not_ going to
Germany. Some of them believed this, and were comparatively joyful in
consequence. But it was only another case of German lies. On the next
day we crossed the Equator, and then for some days we saw the _Wolf_ no
more.

About this time I experienced a little trouble with one of the German
sailors. Most of them were courteous and kindly disposed, but one, a
boorish, loutish bully, who served us with drinks at table, was a
painful exception to this. His name was Fuchs: we sometimes called him
Luchs, by mistake, of course! But Fuchs did not think so--he strongly
objected to the other name! He had only one eye, and a black shade where
the other one should have been. To train his moustache to resemble that
of the All-Highest, he wore some apparatus plastered over it, reaching
nearly to his eyes and secured behind his ears, so that his appearance
was the reverse of prepossessing! I complained to him once about not
serving me properly. He waited outside the saloon and cursed me
afterwards. "I a German soldier," he said, "not your steward!" I told
him that if he had any reason to complain of what I had said or done he
should report me to his Captain, and that if he had not done so by six
that evening I should report him for insolence. Needless to say, he said
nothing to the Captain, so I reported him. The Captain at once thanked
me for doing so, called him up at once, and gave him a good wigging. I
had no more trouble with him afterwards.

On January 14th I approached the Captain and asked him if the Germans on
the _Wolf_, when they got to Germany, would have any means of finding
out whether we on the _Igotz Mendi_ had safely arrived in Spain. He
replied that they would. I then asked him whether, if we were all lost
on the _Igotz Mendi_ on her return voyage to Spain, the German
Government would inform the British Government of our fate. He replied
that would certainly be done. I further asked him whether we might send
letters to the _Wolf_ to have them posted in Germany in the event of our
not arriving in Spain. Most of us had to settle up our affairs in some
way, in case we might be lost at sea, and wished to write farewell
letters to our home people. Some of us, it will be remembered, had
already taken some steps in this direction before we were sent on to the
_Wolf_, as we thought it possible the _Wolf_ might become engaged with a
hostile cruiser. We ourselves had to write a farewell letter, among
others, to o