Evening star., 1898-09-10


to the quacking officer, saying: There,
read it yourself" and rushed from the
room.
The man. with some difficulty, deciphered
the scraWl:
Henri Plgot is promoted from this date
to be assistant commissary. Place him in
sole charge of No. II, rue Pigalle. Folliet'
The prefect dashed toward his waiting
carriage ITO think of it, he muttered
THE whole business awaiting solution in
LorraiEe-our troops even now marching
on GraVelotte-and / in Paris. Confound
1t! Shall | get there in time?'
Summoning his deputy by telephone to
MS chambers, Folliet gave him instructions
as to procedure during his absence. Pre-
ciouS hours had flown, but he caught an
early train. The eastward lines were con-
gested.
But if it took week he must visit the
farm of Hans Schwartz.
With the editions of the morning papers
came dramatic news from unexpected
quarter. Since the outbreak of the war the
Ere nch and German fleets had been chasing
each other over the face of the waters.
The authorities in Berlin issued stringent
orders to their admirals to adopt every de-
vice to avoid fighting the French. Their
supreme efforts must be devoted to harry
Ing the commerce of France and damaging
her colonial empire.
Disastrous blows were struck in this
fashion, and the French sailors ragged in
fury of disappointment when they failed
time after time to bring their enemy TO
close quarters
In one locality only We're they assured of
safety fer liners and merchantmen The
feW German cruisers in the Mediterranean
were quickly chased out of it. At last the
ministry of marine in Paris determined to
sweep the North sea and the Baltic with
the whole of their available force, and with
this object a grand concentration was or
dered at Brest.
This the move that Germany had
been waiting for. 1t was to tempt France
into some such exploit that her warships
We're ostentatiously withdrawn to the
neighborhood of kiel and Bremenhav"n.
The kaiser counted on the strength of his
shore defenses to safeguard his coasts. on
the day that the French fleet, a superb
all my of fighting material, stood out into
the English channel and headed for the
straits of Dover every fast cruiser in the
German navy disappeared from the Baltic
and North seas and were sighted by Eng
lsh fishing boats making apparently for
Iceland.
The French attributed this move to fear;
in Whitehall where naval matters were
mere clearly understood, its object was
read and prepared for.
Definite orders were sent to the admiral
commanding the British Mediterranean
fleet, with the result that the vessels sta
toned at Gibraltar and those gathered near
Malta suddenly sailed with sealed Ordecs.
Thus when it came to pass that when the
lost German squadron after sailing round
by the Hebrides and down the north At
idnllC, SuuueHly SNobpeu Ike DifiS Ol prey
upon the Sahara canal works at ROca
Grande and Gabes, the two sections found
an overpowering British force calmly await
ing them
Protestation was useless, buster merely
evoked a comparison of the relative weights
of ships and guns.
The British commanders pointed out that
England was greatly Interested in the Sa-
hara. She would no sooner permit the de-
structiCn of the irrigation methods adopted
by NanSittart than witness unmOved the
blowing up of the Suez canal.
She simply forbade any attack. When
German ships met French ships let them
pursue the quarrel by all means. But in
the case of a great colony where British
capital was largely invested it was matter
of hands off,
The alternative was sail sink. To the
intense grief of every man on board the
British ships the discounted raiders chose
the safer course.
For once France grateful.
Not even Wilhelm dared to dream of en-
gaging both France and England in war
at the same time.
If these two led the concert Of Europe all
others must pipe their tune.