“You’ve been wondering how much longer the Government would leave the
’Pollard’ here,” went on Mr. Farnum. “I am informed that the gunboat
’Hudson’ is on her way here, to take over the ’Pollard.’”

“What are the Navy folks going to do?” demanded Captain Jack, all but
wrathfully. “Do they propose to _tow_ that splendid little craft away?”

“Hardly that, I imagine,” replied Farnum. “It’s the custom of the United
States Navy, you know, to send a gunboat along with every two or three
submarines. They call the larger craft the ’parent boat.’ The parent boat
looks out for any submarine craft that may become disabled.”

“The cheek of it,” vented Jack, disgustedly. “Why, sir, I’d volunteer to
take the ’Pollard,’ unassisted, around the world, if she could carry fuel
enough for such a trip.”

“But the Navy hasn’t been accustomed to such capable submarine boats as
ours, you know,” replied Mr. Farnum. “Hence the parent boat.”

“Parent boat?” interjected Hal Hastings, with his quiet smile. “You might
call it the ’Dad’ boat, so to speak.”

Mr. Farnum laughed, then continued:

“A naval crew will take possession of the ’Pollard,’ and the craft will
proceed, under the care of the Dad boat”—with a side glance of amusement
at Hal—“to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.”

“Annapolis—where they train the naval cadets, the midshipmen, into United
States Naval officers? Oh, how I’d like to go there!” breathed Captain