The consternation of the Americans it would be hard to imagine. They were simply aghast, and Clif stood fairly rooted to the deck.
His mind was in a tumult, but he strove to think what that startling interruption could mean.
"They must have fired at us!" he gasped.
And if there was any doubt of that an instant later came a second flash.
To a merchantship in war time such a signal is peremptory. It means slow up or else take the consequences.
There were two possibilities that presented themselves to the commander of this particular merchantship. One was that he had met an American warship——
And the other! It was far less probable, but it was possible, and terrible. They might have fallen into the hands of the enemy.
But whatever was the case, there was nothing for Clif to do but obey the signals. He could not run and he could not fight.
"If I only knew," he thought, anxiously.
And then suddenly he learned; for a faint voice was borne over to him through the gale. It was a voice that spoke English!