“Hurry up, let’s finish this food and get out on deck, where we will be able to see something,” suggested Harry. “This is interesting!”
Directly the boys were standing in the lee of a deck house eagerly scanning the horizon for some sign of the island where they expected to be landed as prisoners of war.
The gale gave no hint of abating. Indeed, the motion of the waves was much more noticeable. Jack attributed this partly to the build of the craft, whose lines were sharper than those of the Lena Knobloch. The sharp prow cut the water like a knife, while the slender, tapering stern slipped through the seas without making a roller of large proportions.
Presently, just as Jack declared he could see a blue smudge in the distance, indicating the presence of land, the lads were joined by Mackinder. He glanced at the group without speaking.
Speedily the vessel approached the object that had been sighted.
An officer drew near. He conducted Mackinder toward the stern.
As the craft slowed slightly to enter a harbor Jimmie grasped Ned’s arm. He pointed eagerly toward several large objects on land.
“There is a whole flock of Zeppelins,” he declared. “And as I live,” he continued, “I see a bunch of submarines at that dock over there!”
“There must be a dozen or more!” gasped Frank, in amazement.