All the same O'Hara acted the invalid to perfection as he was rowed from the raider to her prize. Denbigh accompanied him, taking good care to bring all their scanty personal property that they had been permitted to save from the _Nichi Maru_, excepting the gold that von Riesser had ordered to be confiscated. The _Myra_ was in charge of Unter-leutnant Kaspar Klick and fifteen men. There were also the skipper, officers, and crew of the tramp, numbering thirty-two persons. The officers were given a fair amount of liberty, but the men were kept under hatches, to their no small discomfort in the tropical heat. "Sorry I'm not able to make your acquaintance under more favourable auspices," was the greeting of Captain Pennington, the master of the captured _Myra_, when the two subs introduced themselves. "But I hope before many hours that we will be set at liberty." "We've been hoping that for weeks," said Denbigh. "The luck those fellows get is astonishing." "So I should imagine," agreed Captain Pennington. "I learnt at Cape Town that the _Pelikan_ was given up as lost, as some wreckage and one of her boats were picked up in the South Atlantic. That is why our cruisers relaxed their patrol, and were ordered to rendezvous at Zanzibar. There'll be a dozen or more on their way up." "And any monitors?" asked O'Hara. "Four, as far as I know," replied the _Myra's_ skipper. "One was detained for repairs at Simon's Bay. The others must be at Zanzibar by this time. They will be invaluable for work inside the coral reefs." "And the _Pelikan_--or _Zwaan_, as we are accustomed to call her--hopes to ascend the Mohoro River. Her draught is about twenty-two feet, and she may be able to lighten to eighteen." "She won't do it," declared Pennington decisively. "It will be as much as she can manage to cross the outer bar. She'll be nabbed before she does that." "When's high water?" enquired Denbigh. "Let me see. New moon's on Friday. To-day's Saturday. High water, full and change, is at 4 p.m. I take it that it's the top of the tide to-day at eleven or thereabouts. They'll have to be pretty sharp about it to arrive off the entrance to the lagoon by that time." As a matter of fact von Riesser signalled for the prize to steam full speed ahead, the _Pelikan_ following at four cables' lengths astern. By 8.30 the _Myra_ slowed down off the entrance to the Mohoro River. There was a considerable amount of mist about, for the land breeze had not commenced to make its influence felt. All that could be seen was a long, irregular line of coral reefs against which the ground-swell broke with a sullen roar into masses of milk-white foam. There were nearly a dozen visible gaps in the reef, the largest, bearing directly ahead, being marked by a couple of coco-nut palms.