Harry peered out into the night, but as far as he could see nothing appeared but the reflection of the stars in the water to relieve its blackness.
“I can’t see anything yet,” he said, after a while.
“Just keep on looking,” rejoined Frank; “there’s a chance that they may have drifted from the position they gave us.”
“Well, in any case it would have been impossible for us to fly direct to the spot,” rejoined Harry; “this thing is a good deal like looking for a needle in a haystack, to my way of thinking.”
“I’m not so sure of that. If they are anywhere within five or six miles they must hear the beat of our motor.”
“Wonder why Dr. Perkins doesn’t switch on the searchlight. Hullo, there it goes now.”
As Harry spoke, a fan-shaped ray of brilliant white light cut the night in front of the Sea Eagle, like a radiant sword. Hither and thither it swept over the dark sea; but it revealed nothing. All at once Dr. Perkins shut the searchlight off.
“If they have seen it they will reply in some way,” he shouted in explanation to the boys. “Keep a bright lookout for an answer. I’ll keep the Sea Eagle swinging in circles. We have been doing thirty miles an hour, and even allowing for the delay when we struck the air pocket we ought to be in the disabled yacht’s vicinity by this time.”
As the searchlight was extinguished Harry peered out into the darkness with straining eyes. Suddenly he gave a shout and clutched Frank’s arm.
“What’s that,” he shouted, “that light off there to the south?”