TRANSPORTING A NAVY THROUGH JUNGLES OF AFRICA 



361 



immediately after the capture of the Kin- 

 gani. They came packed in crates and 

 were assembled at a Belgian post some 25 

 miles down the coast from the depot. 



At about the same time, two portable 

 wireless field sets carried on stout wagons 

 arrived at our base. The wireless sets, 

 with their tall steel masts, were erected 

 in the British camp for experimental 

 tests, much to the mystification of the 

 natives, who, on being told that messages 

 were being collected from the air, dubbed 

 the operators "the White Chiefs who talk 

 to Big Ju-ju." 



WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TERRIFTES 

 NATIVES 



It so happened that at about the time 

 the Marconi operators made a test of 

 their apparatus the Belgian airmen down 

 the coast, having fixed up one of their 

 seaplanes, decided to make a trial flight. 

 Picture, therefore, the amazement of the 

 superstitious negroes when, shortly after 

 the wireless had begun sending test mes- 

 sages, with the rasping, crackling of elec- 

 tric sparks, lo and behold came the an- 

 swer to their prayers to Heaven, as the 

 natives thought, in the form of a low 

 droning, gradually getting louder ! 



Suddenly the seaplane shot into view 

 out of the clouds, describing circles and 

 going through sundry evolutions over the 

 camp. The natives stood spell-bound, 

 gazing upward with arms extended, eyes 

 bulging, and mouths agape. 



The airman then made a sudden dive 

 downward and that broke the spell. The 

 savages bounded off into the bush, terror 

 lending wings to their progress. Mothers 

 snatched up their pickaninnies and dived 

 for the shelter of their kraals,' shrieking 

 at the top of their voices. It was real 

 pandemonium. 



Hours later, after the seaplane had set- 

 tled on the lake, the natives returned, but 

 were visibly agitated by what they had 

 seen. They were reluctant to approach 

 the machine for some time, but finally, 

 coming to the conclusion it was not a 

 monster bird bent on destroying them, 

 they clustered round and referred to the 

 airman as "the Great White Chief from 

 Heaven." 



We come now to the sinking of the 

 gunboat Hedwig von Wissmann by the 



Mimi and Ton-Ton and Kingani, the last 

 named now in fighting trim and rechris- 

 tened Fiji. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND 

 GERMAN GUNBOAT 



At daylight on the 9th of February a 

 message was received that a boat was in 

 sight, steaming slowly southward. All 

 being ready, the British flotilla started 

 off to meet the enemy vessel, and at 8 135 

 a. m. she was sighted heading south- 

 southwest at about six knots. 



The enemy vessel turned immediately 

 and attempted to escape, speeding up by 

 putting oil on the fires. 



The British flotilla went in pursuit at 

 full speed, but until we were within 5,000 

 yards, the reflection caused by the glassy 

 surface of the lake made the enemy ap- 

 pear like a dark blob suspended above the 

 horizon, with a similar blob some distance 

 below. 



The Mimi first opened fire at 3,800 

 yards, making several hits in the first few 

 minutes. 



The Fiji opened fire from 7,500 yards, 

 but was unable to register a hit. The 

 range was reduced, and firing from about 

 5,600 yards, she scored about 40 hits out 

 of 60 shots. 



One high-explosive shell burst in the 

 engine-room, killing the engineer and a 

 native stoker, and also burst an oil tank. 

 A second shell burst between the engine 

 and boiler, killing a native stoker and 

 wrecking the engines. A third blew a 

 large hole in the ship's bottom and set fire 

 to the oil, with which the engine-room was 

 drenched. 



ENEMY COMMANDER AND CREW JUMP 

 OVERBOARD AND ARE RESCUED 



The whole ship then appeared to be 

 enveloped in flames, and Lieutenant 

 Odebrecht, commander of the German 

 vessel, realizing that his ship was sinking. 

 gave orders to abandon it. Two of his 

 three small boats were still seaworthy and 

 were dropped astern; but just at this mo- 

 ment a shell passed through one boat and 

 blew the other to pieces, killing a warrant 

 officer and some natives and slightly 

 wounding a European stoker and a native 

 seaman. 



