Slowly the ponderous line of netting was dragged through the water. Fortunately there was little or no tide and hardly any floating weed to render the task more difficult than it might otherwise have been; nevertheless it required an hour’s hard work ere the enclosed space marked by the line of buoys appreciably diminished. All the while signals from the "Investigator" were being exchanged with the look-out tower on Penlee Point. Again and again came the disquieting news "No sign of submarine." "Surely in fifty feet, with a clear sandy bottom, those fellows up there ought to detect the craft!" exclaimed Lieutenant Egmont impatiently. "I failed to see it at ten yards, although I admit the water was awfully muddy," said the sub. "But what if she’s given us the slip?" continued the navigating lieutenant. "Look, man; in another half an hour the bight of the net will come ashore." "A lot may happen in half an hour," replied Hythe. "Unless she uses an explosive to clear a passage we have her safe enough, and I do not think that Captain Restronguet will resort to extreme measures, judging how he has already behaved in British waters." "What I want to know is how Captain Tarfag proposes to take possession of her, when she is held up in the nets. He told me he had a plan, which we are now carrying out, but not a word more on the subject would he say, so, of course, I couldn’t offer any suggestions." "It is nearly high-water springs," observed the sub. "That means that we could get her sufficiently high for the falling tide to leave her stranded. Hulloa! What’s that?" A sudden commotion at less than a cable’s length on the "Investigator’s" starboard bow showed that some large moving object had been held up in the stout meshes of the net. Myriads of air-bubbles rose to the surface, causing a considerable patch of broken water on the otherwise smooth sea. A light-draught picquet boat, with two heavy grapnels made ready to lower, dashed over the submerged net. The iron hooks fell with a dull splash. "Holding, sir!" shouted the midshipman in charge of the picquet-boat. "Good! Belay there!" replied Captain Tarfag. "Drop the second grapnel, and I will send a boat to bring the rope aboard." The working parties ashore desisted in their efforts. All the power at their command could not bring the nets home another fathom. Held by the submarine, that in turn was tenaciously anchored to the bottom of the bay, they absolutely refused to be hauled in. A sounding gave a depth of seven and a half fathoms. "Mr. Hythe," shouted the captain. The sub took the bridge-ladder at top speed, and saluting, awaited his chief’s orders.