The first mate raised his glasses. "I can see lettering, but I'm damned if I can make it out."
A man came along the deck toward the little group, breasting the furious wind. It had stopped raining, now, and the lightning flashes were not as frequent as they had been. Even the wind had lessened considerably.
Munro saw the oncoming man and shouted to the captain, "here's our distress signal, sir."
The man came up to them, and handed a tightly folded slip of paper to the captain. Henderson opened the paper, and with the aid of the first mate's flash light, read:
"H. M. S. Cumberland calling. Send Harry to us."
"What's this?" shouted the captain.
"Mr. Rogers got only those words, sir; nothing more."
"Must be some mistake!"
"No mistake, sir. I heard that come in myself."
The first mate shouted suddenly. "The lights have vanished." Even as he spoke, there came a sudden brilliant flash in the sky, a flash that was not made by lightning, followed by a thunderous detonation.