At Bergen we emptied out the grub destined for the Boches, and I have the honour to inform you that our men smashed just as many cases as possible, firing them out on to the wharf. The owner will lose nothing by it, though, for you may be perfectly sure that he took all precautions; but at least there’s that much less for the Boches to cram into their bellies. And while the _Pamir_ was in Bergen, news came of the submarine war which the Boches are going to carry on mercilessly--blockade, forbidden zones, no warnings, and all the rest of it. Of course, nobody on the _Pamir_ was a bit surprised by this business which makes all the Allied big bugs and the papers yell so. We and all the fellows who blow around at sea, and hear the talk everywhere, have felt the storm coming for ever so long. Only, as we aren’t officials, of course, we must have been mistaken! Well, the bomb has burst! Who is going to suffer? First, the ships that go sailing by; and then France, who will have to draw in her belt. What will they be in for at home in the way of high prices for coal, flour, butter, and the rest? We who are used to transporting all that sort of thing, know what such a catastrophe means. But the dear public that buys at the corner grocery, and believes those things come there of themselves like the rain and the air they breathe, will be somewhat annoyed. Of course, they won’t be told how it came about, and they won’t know they are paying double or treble the former prices because ships go down at sea. As usual, they will have a lot of rotten reasons dished up for them, because it’s forbidden to give the real reason for anything. All the same, the Censor can’t prohibit the cutting-off of the gas, the electricity, the railroads, the restaurants, and everything that makes life comfy. For you may be sure the Boches aren’t going to do things by halves. Here, where we’re near them, people have information, and we have picked up a good deal at Bergen and Christiansund, where I am writing while our planks and joists are being loaded. It’s a good thing that the _Pamir_ is here to take the wood, for all the Norwegian boats have orders to lie low wherever they may be without stirring, on account of the blockade, and I beg you to believe there are millions of tons of building timber held up. Whatever will they do? It was short already! The worst is that the Dutch, the Spanish, and the other neutrals are also going to suspend their traffic because they aren’t keen either about losing their ships. Well, the _Pamir_ will have from three thousand to thirty-two hundred tons of wood which will serve to build the barracks of the _poilus_, railways, and pit-props for at least one Army Corps. This is at least as useful as shells and coal and we are pleased with our cargo.