umatra to the region of the northern monsoon. I came about six
degrees north, then over toward Aden to the Arabian coast. In the Red
Sea the northeastern monsoon, which here blows southeast, could bring
us to Djidda. I had heard in Padang that Turkey was still allied with
Germany, so we would be able to get safely through Arabia to Germany.

"I next waited for information through ships, but the _Choising_ did
not know anything definite, either. By way of the _Luchs_, the
_Koenigsberg_ and _Kormoran_ the reports were uncertain. Besides,
according to newspapers at Aden, the Arabs were said to have fought
with the English; therein there seemed to be offered an opportunity
near at hand to damage the enemy. I therefore sailed with the
_Choising_ in the direction of Aden. Lieutenant Cordts of the
_Choising_ had heard that the Arabian railway already went almost to
Hodeida, near the Perin Strait. The ship's surgeon there, Docounlang,
found confirmation of this in Meyer's Traveling Handbook. This railway
could not have been taken over by the Englishmen, who always dreamt of
it. By doing this they would have further and completely wrought up
the Mohammedans by making more difficult the journey to Mecca. Best of
all, we thought, 'We'll simply step into the express train and whizz
nicely away to the North Sea.' Certainly there would be safe
journeying homeward through Arabia. To be sure, we had maps of the Red
Sea; but it was the shortest way to the foe whether in Aden or in
Germany.

"On the 7th of January, 1915, between nine and ten o'clock in the
evening, we sneaked through the Strait of Perin. It lay swarming full
of Englishmen. We steered along the African coast, close past an
English cable layer. That was my greatest delight--how the Englishmen
will be vexed when they learn that we passed safely by Perin. On the
next evening we saw on the coast a few lights near the water. We
thought that must be the pier of Hodeida. But when we measured the
distance by night, three thousand meters, I began to think that must
be something else. At dawn I made out two masts and four smokestacks;
that was an enemy ship and, what is more, an armored French cruiser. I
therefore ordered the _Choising_ to put to sea, and to return at
night.

"The next day and night the same; then we put out four boats--these we
pulled to shore at sunrise under the eyes of the unsuspecting
Frenchmen. The sea reeds were thick. A few Arabs came close to us;
then