On the occasion in question everything went as calculated. The steamer
could not see our cautious and hardly-shown periscope and continued
unconcerned on its course. The diving rudder in the "Centrale" worked
well and greatly facilitated my unobserved approach. I could clearly
distinguish the various objects on board, and saw the giant steamer at
a very short distance--how the captain was walking back and forth on
the bridge with a short pipe in his mouth, how the crew was scrubbing
the forward deck. I saw with amazement--a shiver went through me--a
long line of compartments of wood spread over the entire deck, out of
which were sticking black and brown horse heads and necks.
Oh, great Scott! Horses! What a pity! Splendid animals!
"What has that to do with it?" I continually thought. "War is war. And
every horse less on the western front is to lessen England's defense."
I have to admit, however, that the thought which had to come was
disgusting, and I wish to make the story about it short.
Only a few degrees were lacking for the desired angle, and soon the
steamer would get into the correct focus. It was passing us at the
right distance, a few hundred meters.
"Torpedo ready!" I called down into the "Centrale."
It was the longed-for command. Every one on board held his breath. Now
the steamer's bow cut the line in the periscope--now the deck, the
bridge, the foremast--the funnel.
"Let go!"
A light trembling shook the boat--the torpedo was on its way. Woe, when
it was let loose!
There it was speeding, the murderous projectile, with an insane speed
straight at its prey. I could accurately follow its path by the light
wake it left in the water.
"Twenty seconds," counted the mate whose duty it was, with watch in
hand, to calculate the exact time elapsed after the torpedo was fired
until it exploded.
"Twenty-two seconds!"
Now it must happen--the terrible thing!
I saw the ship's people on the bridge had discovered the wake which
the torpedo was leaving, a slender stripe. How they pointed with their
fingers out across the sea in terror; how the captain, covering his
face with his hands, resigned himself to what must come. And next there
was a terrific shaking so that all aboard the steamer were tossed about
and then, like a volcano, arose, majestic but fearful in its beauty, a
two-hundred meter high and fifty-meter wide pillar of water toward the
sky.
"A full hit behind the second funnel!" I called down into the
"Centrale." Then they cut loose down there for joy. They were carried
away by ecstasy which welled out of their hearts, a joyous storm that
ran through our entire boat and up to me.
And over there?
Landlubber, steel thy heart!
A terrible drama was being enacted on the hard-hit, sinking ship. It
listed and sank towards us.
From the tower I could observe all the decks. From all the hatches
human beings forced their way out, fighting despairingly. Russian
firemen, officers, sailors, soldiers, hostlers, the kitchen crew, all
were running and calling for the boats. Panic stricken, they thronged
about one another down the stairways, fighting for the lifeboats, and
among all were the rearing, snorting and kicking horses. The boats
on the starboard deck could not be put into service, as they could
not be swung clear because of the list of the careening steamer. All,
therefore, thronged to the boats on the port side, which, in the haste
and anguish, were lowered, some half empty; others overcrowded. Those
who were left aboard were wringing their hands in despair. They ran
from bow to stern and back again from stern to bow in their terror, and
then finally threw themselves into the sea in order to attempt to swim
to the boats.
Then another explosion resounded, after which a hissing white wave
of steam streamed out of all the ports. The hot steam set the horses
crazy, and they were beside themselves with terror--I could see a
splendid, dapple-gray horse with a long tail make a great leap over the
ship's side and land in a lifeboat, already overcrowded--but after that
I could not endure the terrible spectacle any longer. Pulling down the
periscope, we submerged into the deep.