Williston graphic., 1919-01-30

was all over then. and that we would
be landed at Bergen sure. Then there
was the usual running around and
! yelling on deck, and we were not so
sure we would be landed, and very
: suddenly it got colder than ever.
l was in the fiddley, aching to get
out, and ready for anything that
might happen, when the door opened
suddenly and Badewitz grabbed me,
and asked me In English If l was a
Quartermaster. l said yes, and he
pulled me by the arm to Il cabin. 1
| did not know what was going to hap
pen, but he took an oilskin from the
wall and told me to put it on.
There were two sailors there also,
and they put life belts on, and then
was more puzzled than ever, and
scared, too, because I thought maybe
they were going to throw me over
board, though what that had to do
with being Quartermaster l could
not see.
But they drilled me up onto the
bridge and told me to take the wheel.
What their idea was l do not know.
Possibly they wanted nOncombatant
ut the wheel in case they were over
hauled by a neutral vessel. We were
! going full speed at the time, but as
soon as took the wheel she cut down
to half speed, and stayed that way for
half an hour. Then up to full speed
again.
Pretty soon there was q tramp
steamer on the starboard bow, and al
most before saw it, there were two
more sentries on each side of me,
prOdding me with their revOlvers and
warning me to keep on the course.
They had civilian clothes on.
Then we went through the Skager
Rack and Cattegat, which are narrow
strips of water leading to the Baltic,
and we were only q mile from shore
with vessels all about US. 1t would
have been an easy thing for me to
signal what our ship was and who
were aboard, but they had six sentries
on my neck all the time to keep me
! from it. I never wanted to do any
thing worse in my life than jump
overheard or signal. But would
have been shot down before I had
more than started to do either, SO I
just stayed with the wheel.
| We were nearing one of the Dam
ish islands in the Baltic when we
sighted a tug. She began to smoke
up and blow her siren. The sailors got
very excited and ran around in crazy
style, and Badewitz began shouting
more orders than they could get away
with. The sentries left me and ran
with the rest of the Fritzies to the
boat deck and started to lower one Of
the lifebOats. But Badewitz was right
on their heels and kicked the whole
bunch around in great shape, roaring
like bull all the time.
! I left the wheel and ran to the end
of the bridge, to jump overheard. But
the minute l let 60 of the wheel the
vessel fell off of the course, and they
noticed it, and Badewitz sent five Of
them up on the bridge and three
others to the side with their revOlvers
to shoot me If should reach the wa.
ter. think If had had any rope to
lash the wheel with l could have got
away and they would not have known
it.
When the five sailors reached the
bridge one of them jumped for the
cord and gave our siren five long
blasts in answer to the tug. The tug
was about to launch torpedo, and
we whistled just in time. One of our
men was looking from the tiddley, and
he saw the Huns making for the life
boats, so he got two or three others
and they all yelled together, Don't
let them get away!" thinking that
they would get the boat over and
leave the ship, and trying to yell loud
enough for the tug to hear them.
Badewitz took this man and two or
three others, whether they were the
ones who yelled or not, and beat them
up and put them in irons. thought
there was going to be a mutiny
aboard, but it did not come of, and
am not sure what the Huns were SO
excited about.
The other four sailors who came up
on the bridge did not touch me, but
inst kent mo cnvorosl with thoir ro.