he elder, Abdullah,
conducted the negotiations; the surgeon acted as interpreter, in French.
Now things proceeded in one-two-three order, and the whole Bedouin band
speedily disappeared. From what I learned later, I know definitely that
they had been corrupted with bribes by the English. They knew when and
where we would pass and they had made all preparations. Now our first
act was a rush for water; then we cleared up our camp, but had to
harness our camels ourselves, for the camel drivers had fled at the
very beginning of the skirmish. More than thirty camels were dead. The
saddles did not fit, and my men know how to rig up schooners, but not
camels. Much baggage remained lying in the sand for lack of pack
animals.

[Sidenote: The party reaches Mecca.]

"Then, under the safe protection of Turkish troops, we got to Jeddah.
There the authorities and the populace received us very well. From there
we proceeded in nineteen days, without mischance, by sailing boat to
Elwesh, and under abundant guard with Suleiman Pasha in a five-day
caravan journey toward this place, to El Ula, and now we are seated at
last in the train and are riding toward Germany--into the war at last!"

"Was not the war you had enough?" I asked.

"Not a bit of it," replied the youngest Lieutenant; "the _Emden_ simply
captured ships each time; only a single time, at Penang, was it engaged
in battle, and I wasn't present on that occasion. War? No, that is just
to begin for us now."

[Sidenote: Muecke's great task.]

"My task since November," said Muecke, "has been to bring my men as
quickly as possible to Germany against the enemy. Now, at last, I can do
so."

"And what do you desire for yourself?" I asked.

"For myself," he laughed, and the blue eyes sparkled, "a command in the
North Sea."

* * * * *

Japan was bound by alliance with Great Britain to join with her to
attack any aggressor, and to carry out her pledges she, at the outbreak
of the war, prepared to capture the German stronghold Tsing-tao, the
capital of the concession of Kiao-chau, which Germany had obtained from
China, and had converted into a German possession.

CAPTURE OF TSING-TAO

A. N. HILDITCH

Battle Sketches by A. N. Hilditch, Oxford University Press.

[Sidenote: Qualities of the Japanese.]

[Sidenote: Count Okuma Prime Minister.]

[Sidenote: Japanese ultimatum.]

Tokyo, capital of Japan, lies at the head of Tokyo Bay, in