Law forbade us from remain- existed no more, 80 far as ing for more than forty-eight Madeira, Azores, and the Cape hours in the neutral waters of de Verde Islands were conMadeira or the Canary Islands; oerned; for, in Maroh 1916, a facility that could only be Portugal entered the Alliance taken advantage of in order in regular fashion, through to coal and provision suffi- Germany having deolared war ciently to enable the ship to against the Republio, and these reach the nearest port," or in cobweb barriers then became case of distress,

entirely swept away. Bat for any of our ships to At the start of our "holdinghave inoluded "night time" up” career, we still maintained in their stay would have been the more or less polite sealittle short of madness. There manners of peace time if always is no real "port” in any of de haut en bas; but as the war these islands; the anohorages progressed, we gradually got are all completely open road- ruder and ruder, until, at the steads, past which tramp- latter end, flag signals were alsteamers continually stream in most entirely given up in favour both directions, either plodding of the immediate and quite un. out to South America or ham- mistakable message of a shot mering home against the N.E. soross the bows. This, intended trade-wind. The islands lie by the authorities to be used right in the trade-route, and, only as a last resort, was easily on passing, vessels are acous- first in effetiveness -- and in tomed to "make their numbers" economy of time, ooal, and

, and get their orders. Nothing, temper all round. Perhaps the therefore, would have been Prussians are right, occasioneasier than for a “raider," ally, after all, with their doodisguised as of these trine of the rattled gabre ! tramps, to oarry torpedoes and When the

the disguising of men who know how to fire commerce raiders as merobant them, and, passing by at night, yessels—a possibility which

to have “let rip” at the long had already lent piquanoy to broadside of any of our oruisers many a " boarding” expedi. (had one been there) lying tion-became at last a reality, comfortable, but helpless, under methods of extreme oaation

, the shore. While we were coal. had to be adopted. Even at ing we had always a steamboat four miles' distanse there was patrolling up and down outside an excellent chance of being the roadstead. She was fitted torpedoed by an apparently with "wireless " for communi. harmless tramp; and, keeping cation with the ship, and a at that respeotable range (as surprise attaok would have then beoame the careful been diffioalt, though not fashion), messages could be entirely impossible.

delivered only “at the cannon's As a matter of faot, not mouth." Away in those delong afterwards, even the logal solate seas, hundreds of miles restriotion of “neutral waters" from dooks for repairs - and

one

we

on

us

often, even from the Islands the merchant vessel, anxious (if beaching the ship became to proceed on her way. Watchnecessary)—to have caught a ing the proceedings through Tartar would indeed have been our glasses, however, we missed serious.

the cheerful alacrity of return, So, by degrees, and in pro- usual on the receipt of the portion as our "Intelligence" signal to “Allow steamer to got more frequent and reliable, proceed "; and five minutes

gave up boarding, went by before our boarding chance, every stranger we saw boat shoved off, and began to (except certain pet Soandina- pull back to with the vians), and seized upon those "prisoners of war.” On his only concerning which we had return, the Boarding Officer dependable reports. That kept reported that, just as he was us quite sufficiently busy: there stepping down the ladder into were always persons travelling the boat, where his four oapto Europe from South America, tives had already preceded and elsewhere, who were him, one of the steamer's pas“wanted "; and the Boarding sengers, a Dane, who during Officer often had a long and the search had discovered that diffioult job, searching “mani- the Boarding Officer could fests" and passenger - lists; speak his language, oame forparading passengers and orew; ward, and, while apparently also in searohing cabins for merely saying goodbye, told him documents and holds for con- hurriedly in Danish of another traband oargo.

