“Are you Mr. Jack Hammond of the U.S.S. Dewey?” the officer asked.

Jack replied in the affirmative.

“I am Lieutenant-commander Davis of the U.S.S. Tallahassee,” replied the officer.  “You are the man we came after, and now that we have found you we must get right out of here as quickly as possible.  I should like, however, to congratulate you on your remarkable exploit in getting away from the submarine and signaling so fearlessly for aid.  Furthermore, I congratulate you, too, on capturing this U-boat single-handed.”

Jack blushed and endeavored to stammer his thanks.

Immediately the American landing party prepared to retire.  Deprived of all arms, the German prisoners were turned loose and driven out of the village, with instructions to get away as quickly as possible.  After communicating with the American fleet offshore, reporting the rescue of Hammond and receiving instructions to get aboard ship as quickly as possible, Lieutenant-Commander Davis ordered the destruction of the wireless station.  Likewise the two huge oil tanks at the canal’s edge in which the Germans had stored fuel for their U-boats were fired, along with supply stores and every other thing that might prove of value to the enemy.

Lieutenant-Commander Davis hurried up and asked Jack whether his injury was sufficiently serious to incapacitate him for active service.  When Jack replied that he was capable of performing any desired service, the American officer said: 

“We shall certainly try and take that U-boat along with us.  I am going to detail twenty of my men to the U-boat under command of Lieutenant Bridwell I should like you and Mr. Wainwright to assist Lieutenant Bridwell in getting the U-boat out to sea.  We shall retire overland to our boats on the coast and leave you men to bring out the submarine.”

Forthwith a crew was made up for the U-boat out of the landing party.  Three Germans who still remained cowering within the conning tower of the submarine submitted quietly to capture.  Lieutenant Bridwell decided to make the Germans assist in getting the U-boat out to sea.

“Put one of our men over each of the chaps and tell them to shoot at the first sign of any funny business,” was Bridwell’s order to Jack.  It was found that the U-boat’s fuel tanks had been but recently replenished—–­in fact, the submarine bad been fitted for another cruise and was all ready to put to sea.

Jack found himself acting as executive officer to Lieutenant Bridwell in the operation of the submersible.  Her oil engines were easily set in motion and her steering apparatus; was not unlike that of the Dewey, so the task of navigating the captured prize out to sea seemed not a difficult one.

Lieutenant Bridwell summoned one of the German prisoners before him.

“You understand English?” he asked.

“Yes,” answered the captive Teuton.