Nor was the destroyer’s approach visible to those aboard the sailing ship for some time. Her color and the gray fog that lingered on the surface of the sea aided in this.
There were no more guns for a time, but it was quite evident that the sailing vessel had lost much headway. It was then that the lookouts in the tops of the Colodia first glimpsed the ship that had fired the guns. She was a steamer coming rapidly up on the course of the sailing vessel.
Two more guns were fired, but the shells seemed not to have burst near the victim of the outrage. They were meant merely as a threat. The sailing craft which was nearer to the destroyer was observed to be signaling with flags. The signals were in a code that the signalmen of the Colodia did not know, and they so reported to Commander Lang.
“The Huns aboard the Redbird are signaling to the Huns on the Sea Pigeon,” was the confident declaration of prophetic Al Torrance.
“If it is so, you can just believe that they are telling the raider of our approach. They must see the Colodia coming now,” Whistler observed.
Suddenly, with the sun’s round face appearing above the sea line, the last wisps of fog were whipped away. The tropical heat burned up the moisture in a flash.
“Boats at the davits of the ship now being manned, sir!” came the hail from one of the destroyer’s lookouts.
“They are abandoning ship!” was the word passed along the decks.
“If it is the Redbird!” murmured Belding to Phil Morgan, “what do you suppose will happen to my father and mother and the girls?”
Whistler had no answer ready. He kept his lips shut grimly and stared straight ahead.