"I haven't given the matter a thought yet. She's hard and fast aground. Even if we floated her, I don't know how we could manage to get her down to the sea or what to do with her when we did."
"You'll have plenty of help in an hour or so," announced Captain Jones. "That is, if you want any. There's a regular flotilla of stern wheelers coming up stream. They're flying the British Ensign."
"I heard they were on their way up," said Captain Restronguet. "They are from Lake Nyassa. Let 'em all come, as the catch-phrase used to be when I was at school."
"Look here," said the airship's owner. "If you like I'll stand by and lend a hand. Please understand I don't want to take away any credit that belongs to the 'Aphrodite' alone; neither are we after a share in the prize money, although I hear the 'Vorwartz' is chock full of gold. That's what's keeping her hard and fast, I should think."
"You are awfully good," replied Captain Restronguet. "I shall be only too happy to avail myself of your services."
"And the sooner the better," added Captain Jones. "Five additional helpers, all used to plenty of hard slogging, will soon make a show."
Telling Polglaze to make his way back to the spot where they had landed from the "Aphrodite," in order to let Devoran know that all was well, Captain Restronguet, accompanied by Hythe and Captain Jones, began a systematic examination of the captured submarine. Except for the maniac, who was now babbling in a childish manner and was quite unconscious of his surroundings, not a man of von Harburg's company remained. Everything on board showed signs of a hurried departure. In the galley the men's dinner was still in the boilers. The electric power had apparently failed, for some time since a temporary stove for burning wood had been erected in the galley, the funnel leading through the open fore hatch. By examining the thickness of the deposit of soot Captain Restronguet was able to come to the conclusion that the failure of the electrical supply coincided with the time the "Aphrodite's" detector ceased to record the position of her rival.
Stowed away in the emergency water ballast tanks were hundreds of bars of gold--plundered from many a richly-laden vessel. This horde had not been touched, but almost all the specie and bullion in the after cabins had been removed.
"What prompted the rogues to make such a hasty flight, do you think, sir?" asked Hythe.
"They undoubtedly got wind of the news that we were on their track. The failure of their electrical gear added to their panic. They decided to remove as much of their plunder as they could conveniently carry, and trust to luck that the rest of the booty remaining on board might yet be recoverable. I think they must have gone up stream in a boat, since there are traces of their footprints through the grass."