AGAIN the Alerte hoisted a signal. It was to give the Cap Hoorn permission to proceed.
Steering like a dray, since the destruction of the rudder-head had left her with only her twin screws to manoeuvre with, the German liner forged ahead, turned eight degrees to starboard and shaped a course for the invisible French coast.
The Alerte, without waiting for her prey to disappear from sight, worked up to a speed of eight knots, steering in a northerly direction, or towards the shores of England.
"What happened?" asked Captain Cain.
"Went through the ship's papers," replied the lieutenant. "Found that she's eighteen million marks of specie in her strong-room. Blighters swore they hadn't a key—trust Fritz for bluffing or attempting to bluff. So we had to blow off the lock. Then we had a round-up of the first-class passengers. By smoke! They shelled out like lambs. The proceeds are in that sack"—pointing to a well-filled canvas bag lying against the base of the conning-tower. "It was poor sport relieving a white-livered crowd like that. And the joke of the whole business is that the German skipper thought we were Frenchmen. I told him that war had been declared between France and Germany, and that he was to proceed straight for Cherbourg. Warned him that if he attempted to run for it, or to use his wireless, there'd be considerable trouble. I'd like to see what happens when the Cap Hoorn gives herself up to the naval authorities at Cherbourg."
"Unfortunately—or, perhaps, fortunately—we cannot be present," rejoined Captain Cain; then addressing the quartermaster, he ordered the ship to turn fifteen points to port, or nearly in a reverse direction to the course she had been following.
"Why?" inquired Pengelly. "There'll be half a dozen French torpedo craft on our track. Wouldn't it be wiser to make ourselves scarce?"
"I am keeping the rendezvous in the Chenal du Four," replied the captain. Being in a high good humour, he could afford to be affable to his querulous subordinate. "The news will be wirelessed everywhere within the next few hours that the Cap Hoorn was stopped and plundered by an unknown vessel masquerading as a French government auxiliary craft, which, when last sighted, was steering to the nor'ard. Consequently, every one responsible for hunting us will reason much as you did—that we're off either to the English or Irish coasts. They won't dream of looking for us in the neighbourhood of Ushant. L'audace, Pengelly, toujours l'audace: that's the winning card. All right; carry on. Set the hands to work to remove our disguise. For the next day or so, the Alerte will be the Alerte. I'll interview those fellows we picked up this morning. Tell Marchant to bring one of them to my cabin. I won't see them together."
Captain Cain was on the point of descending the bridge-ladder, when he stopped and exclaimed in a voice loud enough for the watch on deck to hear:
"We'll make a partial division of the coin at one-bell, Mr. Pengelly. Pass the word to the hands."