a large pillar of smoke to mark the spot where she had
been. A German torpedo had found its mark, and the Emden sailed around
the point without firing another shot.

"By this time--less than thirty minutes after the first shot had been
fired--the Pistolet had cast off and we started across the harbor
toward the place where we had last seen the Jemtchug, with the Fronde
close behind us. It was slow work, as we had very little steam.

"As we neared the scene of the disaster I received my first impression
of the horror of modern naval warfare. The water was strewn with
wreckage, amid which heads were popping up and down like corks in a
lily pond. It seemed as if it were alive with men. They were
everywhere, hanging on to pieces of wood, clutching life preservers,
clinging to debris of all kinds.

"When we reached them we immediately started in getting them aboard by
means of boats, ropes looped at the end, by hand, and in any way
possible. They were indeed a most terrible sight. Most of them were
wounded, and those that were were bleeding profusely. Practically none
were wearing more than a pair of trousers, and a considerable number
did not even have that. A few were frightfully lacerated, and we
recovered one man who had had his leg blown off below the knee--he
died five minutes after we got him on board. It was like living a
frightful nightmare. Everywhere you turned you met a groaning, greasy
mass of humanity.

"Discipline was thrown aside and Captain and men alike toiled in
their efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Jemtchug's survivors.
My partner at bridge the previous night, the doctor, asked my
assistance, and together we went from man to man doing what emergency
work we could. My pajama-decked costume was rapidly covered with
blood. It was a case of everybody helping everybody else.

"Finally, when numerous launches of all sizes and makes had put out to
relieve us, we returned to the Victoria jetty, which the ambulance
corps of the Sikh garrison, aided by volunteers and local doctors, had
turned into a temporary hospital. Here were removed what remained of
the Jemtchug.

"While the last few men were taken off the Pistolet, another
cannonading was heard. I hurried ashore, with no feeling of regret, I
might say, and took a rikisha to the outer sea wall to see whatever
fighting was going on. The ships were so far away that it was hard to
tell with the naked eye exactly what was going on. We could see the