The two boats that had escaped from the wreck had been pulled far away. They were loaded heavily, but were not at the time in any danger. The Colodia, therefore, did not swing her nose in their direction.
Instead, she was speeded into the rapidly thinning smoke cloud which covered the sea astern of the sugar ship. There the German raider was somewhere hiding. It was possible that one of the shells from the destroyer might have done her some damage, or might even have struck the motor launch.
These hopes were doomed to disappointment, however. Five minutes after the Susanne was utterly sunk, the smoke was so dissipated that the lookouts on the destroyer could view the ocean for miles about.
In the distance, and reeling off the knots at most surprising speed, was a steam vessel that could be naught else than the Sea Pigeon. She had picked up her motor launch and escaped. The Colodia might have followed and overhauled her in a long chase; but she could not desert the two boatloads of survivors from the sugar ship here in the middle of the Atlantic.
The radio man was sending queries for help for the survivors of the Susanne; but no ship answered nearer than two hundred miles. It was the first duty of the naval vessel to save the helpless, and she could not fight the German pirates and make these people comfortable, too.
So pursuit was abandoned, much to the dissatisfaction of her crew, and the Colodia swung around and approached the two open boats. These, with their cargoes of human freight, were picked up. Then the destroyer was headed into the north, there to meet a Mediterranean-bound steamship that would take off the Susanne’s castaways and leave the naval vessel free again.
Of course the Navy Boys were vastly interested in the experiences of the people from the sunken ship. Few of her crew, and no passengers, had been lost. When the boilers had blown up two of the firemen were killed and several wounded.
The courageous purser who had refused to tell the Germans the combination of the safe in his office, was the only officer killed. In that safe had been the wealth of several passengers. The raider wanted gold more than anything else.
“Just like the pirates of old, I tell you,” Frenchy said to his chums. “Those old fellows used to make their captives walk the plank. Now these Huns line ’em up and shoot them. I only hope we catch and sink that Sea Pigeon, and every German aboard of her!”
“Look out he doesn’t bite you, fellows,” advised Al. “He’s got hydrophobia.”