“I had no orders with respect to another submarine, sire. I was entitled to treat it as an enemy.”
“Nonsense, you know that it had left Kiel before you, on the same errand.”
“On the contrary, sire, I could not possibly know anything of the kind.”
“Why, you saw it had disappeared from the dock. You inquired after it along the Canal. When you got out to the Dogger you were searching for it the whole time.”
“And when I found it, sire, it was leading the Russian squadron, of which it appeared to form part. I had every right to assume that it was a Russian man-of-war.”
“A German boat!” thundered the Kaiser.
“A boat not flying any flag must be presumed to belong to the country of those who are in control of it. I found this submarine under the control of a Russian subject.”
“The Princess was my agent.”
“Your majesty had not told me so. On the contrary, I understood that you wished my own boat to be considered a Russian vessel, in case of any question. I shipped a Russian crew therefore.”
Wilhelm II. frowned angrily.