he seas as they
rose up ahead, giving directions to the man at the wheel, and all the
while keeping a watchful eye on the distant blur of foam covering the
treacherous shoals.

Few except sailormen can realise the dangers and anxieties of navigation
in times of war. The absence not only of the warning lights which in
days of peace flash their signals far out over the seas, marking the
innumerable dangers which lie along treacherous coasts, but also of
warships and merchantmen rushing through the night with not even the
flicker from a port-hole to denote their coming--perhaps at a speed of
nearly three-quarters of a mile a minute; a second's indecision on the
part of the brain and nerve directing each ship, a momentary
forgetfulness of that elusive "right thing to do"--some second danger to
attract a flash of attention from the first--even a blinding cloud of
spray at the psychological moment and, well, two more ships have gone,
with perhaps hundreds of lives. Yet these things but seldom happened,
and the reason was that all that tireless energy, skill and nerve could
do was done on the sea in those years of storm and stress.

Some two hours later, and just before dawn broke over the tumbling sea,
an exceptionally heavy wave struck the trawler full on the port-bow. The
hammer-like blows of the water as it poured on board and struck the base
of the wheel-house and superstructure momentarily drowned all other
sound. When the air had cleared of flying spume a big black hull loomed
out of the darkness ahead and seemed suddenly to grow to an immense
size, towering high above the trawler's forecastle-head. A blast on the
whistle, a sharp order and the trawler swung off to starboard, with the
great black mass perilously near. It was a close shave, and the watch
held their breath while waiting for the crash and shock which for a
brief second seemed inevitable.

There was no time for action or signal. The great ship slid past like
some black phantom framed in the white of flying scud. It faded into the
misty darkness of sea and sky almost as quickly as it had appeared, and,
curiously, no sound of throbbing engines accompanied its passage.

It took the captain of the patrol but a minute to make up his mind what
to do. He gave a quick order to the helmsman and a warning shout to the
watch below on deck. The little ship, as she came about, lurched into
the trough of a sea and rose shivering from end to end. The next moment
an av