ten
minutes past one
The _ Dewey _ forthwith began to rise . At the direction of the navigating officer two hundred pounds of ballast were expelled . Tilting fore and aft like a rocking horse , the submersible responded gradually to the lightening process until at last the depth dial showed only a margin of several feet needed to lift the eyes of the periscopes above the waves . The little steel-encased clock in the conning tower showed ten minutes past one -- just about the right time for a night raiding party to be getting under way . `` Guess we 'll lie here and wait for them to come along , '' whispered McClure to Cleary as the periscopes popped up out of the depths into the night gloom . `` We seem to be right in their path and may be able to get one of them as he shoots across our bow , '' added Cleary as he took another telephone report from the wireless room . According to Sammy Smith 's observations there were two vessels coming up to starboard , while the third , the one the _ Dewey _ had missed , was dim in the port microphone and almost out of range .