ing at the hotel. Well, here goes. I'm turning
in."

Ten minutes later both midshipmen were fast asleep. They had no middle
watch to keep, and as for Zeppelins, they were merely a passing show.

At daylight Vernon was awakened by something licking his face. The
pup, having shown his contempt for bandages by biting them to ribbons,
was standing on his hind legs and licking his benefactor's nose, while
his tail was wagging with the rapidity of the flag of an expert
signaller. The hardy little animal had made light of his wound.

Having dressed, the midshipman made enquiries of the waiter, but
without satisfactory results. No one in the hotel had a dog.

"I'll report him to the police," decided Vernon. "Ten to one the owner
won't claim him. At any rate I'll stick to him. He's awfully fond of
me already."

After breakfast Vernon sent the obliging waiter to purchase a collar,
for the sheep-dog was wearing none. Sticking closely to Vernon's
heels, the pup followed his new master to the police station, where an
inspector took down a number of particulars.

"Very good, sir; that's all I want. I don't fancy you'll hear any more
about it."

"What are you going to call him?" asked Ross, as the chums were seated
in a first-class carriage, with the dog at Vernon's feet, on their way
to Cornwall.

"Zepp," replied Vernon promptly.

"Not patriotic," objected Ross with a laugh.

"I think so," rejoined his chum.

"Why?"

"Because, like last night's Zeppelin, he turned tail when he had a
shrapnel bullet in his stern."

"That's all very well," said Ross, "but you can't explain all that to
everyone. Why not call him Shrapnel?"

"All right. 'Shrap' for short," agreed Vernon. "Good boy, Shrap! Wag
your tail, you little rascal."

And Shrap obeyed promptly. Evidently the choice of a name reminiscent
of bodily injury troubled him not one jot.

CHAPTER XXV

Off the Belgian Coast

"A chance of seeing something exciting at last!" exclaimed Ross. "Of
course we've not had altogether a dull time, but this ought to be
absolutely 'it'."

Two months had elapsed since the lads saw a hostile air-ship over
London. Now they were about to see what a fleet of heavily armed
British ships could do--not against a practically defenceless town, but
against the strongly fortified German batteries on the Belgian coast.

Trefusis and Haye were on board the _Capella_, lying in the outer
harbour at Dover. It was not t