“You young men wanted action,” announced Mr. Farnum, quietly. “I think you’ll get it.”
“Immediately, or a minute or two later,” laughed the shipbuilder.
“I’m ready,” declared Captain Jack, rising.
“It’ll take you a little time to hear about it all and digest it, so you may as well be seated again,” declared Farnum.
“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.”
“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 Jack Benson, eagerly.
“As a cadet in the Navy, do you mean?” asked Mr. Farnum.
“Why, that would have been well enough,” assented Jack, “before I had such a chance in your submarine service. No; I mean I’d like to see Annapolis. I’d like to watch the midshipmen at their training, and see the whole naval life there.”
“It’s too bad every fellow can’t have his wish gratified as easily,” continued Jacob Farnum.
“Do you mean we’re going to Annapolis, too?” asked Jack Benson, his eyes glowing. Even Hal Hastings sat up straighter in his chair, watching the shipbuilder’s face closely.