perhaps i may later. but if you don't mind, walk a littlefaster, please. i want to get to a long-distancetelephone." "what for?"

"i have just overheard something that iwish to communicate to my employers, bentley & eagert.""overheard something? i don't see what it could be, unless thatlad--" "you'll learn in good time," went on thesubmarine agent. "but i must telephone at once." a little later the two men had reached atrolley line that ran into atlantis, and they arrived at the city before mr. damonand tom got there, as the latter had to go by a circuitous route. mr. berg lost no time in calling up hisfirm by telephone.

"i have had another talk with mr. swift,"he reported to mr. bentley, who came to the instrument in philadelphia. "well, what does he say?" was the impatientquestion. "i can't understand his not wanting to tryfor the government prize. it is astonishing. you said you were going to discover thereason, mr berg, but you haven't done so." "i have.""what is it?" "well, the reason mr. swift and his sondon't care to try for the fifty thousand dollar prize is that they are after one ofthree hundred thousand dollars."

"three hundred thousand dollars!" cried mr.bentley. "what government is going to offer such aprize as that for submarines, when they are getting almost as common as airships? we ought to have a try for that ourselves.what government is it?" "no government at all.but i think we ought to have a try for it, mr. bentley." "explain.""well, i have just learned, most accidentally, that the swifts are goingafter sunken treasure--three hundred thousand dollars in gold bullion."

"sunken treasure?where? "i don't know exactly, but off the coast ofuruguay," and mr. berg rapidly related what he had overheard tom tell mr. damon. mr. bentley was much excited and impatientfor more details, but his agent could not give them to him. "well," concluded the senior member of thefirm of submarine boat builders, "if the swifts are going after treasure, so can we.come to philadelphia at once, mr. berg, and we'll talk this matter over. there is no time to lose.we can afford to forego the government

prize for the chance of getting a muchlarger one. we have as much right to search for thesunken gold as the swifts have. come here at once, and we will make ourplans." "all right," agreed the agent with a smileas he hung up the receiver. "i guess," he murmured to himself, "thatyou won't be so high and mighty with me after this, tom swift. we'll see who has the best boat, after all.we'll have a contest and a competition, but not for a government prize.it will be for the sunken gold." it was easy to see that mr. berg was muchpleased with himself.

meanwhile, tom and mr. damon had reachedatlantis, and had purchased the oil. they started back, but tom took a streetleading toward the center of the place, instead of striking for the beach path,along which they had come. "where are you going?" asked mr. damon. "i want to see if that andy foger has comeback here," replied the lad, and he told of having been shut in the tank by the bully. "i've never properly punished him for thattrick," he went on, "though we did manage to burst his auto tires.i'm curious to know how he knew enough to turn that gear and shut the tank door.

he must have been loitering near the shop,seen me go in the submarine alone, watched his chance and sneaked in after me. but i'd like to get a complete explanation,and if i once got hold of andy i could make him talk," and tom clenched his fist in amanner that augured no good for the squint- eyed lad. "he was stopping at the same hotel with mr.berg, and he hurried away after the trick he played on me.i next saw him in shopton, but i thought perhaps he might have come back here. i'm going to inquire at the hotel," headded.

andy's name was not on the register sincehis hasty flight, however, and tom, after inquiring from the clerk and learning thatmr. berg was still a guest at the hostelry, rejoined mr. damon. "bless my hat!" exclaimed that eccentricindividual as they started back to the lonely beach where the submarine wasawaiting her advent into the water. "the more i think of the trip i'm going totake, the more i like it." "i hope you will," remarked tom."it will be a new experience for all of us. there's only one thing worrying me, andthat is about mr. berg having overheard what i said.""oh, don't worry about that.

can't we slip away and leave no trace inthe water?" "i hope so, but i must tell dad and mr.sharp about what happened." the aged inventor was not a little alarmedat what his son related, but he agreed with mr. damon, whom he heartily welcomed, thatlittle was to be apprehended from berg and his employers. "they know we're after a sunken wreck, butthat's all they do know," said tom's father."we are only waiting for the arrival of captain alden weston, and then we will go. even if bentley & eagert make a try for thetreasure we'll have the start of them, and

this will be a case of first come, firstserved. don't worry, tom. i'm glad you're going, mr damon.come, i will show you our submarine." as father and son, with their guest, weregoing to the machine shop, mr. sharp met them. he had a letter in his hand."good news!" the balloonist cried. "captain weston will be with us to-morrow. he will arrive at the beach hotel inatlantis, and wants one of us to meet him there.he has considerable information about the

wreck." "the beach hotel," murmured tom."that is where mr. berg is stopping. i hope he doesn't worm any of our secretfrom captain weston," and it was with a feeling of uneasiness that the younginventor continued after his father and mr. damon to where the submarine was. chapter ixcaptain weston's advent "bless my water ballast, but that certainlyis a fine boat!" cried mr. damon, when he had been shown over the new craft."i think i shall feel even safer in that than in the red cloud."

