e per cent. of everything," Darrin
urged, his jaws set. "Danny-boy, I feel as badly as you do when a single
innocent life is lost in the area that we are held responsible for."

"How soon do you put for sea?" Dalzell asked.

"As soon as our boats return and are hoisted on board."

Darrin was as good as his word. Twenty-one minutes later, while dawn was
still invisible, the two Yankee destroyers turned seaward again. There
was more work, and sterner, for them to do, and it lurked just beyond!

CHAPTER V

EYES THAT LOOKED DOWN FROM THE AIR

DAWN found the two destroyers cruising slowly northward, a little more
than a mile apart.

Within sight of the bridges of the two craft were eight small, snub-nosed
mine-sweepers. Frequently changing their course, these little craft were
doing their utmost to pick up any mine that may have been planted just
far enough under water to be struck below the water line by passing
vessels.

"I suppose we're of the few who have ever seen the flash of an exploding
floating mine," Dave remarked to Lieutenant Fernald. "The sea was so
rough and choppy, last night, that the mine, at the instant of impact,
happened to be in the trough of the sea and partly above water."

"Yes," nodded Fernald. "Had the waves been longer, the mine would have
sunk to its usual depth. Had it not cost lives and a good ship, it would
have been a sight worth seeing. As it was, since the lives and the ship
had to be lost, I am glad that I was there to see it."

It was broad daylight now. Red streaks off in the east indicated that the
sun would soon appear. But from the southwest something of at least equal
interest appeared in the sky.

At the lookout's call Fernald turned to study the object in the sky
through his glass.

"It's an airship, a dirigible," announced the executive officer.

"If an English dirigible, then it's all right," Dave nodded. "But, if it
happens to be a German Zeppelin returning from a raid over England, then
it will become our solemn duty to get the anti-aircraft gun in position
and pray for a chance to take a fair shot."

"It's a craft of the smaller English dirigible pattern," Fernald
announced, still studying the distant speck in the sky, which, of course,
looked much larger in the field of his glass. "Yes, it's an unmistakable
'blimp'."

This latter is the slang name given to the British dirigibles.

"Better have the air-craft gun men at their station," advised Dave, an