"One thing, she won't trouble us again," added the commander. "And I'm not so certain that she will get clear. We've wirelessed the seaplanes, and they'll have a chip in. Hullo! What's the game now?"
A searchlight flashed from the undamaged Zeppelin and played in ever-widening circles until it picked up her damaged consort. The latter was consequently more plainly discernible to the crew of the "Sunderland" than it had hitherto been, since the distance between the two airships was less than a thousand yards and was visibly decreasing.
"They're going to take her in tow, by Jove!" ejaculated Aubyn, who had brought his binoculars to play upon the scene.
Oswestry gave a snort that implied disbelief in his brother-officer's assertion, but presently he exclaimed:—
"Well, blest if you aren't right, old man. And a deuced smart move," he added, with a true sailor's admiration for a smart manoeuvre, whether executed by friend or foe.
"What a chance for our seaplanes!" said the torpedo lieutenant. "They ought to have been on the spot before this."
"They're on the way all right, Torps," declared the commander. "I wouldn't mind betting a month's pay that they've spotted their quarry. By Jove, they've established communication!"
The undamaged Zeppelin had circled round her consort and was now forging gently ahead. An upward jerk of the other's bows announced that the strain on the towing hawser was beginning to be felt. Gradually the hitherto uncontrollable airship began to gather way, both vessels rolling sluggishly in the light air-currents.
The aerial searchlight had now been switched off, but by means of the rays directed from the British ships the progress of the two Zeppelins could be followed as their huge shapes, showing ghost-like in the silvery light, moved slowly in a north-easterly direction.
Having resumed their respective stations the cruiser and the destroyer flotilla followed. Owing to the greatly reduced speed of the hostile aircraft it was an easy matter to maintain a fixed relative distance between them and the British vessels, whose attention was divided between the prospect of an aerial meeting with seaplanes and the risk of being intercepted by the torpedo of a German submarine, to say nothing of floating mines.