"oh, don't go back on the airship!"exclaimed mr sharp. "i was counting on taking you on anothertrip." "well, maybe after we get back from underthe ocean," agreed mr. damon. "i particularly like the cabin arrangementsof the advance. i think i shall enjoy myself." he would be hard to please who could nottake pleasure from a trip in the submarine. the cabin was particularly fine, and thesleeping arrangements were good. more supplies could be carried than waspossible on the airship, and there was more room in which to cook and serve food.

mr. damon was fond of good living, and thekitchen pleased him as much as anything else. early the next morning tom set out foratlantis, to meet captain weston at the hotel. the young inventor inquired of the clerkwhether the seafaring man had arrived, and was told that he had come the previousevening. "is he in his room?" asked tom. "no," answered the clerk with a peculiargrin. "he's an odd character.

wouldn't go to bed last night until we hadevery window in his room open, though it was blowing quite hard, and likely tostorm. the captain said he was used to plenty offresh air. well, i guess he got it, all right." "where is he now?" asked the youth,wondering what sort of an individual he was to meet."oh, he was up before sunrise, so some of the scrubwomen told me. they met him coming from his room, and hewent right down to the beach with a big telescope he always carries with him.he hasn't come back yet.

probably he's down on the sand." "hasn't he had breakfast?""no. he left word he didn't want to eat until about four bells, whatever time thatis." "it's ten o'clock," replied tom, who hadbeen studying up on sea terms lately. "eight bells is eight o'clock in themorning, or four in the afternoon or eight at night, according to the time of day. then there's one bell for every half hour,so four bells this morning would be ten o'clock in this watch, i suppose.""oh, that's the way it goes, eh?" asked the clerk.

"i never could get it through my head.what is twelve o'clock noon?" "that's eight bells, too; so is twelveo'clock midnight. eight bells is as high as they go on aship. but i guess i'll go down and see if i canmeet the captain. it will soon be ten o'clock, or four bells,and he must be hungry for breakfast. by the way, is that mr. berg still here?""no; he went away early this morning. he and captain weston seemed to strike upquite an acquaintance, the night clerk told me. they sat and smoked together until longafter midnight, or eight bells," and the

clerk smiled as he glanced down at the bigdiamond ring on his little finger. "they did?" fairly exploded tom, for he hadvisions of what the wily mr. berg might worm out of the simple captain. "yes. why, isn't the captain a proper manto make friends with?" and the clerk looked at tom curiously."oh, yes, of course," was the hasty answer. "i guess i'll go and see if i can find him--the captain, i mean." tom hardly knew what to think. he wished his father, or mr. sharp, hadthought to warn captain weston against talking of the wreck.it might be too late now.

the young inventor hurried to the beach,which was not far from the hotel. he saw a solitary figure pacing up anddown, and from the fact that the man stopped, every now and then, and gazedseaward through a large telescope, the lad concluded it was the captain for whom hewas in search. he approached, his footsteps making nosound on the sand. the man was still gazing through the glass. "captain weston?" spoke tom.without a show of haste, though the voice must have startled him, the captain turned.slowly he lowered the telescope, and then he replied softly:

"that's my name.who are you, if i may ask?" tom was struck, more than by anything else,by the gentle voice of the seaman. he had prepared himself, from thedescription of mr. sharp, to meet a gruff, bewhiskered individual, with a voice like acrosscut saw, and a rolling gait. instead he saw a man of medium size, with asmooth face, merry blue eyes, and the softest voice and gentlest mannerimaginable. tom was very much disappointed. he had looked for a regular sea-dog, and hemet a landsman, as he said afterward. but it was not long before our hero changedhis mind regarding captain weston.

"i'm tom swift," the owner of that namesaid, "and i have been sent to show you the way to where our ship is ready to launch." the young inventor refrained frommentioning submarine, as it was the wish of mr sharp to disclose this feature of thevoyage to the sailor himself. "ha, i thought as much," resumed thecaptain quietly. "it's a fine day, if i may be permitted tosay so," and he seemed to hesitate, as if there was some doubt whether or not hemight make that observation. "it certainly is," agreed the lad. then, with a smile he added: "it is nearlyeight bells."

