l strike your ensign and hoist a large white
flag in its place. It will mean scrapping your best tablecloth, mein
herr. With the wind in its present quarter the flag will blow athwart
the battleship's course, so there is no risk of it not being seen. You
and your crew will, of course, form up aft. That will give more colour
to the deception."

"Perhaps it will work," said Kapitan Schwalbe.

"Perhaps? Of course it will," declared von Hoffher sanguinely. "Then
the rest is child's play. Directly the _Tremendous_ slows down--it's
the speed of these battleships that has caused us to miss hitherto--I
will let loose two torpedoes. There will be no bungling, I assure you.
I'll take good care to hit her close to the magazine, and there will be
no opportunity for her to use her quick-firers.

"By the by, I've two English boys on board," said the Kapitan of U75.
In a few words he related the circumstances in which they were made
prisoners. "I suppose they ought to line up on deck with the hands?"

"Certainly," replied von Hoffher, with one of his cold-blooded
sniggers. "It will heighten the illusion. It will do them good to see
what one of our unterseebooten can do. But it is highly important that
there be no survivors from the torpedoed battleship. The ruse is a
grand one, and can be employed over and over again, provided that the
secret does not leak out. After all, I don't think I would bring these
English youths on deck."

"They are safe enough," protested Schwalbe. "If we return to
Wilhelmshaven, they will be locked up in safe custody until the end of
the war. If we do not, then I fancy there will be no survivors from
U75 as well as from the English battleship _Tremendous_."

The two treacherous officers conversed in a similar strain for several
minutes longer. Then came the sound of glasses being clinked as an
accompaniment to a boastful toast. Talking boisterously, the two
officers left the cabin, and presently the lads heard the sound of oars
as von Hoffner was rowed back to his command.

CHAPTER XI

Preparations

"The brutes!" ejaculated Vernon savagely. He was violently excited.
Perspiration was pouring off his face at the thought of the almost
unparalleled act of wanton treachery that was about to be enacted. "If
we could only prevent them!"

"I can't see how," rejoined Ross gloomily. "We cannot give an alarm.
If we could control the valves for half a minute, I'd sink this blessed