At noon the Alerte's crew were roused. Preparations were immediately started to disguise the ship. The funnel was given a different coloured coat of paint; the masts, previously light brown with black above the hounds, were painted a uniform shade of dark grey. The bridge and funnel were bodily shifted twenty feet aft, and the position of the ventilating cowls altered. Finally, on both bows and astern the name Alerte was covered by strips of painted cloth bearing the name Cimeterre, and the French tricolour hoisted aft.
"I'm going to put the breeze up a Hun, my lads," he announced. "She's now on her way up-Channel. She's a lump of a boat, but we'll get her. Remember that for this occasion you're Frenchmen. When we board her, keep your mouths shut and let Mr. Pengelly grease his jaw-tackle. He can speak French like a native and German quite enough to make himself understood. I'm not going to hurt Fritz more than I can help. It depends upon himself. If she heaves to, as I expect she'll do, Mr. Pengelly will take half a dozen hands, all armed, and see what's of use to us——"
"Sail on the starboard beam, sir!" shouted the look-out man. "Black hull, white top-hamper, two funnels all yellow."
"That's our pigeon," declared Pengelly; then noticing his partner glare, he hastened to add the previously omitted "sir."
"Very good, Mr. Pengelly," sang out the captain. "Tell off your boat's crew in readiness. Fall in, Q. F. numbers; signalman, stand by and hoist the I. D."
The Alerte and the Cap Hoorn were approaching almost at right angles to each other's course. As the positions of the ships went, the Alerte would bring the German's port side on her starboard bow, in which case, under the "Rules and Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea," the former had to give way.
Nearer and nearer came the huge Norddeutscher-Lloyd vessel, showing the "bone in her jaw" as she flung out a tremendous bow-wave. Unswervingly, both vessels held on. The Cap Hoorn blew a warning blast on her syren.
"Hard-a-starboard!" ordered Captain Cain, at the same time motioning the alert signalman. Round swept the Alerte, until she was on a parallel course to that of her victim. The screens concealing the quick-firer were lowered and the muzzle of the weapon swung round. Simultaneously the signal I. D. (Heave-to, or I will fire into you) was hoisted; followed, without waiting for the Cap Hoorn's reply, by LDA—ZMX (Disconnect your wireless apparatus).
The two vessels were now roughly four hundred yards apart. Through his binoculars, Captain Cain observed with considerable satisfaction that the German officers and men were in a state of panic, while the passengers, guessing that something was amiss but ignorant of the true state of affairs, crowded to the side.
The pirate captain rang for full speed ahead. Almost immediately, the pulsations of the motors increased, and the Alerte quickly attained her maximum speed, equal to that of the Cap Hoorn.