ness of the
winter nights, the only wonder is that the Huns can't buck up their
nerve to trying for a convoy twice a week instead of twice a year.

"We had escorted the north-bound convoy across to Bergen, and, on the
afternoon of the 16th of October, had picked up the south-bound and
headed back for one of the home ports. Escorting even a squadron of
warships which know how to keep station is no picnic for destroyers, but
with merchantmen it is a dozen times worse. It is bad enough even now,
but a year ago, before these little packets had had much experience, it
was enough to drive a man crazy. Between the faster ships trying to push
on, and the slower ones falling astern, and breakdowns, and the chance
of trickery, it was one continual round of worry from the time we left
Base to our return.

"This time was no exception to the rule, even before the big smash. One
of the Swedes--there were Norwegian and Danish as well as Swedish ships
in the convoy, but we called them all 'Swedes,' probably because it was
shorter and easier to say than Scandinavian--well, one of the Swedes
shifted cargo along about dark of the 16th, with the result that the
slower ships, and this included most of the convoy, lagged back, while
several of the faster ones kept on.

"I don't know whether this was done by order, or whether it just
happened. Anyhow, the _Strongbow_ remained behind with the slower
section, while the _Mary Rose_ pushed on as an escort for the faster. It
was the first lot--the main convoy--that the raiders attacked first, but
just what happened I did not see, for we had drawn a long way ahead of
them in the course of the night.

"When I came up to stand my watch as anti-submarine lookout, on the
after searchlight platform, at four in the morning of the 17th, I
remember that it was cloudy and thick overhead, but with very fair
visibility on the water. We were steaming along comfortably with two
boilers, which gave us a big margin of speed over everything needed to
cut our zigzags round the comparatively slow packets we were escorting.
The sea was rough but almost dead astern, so that it made little
trouble--for the moment, that is. We had enough of it a little later.

"Along toward six o'clock the visibility began to extend as it grew
lighter, but there was no sign of the main convoy when, at exactly
five-fifty, I sighted flashes of light fluttering along the northern
horizon. Although my ears caught no sound but the throb