But, as Smith listened intently, the sound of the revolving propeller
blades gradually diminished and the commander and crew of the _Dewey_
knew only too well that either Jack had lost his life in the venture
or had been unnoticed as he floated in the sea.
"There don't appear to be anything doing up above," ventured Mike
Mowrey as he glided up alongside the two boys.
"Guess not," faltered Ted. "We seem to be right up against it."
All hope of rescue was abandoned. For nearly thirty-six hours now
the _Dewey_ had remained under water. Her crew of men, breathing over
and over again the same supply of air, were rapidly exhausting the
life-sustaining reserves of oxygen. Little by little the precious
stores had been liberated until now very little remained. Many of
the men were coughing asthmatically; several were languishing in a
dumb stupor from the fetid air.
Ted could not help turning his attention to the huge ventilator shaft
that fed fresh air into the _Dewey_ when she was cruising on the
surface.
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