The captain sprang to his feet.
"We'll run no risks about this," he declared firmly. "We'll dismantle the apparatus. I'd never hold up my head again if the Von Blucher got us!"
Crawshay held out his hand.
"Forgive me, Captain," he said, "but we want proof. Leave it to me, and if things are as I suspect, we'll have that proof—probably before to-morrow morning," he added, glancing at the chart.
There was a call down the deck, a knock at the door. The captain took up his oilskins regretfully.
"You will remember," Crawshay enjoined, "that little mandate I showed you?"
The captain nodded grimly.
"I am in your hands," he admitted. "Don't forget that the safety of the ship may be in your hands, too!"
"Perhaps," Crawshay whispered, "even more than the safety of the ship."