“She did,” replied Rawlins. “Disappearing gun, but they were either too rattled or too surprised to use it. Probably thought it easier and safer to sneak that torpedo at us. I’ll say they were some surprised when it didn’t hit!”
“Begging your pardon, Sir, they never knowed it didn’t hit, Sir,” remarked the quartermaster. “They was all below when they fired it, Sir, and were just awash when you exploded it. I was a-noticin’ of that, Sir.”
Rawlins slapped his thigh and let out an exultant shout. “By crickey, then we may get ’em yet!” he exclaimed. “If they think the torpedo got us they’ll make straight for their hang-out and think we’re done for. I was afraid they’d keep off and not show up.”
Throughout that day nothing occurred. A message was sent to Disbrow giving him their course and the position of the Cay and the submarine kept steadily on her way. Early on the second morning a faint blur showed upon the horizon ahead and after studying it through his glasses Rawlins announced that it was Trade Wind Cay.
“Guess we’d better submerge,” he said. “If they’re there they’ll spot us mighty quick and when we get closer we’ll even get our periscope down. No use of taking any chances. Smernoff says they used to sink to the bottom off the coast and let the men walk ashore, so we can play that same game—only in a different place. But we’ll have to keep the men on board ready to come up the minute we need ’em. If there’s a big bunch on the Cay there’s no use in tackling them single-handed.”
“Yes, that’s the best plan,” agreed Mr. Pauling, “but there’s one matter we must bear in mind. Whoever goes ashore to scout must be able to communicate with those aboard here. If we use radio the others will also hear it and be suspicious—we have every reason to think they already know we are, or rather were, following them and we must not count too much on their thinking they sunk us. How can we arrange that? Have you any suggestion, Henderson?”
“Have to arrange some sort of signal, I suppose,” replied Mr. Henderson. “Possibly by means of these submarine detectors. I imagine that a bell could be fixed to ring under water so we could hear it.”
“I’ve a better scheme than that,” declared Tom. “Wired wireless.”
“Wired wireless?” exclaimed his father. “How can you wire wireless and what’s the idea?”
“Why, you just run a copper wire under water and attach the radio sets at the ends,” explained Tom, “Then you can talk back and forth and no one else can hear you.”