or a bit of
his miserable money!"

"They won't do it again, sir!" uttered Burton, grimly.

"Mr. Burton, you will remain aboard as prize officer, and take the 'Olga'
into the nearest British port and turn her over to the British Admiralty
authorities. On receiving competent orders you will rejoin."

"Very good, sir."

"And now we'll hurry above and try to get hold of this ship's papers
before any rascal has a chance to destroy them."

Boatswain's Mate Runkle had kept the officers and crew of the "Olga"
under such close guard that they were unable to get at their papers,
which were quickly found by Darrin in the cabin to which he had first
been invited on boarding the "Olga."

Out on deck, herded forward, were master and mate, seamen, engineers and
stokers, a motley-looking outfit of twenty-one men all told.

"Bring that fellow here," Dave directed, coming on deck after having
examined the ship's papers and then turning them over to Ensign Burton.

The master, purple-faced and ugly-looking, his eyes cast down, was
brought before Darrin.

"Well, sir," announced Dave Darrin, eyeing the man grimly, "we have seen
the cargo you have on board, and we have been able to judge the character
of the cargo that you have dropped overboard."

The skipper started, but did not make any reply in words.

"How could you ever bring yourself to commit such villainy?" Darrin
demanded, sternly. "You are not a German?"

"No," assented the other, shifting his weight from his right foot to his
left.

"You are a subject of a neutral country."

"Dot is true," admitted the skipper.

"And yet, for hire, you and your men have been engaged in sowing mines,
and have taken pay from Germany for your crimes."

"Mines? No! Ve do it not any. Ve never any had," declared the skipper.

"Tell that to an Admiralty court-martial," Darrin retorted. "You will
have difficulty in clearing yourself. Fellow, you will find that you and
your men will be charged with piracy, for you have been sowing death and
destruction in the seas. Indeed, there can be no estimating how many
ships you have already helped send to the bottom, no guessing how many
lives your infamous work has cost. And you a neutral! Piracy!"

Skipper, mate and chief engineer turned pale at this significant speech.
The rest of the crew looked on in stolid wonder, for they understood no
word of English.

"Vat? You proof it can't!" quivered the skipper.

"Wait!"

Dave gave Ensign Bur