Swift as Brown's turn had been , he was too late to take part in the lightning attack .sx Now he ran up behind the advancing line , heading for the wreckage that floated in the midst of a calm made by the huge globules of oil that kept rising to the surface and bursting into large slimy patches .sx CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR .sx THE two seamen stationed at the Lima's engine-room telegraph rang their instruments to half speed ahead in answer to their captain's order .sx Brown gave the revolution indicator a couple of cursory spins and walked to the after rail of the destroyer's bridge .sx Below , near the break of the forecastle , he caught sight of Flint .sx His first lieutenant was not in the best of moods .sx The R.N. commander was well aware that his decision to attempt to pick up the few struggling creatures that they had found among the oil and wreckage had not been a particularly popular one among his crew .sx In view of the determined attack that had already been made on this particular convoy , it was probable that the enemy had got news of its sailing and made a special concentration of U boats for its reception .sx In that event there might be yet another submarine in the offing , and the delay and slight risk entailed in crawling along at dead slow speed even for a few minutes in order to pick up a couple of Germans had seemed infamous to Flint .sx However , Brown had thought otherwise .sx To him the very uncertainty of the strength of the .sx enemy in the locality had made the opportunity of rescuing a prisoner or so worth taking .sx " How many have you down there , Number One ?sx " Flint looked up .sx " An officer and two seamen , sir .sx One of them looks like snuffing it and another is as mad as a hatter .sx " " Which is the best of them ?sx " " The officer .sx His nose is bleeding a bit , but I think he's all right .sx Shall I bring him up ?sx " Brown nodded .sx " Yes , please , " the captain considered .sx " I'll see him in a couple of minutes .sx Better have him up in the chartroom .sx Can he speak English ?sx " Flint shook his head .sx " All I've got out of him is a bit of French .sx " " That will do .sx " Brown turned and walked back to the front of the bridge .sx The convoy followed its course , enwrapt in a screen of smoke from the funnels of the destroyers on the windward flank .sx Astern , listing heavily to port , lay the torpedoed tramp , with a destroyer standing by her .sx Things seemed fairly quiet for the moment .sx He turned to the sub-lieutenant on watch .sx " Get back into station astern , sub .sx , and carry on .sx I want to have a go at this officer before he has time to think .sx " " Aye , aye , sir .sx " Brown , in his heavy sea-boots , clattered down the ladder and entered the chartroom .sx The small room had too little floor space between the desk and settee that ran its entire length to admit of much ceremony .sx The rescued officer , wet and shivering with cold , was sitting on the settee bent forward , his head between his hands .sx Beside him stood the Lima's coxswain .sx Flint was at the doorway and stepped aside for Brown to enter .sx As the destroyer captain came in the German looked up and , staggering to his feet , made an attempt at an unsteady bow .sx Brown noticed that his rank was that of lieutenant .sx The eyes of both men met .sx It was a strange meeting .sx The war had already lasted nearly three years , and yet it was the first occasion for either to be sufficiently near to one of the other side to look him in the face .sx The German muttered something in French that was only half audible .sx Brown motioned him to sit down .sx CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE .sx THE Lima churned and ploughed her way between the convoy columns as she sped forward to report at close quarters to the flotilla leader on ahead .sx As Brown dictated , her searchlight shutter clattered continuously , and messages flashed out to the senior ship , the powerful beam of the arc being plainly visible despite the daylight .sx " one man insane .sx Have you got that , signalman ?sx " " Aye , aye , sir .sx And one man insane .sx " " Note-book found on officer contains sketches , dates and written data .sx Got that ?sx " " Aye , aye , sir .sx And written data .sx " The yeoman of signals tore a leaf from his signal pad and , handing it up to one of his men on the searchlight platform , waited to take down the rest of the message while his subordinates transmitted what he had already written .sx Brown continued .sx " All written matter is in German and , in absence of interpreter , can only surmise sketches to relate to attack formations .sx Got that down ?sx " The signalman read the paragraph , then began writing again as Brown proceeded .sx " Submit , information is of importance , from agitation of officer on being searched .sx To-day's and future dates mentioned .sx Submit " .sx A scream from the galley situated almost immediately below the chartroom in the shelter of the break of the forecastle interrupted the destroyer captain .sx The prisoners had been mustered there for warmth and a change of clothing .sx Brown turned impatiently .sx " Messenger ?sx " A seaman acting as bridge messenger stepped forward and saluted .sx " My compliments to the doctor .sx Tell him I want him on the bridge .sx " " Aye , aye , sir .sx " The sailor bolted down the ladder , and half a minute later the ship's young surgeon probationer scrambled breathlessly on to the bridge .sx Brown turned and addressed him at once .sx " What the hell's wrong with that German sea-man , doc .sx ? I mean the chap who's kicking up all this row ?sx " Surgeon probationers were senior students from the universities who had volunteered for war service before waiting to complete their examinations , and could , therefore , scarcely be expected to possess the knowledge of mental specialists .sx The medical officer passed his hand over his wet and dishevelled hair .sx " It might be a sort of shell shock from the depth charges , sir .sx