Part 1 (1/2)

The Riddle of the Sands

by Erskine Childers

Preface

A WORD about the origin and authorshi+p of this book

In October last (1902), my friend 'Carruthers' visited e of secrecy, told es Till then I had only known as much as the rest of his friends, na a yachting cruise with a certain Mr 'Davies' which had left a deep mark on his character and habits

At the end of his narrative--which, fro on studies and speculations of my own, as well as from its intrinsic interest and racy delivery, made a very deep impression on me--he added that the important facts discovered in the course of the cruise had, without a moment's delay, been conified incredulity, due in part, perhaps, to the pitiful inadequacy of their own secret service, had, he believed, er I say 'he believed', for though it was beyond question that the danger was averted for the time, it was doubtful whether they had stirred a foot to co of such a nature that mere suspicion of it on this side was likely to destroy its efficacy

There, however that may be, the matter rested for a while, as, for personal reasons which will be manifest to the reader, he and Mr 'Davies' expressly wished it to rest

But events were driving them to reconsider their decision These see with such peril and labour from the German Government, and transmitted so promptly to our own, had had none but the most transitory influence on our policy Forced to the conclusion that the national security was really being neglected, the two friends now had a mind to make their story public; and it was about this that 'Carruthers' wished foran honoured naracefully implicated, and that unless infinite delicacy were used, innocent persons, and, especially, a young lady, would suffer pain and indignity, if his identity were known Indeed, troublesorain of truth and aboth sides of the question, I gave my vote emphatically for publication The personal drawbacks could, I thought, with tact be neutralized; while, froood could co the case to the coe Publication, there-fore, was agreed upon, and the next point was the form it should take

'Carruthers', with the concurrence of Mr 'Davies', was for a bald exposition of the essential facts, stripped of their warainst this course, first, because it would aggravate instead of allaying the rumours that were current; secondly, because in such a form the narrative would not carry conviction, and would thus defeat its own end The persons and the events were indissolubly connected; to evade, abridge, suppress, would be to convey to the reader the idea of a concocted hoax

Indeed, I took bolder ground still, urging that the story should be made as explicit and circumstantial as possible, frankly and honestly for the purpose of entertaining and so of attracting a wide circle of readers Even anonymity was undesirable Nevertheless, certain precautions were imperatively needed

To cut the matter short, they asked for ed that I should edit the book; that 'Carruthers' should give me his diary and recount to me in fuller detail and from his own point of view all the phases of the 'quest', as they used to call it; that Mr 'Davies' should meet me with his charts and maps and do the same; and that the whole story should be written, as from the ht and its dark side, just as it happened; with the following few liuised; the nahout fictitious; and, at ht liberties have been taken to conceal the identity of the English characters

Re now in the ht and hesitating pen, do not blame the Editor, hether they are known or not, would rather say too little than say a word that ht savour of impertinence

E C

March 1903

NOTE

The maps and charts are based on British and German Admiralty charts, with irrelevant details omitted

I The Letter

I HAVE read ofperiods in utter solitude--save for a few black faces--have ularly for dinner in order to maintain their self-respect and prevent a relapse into barbarism It was in some such spirit, with an added touch of self-consciousness, that, at seven o'clock in the evening of 23rd Septe toilet in ht the date and the place justified the parallel; to ht well be a man of blunted sensibilities and coarse fibre, and at least he is alone with nature, while I--well, a young ht people, belongs to the right clubs, has a safe, possibly a brilliant, future in the Foreign Office--may be excused for a sense of complacent martyrdom, when, with his keen appreciation of the social calendar, he is doomed to the outer solitude of London in September I say 'martyrdom', but in fact the case was infinitely worse For to feel oneself a , and the true tragedy of e I had enjoyed what sweets it had to offer in ever dwindling degree since the ust, when ties were still fresh and sympathy abundant I had been conscious that I was h herself had said so in the kindest possible e the letter in which I explained, with an effectively austere reserve of language, that circumstances compelled me to remain at my office 'We kno busy you must be just now', she wrote, 'and I do hope you won't overwork; we shall _all_ ot away' to sport and fresh air, with pro condolences, and as each deserted the sinking shi+p, I took a gri the first week or two afterwinds of heaven

I began to take a spurious interest in the re five millions, and wrote several clever letters in a vein of cheap satire, indirectly suggesting the pathos of h to find intellectual entertainment in the scenes, persons, and habits of London in the dead season I even did rational things at the instigation of others For, though I should have liked total isolation best, I, of course, found that there was a sediment of unfortunates like myself, who, unlike ht There were river excursions, and so on, after office-hours; but I dislike the river at any tiarity, and most of all at this season So I dropped out of the fresh air brigade and declined H--'s offer to share a riverside cottage and run up to town in the s I did spend one or teek-ends with the Catesbys in Kent; but I was not inconsolable when they let their house and went abroad, for I found that such partial compensations did not suit me Neither did the taste for satirical observation last A passing thirst, which I dare saykind described in the New Arabian Nights led s into some shady haunts in Soho and farther eastward; but was finally quenched one sultry Saturday night after an hour's i athhere I sat next a portly female who suffered from the heat, and at frequent intervals refreshed herself and an infant from a bottle of tepid stout

By the first week in September I had abandoned all palliatives, and had settled into the disnified routine of office, club, and chambers And now came the most cruel trial, for the hideous truth dawned on me that the world I found so indispensable could after all dispense with h to assure me that I was deeply missed; but a letter from F--, as one of the party, written 'in haste, just starting to shoot', and co as a tardy reply to one of my cleverest, made me aware that the house party had suffered little frohs asted on me, even in the quarter which I had assumed to have been discreetly alluded to by the underlined _all_ in Lady Ashleigh's 'we shall _all_ miss you' A thrust which smarted more, if it bit less deeply, came from my cousin Nesta, rote: 'It's horrid for you to have to be baking in London now; but, after all, it reat pleasure to you' ( and important work to do' Here was a nemesis for an innocent illusion I had been accustomed to foster in the minds of my relations and acquaintances, especially in the breasts of the trustful and ad maidens whom I had taken down to dinner in the last two seasons; a fiction which I had al in myself For the plain truth was thatnor iarettes, in saying that Mr So-and-So ay and would be back about 1st October, in being absent for lunch fro _precis_ of--let us say--the less confidential consular reports, and squeezing the results into cast-iron schedules The reason of my detention was not a cloud on the international horizon--though Ithat there was such a cloud--but a caprice on the part of a re doards, had dislocated the carefully-laid holiday plans of the hue-days in Whitehall

Only one thing was needed to fill my cup of bitterness, and this it was that specially occupied

Two dayscity and my slavery would be at an end Yes, but--irony of ironies!--I had nowhere to go to!

The Morven Lodge party was breaking up A dreadful ruement which had been one of its accursed fruits tormented me with the fresh certainty that I had not beenbrand of cynicisnificance Invitations for a later date, which I had declined in July with a gratifying sense of being much in request, now rose up spectrally to taunt me There was at least one which I could easily have revived, but neither in this case nor in any other had there been any renewal of pressure, and there areoneself and surrendering as a prize to one of several eagerly co to be conteout; to join them was _a pis aller_ whose banality was repellent Besides, they would be leaving soon for our home in Yorkshi+re, and I was not a prophet in my own country In short, I was at the extremity of depression