"ha!" exclaimed the captain, also smiling,but even his manner of saying "ha!" was less demonstrative than that of mostpersons. "i believe i am getting hungry, if i may beallowed the remark," and again he seemed asking tom's pardon for mentioning thefact. "perhaps you will come back to the cabinand have a little breakfast with me," he went on. "i don't know what sort of a galley or cookthey have aboard the beach hotel, but it can't be much worse than some i'vetackled." "no, thank you," answered the youth.

"i've had my breakfast.but i'll wait for you, and then i'd like to get back.dad and mr. sharp are anxious to meet you." "and i am anxious to meet them, if youdon't mind me mentioning it," was the reply, as the captain once more put thespyglass to his eye and took an observation. "not many sails in sight this morning," headded. "but the weather is fine, and we ought toget off in good shape to hunt for the treasure about which mr. sharp wrote me. i believe we are going after treasure," hesaid; "that is, if you don't mind talking

about it." "not in the least," replied tom quickly,thinking this a good opportunity for broaching a subject that was worrying him."did you meet a mr. berg here last night, captain weston?" he went on. "yes. mr. berg and i had quite a talk.he is a well-informed man." "did he mention the sunken treasure?" askedthe lad, eager to find out if his suspicions were true. "yes, he did, if you'll excuse me puttingit so plainly," answered the seaman, as if tom might be offended at so direct a reply.

but the young inventor was soon to learnthat this was only an odd habit with the seaman."did he want to know where the wreck of the boldero was located?" continued the lad. "that is, did he try to discover if youknew anything about it?" "yes," said mr. weston, "he did.he pumped me, if you are acquainted with that term, and are not offended by it. you see, when i arrived here i madeinquiries as to where your father's place was located. mr. berg overheard me, and introducedhimself as agent for a shipbuilding

concern. he was very friendly, and when he said heknew you and your parent, i thought he was all right."tom's heart sank. his worst fears were to be realized, hethought. "yes, he and i talked considerable, if imay be permitted to say so," went on the captain. "he seemed to know about the wreck of theboldero, and that she had three hundred thousand dollars in gold aboard.the only thing he didn't know was where the wreck was located.

he knew it was off uruguay somewhere, butjust where he couldn't say. so he asked me if i knew, since he musthave concluded that i was going with you on the gold-hunting expedition." "and you do know, don't you?" asked tomeagerly. "well, i have it pretty accurately chartedout, if you will allow me that expression," was the calm answer. "i took pains to look it up at the requestof mr. sharp." "and he wanted to worm that information outof you?" inquired the youth excitedly. "yes, i'm afraid he did."

"did you give him the location?" "well," remarked the captain, as he tookanother observation before closing up the telescope, "you see, while we were talking,i happened to drop a copy of a map i'd made, showing the location of the wreck. mr. berg picked it up to hand to me, and helooked at it." "oh!" cried tom."then he knows just where the treasure is, and he may get to it ahead of us. it's too bad.""yes," continued the seaman calmly, "mr. berg picked up that map, and he looked veryclosely at the latitude and longitude i had

marked as the location of the wreck." "then he won't have any trouble findingit," murmured our hero. "eh? what's that?" asked the captain, "if imay be permitted to request you to repeat what you said." "i say he won't have any trouble locatingthe sunken boldero," repeated tom. "oh, but i think he will, if he depends onthat map," was the unexpected reply. "you see," explained mr. weston, "i'm notso simple as i look. i sensed what mr. berg was after, theminute he began to talk to me. so i fixed up a little game on him.

the map which i dropped on purpose, notaccidentally, where he would see it, did have the location of the wreck marked.only it didn't happen to be the right location. it was about five hundred miles out of theway, and i rather guess if mr. berg and his friends go there for treasure they'll findconsiderable depth of water and quite a lonesome spot. oh, no, i'm not as easy as i look, if youdon't mind me mentioning that fact; and when a scoundrel sets out to get the bestof me, i generally try to turn the tables on him.

i've seen such men as mr. berg before.i'm afraid, i'm very much afraid, the sight he had of the fake map i made won't do himmuch good. well, i declare, it's past four bells. let's go to breakfast, if you don't mind measking you," and with that the captain started off up the beach, tom following,his ideas all a whirl at the unlooked-for outcome of the interview. chapter xtrial of the submarine tom felt such a relief at hearing ofcaptain weston's ruse that his appetite, sharpened by an early breakfast and the seaair, came to him with a rush, and he had a

second morning meal with the odd sea captain, who chuckled heartily when hethought of how mr berg had been deceived. "yes," resumed captain weston, over hisbacon and eggs, "i sized him up for a slick article as soon as i laid eyes on him. but he evidently misjudged me, if i may bepermitted that term. oh, well, we may meet again, after wesecure the treasure, and then i can show him the real map of the location of thewreck." "then you have it?" inquired the ladeagerly. captain weston nodded, before hiding hisface behind a large cup of coffee; his

third, by the way. "let me see it?" asked tom quickly.the captain set down his cup. he looked carefully about the hotel dining-room. there were several guests, who, likehimself, were having a late breakfast. "it's a good plan," the sailor said slowly,"when you're going into unknown waters, and don't want to leave a wake for the otherfellow to follow, to keep your charts locked up. if it's all the same to you," he addeddiffidently, "i'd rather wait until we get to where your father and mr. sharp arebefore displaying the real map.

