Part 26 (1/2)

”Kre-ee-ee-ee!” he shrilled out

”The call of the Eagle Patrol!” gasped Mr Barr

”Yes, and by all that's wonderful, that lad is Rob Blake!” fairly shouted the ensign, waving his cap

By this ti with cheers, shouts, questions and answers in a perfect babble of sound

”Well, who on earth but a Boy Scout could get himself kidnapped and then kidnap his abductors' boat!” exclai as they lay at anchor off Rob's ”Ivory Island”

The cli ot the engine going in the nick of tiot clear away in the rowboat Possibly they hailed a passing steamer and were picked up

But, after all, their escape, while annoying, was not of so much importance, for in their haste they had left behind the most important papers and models, and the ones they had taken were valueless, Mr Barr declared, without theof jollity, the _Viper_ set out for Jamesport, S C, with the unfortunate Barton bound with ropes to keep him from further violent manifestations The pooradmitted to an asylum It appeared that in his youth he had been an inmate of an institution for the feeble-ed as cured

On the _Viper's_ return, as begun on transferring the ivory, which was ultimately sold for an amount that netted all of theood fortune with all his comrades

CHAPTER XXVII

THE ENDURANCE RUN

The ensuing days, following the return to the island, were filled to overfloith activity Exhaustive tests only made the _Peacemaker_ appear to be more and more the ideal type of boat for her particular work By”code” of course, sent glowing accounts to Washi+ngton of the progress of the tests In these despatches, too, the Boy Scouts were favorably hoff and his rascally companions

One day, about teeks after the return to the island, it was detern and Mr Barr to make quite a run out to sea to test to the full the endurance capacity of the _Peacemaker_ Rob and Merritt were chosen to accouard the island, which, a other valuable property, now housed the precious ivory hoard recovered in such a strangenasty weather But this, instead of da the ardor of the inventor and his aides, only increased it It meant that the submarine was in for a real test in a bad sea

By the time they were ready to start, the wind had freshened into half a gale and a high sea was running, heaping up big gray corily

Into this storm the _Peacen, the inventor, Rob and Merritt The two latter were to serve watch and watch in the engine roon placed the tower

Both Rob and Merritt were by this ti of the _Peacemaker's_ intricate machinery and were trusted to the full by their superior officers

”Gee! This feels like being afloat in an empty bottle!” exclai seas

”It sure does,” responded Rob, hanging on to a handhold while he oiled a bearing ”I suppose they want to see how much she'll stand on the surface”

”Wonder they wouldn't dive and give us a chance to get a little quiet,”

observed Merritt as the rolling, bucking _Peaceed dizzily down again

”There must be a huo up and see what's doing,” said Rob presently

He made his ithinto the conning tower The passage could only be made by fits and starts, and the boy for the first time realized the necessity of the handholds placed at frequent intervals on the cabin walls, to which reference has already beenthe ladder he scra tower, and, once inside, braced hiainst the wild and erratic h the lenses was impossible The seas that swept over the little craft blurred the glass with green water and obscured everything outside But on the _Peaceency had been provided for