[CHAPTER XII.]
A WARY FOE.
Matt reached the beach without mishap. Beyond the white stretch of sand grew a chaparral of bushes and low trees, covering the slope which ended at a ridge forming the backbone of the point to the southward.
The young motorist took his way in this direction, halting at the edge of the brush for a moment to turn and give a reassuring wave to his comrades on the Grampus.
Carl was just securing the end of a rope to the iron ring at the stern of the boat, Glennie was half inside the conning tower, and Dick had the rifle across his knees. All three answered Matt's parting salute, and he faced about and hurried into the chaparral.
Matt's course carried him up the side of the ridge. Once at the crest he would be able to look down on the Japs and take note of their operations. He would thus be able to determine whether the bold scheme which he had at the back of his brain would be feasible or not.
The crest of the ridge was not more than fifty feet above sea level, and the king of the motor boys was not long in reaching it. There, screened by a thicket of bushes, he was able to look down on the other cove, and make a leisurely examination of the Pom and the Japs.
The Pom, as Dick had said, was lying within a short distance of the shore. She was an odd-looking craft, being of a much smaller diameter than the Grampus, and having a flat deck built over the rounded plates of her hull. The conning tower was only about half the height and diameter of that of the Grampus, and seemed to have a solid top without any hatch opening. The hatch was forward, on the flat deck, and the cover was pushed back.
From the submarine, Matt's eyes wandered to the shelving beach.
The torpedo was there, rolled up beyond the reach of the lapping waves, and two of the Japs were busy about the conical end of the tube. Matt chuckled as he thought of how he had tampered with the firing pin. Before they could make the pin serviceable, the Japs would have to rig another of the little propellers; and, while their ingenuity was no doubt equal to the job, yet it would take time to finish it.