re of the
American Squadron--What might have happened had the German vessels come
out to fight

In the early fall of 1913 an American naval officer, who enjoyed to a
peculiar degree the confidence of certain officers of the British
Admiralty, was attending to duties of an extremely confidential nature
in London when one morning he was accosted by a friend, an officer high
in the councils of His Majesty's Navy.

"M----," he said, "I have rather an important bit of news. Within a few
weeks--in fact, we cannot quite tell how soon--there is going to be the
greatest naval engagement the world has ever seen. We are ready for
them, though, and we shall win."

The American was naturally curious, and in reply to his questions the
Briton went on to say that from certain intelligence quarters word had
come that the trend of German U-boats back to their bases--which had
been noted for a week or so--contained a grim meaning. It meant, in
fine, the emergence of the German fleet, headed by the submarines,
prepared for a final battle to establish the question of sea power.

One may imagine the tenseness that reigned at the Admiralty, and the
code messages that flew back and forth between London and the flag-ship
of the British and American battle fleet. As it happened, the German sea
fighters never sallied forth in battle array, their final appearance
being less warlike.

But they would have come, it transpired later, had not the sailors of
the fleet intercepted messages from German officers to their families,
bidding a last good-by. They never expected to return from this last
fight. But the seamen were of a different mind from their officers. They
declined to go forth to a losing battle, and they struck. This, then,
appears to be the reason why the German battleships and armored cruisers
and the like did not come forth to battle--at least this is one of the
stories told in navy circles.

With the events that followed the cessation of hostilities on November
11 almost every American is familiar. The armistice of that date
demanded that Germany give her entire fleet to the keeping of England.
For a discussion of the surrender the German light cruiser _Koenigsberg_
brought representatives from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Council, which
was then in nominal control of the German fleet, into the Firth of
Forth. Admiral Beatty refused to deal with these representatives, and
insisted that all arrangements be made through some flag-of