submarines, the yards and rigging of a bark complete, but with no hull, strange devices at whose use they could only guess and in one corner the enormous intricate octopus of rubber, springs and wire which when occupied by a man, could be made to imitate so perfectly the real creature that scientists who had seen the picture in which it figured had insisted that it was a genuine octopus.

The workshop also was full of interesting things. Here was where Rawlins and his assistants made the diving suits, the under-sea apparatus for taking the films, the lifelike octopus, the miniature ships, the complicated and wonderful counterfeits of the interiors of the submarines and many other objects.

But long before they had half time to examine all these things Rawlins was ready and leading the way along a narrow path through the brush headed for the other end of the island.

“Aren’t you afraid some one will disturb your property?” asked Mr. Henderson, “I shouldn’t think it safe to leave all these things unguarded.”

“I don’t,” replied Rawlins. “I have an old colored chap and his wife who live here. That’s why I kept the submarine out of sight.”

“Where are they now?” asked Mr. Pauling. “Are you sure their curiosity won’t be aroused and that they may not wonder at your sudden appearance and departure and our arrival?”

Rawlins laughed. “They might be curious or talk about a sub—if they saw it, but as far as I’m concerned they are quite sure I’m an obeah man—sort of witch-doctor you know—and absolutely incomprehensible. If I dropped from the sky in a parachute and left in a pillar of flame they’d think it quite in keeping with my habits and no more remarkable than walking into the sea and out again at will. Just at present they’re so busy over some things I brought ’em that they wouldn’t see a sub if it poked its nose into their cabin. And even if they wanted to talk they couldn’t, there’s not a soul living within a dozen miles.”

They had now come out of the brush upon a second miniature harbor where a small boat was drawn up on the smooth beach.

With Sam helping, Rawlins shoved off the boat as the others climbed in.

“We might have come around by the launch, I suppose,” Rawlins remarked, “but it’s safer over at the dock and this boat’s handier.”

Sam at the oars and Rawlins steering, the boat swept away from the beach and headed for a jutting point.

As they drew near and the boys were watching the circling seabirds and admiring the beautifully colored water, Rawlins spoke to Sam and ordered him to stop rowing.

“See anything of the sub?” he asked as the boat lost headway.

Every one gazed about, expecting to see the undersea boat just awash or just emerging from the surface, but not a ripple broke the glassy water. Along the shore they were approaching was a dense belt of green trees—mangroves and sea grape—with a few ragged coconut palms above all, but not a sign of anything remotely resembling a submarine.

“No, I give up,” said Mr. Pauling at last.

“So do I,” added Mr. Henderson.

“Me too,” said Tom.

“I don’t believe it’s here,” declared Frank.

Rawlins chuckled. “Thought it was pretty good,” he exclaimed. “You’ve been looking right at her, too.”

“Looking at her!” exclaimed Mr. Pauling.

“Where?”

“Straight ahead,” laughed Rawlins, “over against that point.”

All eyes were now turned towards the point and as Sam again took to his oars and they drew nearer and nearer the two men and the boys searched the rocks and greenery in vain.

Not until they were within one hundred yards of the shore were they rewarded. Then Tom uttered a cry. “Hurrah, I see it!” he shouted. “Gosh, but she was hidden! Say, how did you do it?”

“Just a bit of camouflage,” chuckled Rawlins. “Idea I got when making a set once. Thought it might be handy to be able to lie on the surface and not be seen sometime.”

“Well you’ve certainly succeeded,” declared Mr. Henderson. “The effect of the rocks and foliage is perfect. I’d defy any one to see her five hundred feet distant.”

Even now the outlines of the submarine were so hidden by the clever painting on her upper works and hull that the boys could not have been sure what was boat and what was foliage if a man had not appeared, emerging from a hatchway, and followed by two others.

The next minute the boat was alongside the craft, and scrambling onto her decks the boys gazed about with interest.

They had been on this same underseas boat before, but then she had been tied up to a dock in the Navy Yard and only curiosity to see what she contained had filled their minds. But now she was riding on the waters in the West Indies, she was manned and ready to sail and the boys were wildly excited at the thoughts of adventures to come and of sailing on a real submarine under the sea.