about man is that he can stand the strain of his own invention of modern war! I am rather tired to-night, but must just jot down briefly what has taken place to-day, as there is never any time in the daylight hours. Soon after dawn, at about 8 a.m., we sighted a fair-sized steamer of about 3,000 tons, which we sunk, but I cannot say what she looked like, or whether anyone escaped, as we never came to the surface at all, Von Weissman sighting smoke on the western horizon just as he hit her. We accordingly steered in that direction. However, I think she went almost at once as Von Weissman put a dot (black) on the chart as we made towards number 3. I very much wanted to know whether there were any survivors, but I did not like to ask him at the time and he has been in such an infernal temper ever since that I haven't had a suitable opportunity. The cause of his rage was as follows: Steamer number 3 turned out to be a fine fat chap (of the Clan Line, Von Weissman said, when we first sighted her). We moved in to attack and fired our port bow tube. I waited in vain by the tubes for the expected explosion--nothing happened, but after a couple of minutes a snarl came down the voice pipe: "Surface, GUN ACTION STATIONS!" I ran aft, and found the Captain white with rage. "Missed ahead!" he said, with intense feeling, "I'll have to use that confounded gun." In about three minutes the Captain and myself were on the bridge and the crew were at their stations round the gun. For the first time I saw the ship; she was stern on and apparently painted with black and white stripes. As I examined her through glasses--she was distant about 3,000 yards--I saw a flash aboard her and a few seconds later a projectile moaned overhead and fell about 6,000 yards over. So she is armed, thought I, and she has actually opened fire on us first. The effect of this unexpected retort on the part of the Englishman was to throw Weissman into a paroxysm of rage. "Why don't you fire? What the devil are you waiting for?" etc., etc., were some of the remarks he flung at the gun crew. I did not consider it advisable to mention to him that they were probably waiting his order to fire, and also his
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