"Aye, aye, sir!" called Clackett.
The periscope revealed a strange situation. The launch was almost upon the periscope ball. Too late those in the motor boat recognized the device. Before the boat could sheer off, the Grampus had risen under her bodily and lifted her clear of the water. The steel hull of the submarine shivered, and wild cries came from those in the motor boat.
Dick grabbed a coil of rope and leaped for the iron ladder.
"Up with the hatch, Carl!" he yelled. "Out on the deck and see how many you can pull out of the river."
"Hoop-a-la!" cried Carl, wrenching back on the lever and throwing up the dripping hatch cover.
He scrambled out.
"Steer from the tower, Dick," Matt called, racing up the ladder, "as soon as the hatchway is cleared."
Clackett followed Matt, and Ysabel Sixty followed Clackett. The thrill of the moment was in the girl's nerves. She could not have held herself back if she had wanted to. Armed with a coil of rope, she climbed over the rim of the hatch and onto the slippery plates of the deck.
What Matt saw, when he struck the deck, was an overturned launch in the water, and two men clinging to the bow of the Grampus. One of these was Cassidy, and the other was Tirzal. The former was clinging to the flagstaff, and the other to one of the wire cable guys. By an accident, they had held to the curved deck instead of slipping back into the water.
Dick, from the tower, was able to direct the boat so as to facilitate the picking up of those in the river.