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had arranged our shifts so that the latter and Olson now divided the nights, while
Bradley and I alternated with one another during the days.
I questioned both Olson and Benson closely in the matter of the compass; but
each stoutly maintained that no one had tampered with it during his tour of duty.
Benson gave me a knowing smile, as much as to say: "Well, you and I know who
did this." Yet I could not believe that it was the girl.
We kept to our westerly course for several hours when the lookout's cry
announced a sail. I ordered the U-33's course altered, and we bore down upon
the stranger, for I had come to a decision which was the result of necessity. We
could not lie there in the middle of the Atlantic and starve to death if there was
any way out of it. The sailing ship saw us while we were still a long way off, as
was evidenced by her efforts to escape. There was scarcely any wind, however,
and her case was hopeless; so when we drew near and signaled her to stop, she
came into the wind and lay there with her sails flapping idly. We moved in quite
close to her. She was the Balmen of Halmstad, Sweden, with a general cargo
from Brazil for Spain.
I explained our circumstances to her skipper and asked for food, water and oil;
but when he found that we were not German, he became very angry and abusive
and started to draw away from us; but I was in no mood for any such business.
Turning toward Bradley, who was in the conning-tower, I snapped out: "Gun-
service on deck! To the diving stations!" We had no opportunity for drill; but
every man had been posted as to his duties, and the German members of the
crew understood that it was obedience or death for them, as each was
accompanied by a man with a pistol. Most of them, though, were only too glad to
obey me.
Bradley passed the order down into the ship and a moment later the gun-crew
clambered up the narrow ladder and at my direction trained their piece upon the
slow-moving Swede. "Fire a shot across her bow," I instructed the gun-captain.
Accept it from me, it didn't take that Swede long to see the error of his way and
get the red and white pennant signifying "I understand" to the masthead. Once
again the sails flapped idly, and then I ordered him to lower a boat and come after
me. With Olson and a couple of the Englishmen I boarded the ship, and from her
cargo selected what we needed--oil, provisions and water. I gave the master of
the Balmen a receipt for what we took, together with an affidavit signed by
Bradley, Olson, and myself, stating briefly how we had come into possession of
the U-33 and the urgency of our need for what we took. We addressed both to
any British agent with the request that the owners of the Balmen be reimbursed;
but whether or not they were, I do not know.[1]
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