"I should rather think so, old soul!"
"Are they afraid of us? What is that noise?"
"That, my dear young friend, unless I am very much mistaken, is one of the twelve-inch guns of His Majesty's ship, Vengeance. Cruiser-battleship, young John. I happen to know she's been lying off Harwich for the last week, waiting orders. Our friend, Lieutenant Murphy, has sent my wires to good purpose, and 'now we shan't be long!'"
Again the great, menacing boom, but this time we saw something.
From the deck of a submarine the range of vision is only two miles. The last destroyer was almost disappearing on the horizon, when she suddenly jumped out of the sea and fell to pieces like a pack of cards.
"That's old Snorty Bethune-Ranger!" my brother said, wagging his head gravely. "Best gunner commander in the fleet, and I know he's on board the Vengeance. Now don't you think we'll have the boys up and let 'em chortle a bit?"
"I'll go and call them."
I was just going in when I was gripped by the arm so hard that I winced.
"Look there!" said my brother.
I followed his pointing right arm and saw something far up in the sky, something like a crow, which grew larger every second.