en. Some stood guard at the hatches with weapons
held ready, while an officer and the others of the crew went below for a
hurried trip of inspection, searching them diligently for "booby traps,"
and other signs of treachery.

This necessitated a slowing down in the speed of the German craft, but at
length the work was accomplished and Frank and his men, and all others
belonging aboard the Essex, returned to their ship.

"All serene, Jack," Frank reported.

"Very well, I shall so inform the admiral."

He scribbled off a brief message, which he sent to the radio room.

Now, with the submarines well along the line, the British fleet began to
move--escorting the U-Boats toward Harwich. The fleet would return the
next day to receive the surrender of the larger enemy war vessels, but
to-day it meant to make sure that the submarines were taken safely to
port.

There was one brief halt while the German admiral in command of the
flotilla went aboard Admiral Tyrwhitt's flagship to make formal surrender
of the submarines. He was accompanied by two members of his staff.

Admiral Tyrwhitt received him on the bridge. There were tears in the eyes
of the German admiral as he said:

"Sir, I surrender to you this submarine fleet of the Imperial German
navy."

He extended his sword.

Admiral Tyrwhitt waved back the sword and accepted the surrender in a few
brief words. The German admiral turned on his heel and walked to the rail.
There one of his officers held out his hand to a British lieutenant who
was nearby.

The latter refused it, and the German turned away muttering to himself in
his native tongue. The German admiral and his officers returned to the
destroyer, and the march of the fleets continued.

It was a procession of broken German hopes--in the van, a destroyer of the
unbeaten navy; behind, the cruel pirate craft that were to subjugate the
sea. Each of the allied warships turned, and keeping a careful lookout,
steamed toward Harwich.

As the Essex passed one of the largest submarines, which carried two 5.9
guns, Frank counted forty-three officers and men on her deck. The craft
was at least three hundred feet long.

"By George! Isn't she a whopper?" exclaimed the lad.

Jack nodded.

"She is indeed. The largest submarine I ever saw."

Near the Shipwash lightship, three large British seaplanes appeared
overhead. They were followed by a single airship. The sight of the Harwich
forces, which soon appeared in th