remain there only twenty-four hours.

Before leaving they took a dramatic farewell, which received publicity
in the press of the whole world, and which was designed to lead the
British fleet commanders to believe that the Germans were coming
out to do battle. Instead, they headed for Constantinople. They
escaped all the ships of the British Mediterranean fleet with the
exception of the cruiser _Gloucester_. With this ship they exchanged
shots and were in turn slightly damaged, but they reached the Porte
in seaworthy condition, and were immediately sold to the Turkish
Government, which was then still neutral. The crews were sent to
Germany and were warmly welcomed at Berlin. The officers responsible
for their escape were disciplined by the British authorities.

Both Germany and England, the former by means of the eleven ships at
large, and the latter by means of her preponderance in the number of
ships, now made great efforts to capture trading ships of the enemy.
When England declared war there was issued a royal proclamation which
stated that up to midnight of August 14 England would permit German
merchantmen in British harbors to sail for home ports, provided
Germany gave British merchantmen the same privilege, but it was
specified that ships of over 5,000 tons would not receive the privilege
because they could be converted into fighting ships afterward. But
on the high seas enemy ships come upon were captured.

The German admiralty on August 1 had issued orders to German merchantmen
to keep within neutral ports, and by this means such important
ships as the _Friedrich der Grosse_ and the _Grosser Kurfuerst_
eluded capture. In the harbor of New York was the _Kronprinzessin
Cecilie_, a fast steamer of 23.5 knots. She left New York on July
28 carrying a cargo of $10,000,000 in gold, and was on the high
seas when England declared war. Naturally she was regarded by the
British as a great prize, and the whole world awaited from day
to day the news of her capture, but her captain, showing great
resourcefulness, after nearly reaching the British Isles, turned
her prow westward, darkened all exterior lights, put canvas over
the port holes and succeeded in reaching Bar Harbor, Me., on the
morning of August 5.

Similarly the _Lusitania_ and the French liner _Lorraine_, leaving
New York on August 5, were able to elude the German cruiser _Dresden_,
which was performing the difficult task of trying to intercept
merchantmen b