Some of the crew were seen ing been struck by 79 proswimming away, and were jeotiles in that short, fierce, pioked up by the two colliers close-ranged action, there was whioh had watched the action nothing to do but to clear (one of which was the Ber. out, with all the 16 knots wind, before mentioned).

of which she was still capWhen the action began, the able. Luokily, she was not Carmania intercepted a wire- overhauled, and got safely less message, en clair, from her away. opponent, made to her (not This conclusion to the action distant) supporting cruiser, made it quite obvious to every “I am in aotion with a half- one that "half-cruisers" must oruiser." Later

on,

there in future never move about went out-"Aotion over. I unless supported by the Real am giving up." On which Artiole. Had

Had the German the cruiser unkindly inquired, oruiser been actually with her "Why are you giving up?" merobant cruiser 'when the But answer there came pone! Carmania appeared on the At that moment the Cap soene, there must have been Trafalgar was cooling her & quite different ending to red-hot sides, 88 she eddied the affair. On the other hand, down into the 3000-fathom if the Carmania had been sopabysses of that part of the ported by a real fighting ship, Atlantio.

our Tra. she need not have cleared out falgar again, name, and all! in that andignified fashion, but

Jast as the last wireless could have stayed to watch the message was intercepted, there German cruiser being bagged, was seen by the Carmania, on and perhaps herself put in the horizon, the smoke of the a word or two as well. AOGerman oruiser-not a "halb- cordingly, the order

wont krouzer” – steaming for all forth at once; the banns were she was worth to the resoue- oalled ; and presently each too late !

armed merchant lady of our Oar armed merchantman squadron found herself wedwas no matoh for her, at any ded, for better, for worse, to time; and now, with 304 holes . fighting mate. We were

, , in her hall, the result of hav- thankful, indeed!

It was

II.

The holding ap of ocean best be compared with that of traffio for searoh was the most a policeman who had been ostensible of our daties. It is given “London " as an address axiomatio that oraiser work for the apprehension of a cannot be effeotive without criminal. Only the ocean is a Intelligence : and until this bit wider, and more vague. branoh of our service became At first, whatever Intelliorganised, our position could genoe agencies existed for

re

sending to us information before we asked, and were from South Amerioa seemed splendidly helpful; we soon all to be in a condition of found the value of keeping in dumb rabies — or rather of as olose a touob with them as dumbness, with rabid inter- neutrality laws permitted vals.

Long silences were They had a good deal to oonvariegated by bursts of frantic tend against ashore : it yappings and snappings. The quired both pluok and taot damb phase was bad enough, to give us the assistance we as it left everything, with us, needed. The already large to pure ohance; but the active enemy sediment, deposited in period was really much more the islands during peace time, troublesome to contend with. had been considerably aug

Koowing their dove - like mented since war began by innocence from guile, the the numbers of offi oers and clever German provocateurs crews of the sheltering and abroad easily communicated to interned ships-many of them our agents such serpent-poison, trained Intelligenoe men. They that we received thereby, played off against us some quite periodically, the most insistent skilfully conceived "belligerent and anoeasing warnings oon- acts,” through the medium of cerning the importance of in- their rather unwilling bat teroepting ships which never terrorised neutral hosts. The esiled, and of seizing from use of neutral wireless stations them persons or documents may be oited as an interesting that went to Germany by instance of these activities. quito other means. Coal by

There was, near Las Palmas the ton, sleep by the hour, (Gran Canaria), a powerful anxiety and eyesight without radio-station, capable of send. measure, were wasted by these ing a message, on a favourable messages until their real origin night, for about 2000 miles. was discovered. We were all Sixty miles to the westward, pretty green and oredulous, on Teneriffe, there is a second both afloat and ashore, in those installation, slightly more days; bat we lived through powerful. At Cadiz, 800 miles them, and learnt discrimina- distant, there is a third, more tion by degrees, and mutual powerful still; and a fourth support.

In ocean patrol at Madrid. International Law work, the Intelligence ashore ooncerning use of “wireless” and the Intelligence afloat in war time deolares that the must be two halves of the diplomatic agents of bellisame brain, if sane and sound gerents in neutral countries service is to be produced. Each have equal rights in sending must inform the other of its and receiving messages by needs, and of its views. We wireless, in cipher or otherwere luoky, anyway, with our wise.

This

was instantly agents in the islands around seized on by the Germans; us. They "tumbled" to our and oipher messages (no doubt necessities at once, almost giving full partioulars of the

sailings and cargoes of British to preserve our Excellencies
ships) were sent out nightly many years!
from Las Palmas. They pur-

But it could not be left at ported, of course, to be sent to that; and at last we managed the “German” or “Austrian to stimulate the diplomatic inEmbassy, Madrid," and were telleot, by means of telegrams signed "Mittelstrasse,” who of the most "improper" wordwas Austrian consul at Las ing, into realising the breach Palmas. Thus they received of neutrality that was taking their “diplomatio appear- place. This lay, of course, in ance. The messages were re- the fact that while the ability

, peated three times over by to send oipher messages by Las Palmas (to ensure correot wireless was of the highest reception), while Teneriffe and naval importance

naval importance to both Cadiz were both asked to pass belligerents, the Germans the message on, in triplicate, could send them only by one to the other, and thence to means of the Spanish instalMadrid. There was no neces- lations; wbile, as we had sity whatever, it must be gained the command of the understood, for these "pass- seas, and thus could send ings on," as Las Palmas was whatever message we liked fully capable of reaching through our own channels, the Madrid direot, on most nights, permission to us to use the and could always"get" Cadiz; Spanish radio-stations was bat by these means three valueless, powerful stations-Las Palmas, The advantage we had gained Teneriffe, and Cadiz—oach sent over our enemy by force of arms out the message three times, was therefore entirely nullified, at three different times during through this permission to them the night, and on three differ. to use the Spanish radio sysent“wave lengths.” It would tem. Neutrality in the matter indeed be a wonder if the list- had lapsed, and Spain was ening Karlsrühe, 1000 miles aotually giving assistance to away, on the other side of one belligerent against the the Atlantio, did not take in other. one of the nine announce- All this seemed to be fairly ments !

