ovement
in the ship. If, for instance, the rudder should be turned to starboard
or to port, the dial would swing in such a position as to show how much
of a turn has been made, and no more," responded the captain.
"Suppose then, that after making a quarter turn, the ship should again
go ahead on a straight line, what would happen to the dial?" asked
Alfred.
"In that case the dial would again indicate that by coming back to its
original position,--or, in other words, the dial would show that the
ship had then assumed a new direction of sailing, and if it again
changed to the right or to the left the indicator would reveal this to
the observer," remarked the captain.
"I wish we had a compass," said Ralph.
"Unfortunately, they have taken our watches and pocket compasses," said
the captain. "We may contrive, later on, to get a glimpse of the
steering compass."
"Do you know where it is?" eagerly inquired Alfred.
"The navigating officer's instrument is in the conning tower, but it is
usual, too, to have a similar instrument below, and I am sure it is
located to the left of the cook's galley. It would not be safe, however,
for either of us to be spying around in that quarter," responded the
captain.
That night they were again locked in their narrow apartment. As they had
been provided with a good meal it was not such an unpleasant experience,
and they were also comforted by the feeling that the submarine was now
engaged in a no more perilous duty than trying to reach some port.
That night was followed by a trying day of waiting. Singularly, they had
not been permitted to ascend the hatchway stairs since the first day of
their capture.
"A glance at the sun would be enough to tell us the direction," remarked
the captain after they left the table at the lunch hour.
"I suppose they are keeping us down here for that purpose," suggested
Alfred.
"I have thought," replied the captain, "that the very fact of keeping us
in ignorance of the direction they are going is the best indication that
we are making for a concealed base."
When they retired the second night the captain remarked: "It is now
plain to my mind that we are on the way to Germany, or, possibly, to a
base somewhere at a greater distance than Spain."
"How long would it take to make the trip to Germany?" asked Alfred.
"If we circled the British Isles and came in by way of Norway, it would
mean a run of 1,400 miles. To go by way of the Channel
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