Before Ned could detain him Jimmie fired. Faintly the boys heard a crash aboard the motor boat. The green starboard sidelight of the launch disappeared. Urged on by the tremendous press of wind in her sails the Lena Knobloch was fast dropping the launch astern.
No other shots were fired at the schooner. Scrambling from his position at the starboard rail Jimmie made his way aft to a point beside the helmsman. Here he peered eagerly into the darkness astern.
“I can’t see them at all!” he announced, turning presently to his companions, who were grouped about the little skylight.
“Perhaps we’ve shaken them off for keeps!” ventured Jack. “Did you see who that was with Mackinder?”
“I thought,” said Harry, “that it was his pal, Norton!”
“Well, they’re safely out of reach now!” declared Ned. “I’m glad of it, too! If we can hold on at this gait we’ll soon reach a port in England, where we can transship the Grey Eagle and get home.”
“I only hope the real ‘U-13’ doesn’t come along and demand that package from us!” laughed Harry. “They might take a notion to send us to the bottom if we don’t deliver it on demand!”
“Let us hope they’re busy on the west coast of England by this time!” suggested Jack. “I don’t want any more ‘U-13’ in mine!”
“Vhat’s dot about der ‘U-13’?” inquired von Kluck, coming up to the little group. “Is id der ‘U-13’ dot you’re skipping?”
In a few words Ned related the important details of their experience with the ‘U-13’ package and with Mackinder.