han twenty mines on board.

One of Dalzell's junior officers, searching the other submarine, found
her to be a mine-layer, too, but with only two mines on board. This
second craft, also, had been pierced through the hull in such fashion
that there had been no chance for her to escape by submerging.

On each craft forward a crane had been set up, and still stood. Dan
Dalzell's report, when made, shed a good deal of light on German methods.

The "Reed" had been barely drifting when two submarines had come up
within two miles of the destroyer. It was the noise of erecting the
cranes that had warned Dalzell's watch officer of their presence there on
the dark sea.

Suddenly, through night glasses, Dan, who had been called to the bridge,
discovered what was taking place. On the quiet waters of this night the
two craft had managed to get near enough to each other to attempt to
transfer mines from one to the other.

Then it was that the "Reed" had opened fire with her guns, had turned on
her searchlight and had rushed in.

As soon as the German commanders found their boats punctured into
helplessness they had signalled their surrender.

"But I was glad indeed when I saw you bearing down on us," Dan announced,
when he visited his chum a little later. "The enemy had surrendered, but
I know enough of German treachery to realize that they might let me drive
in close and then try to torpedo me. I needn't have worried, but of
course I could not afford to take chances."

Sending for Boatswain's Mate Runkle, Dave inquired:

"Do you speak German?"

"I know about six words, sir; not as many as eight."

"Then you are the man for the job, Runkle. Go down among the prisoners
that have been sent on board, the seamen, I mean, not the officers. Act
as though you were there on duty, but not very busy. Use your six words
of German and make English do for the rest. The German sailors won't
understand you, unless some of them speak English. That will be all the
better, for as soon as you discover that some of the men don't know what
you are saying you will be able to judge which of those who speak no
English are the most stupid, or the most likely to talk and tell us the
truth. Spot three or four of these stupid ones, and then bring one of
them here to the chart-room."

"Now, what on earth does the 'Old Man' want?" wondered Runkle, as he
started away on this errand. "But never mind. Even if I can't guess what
he wants it's a cinch th