e trying to the temper than to be kept waiting for
relief after a bad spell at sea, and but few crimes are more heinous
than to leave the watched area before another patrol takes up the
never-ceasing duties. Therefore, if peace and quietness and an absence
of insulting signals counted for anything, it ill behove any ship in the
day patrol to keep her opposite member of the night guard waiting.

This time the relief was late and the M.L. steamed angrily up and down,
with all eyes strained shorewards. Then the first of the line of armed
trawlers and motor launches crawled out of the harbour in a smother of
black smoke. When barely half-a-mile of sea separated the incoming and
outgoing ships a loud reverberating boom rolled over the sea. So great
was the explosion that the shock of it was felt rather than heard, and a
gigantic column of black smoke, rising over 100 feet into the air,
appeared to engulf the leading unit of the trawler patrol.

Regardless of the danger, the C.O. of the motor launch sent his swift
shallow-draught boat flying over the mine-field into the floating
debris. The only two mangled survivors had, however, been picked up by
the trawler astern of the ill-fated vessel, which had been literally
blown to pieces, nothing remaining afloat when the smoke cleared away
except a signal locker and a few timbers.

[Illustration: A MOTOR LAUNCH OF THE NAVAL PATROL

_Yachting Monthly_

_Photo by Com. Sir A. Lee Guinness_]

More than one of the other vessels, whose engines had been stopped
immediately the explosion occurred, narrowly escaped drifting down with
the tide on to the field of hidden mines, but with the skill and
presence of mind gained by similar experiences in the past both the
trawler unit and the M.L. flotilla were extricated without further loss.

It was evident from the fact that several of the mines were barely
submerged and could be dimly seen from the decks that the work of laying
them had been done hastily under the cover of night, and a sense of keen
sorrow and disappointment pervaded the vessels of the night guard. Once
again climatic conditions had favoured the enemy. In those long winter
hours of impenetrable blackness and driving snow no watch, however
efficient, could be relied upon to prevent such operations from being
occasionally carried out. It was merely the chance of war, but
nevertheless it was felt keenly, and the sense of responsibility was not
dispelled until some weeks la