lf observation, but the result showed
that they were insufficient to hold off the enemy, since three days later
both town and fleet were speedily destroyed.

However, I am not here to tell you the incidents of the war, but to
explain my own part in it, which had such a decisive effect upon the
result. My first action was to send my four second-class boats away
instantly to the point which I had chosen for my base. There they were
to wait submerged, lying with negative buoyancy upon the sands in twenty
foot of water, and rising only at night. My strict orders were that they
were to attempt nothing upon the enemy, however tempting the opportunity.
All they had to do was to remain intact and unseen, until they received
further orders. Having made this clear to Commander Panza, who had
charge of this reserve flotilla, I shook him by the hand and bade him
farewell, leaving with him a sheet of notepaper upon which I had
explained the tactics to be used and given him certain general principles
which he could apply as circumstances demanded.

My whole attention was now given to my own flotilla, which I divided into
two divisions, keeping _Iota_ and _Kappa_ under my own command, while
Captain Miriam had _Delta_ and _Epsilon_. He was to operate separately
in the British Channel, while my station was the Straits of Dover. I
made the whole plan of campaign clear to him. Then I saw that each ship
was provided with all it could carry. Each had forty tons of heavy oil
for surface propulsion and charging the dynamo which supplied the
electric engines under water. Each had also eighteen torpedoes as
explained and five hundred rounds for the collapsible quick-firing twelve-
pounder which we carried on deck, and which, of course, disappeared into
a water-tight tank when we were submerged. We carried spare periscopes
and a wireless mast, which could be elevated above the conning-tower when
necessary. There were provisions for sixteen days for the ten men who
manned each craft. Such was the equipment of the four boats which were
destined to bring to naught all the navies and armies of Britain. At
sundown that day--it was April 10th--we set forth upon our historic
voyage.

Miriam had got away in the afternoon, since he had so much farther to go
to reach his station. Stephan, of the _Kappa_, started with me; but, of
course, we realized that we must work independently, and that from that
moment when we shut the sliding hatches