Sir John had taken instinctive command of the situation. For a few moments he did not speak.
“Aylwin must use his own judgment about coming,” he said. “He may not want to appear here in daylight, for fear of scaring the enemy away; on the other hand, they may be here already, lying snugly on the bottom of the inlet, and only waiting for night and low water to get the petrol. You say the pool was full of it, Jim?”
“So far as I could tell. I poked with a stick from one side, and waded in from the other. The tins are stacked in it; I don’t think they can have taken any out.”
“All the more likely that they will soon be in,” O’Neill said. “I knew they had been in the north lately; the brutes nearly got one of our transports. But if Aylwin shows up off the mouth of the inlet he may scare them away altogether. If one knew what was best to do! We’ve got to bag them!” His eyes were dancing. “Great Scott! what a chance it is!”
There came a knock at the door, and Norah’s voice.
“Is dad here?”
The conspirators looked at each other guiltily.
“Norah must be told,” Jim said. “She’s perfectly safe; and we can’t carry on this without explaining to her, poor kid. May she come in, O’Neill?”
Sir John was already at the door. Norah, her face troubled, spoke hurriedly.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for dad or the boys. Are they here, Sir John?”