"Blessings on that mandolin," chuckled this industrious young human
beaver. "If it wasn't for their jolly old twang-twang those Italians
might hear my fairy buzz-saw at work."
Yet, though he progressed, what a fearful length of time this task
appeared to take!
"And, if it turns out that there's another padlock in place on the
outside, this will be just another case of love's labor lose," sighed
the boy.
Occasionally, when the mandolin sounds ceased for a few moments, Benson
rested, too. It would never do to take the risk of having his slight
noise overheard.
At last! The saw went through the ring, proclaiming the task all but
finished. First, with trembling fingers, the submarine boy replaced the
saw in its case. Then, with another tough little tool, he started
patiently to bend the severed ends of the ring metal sufficiently far
apart. In this he succeeded finally.
Removing the padlock, he let the hasp fall away from the staple. On the
floor above the mandolin was twanging merrily, the voices of the
Italians rising somewhat in their song.
With his pulses throbbing, Jack Benson essayed to raise the bulkhead.
Glory! It rose! A moment later Captain Jack Benson was out in the
open, under the cloudy skies.
No time did he lose there, however. Stealing softly for the woods, he
sped on into them. Nor did he cease his hurried gait until he had
covered at least a quarter of a mile.
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