He decided on the latter course. It might not be too late for the _Messines_ and _Armentières_ to stand in pursuit of the somewhat damaged _Cerro Algarrobo_. The seaplanes from the _Basilikon_ might be able to spot the lurking submarine, if, as was likely, she continued to remain in the vicinity to make sure of the sinking of the _Complex_. Accordingly, the wireless telegraphist began sending out an urgent signal to the _Basilikon_. The reply was prompt and to the point. The cruiser and her attendant destroyers were roughly seventy miles off. The _Messines_ and _Armentières_ were detached to proceed at full speed to the foundering decoy ship. The _Complex_ was in no immediate hurry to make her acquaintance with the bed of the Atlantic. Her cargo of cork and her elaborate system of water-tight bulkheads were playing their parts well. Those of the crew who were not at the guns were busily engaged in shoring up the bulkheads and endeavouring to pass a collision-mat over the gaping rent caused by the torpedo. The flooding of the boiler-rooms had automatically put out of action the mechanical bilge-pumps, but the hand-pumps, manned by the stokers of both watches, helped to delay the inevitable. Meanwhile, the boats were lowered, each armed with a Lewis gun in the likely event of the submarine attempting to massacre the survivors. The wounded were transferred to one of the boats, the medical officer and sick-berth staff being in attendance. Having taken all precautions, Captain Meredith and his crew could but await the end, whatever way it might turn out. "Periscope right astern, sir," reported the Gunner. Hardly able to credit the good news, the skipper crossed to the port side of the bridge and looked. To his surprise and satisfaction, the submarine was within eighty yards of her victim. Her commander, judging that, as the stern of the _Complex_ was almost awash, it was safe to make a periscopic view of the foundering vessel at short range, was in complete ignorance of the fact that the decoy ship still carried a most formidable sting in her tail. It might be that through inexperience he had misjudged his distance and had brought the submarine closer to the _Complex_ than he thought. Dead astern of the decoy-ship, he imagined himself to be safe. A Rioguayan invariably plays for "safety first". The two after 12-pounders could not be brought to bear astern. Even if they could, they could achieve nothing beyond demolishing one of the three periscopes with which the submarine was equipped. Twenty feet of water between the surface of the sea and the armoured back of the submarine would deflect any shell striking the water obliquely. "Mr. Jones!" sang out Captain Meredith, "let her have it in the neck." The warrant-officer signed to a couple of hands. Deftly and cautiously, the howitzers were loaded with their deadly depth-charges and trained to extreme elevations.