Suddenly two searchlights flashed out over the water to starboard. The accursed rays passed quick as lightning over the dark waves. I counted several seconds mechanically, then the full glare of the searchlight struck us in the eye.... It was already too late to submerge, and the treacherous light held fast on to the "Deutschland." A rapid glance passed between the two of us in the tower, our features showed up distinctly in the beautiful free illumination.... Then we saw that the rays of the searchlight, after they had made sure of us, rose twice high in the sky and suddenly disappeared. As our eyes grew accustomed to the darkness again, we discovered two black vessels to starboard which looked like fishing trawlers. "The cursed gang!" murmured Krapohl, at my side; "now they have betrayed us!" And he was right, unfortunately. For over yonder on the coast a gigantic searchlight flashed high in the sky, obviously as a signal to the English cruisers waiting outside. "Now was the moment," I thought. "Make ready to submerge," my orders rang out. "Ten fathoms down!"--at the same time we took a course to the south. Half an hour later we rose to the surface again, as I wanted to take my bearings once more. Hardly had I taken a glance round, however, than we were obliged to avoid immediate danger by submerging again. For close by, barely 200 yards off, an American armoured cruiser was bearing down on us. She also had seen the remarkable flash signals, and was coming along to watch over the proceedings in the vicinity of American territorial waters. Although, according to the newspapers, the armoured cruiser was supposed to have been ordered into Chesapeake Bay for manoeuvres, I am of opinion that the American Government had ordered the ship to go out to the three-mile boundary line, in order to watch events in connection with our escape. I am also personally strongly convinced that the excellent tone in the officers' mess and among the crews of the American marine would not have allowed the men of the armoured cruiser, in the event of any violation of the territorial water zone, to restrict themselves merely to observation, but that they would have taken an energetic part in the proceedings. That such a violation was not by any means beyond the realms of possibility, and that it was probably only prevented on that memorable night by the sudden appearance of the American armoured cruiser, is borne out by the following circumstance. Several days before our departure an English cruiser had passed Cape Henry under cover of mist and darkness and searched the whole of Chesapeake Bay in the most shameless manner, after which, without making her identity known, she disappeared again. In the meantime we had quickly forced our boat heavily down by the head into the deeps, and did not rise to the surface again till the noise of the American's propeller had died away in the distance.