lging
storm-dodgers and faced the howling wind and the stinging spray. It
was greatly to be preferred to being below, cooped up in an atmosphere
which resembled that of an underground scullery on washing-day, with
the odours of petrol and lubricating oil thrown in as extras.

"One thing we've to be thankful for," remarked Barry, "and that is that
it's a sou'wester. It minimizes the chance of being blown up by a
derelict mine."

"How is that?" asked Ross.

"A sou'easter's the brute for that. Brings with it dozens of German
mines that have broken adrift from the Belgian coast. When I was
stationed at Great Yarmouth we had the same game in easterly gales. It
was nothing unusual to find twenty of the brutes lying ashore; and on
several occasions they have exploded on coming into contact with the
rocks, and then, especially at night, everyone thought that the Germans
had at last ventured to risk 'The Day'.

"I remember one that came ashore a few miles from Lowestoft. It was a
whopper, of a different type from the rest. An Engineer officer
brought a dozen young subalterns down to see it and give them an
object-lesson. He talked for the best part of an hour, explaining its
construction, and laying particular stress upon the need of the
greatest caution when handling it. Finally he proceeded to explode it
electrically. The circuit of the battery was tested and found to be in
perfect order, and the wires were then connected with the detonator of
the mine, after the tube containing the fulminate of mercury had been
removed.

"The whole crowd took cover. The circuit was completed, but the mine
didn't budge. They tried three times, and finally came to the
conclusion that the thing was a dud.

"Then a squad of soldiers took pot-shots at it until it was fairly
riddled with bullet holes, but still the blessed thing wouldn't
explode. Eventually it was decided to remove the mine to a laboratory
for examination, and a team of mules was requisitioned to drag it off
the beach.

"One of the mules suddenly took it into his head to be a little bit
premature, for he lashed out, broke away from the traces, and pelted
down the beach. When the brute came to the place where the mine lay,
he found that the tackle which the men had already rove to shift it was
in his way. Possibly the sight of a rope upset him, for he backed and
lashed out with his hind legs--and up went the mine with a terrific
bang. They never found any o