It was true that no vessel was in sight. The Aurelian must have gone upon the wrong tack.
“What will we do?” asked Captain Hartley; “shall we wait until morning, or attempt to explore the ocean by electric light?”
“Even in daylight we should have to use the searchlight,” said Clifford eagerly. “Suppose we examine it now, Frank?”
“All right,” agreed the young inventor. “All is ready for the descent.”
The doors and windows were quickly and hermetically closed. Then the Dolphin plunged beneath the surface.
Down she went for several hundred fathoms before the bottom was seen.
Then a sandy plain lay before them.
“That is good!” cried Frank. “It will be easier to find the Donna Veneta than if the bottom was covered with weeds.”
“True,” agreed Clifford. “I hope we will not be long in discovering her.”
All hands now posted themselves at the windows. The searchlight flashed everywhere across the sandy plain, while the boat moved slowly about in the quest.