There were hundreds of lives in the captain’s keeping, as well as vast quantities of valuable merchandise. It would of course have been the part of wisdom for him to order full speed ahead and to leave the victims of the tragedy to their justly merited fate. A companion submarine might be somewhere in the vicinity, for they generally hunt in couples, it is said.
But that would not be according to the traditions of the navy in which he was a reserve officer. So the steamer was brought around in a great circle and headed back for the exact spot where the enemy craft had last been seen.
The gun-crew stood at their posts, waiting and eager. If another periscope had been thrust up anywhere near by it would have instantly received a shot, and perhaps a double killing would have been brought about, something well worth boasting about when they should make port.
But no hostile periscope did they see, although many eyes kept watch over the waters surrounding them, so that nothing escaped their vigil.
“We must be getting pretty close to where she went down,” remarked Jack, presently.
“I think you’re right,” Tom answered. “Look for signs of oil on the surface of the sea. It seems to me the waves are softened a whole lot right ahead of us. And you know that oil will do that every time. Sometimes a bag of oil fastened to the side of a helpless drifting vessel in a storm has caused the billows to tone down and saved many a boat from being sunk.”
“There is oil on the surface of the sea hereabouts, Tom!” affirmed Jack in a positive tone; and others echoed his observation.
With considerable awe and curiosity the passengers leaned over the rail and sought for some sign of a swimming mariner. Nothing rewarded their search. They cruised around the vicinity of the tragedy for all of fifteen minutes, and had a single German seaman been discovered he would certainly have been taken aboard, although the vessel must not be stopped wholly, lest they become the prey of another lurking submarine, the crew of which would not be apt to take pity on them because of their humane errand.
Here and there they discovered a few floating things such as might have come from a sunken boat, but in the foam and washing of the sea it was not possible to make absolutely certain. But of the crew of the submarine they saw nothing whatever, either living or dead.
“The entire crew must have gone down with the boat!” was the statement coming from an officer; and as the terrible nature of the tragedy was fully understood, a feeling of depression and horror fell over the passengers in spite of their thankfulness over their own escape.