i've no objection to showing you the onemr. berg saw," and again he chuckled. the young inventor blushed at hisindiscretion. he felt that the news of the search for thetreasure had leaked out through him, though he was the one to get on the trail of it byseeing the article in the paper. now he had nearly been guilty of anotherbreak. he realized that he must be more cautious.the captain saw his confusion, and said: "i know how it is. you're eager to get under way.i don't blame you. i was the same myself when i was your age.but we'll soon be at your place, and then

i'll tell you all i know. sufficient now, to say that i believe ihave located the wreck within a few miles. i got on the track of a sailor who had metone of the shipwrecked crew of the boldero, and he gave me valuable information. now tell me about the craft we are goingin. a good deal depends on that."tom hardly knew what to answer. he recalled what mr. sharp had said aboutnot wanting to tell captain weston, until the last moment, that they were going in asubmarine, for fear the old seaman (for he was old in point of service though not in

years) might not care to risk an under-water trip. therefore tom hesitated.seeing it, captain weston remarked quietly: "i mean, what type is your submarine? does it go by compressed air, or waterpower?" "how do you know it's a submarine?" askedthe young inventor quickly, and in some confusion. "easy enough.when mr. berg thought he was pumping me, i was getting a lot of information from him. he told me about the submarine his firm wasbuilding, and, naturally, he mentioned

yours.one thing led to another until i got a pretty good idea of your craft. what do you call it?""the advance." "good name.i like it, if you don't mind speaking of it." "we were afraid you wouldn't like it,"commented tom. "what, the name?""no, the idea of going in a submarine." "oh," and captain weston laughed. "well, it takes more than that to frightenme, if you'll excuse the expression.

i've always had a hankering to go under thesurface, after so many years spent on top. once or twice i came near going under,whether i wanted to or not, in wrecks, but i think i prefer your way. now, if you're all done, and don't mind mespeaking of it, i think we'll start for your place. we must hustle, for berg may yet get on ourtrail, even if he has got the wrong route," and he laughed again. it was no small relief to mr swift and mr.sharp to learn that captain weston had no objections to a submarine, as they fearedhe might have.

the captain, in his diffident manner, madefriends at once with the treasure-hunters, and he and mr. damon struck up quite anacquaintance. tom told of his meeting with the seaman,and the latter related, with much gusto, the story of how he had fooled mr. berg. "well, perhaps you'd like to come and takea look at the craft that is to be our home while we're beneath the water," suggestedmr. swift and the sailor assenting, the aged inventor, with much pride, assisted by tom, pointed out on the advance thefeatures of interest. captain weston gave hearty approval, makingone or two minor suggestions, which were

carried out. "and so you launch her to-morrow," heconcluded, when he had completed the inspection "well, i hope it's a success, ifi may be permitted to say so." there were busy times around the machineshop next day. so much secrecy had been maintained thatnone of the residents, or visitors to the coast resort, were aware that in theirmidst was such a wonderful craft as the the last touches were put on the under-water ship; the ways, leading from the shop to the creek, were well greased, and allwas in readiness for the launching. the tide would soon be at flood, and thenthe boat would slide down the timbers (at

least, that was the hope of all), and wouldfloat in the element meant to receive her. it was decided that no one should be aboardwhen the launching took place, as there was an element of risk attached, since it wasnot known just how buoyant the craft was. it was expected she would float, until thefilled tanks took her to the bottom, but there was no telling. "it will be flood tide now in ten minutes,"remarked captain weston quietly, looking at his watch.then he took an observation through the telescope. "no hostile ships hanging in the offing,"he reported.

"all is favorable, if you don't mind mesaying so," and he seemed afraid lest his remark might give offense. "get ready," ordered mr. swift. "tom, see that the ropes are all clear,"for it had been decided to ease the advance down into the water by means of strongcables and windlasses, as the creek was so narrow that the submarine, if launched in the usual way, would poke her nose into theopposite mud bank and stick there. "all clear," reported the young inventor."high tide!" exclaimed the captain a moment later, snapping shut his watch.

