“And then?” asked Jack.
“Why, then,” said Lord Hastings, “we shall make off as fast as possible to return at some future date, perhaps, and pay our respects once more. As I see it, there is but one thing that is likely to cause us any trouble.”
“And that, sir?” asked Frank.
“The enemy’s submarines,” replied his commander.
“But we have the heels of them, sir,” said Jack.
“True,” replied Lord Hastings, “but the trouble is we are liable to run into a net of them, and in that event we would have to fight. To my knowledge, there has never been a battle of under the sea vessels, and what the result might be it is impossible to determine.”
“Well,” said Frank, “we shall have to take a chance. That’s all.”
“That’s all,” agreed Lord Hastings.
Lord Hastings turned to the chart of the harbor of Heligoland and bent over it eagerly. The lads peered over his shoulder.
“We are down as deep as it is safe to go,” said the commander of the submarine. “The chart shows that the water is not so very deep here, and as it is all the guide we have, we must be careful.” He turned to Jack. “Proceed at five knots,” he commanded.