Just before the sun rose above the sea line the lookouts began to shout their discoveries. Out of the fog, but at a great distance, they saw the upper spars and canvas of a great sailing ship. The Colodia’s direction was changed to run closer to this vessel.
“It’s a chance we have found her,” murmured Whistler to George Belding. “She is square rigged, and she is some ship in size, believe me!”
For, moment by moment, the fog was thinning and the outlines of the spars and sails became clearer. From the deck of the destroyer these became visible.
The excitement of the Seacove boys and George Belding was quite overpowering. That their friends aboard the Redbird were in the hands of mutineers they were assured; and now the guns, which began to speak again, forewarned of added peril!
As the sun came out they saw that the upper canvas of the ship they had sighted was being furled. Sail after sail disappeared. It was as though she was being stripped of her canvas.
“She’s under the guns of that raider, I’ll bet a cent!” declared Al Torrance. “So she has had to stop her headway. Those guns were for the purpose of making the ship—whoever she is—lie to.”
“But if it is the Redbird, the Germans already have command of her,” cried Belding.
“We don’t know who she is yet,” said Whistler.
“Oi, oi!” gasped Ikey Rosenmeyer, “I’m so excited yet I can’t keep still. Isn’t it great, Frenchy?”
“Sure, it’s the greatest experience we’ve had,” admitted the Irish lad. “For we don’t know whether we are approaching friend or foe.”