As soon as he had received and signed the typed report in duplicate, and had taken steps to forward them, Darrin and Belle went ashore.
At ten o'clock that evening Dan Dalzell joined them.
"How was the hunting, Danny Grin?" Dave inquired, jovially.
"May I speak of such awful subjects before Mrs. Darrin?" Dan asked.
"I am sure you may, and do not delay gratifying my curiosity," Belle put in.
"Well, then," murmured Dalzell, delightedly, "all I can say is that the hunting proved wonderfully good. With the indispensable aid of the dirigible I located four submarines headed for this coast, and sank them all. I believe that each of the submarines was carrying a cargo of mines to enemy submarine mine-layers off this coast. Do you call that a day of good sport?"
"For every one but the Germans," Dave nodded, beamingly.
But Dan glanced at Belle to see how she took such joyous comments on the sudden deaths of enemies.
"I could feel sorry for the people of some nations, if we were at war with them," Belle Darrin stated, calmly. "But when I hear of the deaths of German submarine officers and sailors I feel a sense of relief at the thought that more of the loathsome beasts have been removed from a decent world."
Dan, too, and the other officers and the crew of the "Reed" were granted several days in port. In fact, there was no need of their services in the same line for some time to come, for a temporary but effective stop had been put to German mine-laying in the North Sea and the Channel.
