"This collier, as we learned presently, was a former British ship, the _Buresk_, which had been captured by the _Emden_ some time before and put in charge of a German prize crew. If her skipper had not felt sure that the _Emden_ was going to do for us, he could have easily steamed out of sight while the engagement was on. As it was, he lingered too long, and we had little difficulty in pulling up to a range from which we could put a warning shell across the runaway's bows. That brought her up, but the Hun naval ensign was kept flying until a signal was made for it to be struck. That brought the rag down on the run, but her skipper prevented it falling into our hands by burning it. "No sooner was our boarding officer over her side than a mob of Chinese stokers crowded about him shouting in 'pidgin' English that 'puff-puff boat gottee biggee holee. No more top-side can walkee.' Rushing below, our men found the sea-cocks open, with their spindles bent in a way to make closing impossible. As the ship was already getting a list on, there was nothing to do but take the prisoners off and let her go down. "To make sure that there was no trick about the game--that no concealed crew had been left behind to stop the leaks by some prearranged contrivances and steam away with her as soon as it was dark--the _Sydney_ pumped four shells into her at short range, and she was burning fiercely from fires started by these when the water closed over her. Then, at a somewhat more leisurely gait, we steamed back to see how it fared with the _Emden_. "It was now about the middle of the afternoon, and the first thing we noticed--standing out sharp in the rays of the slanting sun--was the naval ensign flying at the still upright mainmast of the _Emden_. "The instant he saw this, the Captain made the signal, by flag, 'Do you surrender?' To this _Emden_ made back, by Morse flag, 'Have no signal books,' which meant, of course (if it was true), that she couldn't read our first signal. Then, using Morse flag, which they had already shown they understood, we repeated the signal, 'Do you surrender?' There was no answer to this, and again we repeated it. As there was still no answer, and as there was no sign whatever of anything in the way of a white flag being shown anywhere, the Captain had no alternative but to continue the action. I have always been glad that I heard the Captain's orders to the Gunnery Lieutenant at this time, for the point is one on which the Hun survivors were even then ready to start lying.