"Hullo! There's the Swiftsure, sir," and the Orphan saw her masts and funnels and cranes ahead of him lighted up for a moment by a quick flash from "Peeping Tom". Almost immediately a flame shot out from her side—a roar—and a shell burst with another splash of flame close to the shore end of that search-light.
"Peeping Tom" disappeared at once.
Then "Squinting Susan" twisted round to see what had fired at her little brother; waggle waggle went her beam trying to find the battleship.
Bang! Flash! Another gun—another shell blazed up somewhere near her, and she too disappeared. "They've doused their glim for 'em," Jarvis grunted.
"My jumping Jimmy! that's good work," the Sub muttered joyously.
But in a second or two out shot "Peeping Tom" and hunted about nervously, to switch off again as another shell burst somewhere near him.
As he switched off, "Sister Susan" switched on again, only to vanish as still another shell came along her way.
"What a jest, my Galloping Orphan! We'll get past them both and not be seen."
And so they did. "Peeping Tom's" beam flashed on them once, and they held their breath, but it swept astern and left them in darkness, and before it worked back the Swiftsure's gun had blazed out, and it was switched off even before the shell burst.
"Squinting Susan" was much too anxious to help her brother to find the Swiftsure, and didn't bother her head about anything else; her crew, too, had nerves—very badly.