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The Submarine Boys' Lightning Cruise - The Young Kings of the Deep by Victor G. Durham
page 35 of 220 (15%)
"Fire it is, sir."

Jack and Hal could just barely see, from the tower, the slight commotion
that the torpedo made in the water at the bow when released.

Hal, watch in hand was counting: "One, two, three, four--" and so on.

Suddenly there came a low rumble, followed by--

Boo-oom!

The explosion was a dull and sullen one, but loud enough to make the
blood of the submarine boys tingle. A column of spray shot up, followed
by detached whiffs of smoke, for the torpedo had exploded beneath the
surface.

In the same instant a sound of rending timbers reached their ears. Then
the scow--where was it? Only the waters rolled where the scow had
been. Captain Jack and Hal rubbed their eyes.

"The same thing would have happened to a battleship," smiled Lieutenant
Danvers, who had come up behind them. "Now, you young men begin to have
something like an idea of what an engine of war you are handling,
because this craft would be much more deadly, and vastly more
nerve-racking to an enemy, because she would approach under water, and
those on the battleship would have little or no means of gauging their
peril. Incidentally, Mr. Benson, I must congratulate you upon the
neatness of the shot."

"To accept congratulations for that would be like robbing a poor-box in
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