"Doing? Oh, Eph was taking a nap--"

"Taking a nap?"

"Hal was tinkering with the gasoline motor, and I was reading."

"Reading?" fumed Mr. Farnum. "What were you trying to do? Torment the
life out of us?"

"Were any of you folks worried?" asked Jack, smiling innocently at the
excited crowd.

"Worried?" ejaculated the boatbuilder. "I've telegraphed for a diver and
a wrecking company's outfit."

"Better countermand the order, air," advised Jack, dryly.

"But what on earth caused all the delay? What did it mean?" persisted
the boatbuilder. "Answer me, Benson."

"Why," laughed Jack, "when we started, I dropped a word or two about
trying to make the exhibition dramatic, didn't I?"

"If that's what you tried to do, young man," grunted one of the
correspondents, "you've certainly succeeded. Why, in five or ten minutes
more the evening papers in half a dozen cities will have extras out
announcing that one more big submarine boat disaster has occurred!"

"Did you really send that to your papers?" asked Jack Benson, some of