e two men who guarded him, "and put him
in irons."

When he had gone, the girl raised her eyes to mine. "He is the German
of whom I spoke," she said. "He is Baron von Schoenvorts."

I merely inclined my head. She had loved him! I wondered if in her
heart of hearts she did not love him yet. Immediately I became
insanely jealous. I hated Baron Friedrich von Schoenvorts with such
utter intensity that the emotion thrilled me with a species of
exaltation.

But I didn't have much chance to enjoy my hatred then, for almost
immediately the lookout poked his face over the hatchway and bawled
down that there was smoke on the horizon, dead ahead. Immediately I
went on deck to investigate, and Bradley came with me.

"If she's friendly," he said, "we'll speak her. If she's not, we'll
sink her--eh, captain?"

"Yes, lieutenant," I replied, and it was his turn to smile.

We hoisted the Union Jack and remained on deck, asking Bradley to go
below and assign to each member of the crew his duty, placing one
Englishman with a pistol beside each German.

"Half speed ahead," I commanded.

More rapidly now we closed the distance between ourselves and the
stranger, until I could plainly see the red ensign of the British
merchant marine. My heart swelled with pride at the thought that
presently admiring British tars would be congratulating us upon our
notable capture; and just about then the merchant steamer must have
sighted us, for she veered suddenly toward the north, and a moment
later dense volumes of smoke issued from her funnels. Then, steering a
zigzag course, she fled from us as though we had been the bubonic
plague. I altered the course of the submarine and set off in chase;
but the steamer was faster than we, and soon left us hopelessly astern.

With a rueful smile, I directed that our original course be resumed,
and once again we set off toward merry England. That was three months
ago, and we haven't arrived yet; nor is there any likelihood that we
ever shall.

The steamer we had just sighted must have wirelessed a warning, for it
wasn't half an hour before we saw more smoke on the horizon, and this
time the vessel flew the white ensign of the Royal Navy and carried
guns. She didn't veer to the north or anywhere else, but bore down on
us rapidly. I was just preparing to signal her, when a flame flashed
from her bows, and an instant later the water in front of us was thrown
high by the explosion of a shell.