The town, with the Governor’s house, a handsome building, standing out prominently on the foreshore, looked very peaceful and harmless in the brilliant tropical sunshine. It was rather an awful thought that we might have to shatter and destroy those quiet-looking houses in which lived women, and worst of all—children. War is a ghastly thing, and it seems so wantonly stupid.
A large white flag was hoisted at our fore-mast. We meant to play a square game anyway, and give them a fair chance. Then we signalled to the Governor of the town to come on board and receive our ultimatum.
The said ultimatum was as follows—
If our boats were allowed to go unmolested into the harbour, there to destroy the shipping in accordance with our orders, we would not bombard the town. But—in the event of hostile action against our expedition we should open fire on the town without further warning.
The Governor, in reply, said that he could not accede to our demands without orders from the commander-in-chief of the military forces, and he then returned under safe conduct to the shore. Shortly afterwards another boat appeared with a German military officer in the stern-sheets. He came on board and stated that our boats would not be molested, but he asked us in the event of our finding it necessary to bombard, not to fire on the Protestant Mission House, or on the Cathedral, as all the women and children would be sheltered in those buildings. This looked a bit suspicious, but of course we agreed, without demur, not in any case to fire on those particular buildings, an agreement which I need hardly say was faithfully adhered to.
The German then returned to the shore, and shortly afterwards our picket boat was lowered. The demolition party was on board in charge of the Commander, who was accompanied by the Torpedo and Engineer lieutenants, and she proceeded towards the shore.
Unfortunately she ran aground, so the pinnace was hoisted out and sent to take off the officers and men, after which they proceeded into the harbour under a white flag as agreed upon. H.M.S. “——“‘s steamboat, and a steam tug commanded by one of our lieutenants, also went in under the white flag.
General quarters was then sounded off, and we all went to our action stations.
At this time all of us midshipmen, together with the A.P. (Assistant Paymaster), were stationed in the Fore T.S., which was our appointed action station, so we could see nothing of what was happening, and were dependent on the telephone for news. In about ten minutes the officer in charge of one of the batteries telephoned through to us that rapid firing had broken out from the shore, although the Germans were still flying the white flag!