On Saturday evening we had picked up S O S from the Doric Star. We went full speed ahead. Some hours later, another S O S.. The same raider, nearer still, still between us and home, One was enormously thankful for the curvature of the earth, Providence itself, it seemed, had limited the horizon to 20 miles. One also thanked the company for fitting the Spanish Castle Gt one may give it that purely imaginary identity) with süch engines.
The sea is a. big place, and we slipped away. But we could mot doubt that it was for us, whom they had constantly threatened to sink, that they were waiting before the last dash across the Atlantic to a shallow and discreditable grave off Uruguay.
How can I best describe our days? The ship was grey without and blue within, but not ourselves. Next day, the sports committee was elected and we were moving in the customary curriculum between bed, Saloon, bar and the sports deck. There were the usual arguments about the decent way to throw a tenikoit, and we sank into the predestined likes and dislikes.
Use of the radio to pick up Daventry was forbidden—it might tell weapons hidden under the water where we were. There was astonishingly little talk about the war, though one or two young men had slipped Güt'of the Union to fight, and in the corner, writing his last article on the South African political situation ior "Lo Temps," was the young French léctbrer whb in a few days would be observing l'Allemagne eternelle (though his views were Tan rèscúed from the Athenia in blankets only, and wild sea-horses, however submarine, were not going to force her to follow birthday suit.
A great ship of this kind has watertight compartments ranning into two figures, and 1$ built to remain afloat even if all but two of the compartments are flooded. Bút to float in such conditions she must have the maximum of buoyancy. So, in the final danger zone, our Spanish Castle was sealed from the pro-menado deck to the waterline.
Two windows only were left open in the lounge, to be shut by the deck stewards at the first siren; and the doors, of course, for us to go out and play and sun ourselves and be marshalled "for the daily boat-stations with gas-masks. It was not a little stuffy; that was our sole discomfort.
Came the prize-giving by the usual highest class of first-class ladies, Astonishing how accustomed we became to the black decks at night, which put the boat-deck quite out [of commission, The chits, no more and no less than usual, were paid in the echoing bar. One day only I remember when there were black faces on board. That was when the Bremen was not torpedoed. "It. just wasn't cricket," said the Stewards, and I should be dishonest if I did not admit that the same sarcasm ran from the officers' quarters to the fo'c'sle.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.