"Avast there!" ordered the sub peremptorily; but it was not until he had planted a truculent Italian a blow on the chest that his command was obeyed, the men cringing and whimpering as they huddled on the bottom-boards.
Others of the "Giuseppe's" crew descended by means of ropes, until the little craft was dangerously overcrowded.
"Enough for one trip, Slogger?" inquired the A.P.
Farrar shook his head.
"No time," he decided promptly. "The others can keep overboard and hang on to the gunwales. We'll double-bank the oars and push her along."
With difficulty restraining the remaining rescued members of the "Giuseppe's" crew from clambering into the now deeply laden boat, the two British officers re-shipped the oars. Aided by several of the less panicky Italians, they rowed the sluggish craft shorewards, her progress greatly impeded by the drag of the men alongside.
The immediate work of rescue completed, the sub began to awake to the grave possibilities of the position. Considering the immense volume of fire it was little short of miraculous that the "Giuseppe" had not already been blown sky-high. Her crew might reach the shore in safety, but the chances of escaping beyond the danger-zone were very remote.
Even as Farrar watched the burning ship, the while straining desperately at the heavy oars, the enveloping pall of smoke was rent by a vivid flash. An ear-splitting detonation followed, while the hitherto calm water of the harbour was lashed with furious waves.
Panic seized upon the "Giuseppe's" crew with redoubled violence. Throwing caution to the winds they dipped the boat's gunwale. A short, crested wave breaking inboard completed the catastrophe, and the next instant the two British officers found themselves "in the ditch" in the midst of a struggling mob of Italian seamen.
Several of the latter could swim, and quickly struck out for the quay, which was now less than fifty yards away. Others grasped the keel of the upturned boat, while the rest clutched their comrades in distress with a vehemence that led to a series of frantic combats in the water.