“If we do not consume it any faster, it should last us for a couple of hours yet. It would be better, however, to decrease our speed a little.”
I pondered this situation for a time. In about an hour the tide would turn and the current would be against us. We would not be able to make much speed then, but, on the other hand, it would be dark, and we would probably dare to rise to the surface. The enemy undoubtedly believed we had perished and would have decreased his vigilance.
“All right,” replied the engineer. “We’ll stop one motor. There is no danger we will run aground. It is too deep here for that.”
Consequently, we stopped one motor, and continued ahead at a reduced speed. At exactly five o’clock we came up again to look around. Hard by in our wake was the French torpedo boat steaming at a distance of about two hundred meters.
“Well, what is it now?” I said to the mate, and bit nervously on my lower lip. “It looks as if that rascal was after us.”
“It must be a coincidence,” answered the unperturbed optimist.
We submerged once more, but came up again after another half hour.
The torpedo boat still came after us, steaming along in our wake at a distance of two hundred meters.
“If this is a coincidence, Mate, then it is a very, very peculiar one,” I said to him.
When it was six o’clock we again took a look around. The Frenchman was still after us at the same distance.