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They brought us hot soup and coffee, and then those who were not on duty sat
around and helped me damn the Kaiser and his brood.
As soon as our clothes were dry, they bade us don them, as the chances were
always more than fair in those waters that we should run into trouble with the
enemy, as I was only too well aware. What with the warmth and the feeling of
safety for the girl, and the knowledge that a little rest and food would quickly
overcome the effects of her experiences of the past dismal hours, I was feeling
more content than I had experienced since those three whistle-blasts had
shattered the peace of my world the previous afternoon.
But peace upon the Channel has been but a transitory thing since August, 1914.
It proved itself such that morning, for I had scarce gotten into my dry clothes and
taken the girl's apparel to the captain's cabin when an order was shouted down
into the engine-room for full speed ahead, and an instant later I heard the dull
boom of a gun. In a moment I was up on deck to see an enemy submarine about
two hundred yards off our port bow. She had signaled us to stop, and our
skipper had ignored the order; but now she had her gun trained on us, and the
second shot grazed the cabin, warning the belligerent tug-captain that it was time
to obey. Once again an order went down to the engine-room, and the tug reduced
speed. The U-boat ceased firing and ordered the tug to come about and
approach. Our momentum had carried us a little beyond the enemy craft, but we
were turning now on the arc of a circle that would bring us alongside her. As I
stood watching the maneuver and wondering what was to become of us, I felt
something touch my elbow and turned to see the girl standing at my side. She
looked up into my face with a rueful expression. "They seem bent on our
destruction," she said, "and it looks like the same boat that sunk us yesterday."
"It is," I replied. "I know her well. I helped design her and took her out on her
first run."
The girl drew back from me with a little exclamation of surprise and
disappointment. "I thought you were an American," she said. "I had no idea you
were a--a--"
"
Nor am I," I replied. "Americans have been building submarines for all nations
for many years. I wish, though, that we had gone bankrupt, my father and I,
before ever we turned out that Frankenstein of a thing."
We were approaching the U-boat at half speed now, and I could almost
distinguish the features of the men upon her deck. A sailor stepped to my side
and slipped something hard and cold into my hand. I did not have to look at it to
know that it was a heavy pistol. "Tyke 'er an' use 'er," was all he said.
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