er was appreciated.

In the meantime the German Government--which no doubt had not expected
such drastic action on the part of the United States--was profoundly
disturbed, and it was stated that crews of American merchantmen who
ventured to fire upon German submarines before a state of war existed
between the two countries must expect to meet the fate of the British
merchant captain, Charles Fryatt, who as will be recalled, was tried and
executed in Germany for attempting to ram the German submarine 7-33 with
his vessel, the Great Eastern Railway steamship, _Brussels_, in July of
1916. This warning set forth in the _Neueste Nachrichten_, of Munich, is
so ingenious that the reader interested in Teutonic psychology will no
doubt be interested in the perusal thereof.

"We assume," the newspaper said, "that President Wilson realizes the
fate to which he is subjecting his artillerymen. According to the German
prize laws it is unneutral support of the enemy if a neutral ship takes
part in hostilities. If such a ship opposes the prize-court then it must
be treated as an enemy ship. The prize rules specify as to the crews of
such ships. If, without being attached to the forces of the enemy, they
take part in hostilities or make forcible resistance, they may be
treated according to the usages of war. If President Wilson, knowing
these provisions of international law, proceeds to arm American
merchantmen he must assume responsibility for the eventuality that
American seamen will meet the fate of Captain Fryatt."

All of which did not appear to frighten our government one bit. We set
ourselves to the task of equipping our merchant craft with
seamen-gunners and guns, and it was not long--April 25, in fact--before
an incident occurred that brought forth a chuckle from Colonel
Roosevelt, a chuckle accompanied by the historic remark: "Thank heaven!
Americans have at last begun to hit. We have been altogether too long at
the receiving end of this war that Germany has been waging upon us."

This ebullition was occasioned by the report of the first real American
blow of the war when, late in April, 1917, the crack American freighter
_Mongolia_ showed the German Navy that the time had arrived when the
long, strong arm of Uncle Sam was reaching out a brawny fist over the
troubled waters of the Atlantic.

The _Mongolia_ had left an American port after war had been declared,
and she was guarded by a 6-inch gun, with a crew of seamen-gunn