Five Months on a German Raider - Being the Adventures of an Englishman Captured by the 'Wolf' by Frederic George Trayes
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page 14 of 125 (11%)
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raider's deck minus this important part of his wardrobe, amid shrieks of
laughter from captives and captors. It was at once evident, directly we got on board, that we were in for kindly treatment. The ship's doctor at once came forward, saluted, and asked who was wounded and required his attention. Most of the passengers--there were only twenty first and about a dozen second class--were in our boat, and among the second-class passengers with us were a few Portuguese soldiers going from Macao to Delagoa Bay. Some of us were slightly bruised, and all were shaken, but luckily none required medical treatment. Chairs were quickly found for the ladies, the men seated themselves on the hatch, and the German sailors busied themselves bringing tea and cigarettes to their latest captives. We were then left to ourselves for a short time on deck, and just before dark a spruce young Lieutenant came up to me, saluted, and asked me to tell all the passengers that we were to follow him and go aft. We followed him along the ship, which seemed to be very crowded, to the well deck aft, where we met the remaining few passengers and some of the crew of the _Hitachi_. We had evidently come across a new type of Hun. The young Lieutenant was most polite, and courteous and attentive. He apologized profusely for the discomfort which the ladies and ourselves would have to put up with--"But it is war, you know, and your Government is to blame for allowing you to travel when they know a raider is out"--assured us he would do what he could to make us as comfortable as possible, and that we should not be detained more than two or three days. This was the first of a countless number of lies told us by the Germans as to their intentions concerning us. We had had nothing to eat since tiffin, so we were ordered below to the |
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