We knew quite well that sixteen hostile ships were in pursuit of
us,--British, French, and Japanese. We never had any information with
regard to the position of these ships, nor of their character, which,
after all, could matter very little to us, since the _Emden_ was the
smallest and least formidable of all the war ships in the Indian Ocean.
There was not a hostile cruiser, that she was likely to meet, that was
not her superior in strength. That the _Emden's_ career must soon be
cut short was therefore a prospect of which everyone aboard her felt
certain. Many hounds are certain death to the hare.
Our Commander had set this aspect of affairs before us, sharply and
clearly, at the very outset of the _Emden's_ career, pointing out that
the only future ahead of the _Emden_ was to inflict as much damage as
possible upon the enemy before she herself should be destroyed, which,
in any event, could be but a question of time.
The devotion of the _Emden's_ crew to their Commander was touching in
the extreme. The men appreciated the high qualities of their leader,
were proud of their ship, and gloried in its successful career. If, at
any time when they were singing, or were otherwise noisy, the word was
passed along, "The Commander is tired," they would become instantly
quiet. At a word of encouragement from him the men would accomplish
some truly wonderful feats in connection with difficult undertakings,
such as coaling at sea under most adverse conditions, and in spite of
extreme fatigue.
Of "_Emden_ yarns" ... there was an untold number. On board ship
we kept a scrap-book in which they were all preserved, but this,
unfortunately, was lost, together with much that was of higher value.
Amusement of a different nature was afforded the officers' mess by
our "war cats," as we called them. On the day before we left Tsingtao
a cat had come on board, and so had come along with us. In course of
time, this cat experienced the joys of motherhood. Lying in my hammock
one morning, I opened my eyes upon a charming scene of family life.
Just beneath me, a little to one side, on a mattress on the floor of
the deck, lay Lieutenant Schall, sleeping the sleep of the just. Close
beside him, on the same mattress, lay the cat, with a family of five
newly born kittens. After I had quickly wakened the other officers who
were sleeping near, so that they might enjoy the sight of this peaceful
domesticity, we poked Lieutenant Schall until he, too, opened his eyes
upon the scene. At first he did not seem to share our pleasure in it,
however, but, with a muttered oath, hurried off to the washroom.
Our kittens were not the only animals that the war had brought
aboard our ship. If some one had dropped from the sky, and landed on
the _Emden_ on one of these days, he would have opened his eyes in
wonderment at sight of this "man-of-war." Forward, in the vicinity
of the drain pipe, he would have discovered one or two pigs, grunting
with satisfaction. Near by, he would have seen a couple of lambs and
a sheep or two, bleating peacefully. By a walk aft he would, in all
probability, have scared up a whole flock of pigeons that had been
sitting on the rails which served for the transportation of ammunition,
and that, at his approach, would take refuge in the pigeon house that
had been fastened against one of the funnels. In his further progress
he would most likely have frightened up a few dozen hens that would
then have run cackling about his heels, the noise they made being
only outdone by the still louder cackling of a flock of geese engaged
in unsuccessful attempts at swimming in a large half-tub aft, and at
the same time trying to drink salt water. We always had a great deal
of live stock on board, all of which we had taken from the captured
steamers.... We had a less practical, but more ornamental addition to
our menagerie in a dwarf antelope, which I came upon one day in the
forward battery. How the dainty creature got there has always remained
a mystery to me.