den's_ pennant was up, the battle
flag was raised, and they began to fire from the starboard."

"The enemy," explained Captain Muecke, "was concealed by the island
and therefore not to be seen, but I saw the shells strike the water.
To follow and catch the _Emden_ was out of the question, as she
was going at twenty knots, and I only four with my steam pinnace.
Therefore I turned back to land, raised the flag, declared German
laws of war in force, seized all arms, set up my machine guns on shore
in order to guard against a hostile landing. Then I ran out again in
order to observe the fight. From the splash of the shells it looked
as though the enemy had 15-centimeter guns, bigger, therefore, than
the _Emden's_. He fired rapidly but poorly. It was the Australian
cruiser _Sydney_."

According to the account of the Englishmen who saw the first part
of the engagement from the shore, the _Emden_ was cut up rapidly.
Her forward smokestack lay across the deck, and was already burning
fiercely aft. Behind the mainmast several shells struck home.

"We saw the high flame," continued Captain Muecke, "whether circular
fighting or a running fight now followed, I don't know, because
I again had to look to my land defenses. Later, I looked on from
the roof of a house. Now the _Emden_ again stood out to sea about
4,000 to 5,000 yards, still burning. As she again turned toward
the enemy, the forward mast was shot away. On the enemy no outward
damage was apparent, but columns of smoke showed where shots had
struck home. Then the _Emden_ took a northerly course, likewise
the enemy, and I had to stand there helpless, gritting my teeth and
thinking; 'Damn it; the _Emden_ is burning and you aren't aboard!'"

[Illustration: THE CRUISE OF THE "EMDEN" LANDING PARTY]

Captain Muecke, in relating his thrilling adventure, then explained:
"The ships, still fighting, disappeared behind the horizon. I thought
that an unlucky outcome for the _Emden_ was possible, also a landing
by the enemy on the Keeling Island, at least for the purpose of
landing the wounded and taking on provisions. As there were other
ships in the neighborhood, according to the statements of the
Englishmen, I saw myself faced with the certainty of having soon
to surrender because of a lack of ammunition. But for no price
did I and my men want to get into English imprisonment. As I was
thinking about all this, the masts again appeared on the horizon,
the _Emden_ steaming easte