"None, sir," was the prompt reply. "All submarines of the Portsmouth Division were to use the Needles Channel."
"Then heaven help me if she's one of ours," exclaimed the Captain grimly. "By Jove, won't it make 'em jump!"
He indicated a group of Admiralty experts, both naval and civilian, gathered round Brian Strong's gadget on the quarter-deck.
Sir John smiled.
"They'd jump still more if a tinfish got us," he added.
The seaplane had already been given orders to attack. It was indeed a lucky chance that she had left Calshot under active service conditions. In addition to two torpedoes designed for use against surface craft, she was equipped with four delayed-action bombs, each capable of being set to explode at any depth between four and twenty-four fathoms.
It was with weapons of the latter type that the seaplane was about to deal drastically with her submerged foe.
The latter was the submersible cruiser that had recently bombed Portsmouth and Southampton. She was now proceeding up-channel intent upon causing a little annoyance at Dover.
Unfortunately for her, she was unaware of the presence of the seaplanes; but she had spotted the slowly moving Cariad and had marked her down for an easy prey.
The light cruiser had swung gently through eight points of the compass. Captain Parr had purposely refrained from ordering increased speed lest the submarine might "smell a rat". On her part, the Rioguayan craft was not able to gain on the cruiser, but was hanging on in the hope that the Cariad would again alter helm and thus present a target that was almost impossible to be missed by the deadly torpedo. During the conversation between Sir John Pilrig and the Captain of the Cariad, Brian Strong had rejoined Peter, who had been closely questioned by the experts concerning the anti-aircraft device.