"How about Paris?" enquired O'Hara. "To say nothing of Calais. And who commands the sea? You Germans haven't a vessel afloat outside your own territorial waters."
"Vot is dis?" asked the Teuton, pointing to the armed liner. His voice rose to a crescendo of triumph.
O'Hara was temporarily non-plussed. Evidently something was at fault somewhere. How could a large vessel like that evade the strong cordon of British warships?
"You're at the end of your tether, old sport," he said after a brief hesitation. "That ship will be at the bottom before another twenty-four hours."
"You tink so?" almost howled the exasperated German. "You vill see. If she sink, den you sink mit her. Over dere."
O'Hara rejoined his chums. A couple of armed seamen mounted guard over them while the work of investigation and pillage continued.
"We're marked down as hostages," began the Irishman; but one of the seamen, bringing the butt end of his rifle down on the deck within a couple of inches of O'Hara's toes, rendered unnecessary the guttural "Verboten" that accompanied the action.
In silence the three Subs watched the proceedings. Under the orders of their captors the Japanese seamen were compelled to transfer bullion stores from the Nichi Maru into the boats. German seamen brought charges of explosives and placed them below. It was apparent that the destruction of the captured vessel was already decided.
At length all preparations were completed. One of the Nichi Maru's officers, acting under the authority of the ober-leutnant gave the order—first in Japanese and then in English—to abandon the ship.
"Fifteen minutes only are allowed. Boats to be provisioned and manned. No personal property is to be taken. Women and children first."