20 MY MEMOIRS

at midnight at more than 60° longitude; the sea was calm and covered with fishing boats, Dutchmen, Scots, and a few French—but when we looked round for our boats we could not find our charges for days. At last we saw a few trawlers which agreed with our description, and we actually recognised through the telescope the thin black-white-and-red strip which had been given us as a mark of recognition. When we approached them, however, the nearest trawler set sail and made off. We sent a shot after it, whereupon it lowered its sail. When we asked the men why they denied their German nationality, they said that it would have been too unsafe for them, that they would have run the risk of the strangers sailing through their nets and tearing them in two. Our good Emdeners as a matter of fact sailed under the Dutch flag, and were afraid of acknowledging the German colours. In Lerwick we did meet one who hoisted the German flag at our approach, dutifully brought us a ton of herrings, but then immediately put to sea and vanished. The officer of a Dutch warship lying there then told us that this trawler which had acted like a German that day had come in only the night before disguised as a Dutchman, and had gone to the Dutch vessel for a doctor and medicine. The Herring Association had itself recommended this peculiar proceeding to its members.

Thus we saw in the most illuminating way how intimidated a great nation can become without sea-power and how cut off we were from the riches which the