"Good morning, Mr. Farnum! Good Morning Mr. Pollard!" chorused the three
submarine boys. Then, favoring Rhinds and Radwin with brief glances:

"Good morning--_gentlemen!_"

"Gentlemen?" repeated Eph, disgustedly, under his breath. "I think not!"

Though Rhinds and his agent speedily managed to look pleasant, they
hadn't gotten their spirits back when the shore boat pulled away.

Farnum and Pollard went hurriedly below, where Jack and his comrades
followed.

"Jack! Jack! Thank you a million times!" gasped Farnum, seizing the young
captain's hand, then giving the other boys the same hearty gripping
handshake. "Your note that we got, this morning, gave us the information
we needed and we knew just how to act."

"And, from the way Rhinds and his fellow acted, when they caught sight
of you boys," added David Pollard, "we can form a pretty good idea of who
tried to shanghai you three last night."

"The scoundrels!" glowered Farnum, in righteous rage.

"Now, sir," cried Jack, laughing savagely, "why did those fellows try
such a trick on us? Because they hoped, thereby, to beat us in the
distance speed race to-day."

"Of course," nodded the shipbuilder, still savage. "Rhinds builds fast