Mr. Jephson saw what there was to see. He added his belief that they were in the wake of the "Victor."
"Are you going to be able to overtake her, Captain?" he demanded, eagerly.
"We're going to try," Tom responded, anxiously. "We've only four hours of daylight, or so, left to us. If we can get close enough, however, we ought to hold the 'Victor' after dark with our searchlight."
"You'll overtake her, of course!" declared Joseph Baldwin, abruptly.
"Yet the 'Victor' is said to be a very fast boat, sir."
"So is the 'Panther,'" retorted the owner. "Besides, Captain Halstead, we've got to overtake her!"
Tom Halstead took up the mouth-piece of the engine room speaking tube.
"That you, chief?" he asked. "I think you'd better come to the bridge, watch the chase, and see what you have to beat."
Joe Dawson came immediately to the bridge. Presently he used the tube, calling down very definite instructions to Jed Prentiss, whose trick it was at the motors.
"Keep a close eye on your helmsman's work, Mr. Davis," the young captain directed. "See to it that he doesn't waver a hair's breadth in bearing down on the stranger. Any speed lost in steering would be a useless waste."