Jay was doing a tall lot of thinking. And he had formulated in his own mind a plan of action that he hoped to put into effect with the aid of Captain Austin. Not even taking his own chum into his confidence, Jay sought out the _Nemo's_ chief executive and drew him below decks for a star-chamber session of his own making. Patiently the captain heard Jay through, shaking his head negatively in disapproval of the lad's proposition. "There's no use of your taking any such risks, and, besides, we'll come back here a little later with the _Jules Verne_ and worm our way right into that U-boat." But Jay was insistent. "Please, Captain Austin, I'm sure I can get away with this and rescue those plans belonging to the government----" Captain Austin, looking over Jay's shoulder, saw some one approaching and bade the young diver speak softly of the stolen plans. The intruder was Weddigen! Jay eyed him keenly, trying to fathom whether the burly diver had overhead the remark. A cynical smile played at the corners of Carl's mouth and he smirked at Jay in a leering way. "Well, all right, Thacker, I suppose you will have your own way," decided the ship's captain. "Go ahead, I'll wait the afternoon out for you; but, remember, we weigh anchor for home to-night." Jay climbed on deck and prepared again to don his armor. "Bring me a crowbar and that old mushroom anchor that lies up front in the forward compartment," he asked of one of the deckmen. Dick was assisting his chum to get into his diving suit. "What are you going to do this time?" asked Dick inquisitively. "Well, I've got an idea and I want to see how it works out," replied Jay. "That freak undertow is doing some funny stunts and I think I can use it to suit my purposes. I'll let you know after I've had another look at that periscope pole." Pretty soon Jay was over the side again and dangling in the water, carrying the crowbar in one hand and the mushroom anchor in the other. Instantly his feet touched bottom, he set off in the direction of the periscope and soon came upon it by intuitively guiding along the course that he knew would take him to the goal of his aspiration. The water was fairly clear and the undertow still setting strong along the ocean bed. "Now we'll see," he murmured, as he set down the anchor within easy reach and took the crowbar, commencing to dig directly alongside the periscope pole. It is not easy thus to dig on the sandy bottom of the sea; one must go in sidewise with a due allowance for the currents instead of directly down. Little by little the sand was dislodged and turned away. And so soon as it became loosened up and was stirred around the water dragged at it and skitted it away freakily, dissolving it into particles that filled all the sea round about the diver. Pretty soon Jay was the center of a veritable submarine sand tornado. "Good enough; just what I wanted," he chuckled.