o the convoy.
"Increase speed to seventeen knots."

The instructions were promptly carried out as far as the transports
were concerned, but from the _Ponto_ came a signal: "Am doing my
maximum speed. Must drop astern if speed of convoy is not reduced."

"The blighter has got hold of the code all right," remarked Laxdale.
"We'll wait and see the fun. Wonder why we are whacking up speed?"

"The cruiser wants to get the transports out of harm's way, I should
imagine," replied Wilmshurst. "By Jove, it's rummy how news spreads.
The whole mess is coming on deck."

The arrival of the colonel and almost all the other officers in various
"fancy rig" proved the truth of Dudley's remark. Armed with field
glasses, marine-glasses, and telescopes the officers gathered aft,
dividing their attention between the labouring _Ponto_ and the
greyhound _Tompion_.

In about an hour the tramp had dropped astern to the distance of a
little over five miles, but was still maintaining a course parallel to
that of the convoy, while the escorting cruiser was still zig-zagging
across the bows of the leading transports.

Presently the _Tompion_ turned sharply to starboard, steering westward
for quite two miles before she shaped a course exactly opposite to that
of the convoy, signalling the while to the _Ponto_, asking various,
almost commonplace questions regarding her speed and coal-consumption.

It was merely a ruse to lull suspicion. With every gun manned and
torpedoes launched home the cruiser flung about until she was bows on
to the stern of the tramp. Then came the decided mandate: "Heave-to
and send a boat."

Unable to bring more than three guns to bear astern the Hun raider--for
such the so-called _Ponto_ was--ported helm, her speed increasing
rapidly. Almost at the same time a six-inch gun sent a shell
perilously close to the weather side of the cruiser's fore-bridge.

Before the raider could fire a second time three shells struck her
close to the stern-post, literally pulverising the whole of the poop.
The after six-inch gun, which had been concealed under a dummy
deck-house, was blown from its mountings, the heavy weapon crashing
through the shattered decks to the accompaniment of a shower of
splinters and a dense pall of flame-tinged smoke.

It was more than the Huns bargained for. Knowing that the British
cruiser was already aware of the presence of a number of prisoners on
board the raider counted on the _Tompion_ wi