Suppose we go to the island, that is, some of
us, leaving a guard on board here. We'll fill our tanks with
fresh water, and at night we'll quietly sink below the
surface and speed away."
They all voted that an excellent idea, and little time was
lost putting it into operation.
All the remainder of that day not a sign of life was
visible about the Wonder. She lay inert on the surface of
the lagoon, not far away from the Advance; but, though no
one showed himself on the deck, Tom and his friends had no
doubt but that their enemies were closely watching them.
As dusk settled down over The tropical sea, and as the
shadows of the trees on the little island lengthened, those
on board the Advance closed the Conning tower. No lights
were turned on, as they did not want their movements to be
seen, but Tom, his father and Mr. Sharp took their positions
near the various machines and apparatus, ready to open the
tanks and let the submarine sink to the bottom, as soon as
it was possible to do this unobserved.
"Luckily there's no moon," remarked Captain Weston, as he
took his place beside Tom. "Once below the surface and we
can defy them to find us. It is odd how they traced us, but
I suppose that steamer gave them the clue."
It rapidly grew dark, as it always does in the tropics,
and when a cautious observation from the conning tower did
not disclose the outlines of the other boat, those aboard
the Advance rightly concluded that their rivals were unable
to see them.
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