IN ENEMY WATERS
A quarter of an hour after passing the torpedo-boat we had crossed the
three-mile limit, and were in enemy territory.[4]
We kept a sharp look-out, for at any moment now we might run across an
English cruiser, destroyer, or submarine.
English submarines had, in fact, been sighted a few days before, in
company with outpost-boats, between Lasö and the Sound, while between
Skagen and Göteborg, in the Skager-Rack, and on the Norwegian coast,
especially off Lindesnaes and Jäderen, numerous English war-vessels,
including both cruisers and destroyers, had been reported.
About two o'clock we were some five miles east of the island of Anholt,
and at this point we had to make a critical decision.
Shortly before, the English had issued a notice which _ordered_ all
_neutral_ steamers to follow a course within ten miles distance of the
Scandinavian coast, the object being to facilitate the examination of
shipping by the English warships. The small neutral nations were
powerless to resist. The only 'neutral' which at that time dared to defy
the English order was the Norwegian steamer _Aud_.
I had two good reasons for my decision: first, that to follow the
Swedish coast meant a great waste of time, second, that the English
would never, I felt sure, imagine that any neutral would have the
hardihood to ignore their order. It was therefore natural to suppose
that the principal part of their patrol forces would be concentrated in
the immediate neighbourhood of the coast. By taking a course through the
middle of the Kattegat and Skager-Rack, we should gain twenty-four
hours, and probably escape a strict examination, which would also take
up a good deal of time.
I therefore held a course for the present midway between the island of
Lasö and Göteborg, intending to strike into the Skager-Rack higher up,
northward of Paternoster. This course had, however, one great
disadvantage. Supposing we were caught while on it, no amount of
ingenious lying would help us, for all our papers were valid only from
Christiania outwards, since that was our ostensible port of sailing.
Once more we had to trust our luck. The risk was, after all, not greater
than in following the other course, with the chance of being vetted, by
'mark of the mouth,' by an English-Norwegian interpreter.
As soon as we were out of sight of land and of other ships, I rang down
the order for 'Full speed ahead.' The main thing now was to get as
quickly as possible upon a course which would make it credible that we
had sailed from Christiania. If we were caught in the meantime, the game
was up; if not, we had won the first trick. So--drive ahead!
Towards morning the wind dropped and became very uncertain, while the
sky was almost completely overcast. To the west and north-west there was
already a slight haze upon the water: the forerunner of a coming fog. If
there was any one in the wide world who had reason to hope for a fog at
that moment it was myself. We all stood on deck watching anxiously every
slightest alteration in the weather. The watch below found they had no
need for sleep that day. From minute to minute it grew thicker. Contrary
to my previous intention, therefore, I stood in nearer the Swedish coast
in order to get our exact 'position' by shore-bearings. It was quite
possible that I might have no further chance of doing so for several
days, for I had decided, when we reached the North Sea, to continue
steaming out of sight of land, since, on the whole of the Norwegian
coast up to a point northward of Bergen, numerous English patrolling
vessels had been reported.
It must have been about 8 a.m. when the look-out aloft reported a ship
ahead. A few minutes later we made her out to be a small cruiser of one
of the older types.
I gave the order for emergency stations, and in a moment every man was
at his allotted post. It was impossible, at the distance, to read the
cruiser's small and rather weather-beaten flag, and we were bound to
assume that she was English.
If so, what was to happen? There was nothing whatever in our papers that
would serve to account for our presence in this neighbourhood. Suddenly,
I had an inspiration. 'Stand by to hoist the quarantine flag,' I
ordered, and signalled for 'half speed!' Then I told the men my plan.
Every man who was not wanted on deck must wrap up his neck warmly and
creep into his bunk. We on the bridge, too, wrapped ourselves in thick
cloaks and wound great comforters round our necks. If the supposed
Englishman looked as if he meant to approach us, I intended to run up
the quarantine flag and signal to him that we were from Danzig, bound
for Christiania, and had diphtheria on board. Perhaps I might ask him to
give warning of our arrival in Christiania. In these circumstances he
would certainly avoid coming on board. For the moment we should be safe;
the rest we must leave to luck. As an extra precaution I had a bottle of
carbolic poured over the deck, to provide the appropriate sick-bay
odour.
The cruiser approached us at high speed. In ten minutes she would close
us. It is a tense moment, for everything now hangs on the success of our
stratagem. Suddenly she turns sharply on to a north-easterly course, the
whole of her flag becomes visible, and reveals to our eager eyes the
Swedish colours.
A weight fell from our hearts. In the twinkling of an eye the sick were
whole, and the various objects which had disappeared into the
'conjurer's box' were speedily restored to the light of day. The
dress-rehearsal had been a complete success.
Shortly after, we sighted, right astern of the steamer, the little
island of Paternoster, to which we gave a wide berth to avoid inquiries
from the signal station. At the same time, the coastline loomed up
through the fog to starboard. I had now, if I wanted it, a good 'fix,'
but I decided to take my 'departure' farther north, just before the big
alteration of course to westward.
By midday we had made sufficient northing to be able to steer a course
from that point right through the middle of the Skager-Rack.
A bearing from a lighthouse on the mainland, in conjunction with a
sounding taken at the same time, enabled us to prick our position on the
chart with great precision; and then we headed westward at full speed.
If the thick weather only held for another six hours, we should be able
to say, with a bold front, that we hailed from Christiania.
The 'cherub that sits up aloft' must have meant well by us, for the fog
not only held, but thickened.
No need to spur the engine-room staff to special efforts. They knew how
much now depended upon speed, and gave the engines every ounce that they
would stand. About three o'clock we were abreast of Skagen, and I put
her on a south-westerly course.
To avoid collision in the fog, we had nothing to depend on but our eyes
and ears, for naturally I dispensed with the use of the siren. On the
decks there was absolute silence. Nothing was to be heard but the gurgle
of the water at the bow, and the monotonous beat of the pistons, as we
drove steadily through the fog at a good twelve knots.
For two hours we ran like that, and then all at once a high, dark bulk
loomed out of the fog right ahead, a bark under full sail.
'Hard a-starboard!' The wheel flew round at lightning speed. For a long
moment it looked as if the manoeuvre would not succeed, for the _Aud_
answered but slowly to her helm. Fortunately, however, the sailing ship
had also realised the situation and put her helm hard over, and we
cleared each other in the end with fifty yards to spare. The bark was
flying a red rag of bunting which must once have represented a Norwegian
flag, and we gave our 'countrymen' a cheer as they went by.
Towards evening we had made such good way that we could quite well pose
as being outward bound from Christiania; and from now on we had to start
keeping a Norwegian log-book, for that, too, might well be subjected to
examination. There were two of these logs, one for the navigation and
one for the engine-room. We had, therefore, starting from the present
position of the ship, to calculate back and find out at what hour the
_Aud_ left Christiania, and when and where we dropped pilot
what's-his-name, and so forth. This information was entered under the
appropriate headings.
Our real course, positions, speeds, coal consumption, etc., would, of
course, in the future be quite different from those which the Norwegian
log-books had to show, and the 'cooking' of these logs became later
quite a difficult task.
It was my first introduction to the mysteries of 'Book-keeping by Double
Entry.'
FOOTNOTE:
[4] It is interesting to note the admission from such a source that
'England's frontiers are the shores of the enemy'--or the nearest point
thereto that is outside neutral waters.