The Danish steamer _Rosborg_ was bound for Esbjerg from Baltimore with a cargo of 2,600 tons of maize for Eriksen and Christiensen. She was a neutral ship, flying neutral colours, but on the 3rd March, 1917, she was sunk by a German submarine. The Norwegian sailing vessel _Silas_ was sunk by a German submarine at 11.30 a.m. on the 8th March. The crew were given half-an-hour to get the boats clear, and there were no casualties. At noon on the 12th March the Norwegian steamer _Einar Jarl_ came under fire from a German submarine. A shell went through her coal-bunker and exploded, and while the boats were lowered the fire was continued. While the master was getting into the starboard boat a shell exploded, striking him in the shoulder, severely wounding two men, and putting 17 holes through his boat. About 20 shells were fired altogether, five of which hit the ship or boats. The crew were eventually picked up by a drifter. The Norwegian sailing vessel _Collingwood_ was sunk on the same day, and in the opinion of her skipper the submarine commander and part of his crew were drunk. It is probable that they obtained champagne and cognac from the French ship _Jules Gommes_, which they had sunk about two hours before. At any rate, they refused to examine the _Collingwood's_ papers, although the skipper protested strongly, explaining that his ship was bound for Christiania. The vessel was sunk by bombs, and the crew were in their boats from 2.30 p.m. on the 12th March until 3 p.m. on the 15th March, when they were picked up and brought into Penzance. On the 9th June, 1917, the Danish steamer _Dana_ was sunk by a U-boat. She was abandoned at 3.30 p.m., four men being lost. The master of the Norwegian steamer _Helma_, of Bergen, took his vessel to sea on the 12th June, 1917, and proceeded without misadventure until the 24th June, when a submarine opened fire on him. Boats were lowered, and the master rowed alongside the submarine. The Germans boarded this boat, threw her sails and gear overboard, and then proceeded to the _Helma_, returning with the ship's provisions and papers. The _Helma_ was sunk by bombs, and the Norwegians were turned adrift with hardly any provisions and no sails or gear. They remained at sea for three days before reaching safety. CHAPTER V. WHAT IS THE VERDICT? "_The German Government attaches no less importance to the sacred principles of humanity than the Government of the United States._"[F] Can anything be said in extenuation of the German submariner? Germany declares that she is fighting for her existence, and that unrestricted U-boat warfare is a necessity. Adopting for a moment the enemy's point of view, we are still entitled to ask two questions, which can be answered by anyone who knows what has taken place.