Back came the reply:
"Am proceeding to your assistance."
"Hang it!" ejaculated Dick. "They've missed the 'Do not'. I'll try again."
Before he could get the lamp in position a ripple of flashes burst through the darkness, followed by the sharp crackle of musketry. Bullets began to fall perilously near to the boat.
"That's done it," continued Crosthwaite. "The light's drawn the enemy's fire."
"Do not proceed to our assistance; no assistance required," signalled the Sub, deliberately making a redundancy in order that there would be less possibility of a further misreading.
"I understand," came the reply in Morse; then the light vanished. Already it had shared the attention of the fire of the Turkish troops.
The Sub looked at the jaded expressions on the faces of his men. They were almost "done up". Clearly they could not row much longer.
"My lads!" he exclaimed. "We're in a tight corner, but we won't go under tamely. Back her in, and we'll see if we can't send those fellows to the right-about."
At the prospect of a scrap the boat's crew forgot their fatigue. Promptly they began to back the whaler towards the shore.