"They have caught us this time for good, as I heard the lieutenant,——"
The sentence was never finished, for at that moment there was another rasping sound, and the stern of the boat came down with a sudden spring, then rebounded, and after two or three oscillations, rested quietly in the water, still at quite an angle.
The sub-lieutenant sprang toward the conning tower as fast as he could scramble. The signal was given to reverse, the motors began to hum and the ship vibrated. It was a glorious feeling, and the captain grasped the hands of the boys in an ecstacy of joy.
CHAPTER IX
THE CAPTURE OF THE SUBMERGED VESSEL
"Why does it still keep at this angle?" asked Ralph.
"Have you forgotten the stuff we carried back into the stern?" replied Alfred.