‘No.  Here comes a boat,’ Ken answered, as the searchlight showed a boat pulling hard towards them.  A couple of minutes later they were hauled aboard, and in a very short time found themselves on the British destroyer ‘Teaser.’

‘Any more of you in the water?’ asked her commander, Lieutenant Carey, a keen, hard-bitten young man of about twenty-eight.

‘No, sir, I think not,’ Ken answered.  ’I believe every one else got off in the boats.’

‘Yes, I don’t think our German friends have much to boast of,’ said the other with a smile.  ’We can build fresh ships all right, and so far as I know they haven’t got a single man.  But you fellows look perished.  Down with you to the engine-room.  Coxswain, get out some lammies for them, and see they have cocoa.’

‘Ay, ay, sir,’ answered the coxswain.

But Ken paused.

‘I have a report to make before I go below, sir.’

The commander looked a little surprised.

’All right.  But quick about it.  You’ll be a hospital case if you stick about in those wet togs much longer.’

Ken wasted no time in telling what he had seen in the bathroom of the
‘Cardigan Castle,’ just before she was sunk.

Commander Carey listened with interest.

‘Who was this fellow?’ he demanded.

’I never saw his face, sir, but by his voice I am pretty sure he was Kemp, a steward.’

’Hm, it was rotten bad management, allowing a fellow like that to be aboard a transport,’ growled Carey.  ’Very well, Carrington, I shall report the matter at once by wireless, and if he is aboard any of the other ships, you may be sure he’ll be attended to.  And I congratulate you on getting out alive.  Now go below and get a warm and a change.  I’ll land you and your friend in Mudros Bay if I can, and if I have other orders I’ll tranship you.’

Feeling very shivery and tired, Ken was escorted below to the genial warmth of the engine-room, where he found Dave already changed, and engaged in putting away a great mugful of hot Navy cocoa.

The coxswain, big Tom Tingle, fished him out a suit of lammies, the warm gray woollen garments which are the regular cold weather wear of the British Navy, and, as soon as he had got into them, put a mug of steaming cocoa into his hands.

[Illustration:  A friendly salute in passing.]

[Illustration:  The landing party at Sari Bair reached the beach covered by the fire of their own guns.]

‘Prime stuff, ain’t it, Ken?’ said Dave, and Ken, as he felt the grateful warmth creeping through his chilled frame, nodded.  Then he and Dave were given a couple of blankets apiece, and with the beat of the powerful engines as a lullaby were soon sleeping soundly.

When they awoke, the gray dawn light was stealing through the hatch overhead, and the smart little ship lay at anchor, rocking peacefully to the lift of a gentle swell.