It was not spot in the ship in which to look without its alleviatione.

for Number Five. Two of our On one occasion, we had men were immediately called definite information that five up out of the boat, and direoted Germans were returning from to the fore-part of the apper Angola by a small Portuguese deok, where, under the shelter steamer. (This was in the of a diminutive forecastle, days before Portugal "oame there stood a large dog-kennel. in.”) The vessel was inter- Two tarry pairs of hands, on cepted, and boarded. After & being thrust in at the entrance delay of about half an hour, thereof, seized two recaloitrant the Boarding Officer reported Hun legs, and drew forth their by signal that he could find owner-as it were, & winkle only four, out of the five, from its shell-the fifth and " wanted"

were last of our unwilling guests! absolutely 888ured that five assured

On every coeeding day, were there, so a further search until at last they were safely was ordered. This was carried deposited in the Hanitarium at out; again without result. Gibraltar, our prisoners of war, The Boarding Officer accord- as they marched in file past the ingly was ordered to return saloon entrance on their way to with the four. One Hun, more dinner, looked in at us through or less, was not worth more of the doorless orifice, as we sat at our time—still less the time of our meal; and, on sighting the

men.

We

Captain, each in turn bowed wind, 88 already

28 already she had low: & most embarrassing thamped for many days, on her politeness!

northward journey from “the The oapturing of contraband Plate," a fat Greek steamer, cargo had to be dealt with by carrying between 4000 and quite different, and less satis- 5000 tons of Indian oorn. factory, methods from that We boarded her, and the with contraband passengers, captain, _& Greek,

Greek, speaking who could summarily be re- perfoot English, and holding moved and "jugged.

British sailing - master's Under the new regulations certificate, kindly volunteered forced on us at the outbreak the information that his cargo of war, we would have been had been put on board by a jastified in copying the Ger. German firm in the Argentine, man method in sinking oon- to the order of a German traband cargoes and the ships officer, who had been sent out that carried them; but (in our specially to buy grain for man old-fashioned way) we soorned and beast engaged in the war. this method, and preferred the Farther, this officer had besending in of such ships te a sought the captain, with large British port, ander & prize sums of money (but unavailcrew, for adjudioation scoord- ingly), to allow him to take ing to law We were too passage in the ship as supertrusting, and we should have cargo, in order to keep the done our country & better precious oorn on the straight service in destroying such road. (For there was no oorn cargoes offhand. We did not in Egypt.) then knew that it was pos- The oargo was consigned to sible to override the ancient à bank in Zurich (which is and sacred international regu- about twenty miles from Gerlations, and that those up. many), and was to be landed holders of law and of the at Genoa, at that time "lowfal occasion”- the Prize “neutral port. Court, and the admirals—oonld supported these statements: be blown aside, so that the there was no doubt, anyway, blookade of Germany could be about the nationality of the penetrated. Let us hope that firm oonsigning the corn, and thie undermining of naval very little as to its real destiauthority was not based on nation. A prize officer and treachery, and was inspired prize orew were put on board only by cowardice. “We were the steamer, and she afraid of Neutral opinion !"- ordered in to Gibraltar, to an admission more remark. be placed in the hands of able for its bandoar than the marshal of

of the prize its courage.

oourt, with all the necessary One evening, when we were affidavits made out and signed. patrolling southward of Las A few days later, we followed Palmas, there oame thumping our prize into Gibraltar to realong against the N.-E. trade embark the prize crew. On

VOL. CCVII.-NO. MCCLI.

Her papers

B

arrival, we learnt that, upon us at anchor in the Bay. This reporting home the fact of sensitive oonscientiousnessthe vessel's arrival for placing rendering unto the Kaiser the in the prize court, orders had things that were the lawful been received that the steamer prize of His Majesty's ships— was “to proceed on her voy

was no doubt thoroughly apage”; and a fow hours later preciated by the Hun horse we endured the chagrin of artillery, to whom the contents seeing her steam away, east- of the vessel were specially ward to Genoa, politely dip- dedioated. “Deutsohland über ping her colours as she passed alles !"

