ing the ship. A signal
had been arranged in the event of treachery, and the _Curlew_, with her
guns _and wireless_, would prove a dangerous antagonist.

All was well, however, for the ship was deserted. A careful inspection
of the cabins showed that the departure of officers and crew had been a
hasty one, but all the ship's papers had been carefully removed. The
forepeak or bow water-tight compartment was full of water, but the
bulk-head had held and kept the vessel afloat. Beyond this no damage
was visible above the water-line and the condition of both hull and
engines was good. She proved to be a Spanish ship, and to make the
mystery deeper her four life-boats were still on the davits, although
swung outboard ready for lowering.

In those troublous days the fact of the life-boats being hoisted out in
readiness for eventualities conveyed little or nothing, but when a
careful search proved that many of the life-belts had gone with the crew
the problem became an interesting one. Had they been taken on to the
deck of a German submarine which had subsequently dived and left them to
drown, as was the case with the crew of a British fishing vessel, or had
they been conveyed as prisoners of war to Germany? Against both of these
surmises was the fact that _all_ the ship's boats remained, and a German
submarine would scarcely be likely to come close alongside even a
neutral ship, especially during the bad weather that had prevailed for
the past few days. Would it remain one of the many mysteries of the
great sea war?

Some few hours later the trawler, with her big "prize"--under her own
steam--entered an eastern naval base and berthed her capture with the
aid of tugs.

* * * * *

The explanation came from headquarters several weeks later. The s.s.
----, of Barcelona, had grounded on the Goodwins about three hours
before she nearly ran down the trawler. Her crew, thinking that she
would rapidly break up in the surf, had fired distress signals and been
taken safely ashore in a life-boat. The rising tide and south-westerly
wind had done the rest, freeing her from the dangerous sands.

CHAPTER XXV

FROM OUT THE CLOUDS AND UNDER-SEAS

IT has already been shown that the science of aerial warfare is closely
allied with that of under-sea fighting. Airships and seaplanes play
important parts in all anti-submarine operations. They make very
efficient patrols and can detect the presence of