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Page 39
"Porpoises," declared Captain Weston briefly, "a whole
school of them."
The fish seemed suddenly to multiply, and soon those in
the submarine felt curious tremors running through the whole
craft.
"The fish are rubbing up against it," cried Tom. "They
must think we came down here to allow them to scratch their
backs on the steel plates."
For some time they remained on the bottom, watching the
wonderful sight of the fishes that swam all about them.
"Well, I think we may as well rise," announced Mr. Swift,
after they had been on the bottom about an hour, moving here
and there. "We didn't bring any provisions, and I'm getting
hungry, though I don't know how the others of you feel about
it."
"Bless my dinner-plate, I could eat, too!" cried Mr.
Damon. "Go up, by all means. We'll get enough of under-water
travel once we start for the treasure."
"Send her up, Tom," called his father. "I Want to make a
few notes on some needed changes and improvements."
Tom entered the lower pilot house, and turned the valve
that opened the tanks. He also pulled the lever that started
the pumps, so that the water ballast would be more quickly
emptied, as that would render the submarine buoyant, and she
would quickly shoot to the surface. To the surprise of the
lad, however, there followed no outrushing of the water. The
Advance remained stationary on the ocean bed. Mr. Swift
looked up from his notes.
"Didn't you hear me ask you to send her up, Tom?" he
inquired mildly.
"I did, dad, but something seems to be the matter," was
the reply.
"Matter? What do you mean?" and the aged inventor hastened
to where his son and Captain Weston were at the wheels,
valves and levers.
"Why, the tanks won't empty, and the pumps don't seem to
work."
"Let me try," suggested Mr. Swift, and he pulled the
various handles. There was no corresponding action of the
machinery.
"That's odd," he remarked in a curious voice "Perhaps
something has gone wrong with the connections. Go look in
the engine-room, and ask Mr. Sharp if everything is all
right there."
Tom made a quick trip, returning to report that the
dynamos, motors and gas engine were running perfectly.
"Try to work the tank levers and pumps from the conning
tower," suggested Captain Weston. "Sometimes I've known the
steam steering gear to play tricks like that."
Tom hurried up the circular stairway into the tower. He
pulled the levers and shifted the valves and wheels there.
But there was no emptying of the water tanks. The weight and
pressure of water in them still held the submarine on the
bottom of the sea, more than a mile from the surface. The
pumps in the engine-room were working at top speed, but
there was evidently something wrong in the connections.
Mr. Swift quickly came to this conclusion.
"We must repair it at once," he said. "Tom, come to the
engine-room. You and I, with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Sharp, will
soon have it in shape again."
"Is there any danger?" asked Mr. Damon in a perturbed
voice. "Bless my soul, it's unlucky to have an accident on
our trial trip."
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