III,

Every

ΘvΘn

The war had not been going

British merchant on for more than a few minutes vessel, accordingly, was warned

a before we cruiser-people real- against making

the ised that “wireless” would be slightest“ wireless ”sound, and our greatest friend and assist- in order to supplement the ant if employed only for taking warning, as well as to fix in messages, but might easily responsibility, there was fitted become our deadliest foe and in the captain's cabin of each danger if we ourselves made ship a switch on the aerial, signals by its means. As likely looked in a box, by which the as not, the enemy might be ships operators (all of them listening somewhere within the inveterate talkers) were absoradius of disturbed ether, into lutely prevented from sending which our dots and dashes out any unauthorised message. were splashing, as pebbles into Until this was done nothing a pool, showing him that we could stop the usual "Good were in his neighbourhood, morning, old man, have you while the strength" of the anything for us?” with which signals would give him a fair the Atlantio ether, in the early idea of his actual distanoe from days of the war, was oontinutheir source.

Vague as this ally being burdened. Every information of a ship's where- steamer oarried its cheery and abouts may seem, it is not chatty “old man," quite capdifficult to combine it with able of giving away not only other contributory faots and himself, but others, inoluding then to translate the whole into us oraisers. real "Intelligence.” It needs As for ourselves, we became only & little experience to dumb as fishes, but listened become expert in this; but, for unceasingly, with wireless ears all that, it was some oonsider. “hauled out to a bowline,” if able time before the ocean- suoh a simile of the oldest Old going world of Watsons be- Navy may suitably be applied oame fully instructed Sherlock to the affairs of the Nowest Holmeses in oorrectly reading New. the indioations.

No one would believe the

66

quantity of useful information call.signs, which are changed that reached us through this at frequent intervals.) means, nor realise the numbers Reply: "That is the secret of perfoot damn fools that in call-sign of the Hampshire,” spite of all warnings and pre- —which was exactly what the cautions) then were going Emden wanted to know! This about. They gave away every- was very kind of the “shore”;

' thing that any enemy ship and so was an announcement might like to know-we heard on another night, made simithem. Fortunate indeed it was larly urbi et orbi, and in plain for them that so few Germans English, detailing the dates, were there to catoh and sink the ports they sailed from, and them. Discretion was learnt even the names of the oruisers later on, but only when far proceeding in pursuit of the too many eggs had been broken Emden! No wonder that none in the making of omelettes of of them caught her; and that experienoe.

the poor Hampshire travelled It is not possible to vouch about 17,000 miles on that hot for the absolute truth of the chase, day after day, night following “wireless” incidents, after tropioal night, in a puras they came from a German suit thus rendered entirely souroe; but there was no par vain! She hadn't a dog's tieular reason for inventing chanoe in such oiroumstanoer. them gratuitously, nor were they in themselves impossible The Germans, little appreciin the opening days of the ating how we listened for them, war. The Emden was at the laboured under a serious distime parsuing her wicked and ability, through their shipswily way through the Indian both naval and merchantOcean, being herself pursued being fitted exclusively with the as (28 she knew) by H.M.S. Telefunken apparatus. Hampshire. There are several At the beginning of the war, powerful radio-stations ashore no other nation's ships posat Madras, Penang, Rangoon, Hessed this wireless "get." The and elsewhere in those lati. "note" made by it has a quite tudes, and one night the Emden peouliar and unmistakable intercepted the following oon- sound, and when heard it told versation, en clair, between two us, without any doubt, that the of them.

enemy W88 at hand. “What ship is called up by rats!" it said. The rest of the the letters XYZ?" (Every nomad population of the Atship fitted with wireless has & lantio, as well as the radiogroup of three letters, as above, stations on shore, had “notes" allotted to it, and known as all of about the same tone, a "call-sign,” by which it is and (except by their superior

Her own name elearness) our ships' Naval sets is never used, even during could not easily be dispeace, and in war-time naval tinguished from other ship Vessels are given speoial secret installations. Armed merchant

6 Waro

"oslled up