Kapitan von Preugfeld, gasping like a stranded carp, was speechless with exhaustion and astonishment. Up to that moment he had been deceived into believing that the vessel that had effected his rescue was a U-boat. He was still hazy on that point, but there was no shadow of doubt that the crew were British. "Give the blighters a stiff glass of grog and shove them into hot blankets," ordered Morpeth. "I'll see them later and find out how they came to be in the ditch." But von Preugfeld, recovering his speech, was anxious to explain matters at once. The thought paramount in his mind was that of revenge. It mattered not by what motive or through whose agency retribution was accomplished as long as the mutineers were accounted for. "I kapitan am of _Unterseebooten_ 247," he announced in his broken English. "My crew haf mutiny make an' throw me into der zee. Der submarine is dere"--he pointed eastwards--"not von hour an' half gone." "Peculiar bird," thought Morpeth, then--"Good enough, cap'n," he replied. "We'll be on her track. With luck she'll be scrap iron before night." "No, no," protested von Preugfeld. "Do not to der bottom send. Make capture. I tink not dat she can sink." "Won't she," interrupted the R.N.R. officer grimly. "You leave that to us." "He means 'submerge,' I fancy," remarked Wakefield. "Ach! Dat is so. She submerge cannot make. Take prisoners dose mutineer sailors." "What's he driving at, Wakefield?" inquired Morpeth. "Hanged if I can cotton on to the yarn." "He apparently wants to get his own back," suggested Wakefield. "A true type of the egotistical, arrogant Prussian. D'ye notice he never referred to his fellow victim of the mutiny. Perhaps they got what they jolly well deserved." "No business of mine," quoth the R.N.R. man. "Sinking Fritzes is my job. Take that fellow below, Walters." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the fore hatchway, whither von Loringhoven had already been escorted; but von Preugfeld had another card to play. "Englisch officers der are on board der submarine," he declared. "Four officers prisoners--nein, it is three," and he held up three fingers to emphasise the fact. Except to serve his own ends, von Preugfeld would not have mentioned the fact. It mattered nothing to him whether the prisoners were sent to the bottom inside the hull of the U-boat if she were destroyed by the British craft; but as a lever to influence Morpeth's decision, in order to enable von Preugfeld to take vengeance on the mutineers at some distant date, the Prussian blurted out the disconcerting news.