"What are you going to do with us?" questioned the elder of the two.
"Oh, you'll be all right!" he was told. "You are prisoners; but that doesn't mean that you will be ill-treated."
"Prisoners?"
"Yes. You don't imagine that we are going to let you go back to Germany, do you? Not after what you did last night. You came across to England to pay us a visit; why should you hurry away? We'll show you what it's like to live in a civilised country."
An escort of armed bluejackets had been drawn up on the quay. The two prisoners were conducted to the base, where they were questioned briefly before being given the honours of war and taken to the hotel. After they had had a good dinner they were sent, still under escort, by a special train, to a destination far removed from the unfriendly sea.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE WAY TO CALAIS.
Darby Catchpole was with Mark Redisham now for a particular reason. He had lately joined the Royal Naval Reserve, and had been appointed a signal-boy for duty on one of the mine-sweepers. In order that he might gain some experience of the work, however, he was to go for a preliminary trip with Commodore Snowling on the Dainty, which was to steam out to sea at sundown.
"I only hope we shall be going somewhere in sight of our Dreadnoughts," he said to Mark, while they waited on the wharf for the skipper. "I should love to see a naval action."
"Not much chance of that," Mark told him. "We shall not see an enemy ship of any sort—except possibly a submarine. I dare say we shall only be on ordinary patrol duty, steaming to and fro along the coasts like soldiers on sentry-go. It isn't always exciting. We don't have an adventure every trip, unless you call it an adventure to have a green sea come over you, or to have your clothes frozen like iron plates on your back. Sometimes it's exceedingly uncomfortable and monotonous. I hope you've brought some books to read. Your kit bag looks pretty full."