t
will give us a better chance to try to find out on which side of her the
pest is operating. Ask her which side."

Promptly the signal flashed out from the blinkers of the "Grigsby."
Plainly the excited skipper of the liner hadn't thought of offering that
important bit of information.

"Starboard side, probably eight hundred yards away," came back the
Dutchman's blinker response.

Dave accordingly ordered the "Grigsby" laid over to starboard and raced
on to place the Yankee ship between the pirate and the intended victim.

Hardly had the course been altered, however, in the roughening sea, when
a dull lurid flash some twelve or fifteen feet high was seen just under
the liner's starboard bow. A cloud of smoke rose, the lower half of which
was promptly washed out by a rising wave.

"That was a mine, no torpedo!" cried Dave, his eyes snapping. "Full speed
ahead, Mr. Fernald, and prepare to clear away our launches. That ship
cannot float long!"

Through the night glass it could be seen that throngs of passengers were
rushing about the deck of the Dutch vessel. Ship's officers were trying
to quell the panic that was quite natural, for the mine, if it were such
a thing, had torn a huge hole in the bow, and the liner was settling by
the head.

Up raced the "Grigsby," the "Reed" arriving less than a minute afterward.
Both destroyers had manned their launches, and these were now lowered and
cleared away.

Even though the passengers appeared to have lost their heads, the Dutch
skipper proved true to his trust. He was lowering his own boats and rafts
as rapidly as he could, and making swift work of getting human beings
away from the stricken ship.

Fully two-score passengers of either sex jumped. Striking the water they
bobbed up again, for they had not neglected their life-belts.

In the hurry one lifeboat was overturned just before it reached the
water. The "Grigsby's" leading launch raced to the spot. Half a dozen
jackies promptly dove over into the icy water to give a hand to
passengers too frightened to realize the importance of getting quickly
away from the sinking liner.

"No more men go overboard," sternly ordered Ensign Andrews, as he saw
more of his men moving to the side of the launch. "Stand by to haul the
rescued aboard!"

All care was needed, for the liner was a big one, and doomed soon to take
her final plunge. The suction effect on small boats would be tremendous,
if they were caught too close to t