the 27th of March, 1915, however, when the _Arabic_
arrived at Liverpool it was reported by those on board that she
had given a submarine a lively chase and had gotten away safely.
At about nine o'clock the evening before the submarine was sighted
off Holyhead. She was only 200 yards ahead, and while her commander
jockeyed for a position from which he could successfully launch a
torpedo, the commander of the _Arabic_ gave the order "Full speed
ahead." His passengers lined the rail of the ship to watch the
maneuvers. Soon the steamship had up a speed of 18 knots, which
was a bit too fast for the submarine, and she fell to the rearward.
Her chance for launching a torpedo was gone, but she brought her deck
guns into action, firing two shots which went wild. The _Arabic_
proceeded to port unmolested.

At times even the cost of shell fire was figured by the commanders
of German submarines, and pistol and rifles were used instead.
This was done in the case of the _Delmira_ on the 26th of March,
1915. This steamship was sunk off Boulogne. Ten minutes were given
by the crew of the submarine to the crew of the steamship for them
to get off. The submarine had come up off the bow of the _Delmira_,
and men standing on the deck of the former had fired shots toward
the bridge of the latter to make her captain bring her to a stop.
The latter ordered his engines started again at full speed, with the
intention of ramming the enemy, but his Chinese stokers refused to
obey the order, and his ship did not move. The crew of the steamship
got into their small boats, and for an hour and a half these were
towed by the submarine so that their row to shore would not be
so long. Though torpedoed, the _Delmira_ did not sink, and was
last seen in a burning condition off the French coast near Cape
de la Hogue.

The sinking of the steamship _Falaba_, which is mentioned, though
not narrated in full, in another chapter, was the last act of German
submarines during the month of March, 1915. This ship on the 29th
of March, 1915, was overtaken by a German submarine in St. George's
Channel. She was engaged in the African trade, voyaging between
the African ports and Liverpool. On her last journey she carried
a crew of 90 men and some 160 passengers, many of the latter being
women and children. The commander of the submarine brought his
craft to the surface off the bow of the _Falaba_, and gave the
captain of the steamship five minutes in which to put h