"let go!" ordered mr. swift, and thevarious windlasses manned by the inventor, tom and the others began to unwind theirropes. slowly the ship slid along the greasedways. slowly she approached the water.how anxiously they all watched her! nearer and nearer her blunt nose, with theelectric propulsion plate and the auxiliary propeller, came to the creek, the waters ofwhich were quiet now, awaiting the turn of the tide. now little waves lapped the steel sides.it was the first contact of the advance with her native element."pay out the rope faster!" cried mr. swift.

the windlasses were turned more quicklyfoot by foot the craft slid along until, with a final rush, the stern left the waysand the submarine was afloat. now would come the test. would she ride on an even keel, or sink outof sight, or turn turtle? they all ran to the water's edge, tom inthe lead. "hurrah!" suddenly yelled the lad, tryingto stand on his head. "she floats!she's a success! come on! let's get aboard!"for, true enough, the advance was riding

like a duck on the water.she had been proportioned just right, and her lines were perfect. she rode as majestically as did any shipdestined to sail on the surface, and not intended to do double duty."come on, we must moor her to the pier," directed mr. sharp. "the tide will turn in a few minutes andtake her out to sea." he and tom entered a small boat, and soonthe submarine was tied to a small dock that had been built for the purpose. "now to try the engine," suggested mr.swift, who was almost trembling with

eagerness; for the completion of the shipmeant much to him. "one moment," begged captain weston. "if you don't mind, i'll take anobservation," he went on, and he swept the horizon with his telescope."all clear," he reported. "i think we may go aboard and make a trialtrip." little time was lost in entering the cabinand engine-room, garret jackson accompanying the party to aid with themachinery. it did not take long to start the motors,dynamos and the big gasolene engine that was the vital part of the craft.

a little water was admitted to the tanksfor ballast, since the food and other supplies were not yet on board. the advance now floated with the deck aftof the conning tower showing about two feet above the surface of the creek.mr. swift and tom entered the pilot house. "start the engines," ordered the agedinventor, "and we'll try my new system of positive and negative electricalpropulsion." there was a hum and whir in the body of theship beneath the feet of tom and his father.captain weston stood on the little deck near the conning tower.

"all ready?" asked the youth through thespeaking tube to mr. sharp and mr. jackson in the engine-room."all ready," came the answer. tom threw over the connecting lever, whilehis father grasped the steering wheel. the advance shot forward, moving swiftlyalong, about half submerged. "she goes! she goes!" cried tom."she certainly does, if i may be permitted to say so," was the calm contribution ofcaptain weston. "i congratulate you." faster and faster went the new craft.mr. swift headed her toward the open sea,

but stopped just before passing out of thecreek, as he was not yet ready to venture into deep water. "i want to test the auxiliary propellers,"he said. after a little longer trial of the electricpropulsion plates, which were found to work satisfactorily, sending the submarine upand down the creek at a fast rate, the screws, such as are used on mostsubmarines, were put into gear. they did well, but were not equal to theplates, nor was so much expected of them. "i am perfectly satisfied," announced mr.swift as he once more headed the boat to sea."i think, captain weston, you had better go

below now." "why so?""because i am going to completely submerge the craft.tom, close the conning tower door. perhaps you will come in here with us,captain weston, though it will be rather a tight fit.""thank you, i will. i want to see how it feels to be in a pilothouse under water." tom closed the water-tight door of theconning tower. word was sent through the tube to theengine-room that a more severe test of the ship was about to be made.the craft was now outside the line of

breakers and in the open sea. "is everything ready, tom?" asked hisfather in a quiet voice. "everything," replied the lad nervously,for the anticipation of being about to sink below the surface was telling on them all,even on the calm, old sea captain. "then open the tanks and admit the water,"ordered mr. swift. his son turned a valve and adjusted somelevers. there was a hissing sound, and the advancebegan sinking. she was about to dive beneath the surfaceof the ocean, and those aboard her were destined to go through a terribleexperience before she rose again.

chapter xion the ocean bed lower and lower sank the submarine.there was a swirling and foaming of the water as she went down, caused by the airbubbles which the craft carried with her in her descent. only the top of the conning tower was outof water now, the ocean having closed over the deck and the rounded back of the boat.had any one been watching they would have imagined that an accident was taking place. in the pilot house, with its thick glasswindows, tom, his father and captain weston looked over the surface of the ocean, whichevery minute was coming nearer and nearer

to them. "we'll be all under in a few seconds,"spoke tom in a solemn voice, as he listened to the water hissing into the tanks."yes, and then we can see what sort of progress we will make," added mr. swift. "everything is going fine, though," he wenton cheerfully. "i believe i have a good boat." "there is no doubt of it in my mind,"remarked captain weston, and tom felt a little disappointed that the sailor did notshout out some such expression as "shiver my timbers!" or "keel-haul the main braces,there, you lubber!"

