Thirty feet in front of the fore conning-tower the sharp bows of the submarine appeared above the water, followed by the whole length of her decks, from which the water poured in silvery cascades.
Then a hatch was thrown open and a figure that Hythe recognized as that of the first officer appeared. Raising a megaphone Devoran shouted:--
"Ay, ay," replied a voice from the fore-bridge. "What submarine is that?"
"The ’Aphrodite,’," replied Devoran, merely as a matter of form, since his identity was now established. "Can you send a boat? We have important intelligence to communicate."
At that moment a petty officer ran up the ladder of the after-bridge and requested Captain Restronguet to speak to Captain Sedgwyke.
"I suppose you wish to board your craft," said the Captain of the cruiser. "We will lower a boat as soon as we get a bit shipshape."
"If you will kindly do so I will rejoin the ’Aphrodite,’" replied Captain Restronguet. "At the same time I think the information is urgent. Shall I ask my first officer to deliver it verbally to save time?"
The information was indeed startling. The electric detector of the "Aphrodite" had picked up the position of the "Vorwartz." Karl von Harburg’s submarine was proceeding northwards, and was even now within twenty miles of the British cruiser.
"This is indeed news!" exclaimed Captain Sedgwyke. Then in a lower tone he added, "Captain Restronguet, will you do me a favour? If we fall in with the ’Vorwartz’ will you stand off and give the ’Topaze’ a chance to distinguish herself? If so you will earn the gratitude of every officer and man on board."
The captain of the "Aphrodite" hesitated a few moments.
"Captain Sedgwyke," he replied, "you have asked a hard thing. Had any other captain made me a similar request I would have declined. But I owe you a debt of gratitude for having picked us up out of the sea. I will do as you request. I will give you an hour’s uninterrupted action from the time the ’Vorwartz’ is within four miles of us. One thing I would suggest, the ’Vorwartz’ is the attacking vessel; you will not have to pursue her, so, since speed is not a vital consideration, keep your torpedo nets out."
"I, too, am indebted to you," said Captain Sedgwyke. "In an hour I hope to be able to help to uphold the glorious traditions of the Flag under which I serve."