"By all means come aboard. Then we'll visit you. We're anxious to
see the works of such a wonderful little craft."

Within ten minutes a man-o-war's cutter was alongside, rowed by six
alert-looking young sailors, while a coxswain held the tiller ropes.

Messrs. Farnum and Pollard, Jack and Hal made up the visiting party,
leaving Eph Somers aboard the submarine, with Williamson to help him
at need.

Cordial, indeed, was the reception of the submarine folks aboard the
gunboat. There was a great amount of handshaking to be done.

In the meantime, Eph Somers was having something in the way of trouble
back on the platform deck of the "Benson."

Two small boats, manned by harbor boatmen, and each carrying a few
passengers, had put off from shore, and now ranged alongside.

"How do you do, Captain?" shouted a young man at the bow of one of the
boats.

"Louder!" begged Eph.

"How do you do, Captain?"

"Louder. I'm afraid the captain can't hear you yet," grinned the
carroty-topped submarine boy. "He's over on the gunboat."