New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-01-13
lust Why They Selected Me To
) Accomplish This Mission

had been chosen for this service for
three reasons-because | was supposed to
be cool hand in what the English call
a tight place" because | could talk Eng
fish. not merely t1uently, but with the real
accent and intonation-like native. in
fact, and believe because they thought
me not quite fool. AS you shall hear,
there was to be one much wiser than | to
guide me. He was, indeed the brain of
this desperate enterprise and | but his
messenger and assistant. Still, one wants
G messenger with certain qualities. and,
as it is the chief object of this narrative
to clear my honor in the eyes of those who
sent me, wish to point out that they de-
hberately chose me for this job did not
select myself-and that I did my best.
1t was my own idea to take a motor
cycle, but it was an idea cordially ap-
proved by those above me- There were
several obvious advantages. A motor
cyclst is not an uncommon object on the
roads, even of those out-of- the-way ISL
ands, so that my mere appearance would
attract no suspicion, and, besides, they
would scarcely expect visitor of my sort
to come ashore equipped with such an ar
ticle. Also, | would cover the ground
quickly, and if it came to the worst, might
have chance of evading pursuit But
there was one reason which particularly
appealed to me- could wear my naval
uniform underneath a suit of cyclists
| ,;.~l,+
make strong plea to escape the fate
Of a spy. In fact, I told myself l was
not a spy-simply a venturesome scout.
Whether the British would take the same
view of me was another question. Still,
the motorcycle did give me a chance.
My first task was to cover the better
part of twenty miles before daybreak and
Join forces with 'him" in the very inner
most shrine Of this sanctuary-or, rather
on the shore Of it. This seemed a simple
enough job; had plenty of time, the
roads, I knew, were good; nobody would
be stirring-or, anyhow, ought to be
at that hour. and the arrangements for
my safe reception were, as you shall hear
remarkably ingenious. If | once struck
the hard main road, | really saw nothing
that could stop me.
The first thing was to strike this road
OF course, | knew the map by heart, and
had a copy in my pocket as a precaution
that was almost superhuous, but working
by map memory in the dark is not so easy
when one is going cross-country.
The grassy bank fell gently before me
as the land sloped down from the cliffs
to the beach, and | knew that within a
couple Of hundred yards l should find a
rough road which followed the shore fol
short way, and then when it reached the
links above the beach turned at right an
giles across them to join the highroad Ac
cordlngly, | bumped my motorcycle pa
tiently over the rough grass, keeping close
to the edge of the bank, so as to guide my
self, and every now and then making ;
detour of a few yards inland, to see
whether the road had begun. The min
utes passed, the ground kept falling, til
| was but a little above the level of the
glimmering sea. The road ought to have
begun to keep my company long ago, bu,
never sign of it could | find. Twice ir
my detours | stumbled into what seemed
sand holes, and turned back out of Their
sharply. And then at last | realized that
| had ceased to descend for the last hun
dreu wards or more and in fact y,,,ct I've