276 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



last she had reached what she thought was safety, 

 only to find that in all probability she and her 

 children would be drowned or taken prisoner. 

 Courage for the moment had failed her, and all 

 the future seemed black. I endeavoured to cheer 

 her up, and promised to look after the children if 

 anything serious happened, so she presently smiled, 

 dried her tears and helped me to get her very 

 heavy box on my back, and thus accompanied 

 me on to the ship. 



We left in the darkness, some hours after our 

 appointed time, the only other passengers being 

 three jolly Norwegian captains (all of whose ships 

 had been torpedoed, and now going to get other 

 vessels in England). About 3 a.m., when well 

 out to sea, there was a terrific crash on the side 

 of the ship, and I thought we were in for it. I 

 ran to the lady's cabin, and telling her not to be 

 alarmed, but to dress the children, then went up 

 on deck, and found to my relief that we had only 

 charged into the wreckage of some ship that had 

 recently been torpedoed. When daylight came 

 we had some anxious hours, but nothing further 

 happened to spoil our voyage, so after another 

 night at sea, we reached Newcastle without incident. 

 I can hardly describe the joy of that poor Scotch 

 girl on landing in England. It was a sight to 

 make one's heart glad, and no doubt she had a 

 happy reunion with her family, which she had not 

 seen for eleven years. 



Soon after this all passenger communication with 

 Norway ceased. Such travellers as found it neces- 

 sary to go to the Scandinavian countries and Russia 

 were carried by one of His Majesty's destroyers. 



