“Did they try anything rough on you?” put in Jack.

“No,” continued Ted, “they were so thankful to be in that boat instead of floundering in the sea they didn’t care much about anything else.  When we told them our vessel was somewhere close by they wouldn’t believe it until we showed them the faint streaks of light from the Dewey through the fog.  Then Bill Witt told them they would stand a better chance for their lives if they got in touch with the American submarine.  They parleyed a while over that and finally decided they would take Bill’s tip.  That’s how we got up within range of you fellows and got back here again.  We might have floated around all night and been picked up in the morning and then again we might not.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back again, chum,” added Jack with an affectionate hug.  He now hurried back to the conning tower to be within call of his commanders.  The Dewey was headed due east; running on the surface, with her boatload of prisoners trailing behind.

Two hours’ running brought the Dewey within the ten-mile zone of the Dutch coast, and suddenly she ran into the hail of a huge brigantine that appeared to be becalmed.  She lay quiet in the water without a tangible sign of life except her binnacle lights.

Watchful against any deception, McClure ordered the gun crews on deck and the “Twins” ready for action.  Then he challenged the sailing craft.

The answer came in German.  Likely the watch thought his vessel had been approached by a U-boat of the Central Powers.  Challenged again in English, the fellow went below and returned in a moment with an English-speaking companion.  Lieutenant McClure briefly made known his desire to turn over the German prisoners.

“But we don’t want them,” came the reply.

Jack and Ted, standing out on deck together, grinned.  This seemed so unlike Dutch hospitality.

“Holland doesn’t seem to be so fond of Germans, does she?” joked Jack.

“Can’t much blame them,” Ted replied soberly.  “They have enough mouths of their own to feed without any more outsiders.”

Lieutenant McClure insisted, however, on putting the Germans aboard the brigantine and finally won out.  The lifeboat went alongside and the Dewey stood by until every Teuton had climbed up the side.

“Auf Wiedersehen and thank you, sir,” called the German officer as the Dewey backed away and turned her nose out to sea again.

The days that followed were crowded with colorful incidents for the band of Americans aboard the gallant little submarine.  With the arrival of Uncle Sam’s submarines in the North Sea and their active participation in the warfare against the Imperial German Navy the forages of the cruiser and destroyer raiders out of Wilhelmshaven and other German ports were decreasing in number.