ADVENTURE WITH GERMAN PIRATES 



raid by a German submarine was great and seriously 

 affected individuals. In the case of the Jane 

 Stewart the valuable nets belonged to four members 

 of the crew, on whom the loss fell ; the vessel was 

 privately owned, the crew having no share in her. 



Skipper Stewart stated that altogether eleven fish- 

 ing vessels were destroyed that night by the sub- 

 marine, and so expeditiously and systematically was 

 the ruthless work done that he calculated that on 

 the average one vessel was destro} r ed every sixteen 

 minutes. 



This onslaught in the night was wanton, cowardly 

 and from the German point of view entirely useless. 

 The enemy hoped by such a display of " frightful- 

 ness " to drive the fishermen from the seas and so 

 to fill them with terror that they would not go to 

 sea again ; yet such was the unaccountable mentality 

 of the Briton that he not only persisted in setting 

 forth again in his little vessels to catch the fish, but 

 in doing so he often did his best to evade the very 

 measures that were taken to protect him. Some- 

 thing more was needed to cow him than fearsome 

 Teutons, even when they pointed huge revolvers at 

 unprotected and defenceless men, and had the added 

 horror of glistening axes depending from the belts 

 encircling their impressive waists. 



145 



k 