but captain weston was not that kind of asailor, though his usually quiet demeanor could be quickly dropped on necessity, astom learned later. a few minutes more and the waters closedover the top of the conning tower. the advance was completely submerged. through the thick glass windows of thepilot house the occupants looked out into the greenish water that swirled about them;but it could not enter. then, as the boat went lower, the lightfrom above gradually died out, and the semi-darkness gave place to gloom."turn on the electrics and the searchlight, tom," directed his father.

there was the click of a switch, and theconning tower was flooded with light. but as this had the effect of preventingthe three from peering out into the water, just as one in a lighted room cannot lookout into the night, tom shut them off and switched on the great searchlight. this projected its powerful beams straightahead and there, under the ocean, was a pathway of illumination for the treasure-seekers. "fine!" cried captain weston, with moreenthusiasm than he had yet manifested. "that's great, if you don't mind mementioning it. how deep are we?"

tom glanced at a gage on the side of thepilot tower. "only about sixty feet," he answered."then don't go any deeper!" cried the captain hastily. "i know these waters around here, andthat's about all the depth you've got. you'll be on the bottom in a minute.""i intend to get on the bottom after a while," said mr. swift, "but not here. i want to try for a greater distance underwater before i come to rest on the ocean's bed.but i think we are deep enough for a test. tom, close the tank intake pipes and we'llsee how the advance will progress when

fully submerged." the hissing stopped, and then, wishing tosee how the motors and other machinery would work, the aged inventor and his son,accompanied by captain weston, descended from the conning tower, by means of an inner stairway, to the interior of theship. the submarine could be steered and managedfrom below or above. she was now floating about sixty-five feetbelow the surface of the bay. "well, how do you like it?" asked tom ofmr. damon, as he saw his friend in an easy chair in the living-room or main cabin ofthe craft, looking out of one of the plate-

glass windows on the side. "bless my spectacles, it's the mostwonderful thing i ever dreamed of!" cried the queer character, as he peered at themass of water before him. "to think that i'm away down under thesurface, and yet as dry as a bone. bless my necktie, but it's great!what are we going to do now?" "go forward," replied the young inventor. "perhaps i had better make an observation,"suggested captain weston, taking his telescope from under his arm, where he hadcarried it since entering the craft, and opening it.

"we may run afoul of something, if youdon't mind me mentioning such a disagreeable subject."then, as he thought of the impossibility of using his glass under water, he closed it. "i shall have little use for this here, i'mafraid," he remarked with a smile. "well, there's some consolation.we're not likely to meet many ships in this part of the ocean. other vessels are fond enough of remainingon the surface. i fancy we shall have the depths toourselves, unless we meet a government submarine, and they are hardly able to goas deep as we can.

no, i guess we won't run into anything andi can put this glass away." "unless we run into berg and his crowd,"suggested tom in a low voice. "ha! ha!" laughed captain weston, for hedid not want mr. swift to worry over the unscrupulous agent."no, i don't believe we'll meet them, tom. i guess berg is trying to work out thelongitude and latitude i gave him. i wish i could see his face when herealizes that he's been deceived by that fake map." "well, i hope he doesn't discover it toosoon and trail us," went on the lad. "but they're going to start the machinerynow.

i suppose you and i had better take chargeof the steering of the craft. dad will want to be in the engine-room." "all right," replied the captain, and hemoved forward with the lad to a small compartment, shut off from the living-room,that served as a pilot house when the conning tower was not used. the same levers, wheels and valves werethere as up above, and the submarine could be managed as well from there as from theother place. "is everything all right?" asked mr swiftas he went into the engine-room, where garret jackson and mr. sharp were busy withoil cans.

"everything," replied the balloonist. "are you going to start now?""yes, we're deep enough for a speed trial. we'll go out to sea, however, and try for alower depth record, as soon as there's enough water. start the engine."a moment later the powerful electric currents were flowing into the forward andaft plates, and the advance began to gather way, forging through the water. "straight ahead, out to sea, tom," calledhis father to him. "aye, aye, sir," responded the youth.

