FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114  
115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   >>   >|  
ult that quite a choppy sea was met with outside Southampton Water. Like a knife, the sharp cutwater of the _Capella_ cleft the waves, sending up showers of white spray; but such was her speed that, before the wind could carry the spindrift on deck, the swift vessel was beyond the cascade of foam. She hardly felt the motion of the waves; indeed, she was so steady that it was possible to place a pail of water on deck without any of the contents being spilt by the "lift" of the ship. Under the guidance of Noel Fox, the midshipmen made the round of the vessel, the Sub explaining everything to them in detail. Already the lads had taken a great fancy to the Sub, and Fox reciprocated the sentiment. He had a way about him that enabled him to give particulars of the most intricate mechanism without having to resort to dry, parrot-like instruction. By the time he had explained the ingenious devices used to entrap the German unterseebooten, Ross and Vernon felt inclined to marvel how it was they found themselves on board the _Capella_, since only sheer good luck had saved U75 from being doomed during every hour of their brief and involuntary detention. "Yes, we can mop up the German submarines quicker than they can turn them out," said the Sub. "Of course I don't mean to say that a few of them won't get a smack at some of our ships for some time to come; but all the same we are giving them beans. From a strictly professional point of view we would be sorry if Old Turps abandoned his 'effectual' blockade. Our chances of having a high old game with the unterseebooten would be considerably reduced." "There are still some in the English Channel," hazarded Vernon. "Yes, a few; but have you noticed how those fellows fight shy of Dover? They shun it like the plague. It's horribly unhealthy for them. D'ye know why? Perhaps you wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but some months ago the Admiralty issued a 'Notice to Mariners', stating that the Straits of Dover were heavily mined, and that all shipping was to pass through the Downs within three miles of the Kentish coast. "So it's fairly safe to assume that the few stray unterseebooten that are still lurking in the Channel have made the passage round the north coast of Scotland. It's only a matter of time before we bag the lot, I fancy." "And our submarines?" enquired Ross. "Have fewer opportunities since the Hun battleships and cruisers have such a decided
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114  
115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

unterseebooten

 

Vernon

 

German

 

Channel

 

Capella

 
vessel
 

submarines

 

cruisers

 

strictly

 
considerably

chances

 
professional
 

reduced

 

decided

 

abandoned

 

English

 

battleships

 

opportunities

 

blockade

 

giving


effectual

 

heavily

 

shipping

 

Straits

 

Scotland

 

issued

 

Admiralty

 

Notice

 

Mariners

 

stating


assume

 
lurking
 

passage

 

fairly

 

Kentish

 
months
 

plague

 

enquired

 

horribly

 

noticed


fellows

 

unhealthy

 

wouldn

 

Perhaps

 

attention

 

matter

 
hazarded
 

doomed

 

steady

 

motion