THE final statement dumfounded Harry. How could he save Arlette? They were both prisoners here; if one could be rescued why not the other? He must discover what was meant. He quickly tapped back a single word:
“How?”
The response was immediate.
“Through tube.”
The meaning dawned on Harry. This was the room from which Marquette had shot the torpedoes! Would it be possible to send a human being the same way?
Harry remembered that there was an underground channel that led to the lake. It must be a hundred yards in length. Such a trip under water would be impossible.
He turned his lamp toward the torpedo tube. He saw one of the torpedoes standing by the wall. Part of it still extended from the water.
Harry descended the steps, and found that the water nearly reached his armpits. He walked to where the torpedo stood, and managed to hoist it into the carriage that stood in front of the tube.
He unscrewed the metal end of the torpedo. It was hollow, and contained ample room for a person. There were no wing attachments to the shell; evidently those were put on when the experiments were made.
How long could a person live, within that container? Not long, Harry thought. At the same time, one could not live long in this submerged chamber.