npleasant names these Englishmen give to their
coasts!"

At that moment the Unter-leutnant, who happened to be at the
conning-tower periscope, reported that a large vessel was bearing down
towards them.

Kapitan Schwalbe hurried to the conning-tower. The object depicted was
that of a modern tank-vessel about four hundred feet in length. She
was low in the water, showing that she was well laden. In place of
masts she had four stumpy poles supporting derricks. Right aft was the
single funnel. The navigation bridge was well for'ard, connected with
another bridge just in front of the funnel by a long slender gangway.

"An oil-tank homeward bound!" exclaimed Kapitan Schwalbe. "Just what
we want to fall in with. All being well, there will be no necessity to
visit either Port Treherne or St. Mena's Island. Ach! When we have
taken what we require we will set fire to the ship, and the English
will have a splendid view of a maritime bonfire."

The crew were ordered to their stations, the ballast tanks "blown", and
U75 rose to the surface instead of "running awash", since the Kapitan
had resolved to stop the tank by gun-fire.

Even then the waves were running so high that the guns' crews were
almost constantly up to their knees in water.

Somewhat to the surprise of the submarine's officers and crew, the
tank-steamer made no attempt to escape. The firing of a shot across
her bows and the display of the black cross ensign were enough to cause
the skipper to reverse her engines.

In less than five minutes, the oil-vessel was rolling in the trough of
the sea and drifting slowly to leeward. Yet it was a somewhat
remarkable circumstance that no attempt was made to lower the red
ensign that was proudly displayed at the stern.

Kapitan Schwalbe, with his intimate knowledge of navigation, knew that
the only way possible to board the prize was to run to leeward of her,
and let the hull of the large vessel serve as a breakwater. He also
knew that the submarine would have to be constantly under way during
the boarding operations, otherwise the tank-vessel, offering
considerable resistance to the wind, would drift down upon U75, whose
leeway was almost unappreciable.

"Send a boat, and lower your accommodation ladder," ordered Kapitan
Schwalbe, who, as the submarine ranged up half a cable's length to
leeward of the tank-vessel, had left the shelter of the conning-tower
and was standing on the platform in its wake.

"A