"All speed, Joe, and do it quick!" Skipper Tom called down into the engine-room. Almost at once the "Restless" earned her name by fairly leaping forward through the water.
Then the chase began in earnest.
"Noll, pass the word below for a sergeant and six privates," directed Lieutenant Hal, in a low tone.
The enlisted men came up, taking their places on deck.
"Does the lieutenant want us to load our pieces?" called the sergeant quietly.
"Not yet," was Hal's reply, passed back by Noll.
Then, on board the pursuing craft, all settled down to absolute quietness, save for the running of the machinery. The distance between the two boats was rapidly closing up, for it was plain that the other boat had started at full speed as soon as she sighted the pursuer.
Glare! A strong, broad beam of light, from the stranger's search-lamp, shone across the water, then picked up the "Restless" when the two boats were less than a quarter of a mile apart. The uniforms of Uncle Sam's blinking men must have stood out strongly before the vision of those on the stranger.
"You have a megaphone?" asked Lieutenant Hal.
"Yes," replied Skipper Tom, passing the implement.