Glennie turned away from the prisoner and stepped to the edge of the wharf. He paused there for a moment, rigid as a statue, his eyes wandering over the surface of the bay.
Motor Matt, wondering at his manner, likewise directed his gaze off over the water. As he did so, Glennie recovered his wits abruptly and gave vent to an exultant yell.
"Hurrah!" he roared, jerking off his cap and waving it. "What's the matter with the motor boys, Matt? We've had our worry all for nothing!"
Dick and Carl, together with the rest of the crew of the _Grampus_, did a lot of guessing after Matt and Glennie left them with the captain of the port.
The commotion kicked up by the torpedo put a sudden and effectual stop to their speculations. Carl, Dick, and Speake were on deck when the Whitehead began its peculiar performance, and the jerks administered to the _Grampus_ by the tow line quickly brought Gaines and Clackett up through the tower hatch.
"Ach, du lieber!" cried Carl. "See vonce vat has habbened mit der dorpeto. A vale has got dangled oop mit der tow line; oder oof id don'd vas a vale id vas a shark, und a pig feller, I bed you. Vat a funny pitzness! From der actions, id looks like der dorpeto vas alife."
"Whale!" scoffed Dick. "Don't you believe that a whale, or shark, either, has got anything to do with that."
"I give it up. What do you think, Speake?"
"Ask me something easy," answered Speake. "Mebby something has got loose inside the torpedo--compressed air, or something--and that that is what's putting the big tube through its jig."
"Led's pull in der line," suggested Carl, "und make der dorpeto pehave."
"Not on your life!" cried Dick. "It's full of dynamite, and I'll never let the _Grampus_ get any closer to that infernal machine than she is now."
"Matt vants dot dorpeto or he vouldn't haf taken der drouple to tow her in."
"Matt can have it, matey, but I don't intend to board a Whitehead when it's dancing a hornpipe. If the dynamite should happen to let go----"
Dick was interrupted by a chorus of surprised yells from the rest of his companions.
The torpedo, kicking one end high in the air, had taken a "header" toward the bottom of the bay.
"Dot means goot-by," murmured the amazed Carl. "Der vale's run off mit it. Bedder dot vale look a leedle oudt und not knock his tail too hardt against der dorpeto. Oof he do dot, den, py shinks, he make some mincemeat out oof himseluf."