"On the 7th of January, 1915, between nine and ten o'clock in the evening, we sneaked through the Strait of Perin. It lay swarming full of Englishmen. We steered along the African coast, close past an English cable layer. That was my greatest delight--how the Englishmen will be vexed when they learn that we passed safely by Perin. On the next evening we saw on the coast a few lights near the water. We thought that must be the pier of Hodeida. But when we measured the distance by night, three thousand meters, I began to think that must be something else. At dawn I made out two masts and four smokestacks; that was an enemy ship and, what is more, an armored French cruiser. I therefore ordered the _Choising_ to put to sea, and to return at night.
THE RED CROSS SERVICE · A BRITISH MONITOR · THE DEATH OF A TRAITOR
The conning tower and periscope of a submarine whose officers are taking observations on the surface. In the War Zone submarines sank merchantmen and passenger ships]
[Illustration: Prayer in a French church which the exigencies of war have converted into a Red Cross hospital]
[Illustration: French soldiers bringing up wounded Germans found in captured trenches and putting them in ambulances to be carried to the nearest military hospitals]
[Illustration: A Red Cross dog has been hurt while performing invaluable service in seeking out the wounded. Now the dog's own injuries are being carefully dressed]
[Illustration: The death of a traitor to France. It was believed that he used the wings of a windmill for signalling information to the Germans]
[Illustration: One of the new British monitors bombarding the German base at Ostend, Belgium. The monitor is armed with one powerful 15-inch gun]
[Illustration: Lifeboats and drowning passengers from the "Falaba," a passenger ship torpedoed by a German submarine March 28, 1915. More than 140 people were drowned]
[Illustration: The Great liner, "Lusitania," which was torpedoed by a German submarine, not far from Old Kinsald Head, Ireland, May 7, 1915]
"The next day and night the same; then we put out four boats--these we pulled to shore at sunrise under the eyes of the unsuspecting Frenchmen. The sea reeds were thick. A few Arabs came close to us; then there ensued a difficult negotiation with the Arabian coast guards. For we did not even know whether Hodeida was in English or French hands. We waved to them, laid aside our arms, and made signs to them. The Arabs, gathering together, began to rub two fingers together; that means 'We are friends.' We thought it meant 'We are going to rub against you and are hostile.' I therefore said: 'Boom-boom' and pointed to the warship. At all events, I set up my machine guns and made preparations for a skirmish. But, thank God, one of the Arabs understood the word 'Germans'; that was good.