British Secret Service During the Great War

dsturmers-A Supposed-to-be Norwegian Skipper-Native Curiosity-Dare-Devil Christian-A Mysterious Ship-Goose-Stalking over a Land Mine-Too

hmen took rather an unusual interest in the western coast of

were tried and imprisoned for varying terms of years in German fortresses. Some wer

ficant a mortal. But the fact remains that for many years prior to 1914 I had annually visited

d and the hillsides which adorn the northern side of the Elbe on the way up to Hamburg. A low sandy shore running in places far out into the North Sea stretches the entire length of coastline from Holland to Denmark. The changes, additions, and developments along this forbidden strip

, about my own age, who lived in Copenhagen. He spoke half a dozen langu

ig-Holstein, is no child's play. It requires bold and hardy navigators; men who are not frightened at the horrors of ice-floes, or of br

tioned at all kinds of unexpected and outlandish points among the islands. Sometimes those interlopers would put out in boats and give chase, but we knew within a little where they were generally stationed and by taking advantage of the ground managed to avoid being captured. More than once we had been hailed and warned and

t, although the work was dangerous, the mines kept others away, to the protection of the fish, therefore the fishing must be the better for it. The Germans warned him often enough, whilst they shot at him so frequently that he became heedless of their threats and he appeared to entirely disregard their rifle fire. One day he was

d-fowling; and no one knew the creeks, the channels, and the local geography of that shifting, dangerous coast more thor

e escape of some Russian and English prisoners of war from the compound outside Hamburg. The airship became a total wreck, and the priso

s even more than wild-fowlers. They were kept constantly on the move. It is true there was a regular "flight" of Zeppelins and aircraft of various shapes and make along the coast every twilight; yet these only appeared in fine weather, when it is known to all wild-fowlers that flighting birds fly too high to encourage heavy bags; whilst it must not be forgotten that so far as the country of Denmark was concerned, these foul (this pun is surely permissible) were not then lawfully in s

from the monotony of waiting an opportunity to get away. That man was myself. It was a thin story, but it lasted out with local natives for the necessary time required. In harbours or bays near by were about a thousand vessels laid up in

calling. It would have been dangerous in the instance in question not to have humoured this characteristic peculiarity, or to have declined to satisfy such searching curiosity. The only thing to do to ensure some deg

It was an easy step to lead from home and domestic particulars to the all-absorbing topic of the hour-the mighty overshadowing cloud of national troubles. I therefore encouraged rather than narrowed any di

one's popularity; and "the captain," as I was familiarly called, soon ingra

raft and warships. Amongst the crowd of men out of a job was one, a mate, whose life had been passed sailing in foreign seas. He was a devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky individual,

long-winged fowl, which, in his company, I oft

the sea was dotted with the mastheads of the sunken craft. Christian-that was the venturesome mate's name-thought little of this. One danger was quite equal to another with him. He argued that if fate had ordained he should be blown up by a mine, instead of being drowned, what did it matter? Call-day mus

as boastful in his talk, but the following ventu

o be ever present. A low promontory of sand and sand-dunes circles part of this bay, which is so washed by the sea that it is difficult to tell where the low-water mark really begins. From one point of the promontory a long spit o

ber was G. No. 53. She was supposed and alleged to be lying outside the Danish seaboard limit. That, however, to the casual observer looked to be open to grave doubt. She flew no flag and showed no outward sign of life on board, but she was known to be

g the said sand-spit, close to the water's edge, on its lee-side. Very slowly indeed they worked their way along until they were within range of a small gaggle of geese which habitually rested

o dark forms crawled along. They seemed to be hours covering the space intervening between themselves and the birds-their evident quarry. Between decks on the gloomy vessel this minor tragedy in life and death was probably an object of equal interest. The crew could watch

and a mighty explosion shook the earth. What a shock! It raised their caps and, as Christian remarked, so singed the hair on his head and face that he would not be likely to want the attentions of a barber for a fortnight. His companion was glad enough to escape whole in body and limb, whilst he cursed the cowardly Huns under his breath for their death-dealing inten

when brought into contact with the shore. Had one of them visited the place where the upheaval occurred he coul

ust have been the

excitement, and the greater his consequent enjoyment. For one reason only he was constantly lamenting that his country had not been brought into the struggle, so that he could have seized the opportunity to join actively in the f

dising her position and welfare, by certain nocturnal submarine visitations in certain waters-not so very far from the Great Belt

ange that his particular friend should argue that the best and heaviest fish always frequented the deepest channels which ran be

orecastle for the trawl-net; nor did he give much opening for any such questions. He knew. Othe

very scarce and consequently were very dear; the fortunes of all were to be made in a miraculously short space of time. The skipper was a heavy-bearded individual who knew his job, but nothing beyond it. He

e along, and Christian had to use all his persuasive powers, backed up with innumerable excuse

ails of the little vessel had been trimmed, and the trawl dropped in a well-known channel, picked off from the chart by the ever enthusiastic Christian. For a few hours nothing out

rly set and full. The watchman rubbed his eyes and pinched himself to see whether he was properly awake, or dreaming. He looked at the trawl warp to see whether it was slackening, as he reasoned that if some c

looked at the far-off land and took bearings. He was not mistake

his voice to the sleeping crew to come on deck; to

perhaps the imperturbable Christian and the other spare hand. Whilst the crew was debating with its skipper what was best to be done under the circumstances, another phase of the phenomenon developed. A huge, unwieldy shape gradually rose from the sea abaft the taffrail. It had a smooth, polished skin, which shone and glistened in the

ar before the Germans could get out of their steel shell and make things unpleasant for them. How everyone flew about and gave orders to everyone else. Yes! All seemed to lose their heads entirely, except the two spare hands whose whole attention seemed attracted aft. They gazed, with looks which might h

ession on the countenance of Christian betrayed the realisation of an all-too-long

d notes passed between two Governments, and the event was soon forgotten by the Powers-that-be. But the fishermen concerned remembered all too vividly every detail and the horrible scare they had had, whilst they loudly lamented their lost gear. However, a Danish gunboat appeared a little more frequently round that particular part of the coast; m