Our next encounter was with a big, stately passenger-ship, which,
unfortunately, we could not waylay.
The time was now fast approaching when it became necessary to think
of returning home. The nights were growing shorter, and the season of
winter storms being at an end, we ran a greater risk of being captured.
On reaching more northerly latitudes, we received glad tidings from
home more and more frequently by wireless. A special joyful occasion
was when news reached us that fifty men of our crew had been granted
the Iron Cross.
On February 24th one more valuable prize fell into our hands--the
Frenchman _Maroni_, three thousand one hundred and nine tons, with
a cargo of wine, on its way from Bordeaux to New York. Thirty-three
Frenchmen were transferred on board the _Moewe_, but the ship, of
course, was sunk, and with her--much to our chagrin--a thousand cases
of Pommery. We could not get at them quickly enough, for they were
packed away securely in the hold. But we carried away innumerable eggs,
fine French cheeses, and many other provisions we had long been obliged
to do without.
A specially welcome find on the _Maroni_ was the newspapers. Our
cruising-campaign had inspired many indignant articles, and we perused
them with much zest. "Pirate" was the mildest of the terms applied to
us by the French press.
Still further pleasure we derived from the reading of the English and
American papers seized on the next and last boat we sank--the British
steamer _Saxon Prince_, three thousand four hundred and seventy-one
tons, carrying a cargo of wool, grain, and explosives from America to
England.
We learnt from these papers of the great impression produced on the
marine insurance companies by the disappearance of the first boats we
captured. Many conjectures were made, but not one of them approached
the truth. The possibility that a German cruiser had broken through
the British lines in the North Sea did not occur to anyone, until the
_Appam_ reached the United States and her passengers gave authentic
accounts of that quasi-fabulous bird of prey called the _Moewe_.
Long-winded articles told us how Lieutenant Berg had loyally and
conscientiously fulfilled his share of the joint task by retarding as
much as possible the bringing of his ship into port.
It is easy to imagine with what pleasure we welcomed the good tidings
concerning our adopted daughter, the _Appam_, and how gratified we felt
when even the enemy paid tribute to Lieutenant Berg's energetic and
tactful handling of the situation.
After that the _Moewe_ made straight for home, her good star once more
enabling her to get safely past all obstacles. As a reward for their
services, every member of the crew was given the Iron Cross of the
Second Class, and the Commander was summoned by the great War Lord
himself to come and tell him all the details of the sinking of the
hated "Engländers."