106 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



the men are now sent to the battery, 

 making a little stir for the moment. 

 Then quiet falls again. Small patrol 

 craft can be dimly seen here and 

 there on watch against danger for us. 



Fifteen minutes more and we see 

 long, low forms slinking against the 

 dark background of North Sutor, 

 at the entrance to Cromarty. These 

 are the destroyers of our escort go- 

 ing out to form a screen. 



Close following them we count 

 larger, higher moving shadows — 

 one, two, three, four, five ships — 

 all there ! The heads of the two 

 columns now reach the buoy at the 

 same minute and the whole squad- 

 ron stand on, without pause, to- 

 gether. 



Four destroyers are ahead and 

 another group on either side — 12 in 

 all. No signals, no lights. So we 

 stand out Moray Firth, through the 

 one-mile-wide channel, which is 

 swept every day for mines. 



Toward 8 o'clock we pass Pent- 

 land Skerries, near John O'Groat's 

 house, and steer east, and then we 

 see coming out from Scapa Flow 

 four British light cruisers, four bat- 

 tle cruisers, with six destroyers, and 

 last four battleships, with six more 

 destroyers. They edge off to the 

 southward and eastward, fading 

 into the morning haze, to keep be- 

 tween us and possible harm from 

 Germany. It was a force of the 

 same strength that supported our 

 latest excursion in October. On the 

 second excursion, in June, our own 

 battleships, under Rear Admiral 

 Rodman in the New York, were the 

 support, making a proud sight for 

 us, as the great squadron filed out 

 and swept off toward an intercept- 

 ing station. 



laying the first mine 



Straight over to Norway we go, 

 making Udsire Light toward mid- 

 night; then off to the northwest- 

 ward. It is a busy night and early 

 morning, keeping the ships in sta- 

 tion, going over the mines for final 

 ouches, watching on every hand for 

 enemy submarines, and getting all 

 clear for our first large operation. 



