"Now, lads," he exclaimed, addressing his faithful crew, "our mission is ended. We are now homeward bound; not to our temporary quarters in Sumatra but to our only home, Old England. I am in a position to state that the individual share of prize-money will be duly paid on our arrival in England, and that every man will be in a state of affluence. I only hope you will be long spared to enjoy it. In less than three weeks, all being well, I hope to land you all at Falmouth."
"Three cheers for Falmouth!" shouted Polglaze.
"An' three cheer for Ould Oireland," added O'Shaunessey. "Faith! I'll take me discharge an' boi the largest farm in all County Wexford."
CHAPTER XXXIII.
HYTHE'S MASTERSTROKE.
Early in the month of November Captain Gregory Pinney, master and owner of the ocean-going tug "Wayfarer," registered at the Port of Falmouth, was the recipient of a telegram transmitted through the Lizard signal station.
"Send vessel to meet submarine 'Aphrodite' 4 miles S.S.E. of Lizard at noon on the 12th inst--Restronguet."
The worthy skipper was obviously perplexed. He rather suspected that it was a bogus message, sent by a rival firm so that their tugs could pick up a remuneration job in the absence of the "Wayfarer." That was his construction of the matter, and his views he communicated to his partner, Captain Hiram Varco.
"Powerful strange," admitted Varco. "Why not wire to the Lizard and ask 'em if it's genuine, and how they picked it up."
Acting on this device Captain Pinney requested Lloyd's Station for further particulars, and received a confirmatory answer with the additional information that the message had been sent from the "Aphrodite" when twenty miles west of Cape Finisterre.