rrin put in that night in catching up
with his sleep. He slumbered almost without stirring, for it had been
long since he had enjoyed more than a part of his needed rest at sea.

Officers and men, too, made the most of their opportunity to sleep that
night. Only one officer at a time kept deck watch, and only one engineer
officer down below. The "Grigsby" was ready to put to sea almost on an
instant's notice from the flagship, but no word came.

Fully refreshed, and in the best of condition, Dave Darrin enjoyed a
famously good breakfast the next morning, as did every officer and man on
the destroyer. Still the orders for special duty had not arrived, and
Dave was beginning to chafe under the delay.

"If it were the first of April I might suspect the bluff old admiral were
playing a joke on us," Dave confided to Lieutenant Fernald. "I might
think this was his way of affording us all a chance to get even with our
rest. I am wondering much what the special duty is to be."

"You will know, sir, in the same breath that you are ordered away to that
duty," smiled the executive officer.

"Yes, this is war-time and advance information is very rare," Darrin
admitted.

It was, in fact, nearly eleven o'clock when a man of the deck watch
reported that a boat had put off from the flagship and was apparently
heading for the "Grigsby."

"I'll go out to receive the visitor," said Fernald, rising and leaving
the chart-room.

The boat was, indeed, heading for the destroyer. It soon came alongside,
bringing a staff officer from the admiral. Lieutenant Fernald received
the visitor, conducted him to the chart-room, presented the officer
caller to Dave, then discreetly withdrew.

"The admiral's compliments, Mr. Darrin. He spoke to you yesterday of
special duty of a most important nature. I have the honor to bear his
final instructions."

"Then you are doubly welcome," smiled Dave, "for we have been chafing a
bit, fearing that the admiral's plans might have been changed."

"There has been considerable activity on the part of German submarines in
these waters of late," continued the British naval staff officer. "As a
rule the Huns keep out of the channel, but they have been so active
lately that we fear for the safety of the hospital ship 'Gloucester,'
which is bringing home about two thousand wounded men. It was the
admiral's plan to have you leave port, under full speed, an hour before
the sailing time of the 'Gloucester' from Fr