“Oh, nonsense,” laughed the British consul. “They stole her back, gentlemen, and when Captain O'Hara found her rolling helplessly and boarded her, she was a shambles. Dead men tell no tales, Mr. Ricks--yet it was impossible for any fair-minded man to doubt the testimony of the dead men aboard your _Narcissus_! Her killed, wounded and prisoners formed a perfect alibi. In the meantime, Mr. Reardon and Captain Murphy are aboard the Panther, receiving medical attention, and will be returned to duty in a few weeks; the _Narcissus_ is proceeding to meet the other ships of our fleet. She will coal them at sea.” “Then you've confiscated her cargo?” Matt Peasley demanded. “We should worry about the cargo if they give us back our vessel,” Cappy Ricks declared happily. “We haven't received our freight money, of course, but by the time I get through with the charterers they'll pay the freight and ask no questions about the coal.” “We confiscated it, Mr. Ricks,” the British consul continued, “for the reason that it was German coal. The supercargo who boarded the vessel at Pernambuco told your captain his people had paid cash for it to the charterers. But we're going to give you back your vessel because we haven't any moral right to keep her, since her owners have committed no breach of international law. The supercargo left fifteen thousand dollars behind him when he jumped overboard, but Captain O'Hara declined to confiscate that. At Captain Murphy's suggestion it will be forwarded to the widow of the man Riggins. Captain O'Hara especially requested that I call upon you and inform you that you have two of the finest Irishmen in the world to thank for your ship.” “Thank you, Mister Consul. By the way, can you reach Captain O'Hara by wireless? If you can, I should be glad to pay for a message if you will send it.” “I shall be delighted indeed.” “Then tell him the Blue Star Navigation Company thanks him for the courtesy of his message, but that it does not agree with his statement that we have two Irishmen to thank for our ship. We think we have three! I know the Irish. The scoundrels never go back on each other in a fight.” The consul laughed. “By the way,” he said, as he took up his hat preparatory to leaving, “your ship is now equipped with wireless--a fine, powerful plant such as they use in the German Navy. The supercargo brought it aboard at Pernambuco.” Matt Peasley, the Yankee, came to life at that. “Has that been confiscated, too?” he queried. “No, captain. However, we have confiscated that German crew of yours--” “Hallelujah!” yelled Cappy Ricks. “--and loaned you a crew of British seamen from the tramp _Surrey Maid_. The _Scharnhorst_ torpedoed her off the coast of Chile, and we found her crew on board one of the German transports when we captured them after the fleet was destroyed. You're all fixed up, from skipper to cabin boy--” “Wireless operator, too?” Matt Peasley cried.