"You take my advice," said Captain Nicholson, as he headed the Y-3 for the spot where they had left the Sylph almost 40 hours before, "and stay on the top. Don't spend any more time on a submarine than you have to." CHAPTER XXVI CRUISING AGAIN It seemed long hours to Frank and Jack before they once more made out the form of the Sylph, still cruising slowly to and fro close to where they had left her nearly two days before. The submarine drew up to her rapidly, and soon Captain Nicholson ordered a small boat launched. Into this climbed first a seaman, then Captain Nicholson and Frank and, Jack. Lord Hastings greeted the boys warmly as they dropped over the rail of the Sylph. "I was beginning to fear something bad gone wrong," he said. "I certainly am glad to see you back safe and sound. Was the raid a success?" "It was indeed," replied Frank. "Three Turkish cruisers sent to the bottom," said Jack briefly. "Good!" cried Lord Hastings enthusiastically. "And the submarine wasn't damaged, eh?" "Oh, yes, it was," broke in Captain Nicholson, and proceeded to relate the details of the encounter. "And how did the two lads behave themselves?" questioned Lord Hastings. "Admirably," was Captain Nicholson's reply. "We were in a pretty ticklish situation for a moment, but they never lost their nerve." The lads blushed at this praise. "Well," said Captain Nicholson, after some further talk, "I guess I shall have to say good-bye." He shook hands all around, and was soon on his way back to his own vessel. Immediately the Sylph was got under way, and proceeded on her course westward. But she had gone hardly a mile when the wireless operator rushed up to Lord Hastings, and handed him a message. "Relayed by the Gloucester and Terror, Sir," he said. Lord Hastings read the message: "Strong German squadron somewhere off coast of South America. British fleet on watch. Get in touch." The message was signed by Winston Spencer Churchill, first Lord of the Admiralty. Lord Hastings pursed his lips and whistled expressively. "Another long cruise," he said briefly. Soon the Sylph's head was turned toward the South, and for several days thereafter she pursued her uneventful way down the coast of South Africa. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, she steamed straight for the distant coast of South America. Lord Hastings stopped to coal once or twice, and so it was some days before the lookout picked up, land ahead. "Should be the Argentine coast, if we have not drifted off our course," Lord Hastings informed the two lads. He was right, and the following day the Sylph put in at one of the small South American ports for coal. "We'll have the ship looked over a bit," said Lord Hastings. "We are permitted to stay in this, port 24 hours, and at the expiration of that time we must leave or be interned."