Mr. Grant gave an involuntary gasp of astonishment. The lead-line, 25 fathoms, or 150 feet, in length, was insufficient to touch the bed of the sea.
“Bend another line to it,” he continued.
“I’m doing it already, sir,” announced Craddock.
“Good! . . . Now, how much?”
“Another four fathoms, sir,” reported the leadsman.
The Scoutmaster was on the point of going below, when Wilson stopped him.
“Why are we to give two blasts, sir?” he enquired. “Oughtn’t we to sound a bell or something like that? We’re supposed to be at anchor.”
Even in his worried state of mind, Mr. Grant did not hesitate to reply.
“It puzzled me what signal to make at first,” he answered. “Although we were anchored—that is to say, I thought we were—the Kestrel had obviously moved. In that case we are under way, and although we haven’t yet made sail, what wind there is is on our port beam. Consequently it is assumed that we are on the port tack; therefore, two blasts.”
“Where are we, sir?” asked Carline.