A SECOND 'BARALONG?'
We had no illusions about the future. Imprisonment was the best we could
expect. If the English were disposed to be unmerciful, it would soon be
all over with us. While more and more ships were hurrying to the spot
where the _Aud_ had sunk we rowed slowly towards the _Bluebell_. We
could hardly believe our eyes when on approaching the cruiser we saw the
reception prepared for us. The crew stood shoulder to shoulder along the
ship's side, most of them with rifles at the ready. Every gun and
machine-gun on the cruiser was pointed at us, and followed our movements
fairly accurately. Were these men devils incarnate? If the position had
not been so dreadfully serious one might have been inclined to smile
with pity at these men, who were not ashamed to make preparations to
shoot down twenty-two German sailors like dogs. Or were they afraid that
we, with our two miserable lifeboats, were trying to ram and sink their
great cruiser? I almost had that impression.
In order to make myself known, I stood up and waved my hand. It might
perhaps prevent a volley being fired next moment. As this evoked no
reply, I shouted at the top of my voice in English that we were men of
the German navy, and that we claimed the protection of our white flag.
In a few moments the answer came from the cruiser: 'The captain only is
to come on board.' So we rowed alongside.
For the first time we now saw the enemy at close range. The impression
they made on us was anything but favourable. Unlike the crews of ships
of the line, such as I have seen before and since, they presented a most
unkempt appearance. Only a part of the crew wore uniform. The other
seamen and stokers, with their coloured shirts, unwashed, and unshaved,
might just as well have belonged to the crew of a small collier. One of
the officers, apparently the ship's surgeon, was actually wearing brown
civilian trousers and a black uniform jacket. The arms they carried were
still stranger than their clothing. Those who had no rifles were
provided with all sorts of lethal weapons. Sabres, knives, pistols, and
even cutlasses, with huge basket-handles, dating from the earliest days
of the English Navy, formed part of the motley armament. The whole
scene, the threatening language, and not least the villainous faces of
some of the crew, caused me much foreboding. While I was getting out of
the boat the officers followed with their pistols every move I made, and
I had a feeling that any moment I might receive a bullet in the back. My
crew assured me afterwards that while I was going up the ship's side
they had the same feeling. And they had plenty of justification for the
feeling, for the _Baralong_ case was not by any means the only blot in
the history of English naval warfare to account for the general
contempt and mistrust with which the English were regarded in Germany.
At the gangway a small, boyish-looking lieutenant received me. He signed
to me to go aft, and, under the impression that the captain wished to
speak to me there, I did so. At the same time my boat was ordered to row
to a distance of fifty yards from the _Bluebell_. The crew formed a
semicircle round me, and the lieutenant took care that they kept a
proper distance from me. Then, upon his order, six men with rifles
stepped forward and formed a close guard round me. Strangely enough, all
the officers had suddenly disappeared from the deck. Shortly afterwards
I accidentally noticed the surgeon peeping at me from behind a
searchlight on the upper deck. An indefinite suspicion crossed my mind.
Surely it was not possible that the English would show such contempt for
the laws of war. I still refused to believe it. The next few moments
proved to me that I was right.
The lieutenant gave some order in a subdued voice that trembled a
little. The six men, standing in a semicircle before me, brought their
rifles to the ready. Behind them the rest of the crew continued to pour
on me, as before, a torrent of threats and insults of the most vulgar
description, while no one made the slightest move to stop them. 'Shoot
him, the German swine!' 'Knock him down, the dog! He is not worth
wasting powder on!' And these were not by any means the worst
expressions which these scallywags used. There could be no doubt it was
now a question of life and death. I was to be shot down without any
sort of trial, and then it would be the turn of my brave crew. I
therefore requested the lieutenant in a respectful but decided tone to
conduct me to his commanding officer before he took any further steps.
For answer there was a derisive laugh from the crew and more abuse of
the lowest sort. The lieutenant said something to his men which I did
not catch, whereupon some of them put their rifles to their shoulders.
The others kept handling the breach and trigger. It seemed as if the
crew would wait no longer for the horrible drama, and they began to
whistle and tramp. 'Fetch the other piratical dogs also,' they continued
to shout.
My men in the two boats, who had been watching these proceedings from a
short distance, began to get restless and made as if to come on board. I
signed to them to do nothing precipitate. Then I summoned up my whole
English vocabulary and again asked the officer in the most energetic
manner to conduct me to his commanding officer, pointing out at the same
time that we were legitimate combatants, and demanded that, in
accordance with international law, we should be treated as such.
The lieutenant stood before me undecided, looking first to me and then
round to his men, as if seeking advice. Then an idea which suddenly
occurred to me proved our salvation. In a voice that could be heard on
the bridge of the _Bluebell_ I shouted, 'If, instead of treating us as
regular prisoners of war, you want to engineer another _Baralong_
affair, inform your commanding officer at once that for each one of us
that you unlawfully shoot the German Government will have two English
officers shot. If you think that you can answer before God and your
conscience for the murder which you intend, then do what you have to do.
I have nothing more to say to you.'
