ARRIVAL OF PRINZ EITEL FRIEDRICH 157

not daring to leave, but with hope growing momentarily stronger
that there was an error somewhere. Meanwhile, Bailey had
seen the vessel from the mountain and was confident that it was
the returning yacht, but had been unable to get into touch with
her. He had come down and consulted with Mr. Edmunds,
who had then most kindly ridden over to the south coast to see
what could be done from there; the nearer view had made clear
that the alarm was a false one, the vessel was not Mana but some
other passing schooner, and we breathed once more.

Everyone, however, seemed to take particular pleasure in
talking to the Germans about the yacht and her movements, in
a way which to me was more amusing than reassuring. As a
scientific ship, she theoretically shared with Red Cross vessels
immunity under the Hague Convention, but even in those days,
as will have been seen, that' did not bring complete confidence.
One of the German officers had, I was told, given it as his opinion
that his Captain would not touch her, but " it was," he remarked,
"a matter for individual judgment, and other commanders
might act differently/' The same officer expressed his surprise
that the Manager had ventured on the cruiser, as he " might have
been made a prisoner, as a German had been on a French ship " ;
whereupon Mr. Edmunds naturally resolved not to accept an
informal invitation to attend theatricals to be held on board
on Christmas Eve.

The reason for the occupation of the crew soon became obvious.
The warship went out on the following morning arid returned with
a French barque, the Jean, which she had captured some time
before, and which, being laden with coal, she had towed most
of the way to the island. She laid the barque alongside her
in Cook's Bay and proceeded to hoist ^out the cargo (fig. 24),
finally shooting away the mastsand spars in order that the French
ship might not capsize as she gradually lost her baJJast.

The cruiser, it transpired,. had also on board it the crew
of an English sailing-ship, the Kildalton, which she had captured
and sunk near the Horn; but when an attempt was. made to
speak to the men, they were ordered.below. The German officers
and crew then landed daily, rode over the island, came up to the
Manager's house, and generally behaved as if the,whole.place
belonged to J:hem. The officers were courteous and always
saluted when we met, an attention with which one would have