On the morning following the momentous news from Wilhelmshaven a message appeared in _The Times_. It was a statement purporting to come from Captain Restronguet, in which he emphatically denied ever being in German waters, and that as a proof he would give a sure sign of his presence off the shores of Great Britain. At noon of that very day he would give a demonstration of the irresistible powers at his command at a spot somewhere between the Horse Sand Fort and the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour. "Do you think it is a joke, sir?" asked Sub-Lieutenant Hythe of the navigating officer of the "Investigator." "What do you think of it, may I ask?" replied Lieutenant Egmont guardedly. "Personally, I hardly consider that it is a hoax. You see the notice appeared in the Personal Column." "And paid for in the usual manner, I suppose." "But the Business Editor has the option of refusing any advertisement." "That’s what makes me think there’s something genuine about it. Again, the paper has a short leader on it: non-committal, it is true." "But how can a fellow cooped up in a submarine that is being watched for all along the coast contrive to get ashore to send off a message to _The Times_?" asked Egmont. "How can he keep in touch with affairs? Why, in order to have that notice inserted he must have heard of the Wilhelmshaven business within an hour or so of its occurrence." "Admitted; but all the same Captain Restronguet is a modern magician in submarine work. I should not be surprised if he has a perfect wireless service at his command. By the by, has Captain Tarfag orders to proceed to Spithead?" "No, and he told me himself that he didn’t want to be sent on a wild-goose chase. The Admiral has ordered a couple of aero-hydroplanes to manoeuvre over the place indicated at noon, and to keep a sharp look-out for any suspicious object under the surface. There they are, by Jove!" Both officers stopped in their "constitutional," a to and fro promenade of the short quarterdeck of the "Investigator." A dull hum, momentarily growing louder, announced that Nos. 27 and 29 Aero-hydroplanes had left their sheds on the shores of Fareham Creek and were rising rapidly to the height of one thousand feet. As soon as this altitude was reached both aero-hydroplanes, abandoning their spiral motion, leapt forward, and passing high above the shipping in the harbour were soon mere specks floating in the blue sky. Watch in hand the sub waited. It was close on the fateful hour of noon. To and fro, in elliptical curves, the aero-hydroplanes maintained their lofty vigil, each turning at almost the same moment and passing within fifty yards of one another. Twelve o’clock! Hythe and his brother officer exchanged glances. Captain Tarfag ascended the bridge, and hailing the wireless operator and the yeoman of signals by telephone, demanded if either of them had received news of the mysterious submarine.