A break appeared in the surf tossing against the foot of the steep cliffs that came down sheer to the shore.
Ensign Warwick stared keenly, then nodded with satisfaction.
“That’s the creek, undoubtedly,” he said. “Too bad we have to operate without moonlight.”
He stepped to the side of the man at the wheel and whispered a low-voiced direction. Then he signaled the engine room. As a result, the pilot swung the wheel over, and the Sub Chaser responded by heading for shore. At the same time, the slow beat of the engines was still further reduced, and the craft proceeded under its headway aided by the drift of the incoming tide.
The farther point of land at the mouth of the creek was low, but a huge rock towered like a guarding tower on the hither side. Atop of it grew several twisted, stunted oak trees. These could plainly be distinguished as the boat slowly drew closer in.
“Deep water, apparently right to the foot of the rock,” said the leadsman in the bow, drawing in the wet string with its knob of lead on the end, and reading the record.
“We’ll lay here under shelter of the rock until we hear Inspector Burton’s signal,” Ensign Warwick told the boys. “On this still night, with no other sounds about, the sound of his shots will carry plainly to our ears.”
He was about to give orders to drop the grapnel, when Jack laid a hand on his arm:
The sound of three shots fired in rapid succession came faintly to their ears. It was followed by distant shouts, and then several more shots at ragged intervals, then silence.
“Yes,” said Ensign Warwick, springing into instant activity, “and our men are meeting with resistance. We’ll have to go in at once.”
He turned away to issue the necessary order. In a trice, the rakish craft quivered with the sudden picking-up of the engines, the screw began to revolve with increased violence, her head was put out to sea and she started to run away from shore.
“I suppose we’ll go out to where we can get a better view into the creek, and then speed in,” said Frank.
The surmise was correct. The boat swung about in a circle, her nose pointed straight for the entrance to the creek eventually, and then they began speeding shoreward again.
A powerful beam of light suddenly shot over their heads, and the boys turned with a gasp. It came from the searchlight mounted on the bridge behind them. They gazed ahead, and saw the light illumine the entrance to the creek. Then something appeared in the rays which caused them to shout simultaneously: