"You'll need to keep a bright look-out," he remarked grimly. "As like as not——"
He paused abruptly, then snatched a pair of binoculars out of the box attached to the handrail, and focused them on a small object, barely discernible to the naked eye. He remained thus for more than a minute, with legs stretched wide apart, swinging back and forth automatically with the motion of the vessel.
"Have a squint," and he handed the glasses to the Lieutenant.
The latter focused the binoculars on the strange vessel ahead. She was a steamer of about fifteen hundred tons, with the word Gelderland painted in huge white letters on her hull amidships, together with the Dutch colours.
"A Dutchman," he observed, handing back the glasses.
"A private of marines could tell that," snorted the skipper. "Question is, what's she doing right away west here?"
The Lieutenant made no answer; which was wise, since none was expected. Chard shouted an order to the quartermaster, who echoed it, and began to turn the heavy wheel.
"Signal the Dutchman to stop," commanded the skipper.
It being too dark to use flags or semaphore, Lawless picked up the signal lamp and flashed the message across the intervening space. He waited for an answer, and, none coming, called up once more.
"Can't get a reply," he said after the second attempt.