Straight towards the "Vorwartz" the creature tore, then plunging into the opposite stream swam boldly across to the opposite bank. Although it made enough noise to be heard for half a mile away the crew of the "Vorwartz" showed no sign of activity. The submarine lay as deserted and silent as the city of the dead. "Steady, there," cautioned Hythe as one of his companions started forward with disregard to caution. "They may be luring us on. We are near enough at present." Concealing themselves in the long grass fringing the river, even at the risk of fever, the three waited and watched. The "Vorwartz" was lying close to the bank, the channel evidently trending close to the eastern side of the stream, and there being a total absence of mud in the vicinity, the submarine could not have found a better landing-place. She was secured fore and aft with ropes made fast to the trunks of trees growing close to the water’s edge. No anchor had been run out into the stream and consequently the submarine had swung well in. A fall in the level of the river had left her fairly hard aground with a slight list to port. That men had landed during the heavy rains was quite evident by the fact that the stiff clay, now burned to the hardness of a brick, was covered with footprints pointing in all directions, but although Hythe made a semi-circular patrol almost from the brink of the stream past the "Vorwartz" and back to the river again he could find no trace of human beings having strayed more than fifty yards from the submarine. "Strange," he muttered. "The craft looks deserted and there are no signs of the rascals making off by land. They couldn’t very well travel by air, so the only solution is, unless they are still on board, that they have gone by water. How? By boat or walking in their diving dresses? By boat, I suppose, since if they decided to abandon the vessel they would naturally take part if not all of their precious booty with them." At length so convinced did the sub become that the "Vorwartz" was in truth deserted that he felt sorely tempted to take possession of her. But his sense of discipline prevailed. He realized that temporarily he was under Captain Restronguet’s orders and to Captain Restronguet alone ought the honour to be given to be the first to board. He was on the point of ordering the men to retire when a violent rustling in the reeds attracted his attention. Either a human being or an animal was approaching. He motioned to his companions to be on the alert. Holding their rifles at the ready the two men waited. Suddenly a man lurched forward from the edge of the reeds. He was literally in rags, fragments of blue clothing scarcely concealing his massive limbs. He was hatless, a strip of dirty white linen alone protecting his head from the pitiless rays of the sun. In the holster of his belt was a revolver, while his right hand grasped a magazine carbine.