Mr. Brown had recourse to the glasses, which he had used frequently since they had set out. But the powerful binoculars failed to disclose any object the naked eye might not have discovered.
“If there really has been a fire on that yacht and the boats are drifting about, it may prove an even more serious matter than we imagine,” said the officer at length.
“You mean they may be lost?” asked Jack.
“Just that,” was the reply. “If the boats should drift beyond the regular established routes and steamer lanes, it might be weeks and even months before they are found.”
“Then the ocean beyond the regular routes is empty of life?” asked Jack.
“I wouldn’t say that exactly, but the Atlantic is covered with regular sailing routes just as a country is mapped out with railroads. The master of a ship usually makes no deviation from those routes; although, of course, in the case of some ships, they are sometimes compelled to.”
They sailed on for some little time further and the officer was on the point of giving up the search, when he once more resorted to the binoculars.
He stood up and swept the sky line earnestly for some sign of what they sought.
“There’s nothing visible,” he was beginning, when suddenly he broke off and uttered a sharp exclamation:
“Jove! There’s something on the horizon. Looks like a tiny smudge on a white wall, but it may be a steamer’s smoke!”