The sub was deadly pale. Hitherto he had looked only on the bright side of a submarine officer's life, now he had seen----

"It is simply horrible, sir."

"It is. And there are persons--experts they call themselves--who boldly maintain that death under these circ.u.mstances comes swiftly and painlessly. Would to heaven those men had been with us, and had seen what we have seen. Submarine work is a dangerous game."

"Yet you yourself----" began Hythe.

"Exactly. I know what you were about to observe. But my submarine is far in advance of the comparatively crude contrivances in which men seek to destroy their enemies. Possibly, in the interests of humanity, I ought to give my secret to the world. Has not that sight quenched all desire on your part to descend in an ordinary type of submarine again?"

Hythe rose from his chair.

"Sir," he replied stiffly, yet without any trace of grandiloquence, "it is my place to obey orders, and at times to withhold my opinion. But then I can safely say: so long as duty to King and Country calls, Britons will never be found wanting in the hour of peril, be it on, above, or under the sea."

CHAPTER XV.

A VISIT TO GIBRALTAR.

Breakfast on the following morning was a kind of solemn feast, for although Devoran and Kenwyn were present, hardly a word was spoken. The gloom of the previous day's exploration seemed to penetrate everything, yet the subject was, by mutual consent, studiously avoided.

The meal was nearly over when Lancarrow, the wireless man, knocked and entered the cabin.

"Message just received, sir," he announced unconcernedly.

Captain Restronguet opened the envelope and scanned its contents.

Although his eyes lightened with satisfaction he said not a word till the man had retired.

"News of the 'Vorwartz,' gentlemen," he exclaimed. "She is reported to be operating off the entrance to Valetta Harbour, Malta. Holed the torpedo-boat-destroyer 'Tamar,' did considerable damage to the oil-tank vessel 'Petrolia,' so that the ship had to be beached in Bighi Bay.

After that she slipped off. An aero-hydroplane followed her for an hour in an easterly direction. The 'Vorwartz' then dived much deeper and was lost sight off."

"What is she doing in the Mediterranean, sir?" asked Devoran. "That doesn't look as if she's returning to Sumatran waters."

"Unless she goes through the Suez Ca.n.a.l," added Kenwyn.

"She won't try that game," said Captain Restronguet. "There's not enough water in the ca.n.a.l. If she does we have been saved an unpleasant task, for the authorities will blow her to atoms."

"Now what is to be done, sir?" asked the chief officer.

Captain Restronguet paused a few moments before replying.

"The shafting is now all right, Mr. Devoran?"

"Yes, sir, I remained till the work was completed. That was at half past one in the morning."

"Excellent!" commented the captain. "There is now only one course left open to us. We must proceed to the eastern part of the Mediterranean and continue our search for this modern pirate. I'll send a message to the Admiralties at London, Paris, and Berlin informing them of my whereabouts and of my intentions. We may have a chance of sending the relics of 'La Flamme' ash.o.r.e at Gibraltar, Mr. Hythe. Perhaps you would care to hand them over to the proper authorities?"

"With pleasure," replied the sub.

"There is no time to be lost," continued the captain, rising from his chair. "What is the weather like, Mr. Devoran?"

"Hazy, sir."

"Excellent! We may have a run on the surface; the extra ten knots may be of extreme importance."

"Must we go astern through this channel?" asked the sub, as he followed his host to the fore conning-tower. "There is not enough width to turn."

"Oh, no; we rise vertically to the surface," replied Captain Restronguet. "Coming here it was different. I could not depend upon sinking the 'Aphrodite' immediately over the gulley. Besides, I had reasons for bringing the craft in while submerged."

The discharging pumps were soon at work, and with hardly a jerk the heavy ma.s.s of water-tight metal casing rose majestically from the sandy bed of Machichaco Bay. When just awash her fore hatch was opened and the rails and stanchions shipped.

Hythe went on deck. The haze was sufficiently dense to prevent objects from being seen at a distance of more than a cable's length ahead. The cliffs and the lighthouse were invisible. Although there was hardly any wind and the "Aphrodite" was lying almost motionless on a perfectly calm sea, the noise of the sullen rollers breaking in-sh.o.r.e showed how dangerous this exposed bay was to any craft that attempted to send a boat ash.o.r.e.

