“Tell your captain to lie to in his present position till further orders,” came the reply.
“Well, I like your nerve,” flashed back Jack, thinking somebody was trying to play a wireless joke on him. “Don’t you know we are carrying the European mails from New York? You stick around where you are and we may bump into you on the way back again.”
“Never mind about that. Obey orders at once,” came back bruskly.
“Say, never mind that comedy,” implored Jack. “I’m busy. Ring off.”
“No trifling there, young man,” was flashed back. “This is the British cruiser Essex. We want to overhaul you.”
“But you can’t stop a mail steamer.”
“In this case we can. War has been declared by England upon Germany and Austria. Lay to or it will be the worse for you.”
A step sounded behind Jack. He turned quickly, thinking it was someone who wanted to send a message, in which case he was anxious to “cut out” the man he thought was playing a senseless joke on him. The newcomer was de Garros.
“Ah, sitting at zee wire, eh? I suppose our always hungry Teutonic friend iz taking ze light lunch somewhere. Ah, any news? I saw you working ze key as I came in.”
“No news since I came on,” said Jack, carelessly. “I was just trying to convince some deep sea joker that he couldn’t fool me.”