troying merchant ships and not to run the
risk of having her career ended by a warship, so she immediately
put off for the Indian Ocean. A storm which then came up permitted
her to make a better escape.

It was not until the 9th of November that the world at large heard
more of her, and it proved to be the last day of her reign of terror.
There was a British wireless and cable station on the Cocos (Keeling)
Isles, southwest of Java, and Von Mueller had determined to interrupt
the communication maintained there connecting India, Australia,
and South Africa. Forty men and three officers, with three machine
guns, were detailed by him as a landing party to destroy instruments
and cut the cables. But such a thing had been partially forestalled
by the British authorities, who had set up false cable ends. These
were destroyed by the deceived Germans. When the _Emden_ had first
made her appearance the news had been sent out by the wireless
operator on shore, not knowing what ships would pick up his calls.

This time luck was against Von Mueller, for it so happened that a
convoy of troop ships from Australia was passing within one hundred
miles. They were accompanied by the Australian cruisers _Melbourne_
and _Sydney_. The latter was dispatched to go to the Cocos Islands,
and by getting up a speed of 26 knots she reached them in less than
three hours. Von Mueller knew that escape by flight was impossible,
for his ship had been weeks at sea; her boilers were crusted, her
machinery badly in need of repair, and she had not too much coal.
He therefore decided to give battle, and went straight for the
_Sydney_ at full speed. His object was to meet her on even terms,
for her advantage was that her guns had much greater range than
those of the _Emden_. If he could get close enough he might be
able to use his torpedo tubes. But Captain Glossop of the _Sydney_
saw through this maneuver and maintained good distance between the
two ships. About the first shot from the _Emden_ killed the man
at the range finder on the fore bridge of the _Sydney_. Captain
Glossop was standing within a few feet of him at the time.

The replies from the Australian ship were fatal. The foremost funnel
of the _Emden_ crumpled and fell; her fire almost ceased, and then
she began to burn; the second funnel and the third fell also; there
was nothing left but to beach her, which Von Mueller did, just before
noon. While she lay there helpless the _Sydney_ shot mor