Beyond that ceaseless roar no sound disturbed the quietude. As far as the crew of the submarine were concerned they might have been floating peacefully in the midst of the wide Atlantic instead of almost within hailing distance of the Iberian sh.o.r.e.

The centre scuttle of the "Aphrodite's" for'ard conning-tower was opened so that the quartermaster could take verbal directions from his superior officer. Captain Restronguet stood just in front of the conning-tower, while two men, detailed for special duty as look-outs, were stationed in the bows, clad in oil-skins to protect them from the spray that was bound to come inboard as soon as the vessel gathered way. Abaft the after conning-tower Mr. Devoran had taken his stand, while right aft were more men whose duty it was to report the presence of any vessel that, of swifter speed than the submarine, might overtake her.

These precautions were additional to the use of the submarine detector that indicated the approach of any craft at a distance; for when travelling at high speed the swish of the waves against her lean bows was apt to be misconstrued by the men stationed at that electrically recording device.

Giving a glance at the standard compa.s.s to a.s.sure himself that he had made due allowance for the abnormal deviation Captain Restronguet gave the order for half speed ahead. Like a greyhound the "Aphrodite" leapt forward at a reduced speed of eighteen knots.

Within ten minutes the belt of haze had been left astern, and the sun shone brilliantly upon the clear blue water.

Hythe remained on deck some hours till the rounded point of Cape Ortegal hove in sight. Here the sea in calm weather is always agitated by a long heavy swell, while in gales the waves are dangerously steep. As a precautionary measure Captain Restronguet ordered the look-out men to make themselves fast with life-lines and the open hatches to be battened down. Although he suggested to the sub the advisability of going below, the captain, for some reason that he did not think fit to communicate, remained on deck. Scorning to make use of oilskins he stood grasping the handrail surrounding the conning-tower, and gazed fixedly at the horizon on the starboard bow. Whatever he expected to see his hopes in that direction were unfulfilled, and at five o'clock, after the tumultuous water had been left astern, he rejoined his guest in the cabin.

"We are so far fortunate in being able to keep on the surface," he remarked. "We are now off Cape Finisterre and right in the regular mail and ordinary trading routes. But up to the time I left the deck we had not sighted a single sail."

Twice during the day the "Aphrodite" had to dive to avoid being sighted by pa.s.sing vessels, for although Captain Restronguet made no secret of his whereabouts he did not think fit to allow the submarine to be seen.

Just before midnight the captain called to Hythe as the latter was about to turn in.

"We are going to dive to eight fathoms," he announced. "It is advisable since we are approaching the Straits of Gibraltar. Perhaps you would care to have a look on deck before going to bed?"

On gaining the upper platform Hythe found that the "Aphrodite" was running nearly awash, with no navigation lights. Even the lamps in the conning-towers were screened. It was a pitch-dark night, although the atmosphere was clear. The water was exceptionally smooth for the Atlantic seaboard of the coast of Spain and Portugal.

Away on the starboard hand were several large vessels, each showing their green navigation lights, denoting that they were bound north. One, brilliantly illuminated, was evidently a liner on which the pa.s.sengers were keeping a late night, for the distant strains of a string band were just audible above the subdued noise of her powerful engines.

"You know this coast, I suppose?" asked Captain Restronguet. "Do you recognize yonder light?"

The sub looked intently in the direction indicated. Through the darkness shone a fixed white light which increased and diminished in intensity, attaining its maximum glare every thirty seconds.

"Yes, Cape Trafalgar," he replied. "And we are within twelve miles of it."

"Otherwise it would appear to be a flashing light," added Captain Restronguet. "I see your knowledge of the various lights is exceptionally good. Had it been daylight we might have found time to let you have a sight of some of Nelson's relics, for we are pa.s.sing over the scene of that ever-memorable victory. The bottom of the sea here is strewn with the remains of the French and Spanish vessels that were either sunk in action or foundered in the storm that arose after the fight was over."

"I have seen enough of naval disasters for the time being," remarked Hythe.