again, after having boxed the compass more than once, and the German
Captain came down from the bridge and told us there was no relief for us
yet. We all felt that if the _Hitachi_ had only avoided distant smoke as
the German Captain had done we need never have made the acquaintance of
the _Wolf_.

On the 24th we again met the _Wolf_ in the evening. Whenever the _Wolf_
had an appointment to meet her prize at a certain time and place, the
prize always hoisted recognition signals directly she saw the _Wolf_ on
the horizon. These were made of wicker, and varied in shape on different
occasions.

We were now well to the south of Africa, in the roaring forties, and we
saw many schools of whales, and albatrosses accompanied us for many
days. A Spanish officer shot one one day--we told him this would bring
us bad luck, as the souls of lost sea captains are said to inhabit these
majestic birds. And one day we saw a dead whale floating along not far
from the ship--it was smothered with a huge flock of seabirds, gorging
themselves on it. By December 1st we had begun to steer north-west, and
on the 3rd the Captain informed us we were the nearest we should ever be
to Cape Town, the port to which I had set out. On this morning the
Captain said to me, "Mr. Trayes, didn't you say you were going to Cape
Town?" "Yes," I replied. "Come out on deck with me," he answered. I went
with him. He took my arm, and said, "There it is," pointing in its
direction. We were then 150 miles off! We met the _Wolf_ again on the
5th, and travelled in her company during the remainder of that day and
the next two, stopping as usual for communication and the sending of
stores to us in the evenings just before sunset. Often when the ship
stopped Lieutenant Rose would go aboard the _Wolf_, another Lieutenant
boarding us and remaining in charge during his absence. The _Wolf_ on