I can't think of anything else .sx " " Quite .sx " Brown nodded impatiently .sx " Can you do something ?sx " The surgeon " prob .sx " considered .sx " I can give him another injection , sir .sx " " Will that shut him up and make him comfortable ?sx " " It ought to .sx " " Then for God's sake do it .sx I can hardly hear myself talk up here .sx He's rattling everyone in the damned ship .sx " The doctor returned to his wretched patient , shivering and sobbing before the galley fire .sx He was young and unaccustomed to the blatancies of war .sx A signalman jumped down from the searchlight platform and delivered a message that had just come through from the senior escort destroyer .sx A minute later , Flint , seated in the chartroom and munching the remains of his long delayed lunch , was summoned to the bridge .sx Brown greeted him at the top of the ladder .sx " Finished your lunch , Number One ?sx " " What there was of it , yes .sx " The captain laughed .sx " Never mind ; you might be eating one in Devonport by this time to-morrow .sx " Flint's face brightened .sx He looked around and saw that the Lima was in the act of turning .sx " What , are we going back in , sir ?sx " Brown's answer was not quite as optimistic as his expression , still , it gave Flint and everyone else on the wet and trembling bridge reason to feel relieved .sx " We have to get back and stand by that torpedoed steamer until she sinks or help arrives from Falmouth , then we are to leg it back to Devonport with the prisoners .sx " He held up the note-book that had been taken from the German officer .sx " This has done the trick .sx It has to be sent up to the C.-in-C. as soon as we get in .sx " CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX .sx BROWN signalled the destroyer that had been originally detailed to stand by the torpedoed steamer that he had been ordered back to relieve her and , slowing his engines down , closed as near the tramp as he dare in view of the sea that was running and began a leisurely circle around her , inspecting her the while .sx Flint , who had gone aft to his cabin , came up on deck to send a message along to the engine-room , asking them to pump his berth dry , and remained for a while out of curiosity to view the stricken ship from the shelter of the ward-room canopy .sx She was a comparatively small vessel , not more than four thousand tons , travelling in ballast , judging by the height she rode out of the water .sx From the wreckage piled on her fore-deck immediately forward of her saloon , and the rent in her side , well below the water line , but just visible as she rolled and wallowed in the heavy seas , the ex-merchant captain estimated that she had been hit just forward of the bulkhead separating her fore-bunker and number two hold .sx With such a wound it was remarkable that she had survived so long , considering the weather .sx The explosion might well have damaged the bulkhead , and , if that once gave , the flooding of her engine and boiler rooms would only be a matter of seconds .sx Her port lifeboat was swung out-board all ready for lowering , and held with slip lashings to a fender spar to prevent it smashing itself against the davits as the ship rolled .sx Beside it , huddled together in the lee of her engine-room skylight , were the majority of her crew .sx On her bridge could be seen her captain and one or two of her officers .sx The skipper had evidently chosen the lesser of two evils in deciding not to abandon his ship until the last possible moment , for , even with assistance standing by , it was doubtful whether a lifeboat could be got clear in such a gale without serious loss of life , and there was always the faint hope that the wind might ease if the vessel could be kept afloat long enough .sx She was not making any way through the water , but smoke still issued copiously from her funnels and a faint wisp of white mist about her whistle showed that steam was being kept up in her boilers , and the fact that her head continued to stand gamely up to the wind indicated that her propeller was turning slowly .sx What a story those simple observations conveyed to the mind that could read it !sx The " Old Man " on the bridge , his work , his hope struck from under him by a force beyond his .sx control , expecting , with each second , to hear the crash of the bulkhead collapsing and the rush of water from the flooded hold into his engine-room and bunkers ; expecting death , with life in the shape of the Lima not a hundred yards away , but separated by a gulf of scud and swell that would allow neither boats nor men to live in it !sx Knowing all these things , that man had to conjure hope out of despair , weigh every chance , however slight , and seek some advantage even in disadvantage .sx Flint imagined the decisions that must have faced that captain within the past hour .sx The impact of the torpedo , the stern fight for control ; first over self then over any panic that may have arisen ; the determined refusal to allow any suicidal antics with the boats excepting as a last resort of despair ; the consultation with the chief engineer and the mate's report that number two bulkhead appeared to be holding .sx Then the big question , should he " heave to " and save all available steam for the pumps or risk all and try to run for land two hundred miles away ?sx He had made his choice .sx It had been the only sane one , but the making of it had demanded the type of clear head and strong will that marked him down as worthy of his calling .sx The master mariner in command , the brains of his ship , the man upon whose decisions life and death depended , clinging to the bridge that was his heritage , prepared to defend his title , come war or hurricane , to the glory of his kind .sx From the bridge the R.N.R. lieutenant's mind travelled to the steamer's engine- and boiler-rooms .sx The smoke from her funnel and the wisp of steam from her whistle told a tale that could only be described as one of valour in the true and simple sense of that word .sx