Emden acknowledged the salute perfunctorily and continued her vigilant hunt. At least there was nothing to fear from the Jap, especially since she was southbound for Formosa Strait and Hong Kong and must be well ahead of the Canadian liner. Late in the afternoon, however, another smoke was sighted, which on investigation proved to be the Japanese Toku Maru, a large passenger liner of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, bound for Shanghai. Like the preceding Japanese, she, too, dipped her colors courteously. But as it proved she was equipped with wireless, and scarcely was she over the horizon when the Emden picked up her report of the meeting and the position, in direct contravention of the laws of neutrality.
Von Mueller banged his fist on the chartroom table. "What are we doing, gentlemen?" he cried. "Fighting with shadows? Are these people to hide behind the cloak of neutrality and act as allies of our enemies?"
"Sink the next damned Jap that comes in range, I say," growled Rudi Voss.
"And let them say that we forced them into it?" von Mueller retorted. "No, Rudi. That is a matter for higher echelons of state than ours. We will simply follow our orders!"
"We could send a party on board with a reminder of their obligations as neutrals," von Hohenzollern suggested. "As a matter of fact, we might do so under the pretext of buying beer from them. You know, Herr Kapitan, the Japanese beer is pretty good. It could be used to supplement the crew's supply."
"And endear ourselves to them further, I suppose, Franz?" Von Mueller could not help laughing. "No. I'm afraid it would do little good, and in any case, I suspect the Toku Mont's warning has frightened our bird away. If that is the case, they will go a long way around to avoid us, and this is a sizable sea. We will widen our sweeps, gentlemen, and extend the range of our search. Meantime, let us hope that she will have some cause to break wireless silence, which will allow us to get a bearing on her. Keep listening, von Guerard. And the rest of you, when you have the duty, keep your lookouts alert. That's all for now, gentlemen. Dismissed!"
But the Empress, obviously forewarned, remained elusive. For several days they scoured the area, ranging as close as they dared to Shanghai, until it became manifest that the big liner must not only have managed to escape them but also have got safely in to port. Only then did they reluctantly abandon their stalk and turn their bows once more eastward. They slipped through the Tokara Channel, in the R^nik^ni Islands, and out across the Philippine Sea, north of the Daitos and south of the Bonin and Volcano groups, then swung southward, around the Farallon de Pajaros, toward the rendezvous at Pagan, in the Marianas, where they arrived early in the afternoon of Wednesday, August the twelfth. There, to their delight but scarcely to their surprise, they found not only die big, heavy cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the smaller light cruisers Nurnberg, Dresden, and Leipzig, of the East Asiatic Squadron, but also all of the vessels which they themselves had dispatched directly from Tsingtao.
As she picked her way slowly between the anchored ships to come to a moor as near as possible to the flagship, the Emden was greeted with cheers of welcome from the other vessels—some small balm, at least, to their lacerated pride at having missed so choice a prize. Scarcely had her anchor found holding, however, when a string of signal flags ran up on the Scharnhorst's halyards, relaying the Admiral's orders to Captain von Mueller to come on board the flagship at once.
Whether the summons meant reprimand or was simply routine, no one aboard the Emden, least of all von Mueller himself, had any way of knowing. He alone was aware that he had strained his orders to the utmost, and that he was two days late at the rendezvous. But the others could guess that the failure of their chase would hardly be palatable to the high command. They could only wait and wonder. As for von Mueller, he was ushered promptly into the Admiral's cabin. Von Spee greeted him almost woodenly, no smile on his thin lips, his eyes veiled almost accusingly.
"You are late, Kapitan von Mueller," he stated.
"Yes, your Excellency," von Mueller admitted. "I thought the prize worth the risk."
"But you missed her," retorted the Admiral. "You might have notified us of your movements. You could have missed us here, you know."
Von Mueller's face was as expressionless as the Admiral's. "I was aware of that, your Excellency, but I was under your own orders not to communicate with the fleet by wireless. In view of the possible value of the prize, I felt forced to act on my own responsibility. I am sorry that we did not succeed in intercepting her. If anyone is to be censured, it is myself."
The Admiral broke into a quiet chuckle. "Sit down, Karl," he said. "I have no criticism to make of your action. In your place I would have done the same—and felt the same disappointment. It was unfortunate that you should have met the Toku Maru. Now, let's forget that. What will you have? Schnapps or sherry? It's all I have to offer." They settled to a discussion of projected operations—especially as concerned the Emden.
When he returned to the ship an hour later, von Mueller was smiling, clearly pleased, both with himself and with the world.
Von Muecke eyed him with concern as he passed through the wardroom. Franz von Hohenzollern glanced up almost expectantly. But "Leutnant von Guerard, my quarters, if you please!" was all the satisfaction any of them received.
"At least we're not to be hung in irons," von Hohenzollern remarked. "If ever I saw a cat that had swallowed a canary—"
"You never saw either a cat or a canary, Franz," snorted von Metzenthin, the quiet munitions supply officer.
Von Hohenzollern looked up at him in surprise, startled not so much by what he had said as by the fact that he had said anything at all. "All right, Metz," he retorted. "What do I put in its place? Foxes swallowing rabbits? Men with a mouthful of oysters? Cats with a brace of mice?"
The words were not much more than said when a tawny striped yellow tabby stepped in through the door and paused, glancing around, eyeing each one of them calmly, almost calculatingly.
A shout went up that almost startled the cat back out through the door.
"You see, Franz?" laughed Schall. "Perhaps there is a destiny that shapes our ends! What about it, pussy? Want to sit in my lap? "
Without hesitation, and with feline dignity, the cat turned straight toward Leutnant Schall, crossed the room, and leaped up on his knee, settling herself comfortably in the crotch of his lap. Schall looked a little more than startled. All the others laughed.
"Oh, come on, now!" Schall protested. He hated cats. "I didn't really mean that! Whose beast is this, anyway?"
"Careful, Elric," chuckled von Muecke, "if you hope to eat again on this voyage. That's Herman's cat."
"O-ooh?" Eric Schall said. "Nice \dxxy\ Nice pussy!"
"Gentlemen!" Anton von Guerard's voice broke in from the passageway leading to the Captain's quarters. "Kapitan von Mueller brought back certain Admiralty' orders from the flagship that may be of interest to some of you. First: officers of the class of 1911 will advance in grade to the next following rank up to that of Oberleumant. Those of that year currently holding that rank will take brevet rank as Kapitanleutnant. Reserve, for the duration of the current hostilities, after which they may take the necessary examinations to confirm permanent rank—"
"Hooray!" shouted von Hohenzollern. Who cared about examinations when the war was done? In any case, his own promotion was assured, and how could anyone know how long this thing was to last?
Bunte Lange, of the same class, smiled gratefully. At least this would be something. Whatever happened to him, a full-grade lieutenant received more pay and a better family and subsistence allowance. He had looked that up long since. It would be a help to Use.