Slowly the Frome forged ahead, but with little way on she was scarcely under control. The lifebuoy was passed ten yards to leeward.
"Be careful of the propellers, sir," cautioned Fielding. "There's a lot of wreckage about. Shall we pipe away the collapsible?"
Drake assented, but as Cardyke went aft to take charge of the Berthon one of the starboard propellers became entangled in a length of floating grass-rope. In a second the fibre was wound round the tail shafting as hard as a steel band.
"Hang it!" muttered Drake. "That's done it. I wish to goodness I'd sent away the boat instead of drifting into the middle of this stuff."
In four minutes the Berthon was slung outboard by means of the quadrant davits, and her crew rowed towards the derelict lifebuoy.
"Here you are, sir," said the bow-man to Cardyke, as he dexterously whisked the salvaged object into the boat. "There's some scrawl on it."
Scored deeply into the canvas were some words written in pencil. The midshipman examined the writing, but it was beyond him to decipher its meaning. It was in Dutch, a language that Cardyke was not familiar with, although it bore a slight resemblance to German.
On returning to the Frome the mid. produced his prize; but his superior was too intent upon the damage to the propeller to take very much notice of it. Nor was it till Cardyke pointed out that there was writing upon the buoy that Drake gave his attention to it.
"Scuttled. Finder please notify V. der Coote,
Rotterdam.—Stalkart, master, tug Vulkan."
"We've some good evidence here, by Jove!" exclaimed Drake. "Now comes the task of running down the miscreants."