The Argosy, April 1916 — page 153: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

> 1-7 5:4. ‘You see,” Dart explained, ‘we are now living on the supply of oxygen from our tanks, and the boat is being driven by her Diesel motors instead of by gasoline.” “Yes.” Lansing was marveling at the perfect efficiency of every factor in the con- duct of the craft. There was a signal for everything, and upon prompt execution of the order might depend the safety of all on board. - Dart looked at the submersion gage, which indicated that a depth of twenty-five feet had been obtained, and thereupon sig- naled to shut off the inflow of water into the tanks. His gaze was constantly fixed upon the square of glass at the bottom of the periscope pipe, upon which the world above was portrayed just as it is when you look into the ground-glass of your camera; only, of course, every object was perfectly clear. “Look,” and Dart motioned Lansing to peer into the periscope. The guest craned his neck sidewise and saw the harbor and its shores revealed in a perfect circle, with a clear view of the open water ahead occupying what may be termed the bull’s-eye of the disk. “T see,” Lansing cried. ‘You get the central object right in the middle and all surrounding things are on the circumference of the circle. That is wonderful.” “Right,” smiled Dart. ‘Now out of the way, please, unless you wish me to run you into the hull of a tug or a schooner, and carry away our periscope.” Lansing made way, and for a time there was silence. “We are making around Whale Rock now,” Dart reported at length, ‘‘and in about fifteen minutes we’ll be off that point at Fort Preble where your moving picture stunt is going to be pulled off.” “Tf you see a girl on the premises any- ‘ where, or a yacht in the water, that'll be the place,” replied Lansing, who as a re- sult of the novelty of this experience had well-nigh forgotten the primary object of the trip. ‘‘Can you see them yet?” ‘Oh, no; we won’t be up there, as I said, for fifteen minutes.” There was another long silence, broken finally by an exclamation from Dart. “There!” he announced. “We'll float here; that is, lie dead in the water, and see what happens.” “Ts there anything up there?” asked Lansing. 143° “Sure,” Dart replied. ‘“There’s a big sea-going power-boat, with a moving picture camera aboard, and several men, about a quarter of a mile from us. The boat is about two hundred feet off shore, anchored, and there’s your girl, lurking about behind a tree, with another camera grinding out pictures of her.” — “Let me see.” Lansing in his eagerness seized Dart by the shoulder, pushing him to one side, whereupon, remembering the perfect discipline aboard this boat, he drew back with a quick apology. ‘“That’s perfectly all right,” said the of- ficer cheerfully. “I don’t blame you under the circumstances. Here—” he moved over toward the chief engineer, “you get under the periscope. You're the really interested person. Report what goes on and tell me when you want action.” With a word of gratitude Lansing stepped to the periscope and beheld the wonderful ppetiace of the world again opening before im. : In the center of the disk was a stanch power-yacht, whose lines suggested she could turn up a lot of speed, and beyond her were the green hills of Fort Preble, the rear slopes, punctuated by the disappear- ing-gun caverns and the barracks of the men. He could see Helen plainly. She was moving cautiously toward one of the small buildings near an embrasure, and a man, evidently directing her movements, stood alongside the camera man, who in turn was busily manipulating his crank. What would the next few minutes bring forth? lLansing’s breath was coming in gasps; for many things would shortly be made clear to him. For a brief moment his emotions, com- bined with the turgid atmosphere, made him dizzy. But he fought it off, keeping his eyes glued to the periscope glass. ‘‘Now,” he reported, ‘“Miss Granger ‘is being coached by a man who was with the camera chap. . . . She has left him and is sneaking toward one of the buildings in the fort embankment. The camera is mov- ing up, too. . . . Now the camera man and the other fellow, the director, are running toward the shore, and a boat has put in from the power-yacht. . . ‘“Helen doesn’t notice this. . . . They have set the camera up on the sea-wall and the boat is nearly in. . . . She has turned now and starts to come back toward the COmicoooks C©@