heave of an
under-running swell, and the rips and overfalls of the tide, mark the
smooth surface of the sea: the light north airs that come and go have no
strength to ruffle the glassy patches. Everything promises well for
speedy progress. The engines are opened out to their utmost capacity.
Already we have drawn ahead of the press of shipping that marked time
with us on the other side of the channel. Our only peer, a large Leyland
liner, has opened out abeam of us and the whirl of black smoke at his
funnel-tip shows that he is prepared to make and keep the pace. 'To
proceed at such a time as to reach 56 deg. 40' North, 11 deg. West, by
nightfall'--is the reading of our new route orders. We shall have need
of the favour of the elements if we are to reel off 200 miles between
now and 10 p.m. Anon, we pass Oversay and the Rhynns of Islay and head
for a horizon that has no blue mountain-line to break the level thread
of it. Our sea-mates of the morning are hull down behind us--the slower
vessels already turning west on the inner arms of the fan formation that
is devised to keep us widely separated in the 'danger area.' Only the
Leyland boat remains with us. We steer on a similar mean course, but the
angles of our independent zigzags make our progress irregular in
company. At times we sheer a mile or more apart, then close perceptibly
to crossing courses. She has perhaps the better speed, but her stoking
is irregular. Drawing ahead for a term, she shows us her broad sternwash
in a flurry of disturbed water; then comes the cleaning of the fires--we
pull up and regain a station on her beam.

So, till afternoon, we keep in company--pressing through the calm seas
at a speed that augurs well for our timely arrival in 11 deg. West. We
sight few vessels. A lone drifter on patrol speaks us and reports no enemy
sighted in the area: an auxiliary cruiser with a destroyer escorting her
passes south on the rim of the landward horizon. A drift of smoke astern
of us hangs in the clear air, then resolves to a fast Cunarder that
speedily overhauls and passes us. As though impressed by the mail-boat's
progress, our sea-mate puts a spurt on and maintains a better speed than
any she has shown since morning. She draws ahead and we are left with
clear water to exercise the cantrips of our zigzag.

An _allo_ is intercepted by the wireless in the dog-watch. (We have
coined a new word to report an enemy submarine in sight, a word that
cannot offer