With the detective’s aid he climbed into the sphere and Carnes fastened the inner door. Slowly the Doctor rid himself of the diving suit and lay prone on the floor, his breath still coming in gasps.
“Thanks for your warning about the time, Carnes,” he said. “I knew that my air supply was running short but I was caught down there and couldn’t readily free myself. I thought for a while that my time had come, but it wasn’t so written. By the looks of things, I freed myself just in time.”
“Did you find out anything?” asked the detective eagerly.
“I did,” replied Dr. Bird grimly. “For one thing, the gold is no longer in the hold of the Arethusa.”
“It’s gone?”
“Clean as a whistle, every bar of it. A hole has been cut in the vault around the combination, and the bars slid back and the door opened. The gold has been stolen.”
“Might it not have been stolen before the vessel sank?”
“The idea occurred to me of course, and I examined things pretty carefully. I know that the theft occurred after the vessel sank.”
“How could you tell?”