precautions instead of heading for catastrophes. But I am wandering from the _Pamir_. When we had emptied out our stuff, the military authorities found it necessary to send a lot of colonials back to Algiers--Arabs and Soudanese who had been in the East almost a year and were dying with the cold. At Salonica there was none but the _Pamir_ ready for the voyage--all the other boats were waiting to be unloaded. So we took on three hundred Africans. They didn’t give much trouble, poor devils, what with their shivering and seasickness. They asked only one thing--to be let alone. All we had to do was to give them bread and water twice a day. They swallowed a little and sicked it up the rest of the time. From Salonica to Algiers we followed the secret route indicated by the French and English Admiralties. Fourgues took it, not for security, but for a joke. “What will you bet, my boy?” he said when he had traced the track on his chart. “Will you make a bet with me?” “I should like to, Skipper, but about what?” “Well, look here! The _Pamir_ is going to follow this highly secret route from Salonica to Algiers. Therefore, the Boches aren’t acquainted with it; therefore, it’s protected against submarines; therefore, we are required to follow it--isn’t that so?” “But I don’t see----” “What will you bet that before we get in the _Pamir_ will either be torpedoed on this route--which we are ordered to follow--or that we pick up the lifeboats of some boat that has been torpedoed? Are you on?” “Before making the bet, I want to know why. For, of course, it is not for nothing that we are sent out on a safe, secret, and protected course.” Fourgues was fairly hugging himself. He wouldn’t explain, but he said: “If I lose, I’ll stand you a box of cigars. If I win, you’ll take two middle watches for me.” “I will, indeed, but why?” “I’ll tell you afterwards.” He wouldn’t give in and there was no explanation, but the old fox was right! Between Malta and Algiers we came upon the lifeboats of the _Mer-Morte_ which had been torpedoed fifteen hours before. We discovered them early, at about half-past six in the morning. I had the watch. Fourgues said to me when he knocked off at four: “Don’t leave the secret route, eh, my boy? At exactly five o’clock turn to the west--you’ll see--at the point I have marked on the chart with a pencil. At that point the secret routes from north, south, east, and west cross each other. It’s a most interesting spot. All boats pass there. We’ll go that way.” I made it just as close as I could. There was a nice little following breeze from the east rolling us about a bit, as we were in ballast. The Africans were vomiting desperately in the corners and we couldn’t see a hundred yards. I had been going due west for almost an hour and a quarter and had just lit a cigarette to keep myself awake, when the lookout at the masthead shouted: “Wreckage two points to starboard!”