"ha! quite seaman-like, if you don't mind areference to it," commented captain weston with a smile. "mind your helm, boy, for you don't want topoke her nose into a mud bank, or run up on a shoal.""suppose you steer?" suggested the lad. "i'd rather take lessons for a while." "all right.perhaps it will be safer. i know these waters from the top, though ican't say as much for the bottom. however, i know where the shoals are." the powerful searchlight was turned, so asto send its beams along the path which the

submarine was to follow, and then, as shegathered speed, she shot ahead, gliding through the waters like a fish. mr. damon divided his time between theforward pilot-room, the living-apartment, and the place where mr. swift, garretjackson and mr. sharp were working over the engines. every few minutes he would bless some partof himself, his clothing, or the ship. finally the old man settled down to lookthrough the plate-glass windows in the main apartment. on and on went the submarine.she behaved perfectly, and was under

excellent control. some times tom, at the request of hisfather, would send her toward the surface by means of the deflecting rudder.then she would dive to the bottom again. once, as a test, she was sent obliquely tothe surface, her tower just emerging, and then she darted downward again, like aporpoise that had come up to roll over, and suddenly concluded to seek the depths. in fact, had any one seen the maneuver theywould have imagined the craft was a big fish disporting itself. captain weston remained at tom's side,giving him instructions, and watching the

compass in order to direct the steering soas to avoid collisions. for an hour or more the craft was sentalmost straight ahead at medium speed. then mr. swift, joining his son and thecaptain, remarked: "how about depth of water here, captainweston?" "you've got more than a mile.""good! then i'm going down to the bottom of thesea! tom, fill the tanks still more."aye, aye, sir," answered the lad gaily. "now for a new experience!" "and use the deflecting rudder, also,"advised his father.

"that will hasten matters."five minutes later there was a slight jar noticeable. "bless my soul!what's that?" cried mr. damon. "have we hit something?""yes," answered tom with a smile. "what, for gracious sake?" "the bottom of the sea.we're on the bed of the ocean." chapter xiifor a breath of air they could hardly realize it, yet thedepth-gage told the story. it registered a distance below the surfaceof the ocean of five thousand seven hundred

feet--a little over a mile. the advance had actually come to rest onthe bottom of the atlantic. "hurrah!" cried tom. "let's get on the diving suits, dad, andwalk about on land under water for a change.""no," said mr. swift soberly. "we will hardly have time for that now. besides, the suits are not yet fitted withthe automatic air-tanks, and we can't use them.there are still some things to do before we start on our treasure cruise.

but i want to see how the plates arestanding this pressure." the advance was made with a triple hull,the spaces between the layers of plates being filled with a secret material,capable of withstanding enormous pressure, as were also the plates themselves. mr. swift, aided by mr. jackson and captainweston, made a thorough examination, and found that not a drop of water had leakedin, nor was there the least sign that any of the plates had given way under theterrific strain. "she's as tight as a drum, if you willallow me to make that comparison," remarked captain weston modestly.

"i couldn't ask for a dryer ship.""well, let's take a look around by means the searchlight and the observationwindows, and then we'll go back," suggested mr. swift. "it will take about two days to get thestores and provisions aboard and rig up the diving suits; then we will start for thesunken treasure." there were several powerful searchlights onthe advance, so arranged that the bow, stern or either side could be illuminatedindependently. there were also observation windows neareach light. in turn the powerful rays were cast firstat the bow and then aft.

in the gleams could be seen the sandy bedof the ocean, covered with shells of various kinds. great crabs walked around on their long,jointed legs, and tom saw some lobsters that would have brought joy to the heart ofa fisherman. "look at the big fish!" cried mr. damonsuddenly, and he pointed to some dark, shadowy forms that swam up to the glasswindows, evidently puzzled by the light. "porpoises," declared captain westonbriefly, "a whole school of them." the fish seemed suddenly to multiply, andsoon those in the submarine felt curious tremors running through the whole craft.

"the fish are rubbing up against it," criedtom. "they must think we came down here to allowthem to scratch their backs on the steel plates." for some time they remained on the bottom,watching the wonderful sight of the fishes that swam all about them. "well, i think we may as well rise,"announced mr. swift, after they had been on the bottom about an hour, moving here andthere. "we didn't bring any provisions, and i'mgetting hungry, though i don't know how the others of you feel about it.""bless my dinner-plate, i could eat, too!"

cried mr. damon. "go up, by all means.we'll get enough of under-water travel once we start for the treasure.""send her up, tom," called his father. "i want to make a few notes on some neededchanges and improvements." tom entered the lower pilot house, andturned the valve that opened the tanks. he also pulled the lever that started thepumps, so that the water ballast would be more quickly emptied, as that would renderthe submarine buoyant, and she would quickly shoot to the surface. to the surprise of the lad, however, therefollowed no outrushing of the water.

