also this been man" caus forbi but 1: ness whon only us. that t year, "fed life, t the fo and 1 as to and w whene They with ( were I that w women and would a whit The of viz., th on th have 1 saved. been hatche nexed, leaving the owner thereof the chart room to sleep in. He was naturally very chagrined at his ill-fortune, especially as he said he had been told by the Consul at Lorenco Marques that the course between there and Colombo was quite clear, and had not even been informed of the disappearance of the Hitachi, though she had been overdue at Delagoa Bay about a month. Consequently he had been showing his navigation lights at sea, and without them he would probably not have been seen, as it was about 1 A.M. when the Wolf picked him up. The remaining Spanish officers took their watch on the bridge, always with a member of the prize crew in attendance; the Spanish engineers remained in charge of the engine-room, again with a German always present, and the Spanish crew remained on duty as before. There was a prize crew of nine Germans on board, the Captain, Lieutenant Rose, who had also been in charge of the Hitachi after her capture, and the First Officer, who had also filled that post on the Hitachi, being the only officers. The Igotz Mendi had been completed in 1916, and was a ship admirably fitted for her purpose, which, however, was not that of carrying passengers. Her decks were of iron, scorchingly hot in the tropics, and icy cold in northern latitudes. There was no place sheltered from the sun in which to sit on deck, and the small awnings which were spasmodically rigged up were quite insufficient for the purpose. There were no cabins except those provided for the officers, who generously gave them up to the married couples on board, taking quarters much more orowded and much less desirable. The cabins were quite suitable for one occupant each, but very cramped for two, the one occupied by my wife and myself being only seven and a half feet square. Each contained one bunk and one settee, the latter being a sleeping-place far from comfortable, as it was only 5 feet long by about 20 inches wide, and the floor space was very narrow and restricted. There were four cabins, two on each side of 8 narrow alleyway about two feet wide, while one married couple occupied the chief engineer's cabin further aft, quite a roomy apartment. The four men above mentioned occupied a space under the poop; it could not be dignified by the name of cabin. It was very small, only one occupant could dress at a time, and immediately in front of it was a reeking pig-sty with three full-sized occupants. The passage to it from the saloon on the upper deck was often a perilous one in rough weather and in the dark, for there was never any light showing on board at night during the whole cruise. This, then, was to be our home for the next few months. We did not know for how long, but we regarded the prospect with a certain amount of equanimity, as the ship was unarmed, The Wulfchen went up about 4.20 and returned about 5.30, and in the interval our heavy luggage had been brought up from the Wolf's hold ready to be transhipped to the Igotz Mendi. At dusk that evening the married people were transferred to the latter ship. The next morning we were still alongside the Wolf, and remained there till the morning of the 17th, our heavy baggage being transhipped in the interval. There had also been transferred the Colonel of the A.A.M.C. and three other men in ill-health. The message the seaplane brought back had evidently been a reassuring one, and we heard a long time afterwards that the Wolf had picked up a wireless from a Japanese cruiser, presumably looking for the Hitachi, only thirty miles away. Hence the alarm! Unfortunately for us, if this report were true, the cruiser did not turn aside to look in the most obvious place where a ship like the Wolf would hide; so once more the Wolf was safe. If only there had been a couple of cruisers, carrying a seaplane or two, in each ocean, the Wolf could have been seen, and her career brought to an end long be fore. The same end would probably have been attained on this occasion, if a wireless message had been sent from Delagoa Bay to Colombo, say. ing that the Igotz Mendi had left the former port for the latter, with 5800 tons of coal on board. The strong wireless installation on the Wolf, which picked up every message within a large radius, but of course never sent any, would have picked up this message, and the Wolf would probably have risen to the bait, with the result that she could have been caught by an armed vessel sent in search of her on that track. For it must have been known that a raider was out in those waters, as the disappearance of the Hitachi could only have been due to the presence of one. Coaling proceeded without cessation till the morning of the 17th, when the Wolf moved off a short distance. Passengers on mail boats familiar with the process of coaling ship at Port Said, Colombo, or any other port, can imagine the condition of these ships after three or four days' incessant coaling day and night. The appearance of the Igotz Mendi was meanwhile undergoing another change. When captured she was painted white, and had a buff funnel, with her Company's distinguishing mark. She was now painted the Allied grey colour, and when her sides and funnel had been transformed, the two ships sailed away, and on the evening of the 17th, after final orders and instructions had been given, parted company. For some days after this painting was the order of the day on the Spanish ship, which was now grey on every part visible. The captain of the Spanish ship was relieved of his duties and also of his cabin, which the German captain had an nexed, leaving the The Igotz Mendi had been completed in 1916, and was a ship admirably fitted for her purpose, which, however, was not that of carrying passengers. Her decks were of iron, scorchingly hot in the tropics, and icy cold in northern latitudes. There was no place sheltered from the sun in which to sit on deck, and the small awnings which were spasmodically rigged up were quite insuti- The four men above mentioned occupied a space under the poop; it could not be dignified by the name of cabin. It was very small, only one occupant could dress at a time, and immediately in front of it was a reeking pig-sty with three full-sized occupants. The passage to it from the saloon on the upper deck was often a perilous one in rough weather and in the dark, for there was never any light showing on board at night during the whole cruise. This, then, was to be our home for the next few months. We did not know for how long, but we regarded the prospect with a certain amount of equanimity, as the ship was unarmed, The Wulfchen went up about 4.20 and returned about 5.30, and in the interval our heavy luggage had been brought up from the Wolf's hold ready to be transhipped to the Igotz Mendi. At dusk that evening the married people were transferred to the latter ship. The next morning we were still alongside the Wolf, and remained there till the morning of the 17th, our heavy baggage being transhipped in the interval. There had also been transferred the Colonel of the A.A.M.C. and three other men in ill-health. The message the seaplane brought back had evidently been a reassuring one, and we heard a long time afterwards that the Wolf had picked up a wireless from a Japanese cruiser, presumably looking for the Hitachi, only thirty miles away. Hence the alarm! Unfortunately for us, if this report were true, the cruiser did not turn aside to look in the most obvious place where a ship like the Wolf would hide; so once more the Wolf was safe. If only there had been a couple of cruisers, carrying a seaplane or two, in each ocean, the Wolf could have been seen, and her career brought to an end long before. The same end would probably have been attained on this occasion, if a wireless message had been sent from Delagoa Bay to Colombo, saying that the Igetz Mendi had left the former port for the latter, with 5800 tons of coal on board. The strong wireless installation on the Wolf, which picked up every message within a large radius, but of course never sent any, would have picked up this message, and the Wolf would probably have risen to the bait, with the result that she could have been caught by an armed vessel sent in search of her on that track. For it must have been known that a raider was out in those waters, as the disappearance of the Hitachi could only have been due to the presence of one. Coaling proceeded without cessation till the morning of the 17th, when the Wolf moved off a short distance. Passengers on mail boats familiar with the process of coaling ship at Port Said, Colombo, or any other port, can imagine the condition of these ships after three or four days' incessant coaling day and night. The appearance of the Igotz Mendi was meanwhile undergoing another change. When captured she was painted white, and had a buff funnel, with her Company's distinguishing mark. She was now painted the Allied grey colour, and when her sides and funnel had been transformed, the two ships sailed away, and on the evening of the 17th, after final orders and instructions had been given, parted company. For some days after this painting was the order of the day on the Spanish ship, which was now grey on every part visible. The captain of the Spanish ship was relieved of his duties and also of his cabin, which the German captain had an |