ys. The
waiting tugs drag the ship from the stage, and she moves slowly
down-stream to dock at the Sandon entrance, there to discharge the
burden of her packed holds. Another huge vessel takes her place, canting
in at the north end, and shortly sending out more men to the already
congested landing. She carries two full battalions, and they are
disembarked with less confusion than the former varied details. Forming
fours, and headed by their own band, they march off up the long
bridgeway to the city streets.

The tide is approaching high water and the pilots are growing anxious
lest they should lose opportunity of docking on the tide. Already the
dock gates are open, and the smaller vessels of the convoy have dropped
out of the river into the basins. With three ships disembarked and a
fourth drawing alongside, the Naval Transport officers decide that they
can handle no more men on the stage, and send the remaining steamers to
land their men in dock. There, with the troops away, an army of dockers
can get to work to unload the store of their carriage from overseas.

[Illustration: 'M N']

CONCLUSION

'M N'

SHIMMERING in gilt sunlit threads, the grey North Sea lay calm and
placid, at peace with the whip of the winds after days of storm and
heavy weather. The sun had come up to peer over a low curtain of vapour
that hung in the east. Past the meridian, the moon stood clear-cut in
the motionless upper sky. The ring of quiet sea accepted the presence of
the waiting ships as of friendly incomers, familiar to the round of the
misty horizon. Two British destroyers, a flotilla of motor-vessels,
drifters--the brown sails of Thames barges appearing, then vanishing, in
the wisps of fickle vapour. A breathless dawn. Sun, the silver moon, the
grey flat sea bearing motionless ships, were witness to the drama--the
giving up of the murder craft, the end of piracy.

Growing out of the mist, a squadron of British light cruisers and their
convoy approached the rendezvous where the destroyers lay in readiness
to take over charge of the German submarines. Two enemy transports under
their commercial flags, headed the line of the water-snakes. Aircraft
circled overhead and turned and returned on the line of progress. The
leading ships swung out on approaching the destroyers and engaged them
by signal. The destroyers weighed anchor and proceeded to carry out
their orders. Each carried a number of officers and men to be placed
ab