The law of libel, and a dozen other different Acts, are suspended over the head of the unfortunate man who dares to risk ridicule and speak the truth. Therefore, with my own personal experience of the utter incapability of the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police to deal with spies, or even to reply to correspondence I have addressed to his hopeless department, and to the still greater discourtesy and amazing chaos existing in his ruling department, the Home Office, I ask myself whether it is of any use whatever _to trouble, or even exert oneself further in the matter_? It is for my readers, the public themselves, to demand the truth. The public are assuredly not blind to the fact that air raids have been made upon us directed by spies. I can only address these serious words to my circle of readers throughout the Kingdom, and to make my bow, assuring them that while they were being gulled and bamboozled by those whom they have so foolishly trusted, I have, at personal loss to myself--which need not be counted--done my level best to counteract the evil which Germany has spread in our midst. And my only request is that, by my works, constant and earnest as they have been, I may be judged. CHAPTER IV UNDER THE KAISER'S THUMB By every subtle and underhand means in her power Germany has prepared for her supreme effort to conquer us. Armies of her spies have swarmed, and still swarm, over Great Britain, though their presence has been, and is even to-day, officially denied. The method adopted at the outset was to scatter secret agents broadcast, and to allot to each the collection of certain information. Men, and women too, in all walks of life have made observations, prepared plans, noted the number of horses locally, the fodder supplies, the direction of telegraph-lines, the quickest method of destroying communications, blowing up tunnels, etc.; in fact, any information which might be of use in the event of a raid upon our shores. Each group of spies has acted under the direction of a secret-agent, termed a "fixed post," and all have been, in turn, visited at periods varying from one month to six weeks by a person not likely to be suspected--usually in the guise of commercial-traveller, debt-collector, or insurance-agent, who collected the reports and made payments--the usual stipend being ten pounds per month. Some spies in the higher walks of life were, of course, paid well, as much as one thousand pounds a year being given in one case--that of a lady who, until recently, lived in Kensington--and in another to a German who, until a few weeks ago, was highly popular in the diplomatic circle. The chief bureau, to which all reports from England were sent, was an innocent-looking office in the Montagne de la Cour, in Brussels--hence Ostend was so often made a rendezvous between spies and traitors.