Then Eph raised the man-hole cover of the top of the conning tower,
thrusting out his head to hail them.

“Hey, you landsmen, do you know a buoy from an umbrella?”

“Do _you_ know the difference between a Sunday-school text and petty
larceny?” retorted Jack Benson, sternly. “What do you mean by taking the
submarine without leave?”

“I’ve been experimenting—flirting with science,” responded Eph, loftily.
“Say, if you landsmen know a buoy from a banana, get down to the bow
moorings of this steel mermaid, and I’ll pass you the bow cable. It’s a
heap easier to lead this submarine horse out of the stall, single-handed,
than it is to take him back and tie him.”

Hal rowed easily to the buoy, while Eph, returning to the steering wheel
and the tower controls, ran the “Farnum,” with just bare headway, up to
where he could toss the bow cable to those waiting in the boat. A few
moments later the stern cable, also, was made fast, in such a way as to
allow a moderate swing to the bulky steel craft.

“Now, you can take me ashore, if you feel like it,” proposed Eph, standing
on the platform deck.

“Not quite yet,” returned Skipper Jack, though the small boat lay
alongside. “We’ve got some inspecting to do. But how did you get on board
in the first place?”

“Why, the night watchman was in the yard for a few minutes, and I got him
to put me on board. I figured I could hail somebody else when I was ready