Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 80
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[Page 80]
We hailed and were asked surlily what we wanted.
We enquired his cargo and destination. The reply came back in a Cockney accent which could not be mistaken "Orses on deck wheat below."
"You may proceed." - Oh thank you Sir came back and we could hear the sigh of relief as we told him who we were.
"I thought you was the bloody Germans" was his parting message. And so it was with their ships.
I fear we scared more British traders than we ever knew at any rate all fled on sight as fast as their old fat sides would let them.
We arrived back at St Lucia on February 13th with the ghost of the Karlsruhe still unlaid and with no information as to her whereabouts.
We lay awaiting orders to St Lucia harbour till Feb 15th and then steamed out to do some battle practice off the port intending to return at nightfall but it was not to be.
Early in the afternoon a wireless came to proceed with all despatch to Lavendian reef, two thousand miles away off NE Brazil as the Admiralty had reliable information that the remnants of the German Atlantic squadron were intending to foregather there. The Kronprinz Wilhelm the Karlsruhe the Prinz Eitel Friedrich and their colliers and storeships were expected and the Sydney was despatched to break in upon the party. It was a pretty compliment on the part of the authorities to send us to tackle three ships but one fears it was not quite appreciated, and various and many were the schemes worked out by the local and self constituted war staff as to how we were to scupper three Huns and keep ourselves reasonably whole.
At last it was agreed that if necessary we could probably leg it from the armed merchantmen and could deal with the Karlsruhe if she chased us, and the engineer