The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-13
THE CRUISE or THE AYESHA.
The Emden Men and Their odyssey OF
the south seas.

When the Linden was picked up by
the Sydney. III. NJ. Australian navy. her
commander had just landed a shore
party OF forty-threc men on Cocos-
Keeling. Their object was to destroy
the wireless, "a low power installation
designed primarily for communication
with Christmas Island and with ships
at sea. and to cut the cable of the East
ern oompany's system. Such a landing
party would probably be under com
nand of a Junior watch and division
officer, a Jeutnant- zur-See, and would
have boat gun as "A show of force. The
Emden was called to hattie and this
small party was left ashore as spec
tltors of the brave end of the ship on
which they had played their part of
gladstone adventure.
Thence they set forth. glad to have
escaped from death but sad at the loss
of their dear companions. IL was veri-
tably the beginning Of a new Odyssey,
and the end is not set IN the warm seas
of the Spice Islands. With not too much
violence this shore party raided Coccs-
Keeling and prov stoned an old schooner
in the lagoon. This was the Ayesha, "A
schooner of about sixty feet over all,
once the yacht of Clunies-Ross. the
King of Cocos- Keeling. Young Clunies-
Ross was not On the island at the time
otherwise the Emdcn men might have
had comfortable steam yacht. En-
barking on the Ayesha, probably with
sense of gratitude to Mohammed's sec
oid wife or to Shc-w ho-must be obeyed
according rs their memory served them,
they sailed away, captain and crew OF
:. VI. :. Ayeshu in a most uncertain
status, part runagato, part corsair.
The only word which has come from
them since they left Cocos- Keeling on
November 10 Is the report that on
November - they touched at padang
on the west coast Of Sumatra and took
aboard fresh supplies. This sleepy little
Dutch factory has scarcely had such a
warike stir since February 6, 1882,
when the American frigate Potomac
shot up the ncighboring Rajah OF
Qualla Battu in great and salutary
racket.
Whittier next? Tho nearest land yet
under the black -white-red banner is on
the east African coast and under
blockade. The Ayesha cannot hope to
come to harhor at Dar-es- Salaam with
"A British naval base at Zanzibar within
eycshot. She cannot run for the only
other harbor. the Ruff River, for Malta
Island is held by tho vessels whi,h
chased the koengsberg and are keeping
her bottled up. The only chance for
the survivors ~ tho Linden Is 10 head
the Ayesha eastward and TO go on a
Sinbad voyage through the Malay Seas.
News travels slowly IN those isles Of
enChaniment. there VII he found many
n hyway Of tho sea where no one knows
Of tho world abla2c aud tho Emden men
can bring whatever news may please
them.
To the remote traders they will come
as a godsend for every new face makes
It's own welcome. Tho Dayaks have
great respect for anything on deck that
looks Ike q uniform and will show
themselves peaceful even if not cordial
to the wanderers
There t. no reason why they should
not have "A pleasant sail these Crusoes
of tho German navy. and when tho war
has come To its end they can surrender
IN some convenient port with the knowl-
edge that. while theirs has been but
modest incident of war they have done
tho Who'll" duty Of sailors.