Three times the tramp endeavoured without success to tow off the _Pelikan_, but on each occasion the hawsers snapped. By this time it was close on high water. Meanwhile the raider's crew were working like men possessed, throwing overboard heavy gear that Kapitan von Riesser would have given thousands of marks to retain. Military stores of the utmost importance had to be ruthlessly sacrificed, unless the _Pelikan_ was to remain a target for the guns of the British cruisers which were even now supposed to be on their way from Zanzibar. On the fourth occasion a hawser was sent off to the _Myra_, while in addition the pinnace was towed into midstream with a large anchor slung underneath her keel. The anchor having been dropped, the cable was led to the _Pelikan's_ steam capstan. Directly the chain took the strain the _Myra_ began to tow, with the result that the luckless raider scraped heavily across the bar into deep water. Kapitan von Riesser was delighted, in spite of the loss of stores and gear. The damaged propellers mattered little, since the _Pelikan_ would never again attempt to put to sea. The _Myra_ could tow her up the Mohoro River until she was out of range of the British cruisers' guns, and from that point the reinforcements for the German Field Force could proceed to the Rhodesian border and attempt to check General Smut's advance. Amongst the troops was Major von Eckenstein, who had been discovered lying unconscious at the foot of the cliffs. He was badly battered about the face, and severely hurt internally. When he came to he was quite unable to account for his injuries. It was quite evident that from a combatant point of view the arrogant major was out of the running. As soon as the _Pelikan_ was in comparative safety the German troops were re-embarked. The quick-firers which had been landed, and which had served so good a purpose in repelling the British destroyers, were brought round by steamboats and again hoisted on board the _Pelikan_. This done the _Myra_ took her big consort in tow, and against the now strong ebb-tide slowly crawled up the turgid river. Before the tidal stream had turned the two vessels had passed the spot where the tramp had anchored on the previous night. Without stopping they proceeded up-stream, the _Pelikan_ keeping well under control by means of her rudder and a supplementary steering device consisting of a long spar towed astern to prevent the ship from yawing. "By Jove! there's trouble ahead," observed Denbigh, pointing to a sharp bend in the river about a mile ahead. Here the tidal portion of the stream extended nearly 500 yards from bank to bank, while the actual channel was a bare fifth of that distance. On the starboard hand ran a long tongue of mud, round which the stream swept with great violence.