"Guess I'm getting precious hungry," remarked the American.
"Now you mention it I begin to have a sinking sensation: a kind of famine and hunger strike rolled into one. But we can't go too strong in the provision line."
Six half-slices of rye bread, two small pieces of cold meat, and about a pound of fish formed the sum total of the commissariat, barely sufficient, even with stringent economy, to last over twenty-four hours.
The food, after reposing in their pockets, was not pleasing to the eye, but adverse circumstances settled all qualms. Both men ate with avidity, though sparingly.
At length daylight gained the mastery over artificial lighting, and the arc lamps were extinguished. With the morning the rain ceased and the wind dropped.
Peering through the gap between the turntable and the encircling wall, Hamerton could see the sun shining upon the upper portion of the red sandstone cliffs that enclosed the vast artificial basin. His field of vision was limited, but he was able to come to the conclusion that the floor of the airship sheds was nearly two hundred feet below the surface of the tableland that comprised the major part of the island.
Between each pair of caverns constructed for the accommodation of the Zeppelins was an iron ladder running perpendicularly up the sheer wall of sandstone. These were connected by an open lattice platform just above the crown of the arch formed by the caves, and were evidently for the purpose of facilitating the movements of the airships when entering or leaving their bases. Curiously enough, both Hamerton and Detroit had previously failed to notice these ladders when making a circuit of the basin.
"They are naval airships," announced the Sub, for men were swarming up and down the ladders with a seeming recklessness that only seaman dare show, and they were wearing the uniforms of the German Imperial Navy.
"Here she comes," said Detroit, as the huge bulk of a Zeppelin emerged slowly yet steadily from its resting place.
"What a superb target!" commented the Sub. "A dose of shrapnel would knock the whole concern to smithereens, while one of our seaplanes with a one-pounder automatic gun would make rings round her."