J. H. KLEIN, JR., _Lieutenant, U.S. Navy_. WASHINGTON, D.C. 3 January, 1917 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. KEELING ISLAND 1 II. THE _AYESHA_ 12 III. ON BOARD 27 IV. A FINE DAY ON BOARD 39 V. AN UNEASY DAY 45 VI. PADANG 53 VII. THE MEETING WITH THE _CHOISING_ 76 VIII. THE PASSING OF THE _AYESHA_ 88 IX. FROM PERIM TO HODEIDA 98 X. ON TO SANAA 121 XI. SHIPWRECK 140 XII. THE ATTACK 160 XIII. TO THE RAILROAD 204 XIV. HOMEWARD BOUND 220 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Kapitänleutnant von Mücke (after his return) _Frontispiece_ The _Ayesha_ _page_ 16 Von Mücke (from an earlier photograph) " 72 View of Hodeida } Crossing the Desert} " 132 Map of Arabia " 166 Map showing the entire trip from Keeling Islands to Constantinople " 218 THE "AYESHA" CHAPTER I _KEELING ISLAND_ "I report for duty the landing squad from the ship,--three officers, six petty officers, and forty men strong." It was on the ninth of November, 1914, at six o'clock in the morning that I reported for duty to the commanding officer of His Majesty's ship, _Emden_, Captain von Mueller, at the gangway of the ship. The _Emden_ was lying at anchor in Port Refuge, a harbor formed by Keeling Reefs. Alongside were the two cutters in which the officers and men of the landing squad had already taken their places. The steam launch was ready to push off and tow them ashore. My orders were to destroy the wireless telegraph and cable station on Direction Island, which is the most northerly island of the Keeling group, and to bring back with me, in so far as possible, all signal books, secret code books, and the like.