The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1919-01-09

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 Ii l was
duartermaster. l said yes, and he
pulled me by the arm to cabin.
did not know what was going to hap
pen, but he took an oilskin from the
wall and told me to put 1t on.
There were two sailors there also,
and they put life belts on, and then
I was more puzzled than ever, and
scared, too, because thought maybe
they were going to throw me over
board, though what that had to do
with being quartermaster could
net see.
But they drilled me up onto the
bridge and told me to take the wheel.
What their idea was I do not know.
Possibly they wanted a iloncombatant
at 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 tramp
steamer on the starboard bow, and al
most before l 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 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 oil the time to keep me
from it. l never wanted to do any
thing worse in my life than jump
overheard or signal. But I would
have been shot down before l had
more than started to do either, so
/ just stayed with the wheel.
We were nearing one Of the Dan
ish islands in the Baltic when we
sighted a tug. She began to smoke
I'D 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 a bull all the time.
left the wheel and ran to the end
of the bridge, to jump overheard. But
the minute l let go 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 tc
: lash the wheel with I 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 Ions
l blasts in answer to the tug. The tug
was about to launch a torpedo, ant
| we whistled just in time. One of ou
men was looking from the fddley, ant
he saw the Huns making for the life
boats, SO he got two or three Others
and they all yelled together, DON
let them get away!" thinking tina
they would get the boat over ant
leave the ship. and trying to yell lou
enough for the tug to hear them
Badewitz took this man and two O
three others, whether they were tn
ones who yelled or not, and beat then
up and put them in irons. l though
there was going to be muffin
J am not sure what the Huns were 8
excited about. ...
\ The other four sailors who came u
on the bridge did not touch me, bu
just kept me covered with their RI
vOlvers. That was the way with thel
they would not touch us unles
Badewitz was there or they had bayt
nets. The old bull himself came u
on the bridge after he had beaten u
I few men, threw me around quite
bit and kicked me down from til
bridge and slammed me into the co.
bunkers. l felt pretty sore. as yo
can imagine, and disappointed IN
" pretty low generally.
After a while we heard the ancht
,e chains rafting through on their wa
,e to get wet, and we pulled up. The
Is every German ship in the Baltic can
up to look us over, guess. The
~ opened up the hatch covers, and Il
" Hun garbies and gold-stripes can
Mt aboard and looked down ut us, ar
Id spit all they could on us, and GALE
Id us all the different kinds of swine
ne creation. They had them lined ,
w. and filing past the hatchways-all
is them giving us the once over in tur
If Maybe they sold tickets for this shO
H. it would be like the Huns.
OF At first we were milling around TT
Sc ing to get out from under the hat
VIC openings and the shower of spit, b
nc some Limey officer sang out, 'Br
ishers all Don't give way!" and '
tin stood still and let them spit the
We damned German lungs out before ,