obvious; but the days, and the Representation to the local still more maddening nights, Spanish authorities availed

availed went by, filled with “Mittelnothing. They blandly pointed strasse messages, till more to the unmistakable wording than twenty of them had been of the law in the Hague Con- sent out-and a corresponding vention; and said that our number of British ships bad Consals, too, could use the been despatched from Las Spanish wireless system if Palmas, possibly to their doom. they wished, and in similar

We were

near taking the fashion, Their only desire matter into our own hand, and was to be completely neutral; destroying the Spanish wireand God was again called on less stations, regardless of con

sequenoes, when at last the the matter, and when the afteroonstipation of the diplomatio noon hours of that dry and channel was dispelled, and the blazing day had narrowed down order oame forth from Madrid to the blessed moment of iced that the cipher radio-messages cooktails before dinner, the were to be stopped for both goose-steppers, hoarse and hot, belligerents.

discovered that the hitherto Until that happened, no open door was closed, and the wonder the Germans on shore bar barred against them. thought they had it all their Lochabor no more ! own way. When the report The stopping of the wireless of the first grand coup of their messages by no means ended submarines reached them, the aotivities of these importnamely, the sinking, on Sept- ant outposts of the German ember 22, 1914, "in one red intelligence system in the Atburial blent,” of the Cressy, lantio islands. By one clever Hogue, and Aboukir — their method and another their ecstasy of rejoioing seemed to agents kept in touoh with them to require pablic expres- headquarters at home, and with sion. The Han oolony of Santa their ships abroad-wbile any Cruz, Teneriffe, formed up ao- of them still floated and prooordingly, in column four bably were always made aware deep, at the top of the steep beforehand when any special road leading past the chief re- German naval “stunt sidences, and at the word of being undertaken, i command they goose - stepped Although we did not, per. down the bill into the town, hape, know what each especial shonting “Hoch!" at each step. enterprise was going to be, we Unfortunately for them, they soon got to learn when one was forgot that the foreign club of in hand, through the stories Santa Cruz is really a British quite probable and eiroomolub, although it had received stantial in themselves which in "visiting membership" were made to reach us through considerable number of non- unimpeachable channels. They British residents, inoluding came, chiefly, as reports of Germans. Some debate had sighting of submarines; and already taken place in the another favourite romance took committee since war had been the form of accounts of the declared, as to whether those lighting of signal fires on prowho had suddenly become minent points of different “enemies" should be asked to islands. The positions given, resign; but in the state of in either case, were such as, feeling then prevailing, and in presumably, would carry us, view of the universal opinion and our eyes and activities that the war would soon be generally, away from the soene over, no steps of that sort had where the “gtunt” was to be been taken. The “ hooh- stunted. These dodges had marsch,” however, when it some success at first. By their took place, loft no doubt about means the German steamer

W88

Crefeld managed to slip past to his Government, and that our patrol one dark night, and injudicious sailing.master gave to arrive at Santa Cruz in the ap his profession somewhat early dawn of Ootober 23, 1914. summarily, if unwillingly, for She had on board her the & period sufficiently loog to crews of thirteen British ships, prevent any repetition of undestroyed by the Karlsr ühe off neutral behaviour. South Amerioa, and, acoord- At the same time, it was a ingly, would have been a most mystery to us why Germany satisfactory oapture for us. did not send out submarines

At the same time, and from to our waters earlier than she & similar cause, one of the Ger- did. With all those friends man steamers sheltering at Las posted on so many islands, Palmas made a bolt for it, and there would have been little reached her next "base" (as in diffioulty in supplying them rounders) at Santa Cruz, with with the necessary information out being oaught on the high to "bag" each one of our large seas in between.

and helpless oruisers, whether One of the many "submarine fighting or "merchant.” They goares was put about in the might even have got stores following audacious manner, and provisions, without digA certain neutral steamer, covery, from the more distant southward bound, put into islands. St Vinoent, Cape de Verde We were always expeoting Islands. On arrival, her cap- submarines; and that is partly tain went to the British Con- the reason of our never having sulate and reported, quite been able to remain at anchor gratuitously and deliberately, at night, and only with the that he had been held up by most stringent precautionary & large German submarine measures when coaling in harwhen twenty miles northward bour by day. of Teneriffe; that he had been Our sea-keeping records beboarded and searched, and

searohed, and oame quite Nelsonio in charfinally, allowed to proceed on his acter. The Admiral and staff, journey, having been ordered for example, at one time spent by the German boarding officer 385 consecutive nights under to say nothing to any body way at sea, and each of the about the incident, but felt eruisers under his command it was his duty, &o. The spent periods running into report reached us, as it was four, five, and six months, intended to do, in due course. during whioh they kept at sea It was all entirely untrue, as all day and all night, except was proved without difficulty. when obliged to coal ship. The oaptain had evidently Coaling was arranged to be a been paid to start this "yarn” daylight job; we were always by some German at Santa off and away again before Cruz, where the steamer had sunset. We had no baso nearer called on her way south. The than Gibraltar, & thousand matter was reported officially miles distant, and International