board one of these boats," I announced. "Find
something to take us off."

The man whom I had engaged originally, taking on himself the part of
mate, repeated my directions. A large whale-boat was found tied up in
a convenient spot beside the wharf.

We all got in, and I took the tiller. The mate, who answered to the
Russian name of Orloff, though the only language I heard him speak
was German, said nothing till I brought the whale-boat alongside of
the nearest submarine.

"I beg pardon, Captain, but I have a fancy that the boat at the far
end is in better trim, if you have no choice."

"Why didn't you tell me so at once?" I returned sharply, not too well
pleased to find him so well informed.

We boarded the submarine pointed out, and found it, of course,
provided with everything necessary for an immediate departure,
including provisions for a week.

"You understand the navigation of the Canal, I suppose?" I inquired
of Orloff.

"I do, sir."

"Very good. Take the boat through. And ascertain all that you can
about another submarine which must have passed through yesterday.
Wake me if you hear or see anything."

I lay down in the captain's berth and tried to sleep. But the
excitement and, I may say, the romantic interest of the adventure
proved too strong for me.

I rose again, and came to where my deputy was seated, carefully
conning the boat out of the dockyard basin into the Baltic end of the
great Canal.

We were already submerged, only the tip of our conning staff being
out of the water. But by an ingenious system of tiny mirrors the
steersman was able to see his way as plainly as if he had been on
deck above the surface.

On approaching the lock by which the basin opened into the Canal, no
signal appeared to be given. Silently, as if of their own accord, the
huge sluices opened and shut, and we glided out into the great
waterway which has made the German Navy independent of Danish
good-will.

The voyage along the Kiel Canal in the silence of the night was
deeply interesting, and were I not obliged to restrict myself
severely to the naked outline of such facts as bear directly on the
catastrophe, I should like to attempt a description of the weird and
picturesque scene.

Keeping steadily just under the surface, we proceeded swiftly past
ports and villages and lonely wharves, till the stars paled and
disappeared and a faint flush overspreading the sky in front warned
us that day was breaking behi