"Appearances are deceptive, Captain Dorge. However, there she is, and now is our opportunity. Once we settle with her our chances against England are wonderfully improved."
"Will forty kilos of the explosive be sufficient?"
"It will wipe her out of existence. We must be sharp, for the moon rises at two."
"There will be no blunder. I'll bring the 'Voertwards' immediately above her, and drop to within thirty metres of her deck. They will never expect an attack in this harbour, especially from the sky."
Gerald's grasp tightened on Sinclair's shoulder. That officer nudged Temple in a manner that required no verbal explanation; while Stockton, who had observed the signal, was not slow to comprehend.
Simultaneously the four men sprang to their feet, burst through the intervening bushes, and threw themselves on the astonished foreigners.
The man addressed as Captain Dorge made as if to draw his revolver, but Gerald had already seized him round the waist, while Jack Stockton deftly took possession of his weapon. In an instant he was capsized, Stockton sitting on his chest so that he could only writhe helplessly in the dust.
Temple, a strapping great Scot, had little difficulty in overpowering his antagonist, but Sinclair found all his work cut out in tackling his man. Fiercely they struggled, the stranger striving to grip his adversary by the throat. Failing that, he inserted his fingers in the lieutenant's hair and tried to gouge his eyes out with his thumbs--a continental trick that Sinclair was conversant with.
The first lieutenant's left arm shot out straight from the shoulder, and, taking his antagonist fairly in the chin, sent him reeling a dozen paces ere he fell like a log.
"Now what's to be done?" asked Gerald breathlessly, as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
"Done? Why, drag the bounders back to the ship," replied Sinclair. "We've three important hostages for the airship's good behaviour."
"Not when you know the way, but we must look alive, for I see yonder gentleman is recovering from the effects of my knock-out blow. I wonder if the other fellows belonging to the airship have spotted us?"
So saying, Sinclair relieved the two prisoners of their belts, and, ordering the men to stand side by side, he fastened the left arm of one to the right arm of the other by means of the leather straps, tying their thumbs together by means of a piece of thin cord as an additional safeguard.