“We’ll never know how many hundreds of decent lives the work of the last minute has saved,” declared Dalzell hoarsely as he reported on the bridge.
“Find out as promptly as possible what damage we have suffered,” Dave ordered. “We were struck several times.”
As Dan saluted and hurried away, Darrin picked up his night glass and once more resumed his scanning of the sea. Lieutenant Curtin had already received orders that the destroyer was to cruise slowly back and forth over and around the spot where the submarine had gone down.
“It seems almost wasted sympathy to try to pick up enemy survivors,” muttered Mr. Curtin rather savagely.
“But it’s humanity just the same,” Darrin returned. “And Americans must practise it.”
“Of course, sir.”
Dalzell, who had summoned the aid of other officers and some of the warrant officers, soon returned.
“Two breaches, one just above water line, and the other below it, sir,” was Dan’s beginning of the report. “I wasn’t aware that a torpedo touched us. If it did, it made a dent, but glanced off without the explosion that a direct hit would have produced. That may account for the dent below the water line. But a shell hit us above water line. Is it possible that a large fragment glanced low enough to make the dent under water? It doesn’t seem possible.”
“Not likely,” smiled Darrin.
“The hole above the water line has been repaired, but men are still working at the one below the line,” Dalzell went on, “and the pumps are working hard. The chief engineer was about to report it to you when I reached him. We have been hit at other points, but no serious damage has been done.”