"That I do not doubt," rejoined the officer of the submarine. "But you have two Englishmen on board who have broken their parole——"
"You lie!" interrupted the skipper vehemently.
"Not a word more!" exclaimed the German fiercely. "Heave to, or we sink you!"
Reluctantly the "old man" gave the order to stop the engines. Jan, sliding down the bridge ladder, communicated to the British officers the text of the conversation.
"Some rascal of a German spy has betrayed you," he added. "If I could lay my hands upon him——"
There was a look on the Dutchman's face which showed that his anger was genuine.
"All right, Jan," said the Flight-Sub. "It's the fortune of war."
"Deucedly rotten morning," remarked Sub-lieutenant Fox as he greeted the officer of the watch, whom he was about to relieve.
Eccles, the Lieutenant, who had been on the Capella's bridge for four long and dreary hours, merely nodded sleepily. He was thinking, with feelings of satisfaction, of the hot coffee and fragrant bacon and eggs awaiting him below. Three minutes had to elapse before eight bells. Wearily he rubbed his salt-rimmed eyelids with a heavily gloved hand.