the advance remained stationary on theocean bed. mr. swift looked up from his notes. "didn't you hear me ask you to send her up,tom?" he inquired mildly. "i did, dad, but something seems to be thematter," was the reply. "matter? what do you mean?" and the aged inventorhastened to where his son and captain weston were at the wheels, valves andlevers. "why, the tanks won't empty, and the pumpsdon't seem to work." "let me try," suggested mr. swift, and hepulled the various handles.

there was no corresponding action of themachinery. "that's odd," he remarked in a curiousvoice "perhaps something has gone wrong with the connections. go look in the engine-room, and ask mr.sharp if everything is all right there." tom made a quick trip, returning to reportthat the dynamos, motors and gas engine were running perfectly. "try to work the tank levers and pumps fromthe conning tower," suggested captain weston."sometimes i've known the steam steering gear to play tricks like that."

tom hurried up the circular stairway intothe tower. he pulled the levers and shifted the valvesand wheels there. but there was no emptying of the watertanks. the weight and pressure of water in themstill held the submarine on the bottom of the sea, more than a mile from the surface. the pumps in the engine-room were workingat top speed, but there was evidently something wrong in the connections.mr. swift quickly came to this conclusion. "we must repair it at once," he said. "tom, come to the engine-room.you and i, with mr. jackson and mr. sharp,

will soon have it in shape again.""is there any danger?" asked mr. damon in a perturbed voice. "bless my soul, it's unlucky to have anaccident on our trial trip." "oh, we must expect accidents," declaredmr. swift with a smile. "this is nothing." but it proved to be more difficult than hehad imagined to re-establish the connection between the pumps and the tanks. the valves, too, had clogged or jammed, andas the pressure outside the ship was so great, the water would not run out ofitself.

it must be forced. for an hour or more the inventor, his sonand the others, worked away. they could accomplish nothing.tom looked anxiously at his parent when the latter paused in his efforts. "don't worry," advised the aged inventor."it's got to come right sooner or later." just then mr. damon, who had been wanderingabout the ship, entered the engine-room. "do you know," he said, "you ought to opena window, or something." "why, what's the matter?" asked tomquickly, looking to see if the odd man was joking.

"well, of course i don't exactly mean awindow," explained mr. damon, "but we need fresh air.""fresh air!" there was a startled note in mr. swift'svoice as he repeated the words. "yes, i can hardly breathe in the living-room, and it's not much better here." "why, there ought to be plenty of freshair," went on the inventor. "it is renewed automatically."tom jumped up and looked at an indicator. he uttered a startled cry. "the air hasn't been changed in the lasthour!" he exclaimed. "it is bad.there's not enough oxygen in it.

i notice it, now that i've stopped working. the gage indicates it, too.the automatic air-changer must have stopped working.i'll fix it." he hurried to the machine which wasdepended on to supply fresh air to the submarine."why, the air tanks are empty!" the young inventor cried. "we haven't any more air except what is inthe ship now!" "and we're rapidly breathing that up,"added captain weston solemnly. "can't you make more?" cried mr. damon.

"i thought you said you could make oxygenaboard the ship." "we can," answered mr. swift, "but i didnot bring along a supply of the necessary chemicals. i did not think we would be submerged longenough for that. but there should have been enough in thereserve tank to last several days. how about it, tom?" "it's all leaked out, or else it wasn'tfilled," was the despairing answer. "all the air we have is what's in the ship,and we can't make more." the treasure-seekers looked at each other.

it was an awful situation."then the only thing to do is to fix the machinery and rise to the surface," saidmr. sharp simply. "we can have all the air we want, then." "yes, but the machinery doesn't seempossible of being fixed," spoke tom in a low voice."we must do it!" cried his father. they set to work again with fierce energy,laboring for their very lives. they all knew that they could not longremain in the ship without oxygen. nor could they desert it to go to thesurface, for the moment they left the protection of the thick steel sides theterrible pressure of the water would kill

nor were the diving suits available.they must stay in the craft and die a miserable death-unless the machinery couldbe repaired and the advance sent to the surface. the emergency expanding lifting tank wasnot yet in working order. more frantically they toiled, trying everydevice that was suggested to the mechanical minds of tom, his father, mr. sharp or mr.jackson, to make the pumps work. but something was wrong. more and more foul grew the air.they were fairly gasping now. it was difficult to breathe, to saynothing of working, in that atmosphere.

the thought of their terrible position wasin the minds of all. "oh, for one breath of fresh air!" criedmr. damon, who seemed to suffer more than any of the others. grim death was hovering around them,imprisoned as they were on the ocean's bed, over a mile from the surface.

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