“As near as I can make out they seem to be smouldering camp-fires, Amos.”
“Oh! that must mean we are in sight of the camp of the Territorials—those fellows from the other side of the world, Australia, New Zealand and perhaps South Africa. Then it can’t be long now before we get in close enough to launch a boat, and start for the shore.”
The minutes passed. Jack saw the darkness was beginning to be dissipated; already the gray of dawn had come. His flesh tingled with eagerness to learn what difference that would make. Possibly the enemy was kept at a sufficient distance from the landing place by the presence of the troops ashore, so that it was really safe to use a small boat without any great risk, even in the gray mists of early dawn.
“Oh! see what the sailors are pointing at over there, Jack!” suddenly exclaimed Amos. “It looks like a pole sticking out of the water, only it’s moving all the time. Jack, I wonder now can that be the periscope of one of those terrible submarines?”
And Jack, fastening his eyes on the odd sight, hastened to add:
“It seems almost too strange to be true, Amos, but I do believe you’re right!”
CHAPTER XIV.
LANDING UNDER FIRE.
Those aboard the destroyer had doubtless been on the watch for just such a sight as this for many weeks. Every seaman had been carefully drilled how to use his eyes in order to distinguish what the periscope of a submersible would look like if he ever had the luck to discover one sticking out of the water.
Jack and Amos, after making sure that this was indeed what they saw, closed their hands tight as a sensation akin to alarm passed over them. Would the submarine actually waste one of her valuable torpedoes on the small enemy, a destroyer? They were more inclined to believe the under-sea boat would be apt to dive, and thus slip away from danger.