"We have cheated you, Englishman!" he exclaimed in a shrill falsetto.
There was a wild rush for the boats. Hastily those in davits were lowered, with the result that one was capsized, while in the confusion a German seaman leapt headlong into the submarine's collapsible boat and overturned it.
To do him credit, the kapitan made no attempt to quit the bridge. Regarding the British officer with a leer of triumph, he waited while the panic-stricken men got clear of the doomed ship.
Meanwhile, having witnessed the swamping of her dinghy, E--had approached with the intention of taking off her boarding-party.
"What's that?" exclaimed Devereux, as, during a temporary lull in the clamour, the sound of a voice appealing for help was borne to his ears. The words were shouted in unmistakable English.
"Someone cooped up down below, sir," declared one of the submarine's crew.
Devereux looked enquiringly at the German skipper of the Kondor. The latter too had heard the shout. The self-assurance and air of contemptuous indifference faded instantly.
"You murderous swine!" ejaculated the sub. "What dirty game have you been up to? Come along down below with me."
The Hun, trembling violently, clung desperately to the bridge rail. The risk of going below and being taken down by the sinking ship was nothing compared with the fear of a just retribution.
It was not a suitable occasion for arguing the point. Devereux, a huge, loose-limbed fellow, was a giant beside the little, podgy Hun.