At last the submarine, quite satisfied, ceased firing.
Then she closed, and Campbell fired two torpedoes, but missed with
both. After this he wirelessed for help. But when British and
American destroyers came tearing up they found him, cool as ever,
arranging for a third "panic-party" to jump overboard and leave him
alone with three men to try one more shot with the only gun left free
by the fire. He failed this time. But two of his men earnt the V.C.
as well as any men have ever earnt it; and his gallant Q herself went
down with colours flying.
The news soon passed round the underworld of "sub-dom"; and the Germans
swore they would never be caught again. So when another sub chased and
shelled an old tub of a sailing ship her commander took good care to
make sure he had not caught another Q. First and second panic parties,
or what he thought were panic parties, did not satisfy him. But at
last, when he had seen the ship's papers and had counted the crew, he
laughed at his own mistake and came close alongside, ordering the boats
away in spite of the skipper's entreaties to be allowed to go back and
get his wife, who was crying her eyes out on deck with her baby in her
arms.
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