White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-06-28

| boat Tor him.
On our deck he got stern, formal
reception.
"Any casualties among your men,
captain?"
mo, worse luck. Not a man
scratched, by Joe, and the blighters
scurried around like rabbits at dog
show. Look at them in the boats out
there They haven't got here yet, the
beggars. Let me at that gun, by Joe,
and I'll sink them"
1t was hard not to sympathize with
him, but still his conduct had appar-
emily been inexcusable.
"Why did you endanger your mems
lives like that, captain? 1t not only
was the height Of folly, but 1t was in
human r.
Just then our ships surgeon, Doctor
Pietsch, came along.
"Hello, captain"
"Hello, doctor"
They greeted each other like long
lost friends, save that there was a
shadow Of uneasiness, in the captains
fraternal demonstrations.
Doctor Pietsch had gone out with
our armored cruiser Moewe on one Of
her freebooting expeditions. Among
the captured captains of that cruise
was our present guest who, while
aboard the Moewe, had struck up a
pleasant comradeship with the doctor.
Now he, along with the other cap.
tains, had been released on parole.
They had signed written promises that
they would engage In no further war
ACTIVITY. Believing he had broken
his parole, he thought the Germans
would hang him from yardarm If
they ever caught him. When he saw
we were an auxiliary cruiser, he al
ready felt rope tightening around his
neck. That was why he had tried 80
desperately to get away.
We amused ourselves with formal
discussion, after which I addressed
our guest with suitable gravity.
"We are of the opinion, captain,
| that your parole did not cover your
calling as merchant captain. Only
| direct combatant service was included
! under the heading Of war activity.
Therefore, we feel ourselves under no
unhappy necessity of hanging you"
Well, the smile on that hard, wealth
er-beaten face was like sunrise. We
now understood the al-too-human mo-
tives behind his actions, and we re-.
spected his plucky attempt to get
away in the face of point-blank gun.
fire. Sailors ourselves, we could only
salute this skipper who, with worth
less, spineless crew. had to take the
wheel himself, and then only to find
| his srudder chain smashed.
The sea was so rough now that we
did not send bombing party to board
the Lundy Island, but sank her by d.
rect gunfire.
That night Leudemann and l sal
over bottles of beer and talked about
our prospects.
SWELL, old chap" said l, Everything
has begun we'll. Its fine cruise. But
when will they sink us?"
"Not, at any rate" he replied, "un.
! til our hotel Is full"
You see our buccaneering raid was
pretty certain to remain secret until
the time came when lack of space
would compel us to release our pris.
oners and send them to port. Then
| the news of our freebooting jaunt
would out, and cruisers would be hot
after US in every part of the world.
"And If we don't capture any more
Ships" reflected. I'VE can 60 on
cruising indefinitely"
"Then let's catch some more quick.
| ly." laughed Leudemann ut will be
great sport to play hide and seek with
cruisers"
That mate OF mine was always itch
| ing for trouble. But then that was
| what we had all come through the
blockade In hope Of finding, so If we
wanted plenty of excitement, then the
sooner we sent the crews of eight or
ten ships into some port the sooner
would the alarm 60 out-"Germau
raider In the AtlanticW Then. too.
Lloyd's insurance rates would start to
soar when the news got out. and ships
with supplies that the Allies needed
badly would be held In port. Also, q
number of cruisers would no doubt be
| detached from blockade patrol duty
across the North sea. That was the
interesting part of it--those cruisers
and how to elude them.
"Leudemann," said, "the better
the lookout. the more ships we will
catch. We already have good look.
out, but I've thought of way to have
a better one. A hundred pair of eyes
are better than two pair"
"What do you mean?"
swell, from now on, Pm going to
change that offer of ten pounds and
bottle of champagne that we promised
to the first OF our two lookouts to SOY
a ship. I'm going to open II to every
one on board'
tTo BE coNTINUED)