rough the deck
officer's room, petty officer's room, and crew-room, each one narrower
than the other.

"Look out, the commander!" they shouted to one another, and pulled in
their legs so that I could get by.

"Ouch!" I bumped my head hard against the stand of an electric lamp. I
rubbed the sore spot as I hurried ahead, while I took an oath to myself
that the lamp should be moved at the first possible opportunity. I
hurried through the "Centrale," up the narrow stairway. Then I reached
my place.

"Where?"

"There!" Lieutenant Groening, who was on guard, pointed out. "About three
points starboard!"

"It is a steamer. One can already see the red side lantern. It is
crossing our course."

I put my binoculars to the eye and looked for many seconds for the
light. The officer on guard was right. Besides the white lantern, one
could see a deep, red light. The ship therefore was traveling towards
the left and would cross our course.

A narrow strip of the moon had appeared from out of the sea and was
wrestling with the darkness of the night. The result was not much--the
strip of the moon was too small for that--still it was not so dark as
before.

"Don't let it come too close to us!" I ordered. "And get clear in right
time. We must not under any circumstances be seen by it, because then
they would soon know in England from which direction to expect us. Now
nearly every steamer has a wireless."

Groening changed the course to port until he had the steamer completely
to the left.

"Too bad, we can't take it with us," he said.

"No, you know, for a night attack this is not the right place. Here so
many neutral steamers travel, and an error can easily be made."

It was shortly after ten o'clock. At eleven-twenty, twelve forty,
one-ten, three-fifteen, and five o'clock I again heard the whistling
"Whee-e!" in the speaking-tube by my bunk. Each time I had to jump out
of some dream, realize within a fraction of a second that my presence
was desired up-stairs, grab my cap and gloves, and rush through the
boat's long body up to the tower, not without several times bumping into
the aforementioned and often damned electric lamp.

After five o'clock in the morning I remained on deck, because dawn would
soon break with its treacherous light. The commander's post is in the
tower at such a time because, just as easily as one perceives in the
pale gray light a ship, one is also visible from the steamer, which
could cause many