t, and soon I found myself treading French soil. Our
Scotch labourers were hurried off the vessel, and they vanished with
extraordinary quickness; and this also reminds me that no sooner was our
steamship safe in the harbour than the warships nipped off to England,
and all you could see in a few minutes was a wreath of water and smoke
as they raced homewards.

"The skipper of the passenger craft has seen exciting times. While I
stood on the bridge with him and his first officer, he told me of a
night he won't easily forget. He was running the _Queen_, and going over
empty, having smuggled aboard a staff officer who had missed the other
vessel. It was darkening, and the _Queen_ was about four miles off the
British coast when this skipper saw dark hulls, blanched lines, and
flaming funnels--all showing terrific speed. First, he took the strange
craft to be new French destroyers; but they hailed him in English, and,
of course, for an instant he thought then they were British warships,
when suddenly it dawned on him. 'By God, they're Germans!' he ejaculated
to the staff officer. 'Nip into the cabin, and get those clothes off and
into an oilskin, fast as you like.'

"The army man got it done just in time, for an officer and two men from
one of the German destroyers sprang aboard the _Queen_ after the enemy
warship had bumped the passenger craft. The German demanded the
captain's papers, and was told that everything had been thrown
overboard.

"The Germans were pale, and the pistol in the officer's hand shook
dangerously. The skipper declared that the only papers relating to the
_Queen_ were in his cabin.

"'Get those papers, or I'll blow your head off,' said the German. Below,
the captain moved his hand to his hip pocket to get his keys, the German
started, and put the muzzle of his revolver close to the Britisher's
head. As the captain was unlocking a drawer, the German again became
suspicious, and warned the skipper. The Briton told the German to get
the papers himself, and, finally, the useless document relating to the
_Queen_ was taken from the drawer. It was snatched up and pocketed by
the German officer. Meanwhile, his men had fixed bombs in vital parts
aboard the passenger craft, and the order was given to abandon ship.

"Just before the bang came and the _Queen_ sank, the German decided that
he wanted to take the skipper with him. Fortunately, the captain had
been missed in their tremulous excitement. However, t