“Part of it sir, part of it,” was the reply. “The rest is to come.”
“What are you going to do now, Mr. Bristow?” asked Mabel.
“Captain Von Blusen, if you please, Miss Ashton,” he said, “I am no longer Henry Bristow, but Captain Friederich Von Blusen, of His Imperial Majesty’s service.”
“And what are you going to do with the ship?” asked Shirley.
“Why, we shall do a little cruising,” was the reply. “We have established a naval base off the coast of Cuba, but we have no ships on this side of the Atlantic. Therefore we must have ships. This is the first.”
“And what are you going to do with us, captain?” asked Mabel.
“Ah, that is the hard part,” was the reply, “but, before starting, we came to a conclusion, though none of the passengers is likely to be pleased. We shall set you adrift in small boats.”
The others staggered back in dismay.
“Impossible,” declared Mr. Willing. “Surely you are not barbarians.”