This apparently made some impression on the English, for all the
shouting stopped at once and the lieutenant after some delay told his
men to order arms. At the same time he sent a man forward with a
message. About ten minutes afterwards the man came back and whispered
something in the officer's ear. The lieutenant then called my two boats
alongside and ordered the crew to come on board. We were then thoroughly
searched, and the English had the bitter disappointment of finding
neither arms nor secret papers on us. When one of my men was asked if he
still had any weapons he answered with a loud 'Yes!' Asked where they
were, he pointed with a mysterious air to his big sea-boots. Carefully
the English felt down his legs, while two men held the unfortunate
fellow fast by the arms. He was, without doubt, a very dangerous man. We
followed the proceedings very attentively--and what do you think the
English fished out? An enormous German sausage which good old Bruhns had
intended to take into captivity with him as an 'emergency ration.' With
angry blows they pushed him away.
Then we were taken below. I was separated from my men. The other
officers now reappeared, and the little lieutenant assured me again and
again in a somewhat apologetic tone that he had just now 'only carried
out his orders.' The engines of the _Bluebell_ started--we were
apparently entering the inner harbour. Half an hour later a launch took
us with a tremendous escort to the cruiser _Adventure_, the flagship of
the squadron based in Queenstown. Officers and crew were on deck
watching us. Our reception was extremely cool.
I took the opportunity of again warning my men to give nothing away
either in conversation or examination, and above all not to get drunk.
They were taken forward, while I and the first and second mate were
taken to a lock-up in the after-battery, where we were closely guarded.
The food was good, and our treatment at the hands of individual officers
was extremely courteous. The captain and the first-officer especially
showed us every consideration possible under the circumstances. I need,
of course, hardly mention that this consideration was not due
exclusively to sympathy for us; for the English were extremely anxious
to learn what details they could from us. At the same time I am
convinced that they honestly meant what they said in describing our
expedition as 'very smart.'
In the afternoon a steamer took us to Spike Island, which lies in the
middle of the harbour. From various conversations and from the
continuous rushing to and fro of orderlies we gathered that something
serious was on foot. We were taken off the cruiser because it was feared
the Irish might help us to escape. Had the revolution broken out
already? Where on earth was Roger Casement then?
Our escorts were getting larger and larger. Eight officers and nearly a
whole company took our little party to the fort. On the way thither we
received several shouts of encouragement from the Irish population,
which made me hope that we might still be rescued. This was probably
also the explanation of the strong escort. Arrived at the fort we were
put in separate rooms, which were heavily barred, and double sentries
were posted at the doors. The view from the windows was barred by
several high walls. A man disguised as a clergyman visited us in our
cells which, with the exception of roughly-made tables and iron
bedsteads, contained no furniture. I had a feeling that our execution
was to take place inside these walls, and that the clergyman had come to
prepare us for our end.
But my anxiety turned out to be unfounded. The man, who had probably
never been a clergyman, soon betrayed by his clumsy questions that he
wanted to examine us. When he informed me finally, 'in confidence,' that
he was 'an enthusiastic Irishman,' I knew enough. Fortunately, our
sojourn in the fort did not last long. Two hours later we were again
taken on board the cruiser. It seemed to me as if the English
authorities in their excitement could not decide on the safest place for
us. We remained two whole days on board the cruiser.
During this time I had an opportunity of noting the enormous difference
between this ship and the _Bluebell_. Discipline, order, and
cleanliness were simply perfect on the _Adventure_. The officers and men
with whom I came in contact were strictly official, but courteous. I
mention this fact specially because the English officers and men whom I
happened to meet both before and after this, with a few exceptions, who
were aware of the duties of their position, showed to a defenceless
prisoner of war tactlessness and offensiveness almost without parallel.
During this time the news filtered through that the Irish revolution was
in full swing. From a newspaper, which I succeeded in obtaining in spite
of my guards, I learned that Roger Casement had been caught.
Unfortunately, no details were given.
I certainly found another official report, which appeared to have been
intentionally falsified, to the effect that a disguised German auxiliary
cruiser, which had tried to land arms and munitions for the Irish
rebels, had sunk in Queenstown Harbour, and that Roger Casement was a
member of the crew! This latter statement was a lie; but the other
statement showed only too clearly that the English knew all about the
business. Our position had therefore become very critical.
Time after time I was invited to a 'glass of whisky'--in other words, an
examination--by the first officer. The whole staff of the ship was
assembled there. To the great disgust of the English, I refused the
whisky with thanks, and drank coffee instead till further orders--a
drink that did not appeal to these gentlemen. In answer to their
numerous questions I told them the fibs which our position
necessitated. Among other things I told them we had arms and munitions
on board for our troops in Africa, and heavy guns which, after breaking
through the blockade, we intended to mount in order to start
commerce-raiding. A remark which was dropped in the course of these
conversations confirmed my conjecture that the reason why the crew of
the _Bluebell_ were so angry was that our action in sinking the _Aud_
had deprived them of the prize money which they would have earned by
bringing her safely into port.
Late next day the _Adventure_ weighed anchor. I now occupied the first
officer's cabin, which he had very kindly placed at my disposal. A
sentry came in and screwed down the dead light of the scuttle, so that I
could no longer see out. So we were passing the spot where the _Aud_
sank.
Manoeuvring from side to side for what appeared to me to be an eternity;
and keeping close in to the lightship (as I was able to see through a
crack) the cruiser gained the open sea. Numerous craft were busy round
the spot where the _Aud_ sank. Apparently, then, I must have sunk her at
a useful spot, for if a small vessel like the _Adventure_ had so much
trouble in passing, how would it fare with really big ships?
If I am not mistaken divers were also busy. They were welcome to all
they could find, for the water where the _Aud_ lay was too deep even for
divers. For this reason I also thought it would be impossible to salve
the ship, especially as the strong under-currents would soon bury her in
sand.