There was a dubious silence.
“Then the Aurelian will reach the Gulf of Honduras first. Perhaps she may even recover the treasure.”
“Let her, if she can,” said Frank, “it will not be such an easy matter for her. She will have to send down divers and make many preparations which will take up time. We will get there about as soon as she does, I think.”
Work was at once begun upon the twisted tubes.
Barney and Pomp brought all the necessary tools down into the place and operations commenced.
As they progressed, Frank found that the job was not to be as difficult as he had imagined.
The tubes were uncoupled and straightened, and the valves readjusted. But it required fourteen hours of hard work.
In the meanwhile the Aurelian was long out of sight and well on her way into the Gulf of Honduras. She must surely reach the sunken galleon before the Dolphin.
“Fate seems to play a very important hand in this matter,” said Clifford. “With all our accidents it is a wonder that we are able to reach Honduras at all.”
“That is true,” agreed Frank, “but let us hope that we shall meet with no more.”