Under the Ocean to the South Pole | Page 6

craft were pulled back, and a cry of astonishment
broke from the boys.
They looked out and saw staring in at them, so close it seemed that they
could touch them, scores of fishes that looked in through the glass
bull's-eyes.
For the first time they realized that they were in the depths of the ocean.
CHAPTER III
RUNNING DOWN A WARSHIP
"How do you like it?" asked the professor.
"Great!" exclaimed Jack.
"Fine!" cried Mark.
"It am simply coslostrousness!" exploded Washington. "'Nebber in all
my born days did I eber expansionate on such a sight!"
"Wish I had a fishing pole and line," remarked Andy Sudds. "There's
some pretty nice specimens out there."
"You'll see better ones than those before we finish our trip to the pole,"

remarked the professor. "Now we will try moving forward. I am going
into the conning tower."
He turned on the lights once more, but the boys begged him to shut
them off, as they could see out into the ocean when the interior of the
ship was in darkness. So the professor obliged them.
In the tower he switched on the powerful searchlight that illuminated
the path in front of him. Then he started the engine, slowly at first, and
gradually increasing the speed. The Porpoise forged ahead, riding as
evenly as an ordinary ship does on the surface.
The professor steered her about in a large circle, bringing her back to
the starting point. She worked as smoothly as if she had been used to
under-water service for years.
"Now," said the inventor, "we will see if we can go up to the surface
again," and there came a little note of anxiety into his voice. He slowed
down the engine and started the powerful pumps that were to empty the
tanks. For a moment there was a feeling of terror in the hearts of all.
Would the pumps work?
Then, slowly but surely, those aboard the Porpoise felt her beginning to
rise. Up and up she went as the tanks were emptied and the ship
lightened.
Then, with a bounce like a rubber ball, the submarine shot upward to
the surface and lay undulating on the waves caused by her emergence
from the depths.
"Hurrah!" shouted Jack. "We're all right!"
"We shore am!" exclaimed Washington.
"It's a success!" Professor Henderson almost whispered. "The pumps
worked. The Porpoise has fulfilled my greatest expectations!"
Then he steered the ship back to the dock, where she was moored, and

the adventurers disembarked.
"One or two little details to attend to, and we'll be ready for the great
trip," remarked the professor. "I want to give her a little harder trial
before I trust her, though she seems to be first-rate."
They all went back to the combined machine shop and cabin, where
they had lived during the building of the submarine. Dinner was
prepared and, after the meal the two machinists approached the
professor.
"I don't suppose you need us any more," remarked Henry Watson. "The
ship is finished as far as we can do anything, and we may as well leave
now. We have an offer to go to work in an electrical shop."
"I haven't said much to you about my plans," the professor replied, "but
if you would like to remain in my employ, I can promise you an
interesting trip."
"Thank you, but I prefer to work above ground," said James Pensen.
"You have been very kind to us, and we would do anything we could
for, but we don't want to take any long under-ocean trips if we can help
it."
"Very well," answered the professor, though he seemed disappointed.
"I will pay you what I owe you and you can go."
For some time after the departure of the two young machinists the
inventor seemed worried.
"Did you count on them staying with you?" asked Mark.
"I rather hoped they would," replied Mr. Henderson. "We need two
more hands if we are to make the trip. They need not be machinists, but
we will have to have someone, and I don't like to get strangers. They
might talk too much about the ship."
At that instant there came a rap on the door. Washington answered it.

"Yas sir, Perfesser Henderson done lib here," he replied, in answer to a
question from some one. "But he am bery busy jest at de present
occasioness an' he'll be most extremely discommodated if yo' obtrude
yo' presence on him at de conglomeration ob de statutory limitations,
which am to say right now. Come again!"
"It's the same old Washington!" said someone outside, laughing
heartily. "Just you tell the professor we want to see him most
particular."
At the sound of the voice the professor started and Mark and Jack
wondered where they had