"They are not looking for us," whispered the Sub. "They are evidently getting one of the Zeppelins ready for a flight. I hope we won't be disturbed. We may as well have a tour round our limited quarters, to make ourselves acquainted with our hiding place."
"Trust me for that," rejoined Hamerton, "We don't want to electrocute ourselves, or start the turntable spinning round at the rate of knots."
"Like a new form of joy-wheel," added the American. "It would be a bit of a joke to see the soldiers attempting to reach the traphatch with the platform spinning round at twenty miles an hour."
Their eyes were now getting accustomed to the gloom, for there was a fair amount of reflected light that at first was almost unnoticeable after the powerful glare without.
The place of refuge was certainly expansive, but much of the space was taken up with complicated machinery. The turntable itself worked on steel rollers set in a "race", the upper bearing surface consisting of steel skeleton trestles, which in turn supported the revolving platform. Between the latter and the edge of the circular concrete wall was a width of less than eight inches, insufficient to allow a man to crawl through. The only means of gaining the machinery chamber was by the two trapdoors.
"Shall we barricade the hatchways?" asked Detroit.
"No use," replied Hamerton. "It would only arouse suspicion. Then we should either be starved out or run the risk of being potted, for the floor is not proof against rifle fire. No, the best thing we can do is to keep quiet. Should anyone come we must endeavour to dodge behind some of this gear."
"Guess I'm getting precious hungry," remarked the American.
"Now you mention it I begin to have a sinking sensation: a kind of famine and hunger strike rolled into one. But we can't go too strong in the provision line."
Six half-slices of rye bread, two small pieces of cold meat, and about a pound of fish formed the sum total of the commissariat, barely sufficient, even with stringent economy, to last over twenty-four hours.
The food, after reposing in their pockets, was not pleasing to the eye, but adverse circumstances settled all qualms. Both men ate with avidity, though sparingly.
At length daylight gained the mastery over artificial lighting, and the arc lamps were extinguished. With the morning the rain ceased and the wind dropped.