tunity near at
hand to damage the enemy. I therefore sailed with the Choising in the
direction of Aden. Lieutenant Cordts of the Choising had heard that
the Arabian railway now already went almost to Hodeida, near the Perim
Strait. The ship's surgeon there, Docounlang, found confirmation of
this in Meyer's traveling handbook. This railway could not have been
taken over by the Englishmen, who always dreamed of it. By doing this
they would have further and completely wrought up the Mohammedans by
making more difficult the journey to Mecca. Best of all, we thought,
we'll simply step into the express train and whizz nicely away to the
North Sea. Certainly there would be safe journeying homeward through
Arabia. To be sure, we hadn't maps of the Red Sea; but it was the
shortest way to the foe, whether in Aden or in Germany.

"Therefore, courage! Adenwards!

"On the 7th of January, between 9 and 10 o'clock in the evening, we
sneaked through the Strait of Perim. That lay swarming full of
Englishmen. We steered along the African coast, close past an English
cable layer. That is my prettiest delight--how the Englishmen will be
vexed when they learn that we have passed smoothly by Perim. On the
next evening we saw on the coast a few lights upon the water. We
thought that must be the pier of Hodeida. But when we measured the
distance by night, 3,000 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 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, begin to rub two fingers
together; that means 'We are friends.' We thought that 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.

"Soon a hundred Arabs came and helped us, and as we marc