Jack chose, for himself, the northernmost village. Hal took the next one, and Eph the southernmost. "Now, remember, fellows," breathed Benson, sharply, as they parted, "the one great thing is not to fail!" The night was dark and the sky overcast as the submarine boys parted to go their several ways. "I think I can understand how Eph feels about his stomach," grimaced Jack, as he strode along. "I don't believe I'd balk, just now, at the plainest food ever cooked. Why, I haven't eaten since this morning!" The evening being rather warm, most of the houses, as Jack neared the village, proved to have open windows. Lights shone, and the fishermen and their families could be seen at table. No one appeared in the street, at first. Jack strolled down the principal street, looking into each house without much difficulty. Yet the one face that he sought was not visible. Down at the further end of the street Benson came upon a tumble-down-looking grocery store. "What kind of sandwiches can you put me up?" queried the submarine boy, casually. "Stranger, eh?" asked the man behind the counter, staring curiously. "Yes; haven't you had any other strangers here lately?" "Not as I knows on," replied the man, a shaggy, unkempt-looking fellow of forty. "None here to-day, eh?" asked Jack, taking out a half-dollar and toying with it on the counter. "Don't remember anybody very special," replied the storekeeper. "You haven't answered me about the kinds of sandwiches you can put up," Jack reminded him. "Not very fancy in that line, young feller. Cheese, or sardines; that's all." "Give me three of each, then," begged Jack. He seized the first sandwich that was prepared and began to eat it. "Hungry, eh!" asked the storekeeper. "Yes," Jack admitted; "for want of anything better to do." "Foller the sea, don't ye?" "Depends," muttered Jack, his mouth half full of sandwich. "When I'm going before a brisk fair wind, sometimes the sea follows me." "'Spose so," grinned the storekeeper, passing over the second sandwich. After that, the fellow got in slightly ahead of the submarine boy's appetite, though Benson finished the whole meal in a few minutes. "Now, if you've got a bottle of soda water, to wash that all down with," hinted Benson. It was forthcoming, also a smoky-looking glass. "So you haven't had any strangers here lately," hinted Captain Jack. "Nope." "Any craft been fitting out to sail to-night or first thing in the morning?" "Nope." "Gracious, but this is a dead place," laughed Jack. "Must be a lot of shacks for rent around here?" "There was one place," stated the storekeeper, "but a dude feller hired it last week. Said some sort o' fishing club'd be down this way to fish, once in a while. That kinder minds me," went on the storekeeper. "I guess maybe some o' that crowd are down, 'cause I saw a light up there at the house, jest come dark."