Although the men try to stop him, and fire at him, the figure disappears into the hold, and no trace of him can be found. Investigation continues. Mechanics are hired to drill holes into the sides of the ship, demonstrating that there are no secret compartments. They even drill into the bottom of the ship, patching the holes with hot lead to prevent the ingress of water. The hollow steel lower masts are investigated as well, and found to be empty. The search looks hopeless until the police inspector discovers a single hair stuck in a nearly invisible metal seam in a hollow mast. A secret door into the mast is discovered and opened. At the bottom of the hollow mast, a secret passage is found, leading down into a shaft that opens into another vessel, made from discarded boilers welded together, suspended below the "Glen Doon". In it is a band of counterfeiters stamping coins; this is the source of the mysterious tapping. The miscreants are apprehended. Larry Chaucer presumably met his death at the hands of the counterfeiters.