"Lend me your torch, Peter, old son," he said.
"Aren't you grubbing?" asked the Patrol Leader.
Roche shook his head.
"I'm seeing this thing through first," he replied. "She's not been running well this last hour or two. Too rich a mixture, I think. Flemming and I are going to take the jet out, but before we start I want to see how much oil there is in the main tank."
Peter handed Roche his torch.
"We'll keep your grub hot," he added as the engineer hurried out of the cabin.
In less than a minute Roche returned.
"We're in a bad way," he announced. "She's been mopping up the juice like anything. The paraffin tank's nearly empty."
"Why, how's that?" asked Stratton.
"Punctured float, I'm afraid," replied Roche. "We'll have to stop the motor for half an hour or so."