Approaching rapidly, came the line of pale-grey Hun battle-cruisers, led by the British light cruiser _Cardiff_. As far as could be seen, they flew no ensigns. Either in fear or in shame they hesitated to hoist the dishonoured Black Cross--the battle-cruisers had figured prominently in the raid on Scarboro' and Hartlepool, and the Huns were far from comfortable at the thought of their reception. The German vessels had rigorously carried out the conditions of surrender. Their guns were trained fore and aft. The slightest deviation from that position would invite a veritable tornado of shells into the vitals of any ship that disregarded that command. Their own supply of ammunition had been left ashore, together with the war-heads of their torpedoes. The huge warships were like pythons with their poisonous fangs removed--formidable in appearance yet powerless to do harm. From the British flagship a string of bunting streamed in the wind. With mathematical precision the two parallel columns turned sixteen degrees in succession, so that the head of each line was parallel to and on the same course as the leading German vessel. Simultaneously the Huns hoisted their colours. Surrounded by a galaxy of White Ensigns, the Black Cross fleet was being shepherded into captivity, while the British battle-cruisers, led by the _Lion_, formed a supplementary column betwixt the Hun vessels and the British battleships following the mighty _Queen Elizabeth_. The "Cat Squadron" had been within sight and within range of the German battle-cruisers on more than one previous occasion, but for the first time since the outbreak of war the former were almost within hailing distance of the hitherto elusive but much-sought-after _Seidlitz, Derfflinger, Moltke_, and _Von der Tann_. And so into the Firth of Forth passed the Hun Armada on the first stage of the final journey to Scapa Flow. One signal did the gallant Beatty make. It was brief, peremptory, and left in its exactitude no possibility for doubt. It was sent to Admiral von Reuter, the Commander-in-Chief of the surrendered fleet: "The German Flag is to be hauled down at 15.57 to-day, Thursday, and is not to be hoisted again without permission." Precisely at sunset, the time mentioned in the signal, the Black Cross Ensign fluttered down on every Hun ship--but von Reuter had his tongue in his cheek. It was a fitting climax to the Bloodless Trafalgar of November 21, 1918. CHAPTER XXXII A NAVY IMPOTENT THROUGHOUT the winter and the following spring Kenneth Meredith still carried on at Scapa. Wakefield, too, was temporarily retained, but otherwise the band of R.N.V.R. officers and men of the M.L. patrol was steadily and rapidly diminishing.