Chapter I: Front Matter

MY SECRET SERVICE

BY THE MAN WHO DINED WITH THE KAISER

MY SECRET SERVICE

VIENNA, SOPHIA, CONSTANTINOPLE, NISH, BELGRADE, ASIA MINOR, Etc.

BY

THE MAN WHO DINED WITH THE KAISER

NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

Copyright, 1916,

BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO

LORD NORTHCLIFFE

IN GRATEFUL RECOLLECTION OF THE KEEN INTEREST HE HAS SHOWN IN THESE ADVENTURES, THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE INTRODUCTORY 19

“Were You Afraid?”--About Myself--War Finds Me in England--The German War-Machine--My Travels--The German Spy System--My Three Journeys--I Become a Workman at Krupp’s--I Travel in Chocolate--My Most Important Trip--The Risks--Proofs--My Reception in England.

CHAPTER II

VIENNA IN WAR TIME 26

I Set Out for the Enemy Country--The German Official Mind--Turned Back at the Frontier--Arrived at Vienna--The Kindly Hofrat--Hatred of the English--A Subdued City--Hardships--The Hidden Scourge--The Toll of War--Austria’s Terrible Casualties--The Tragic 28th Regiment--“Mr. Wu” in Vienna--Interned Englishmen.

CHAPTER III

IN THE BALKANS 48

I Leave Vienna--Gay Bucharest--The Bandmaster’s Indiscretion--“_À bas les allemands!_”--Roumania Eager for War--German Devices--An English Cigarette--A Terrible Journey--The Spoils of War--The Wily German--Bulgarian Poverty Under the Germans--Austrian Satisfaction over the Serbian Victories--Compulsion in England--Bulgarian Anxiety about the Attitude of Greece--The German Language in Bulgaria.

CHAPTER IV

CONSTANTINOPLE 69

I Leave Sofia--A Valuable Document--The Change in Adrianople--The Bulgars in Possession--The Turk Determined to Fight--I Adopt the Fez--War Pressure--The Fate of Enemy Subjects--A Way They Have in Turkey--The Financial Situation--Enver Goes to Berlin--A Turkish Girl Clerk--A Quick Change--A City of Darkness.

CHAPTER V

I INTERVIEW ENVER PASHA 87

Germanising the Turkish War Office--Halil Bey--Wireless Disguised as a Circus--Enver Pasha Receives Me--The Turkish Napoleon--Something of a Dandy--“If the English Had Only Had the Courage”--“To Egypt!”--Turkey’s Debt to Great Britain--Affairs before Manners--A German Tribute to British Troops--Their Designs in the Suez Canal--German War Plans--Where to Kill Germans--The Baghdad Expedition--German Officers in Mufti.

CHAPTER VI

I VISIT ASIA MINOR 104

A Remarkable Railway Station--I Leave for Konia--The Anatolian Railway--How to Get to Baghdad--Elaborate Instructions--Necessity for Caution--English and French Prisoners--Instructing the Turk in the Arts of Peace--A Noisy Sleeper--Hamburg’s Hatred of Great Britain--Sops to Austria and Turkey--Field-Marshal Von der Goltz--I Return to Constantinople.

CHAPTER VII

CONSTANTINOPLE FROM WITHIN 120

A City of Maimed and Wounded--I See the Sultan--Enver’s Popularity--Talaat Bey the Real Administrator--Gallipoli Day--Constantinople “Mafficks”--The Return of the Ten Thousand--How the _Goeben_ and _Breslau_ Escaped--Their Fateful Arrival at Constantinople--German Privileges--Mendacities of the Turkish Press--The Egyptian Situation--A German Camel Corps--The Turks a Formidable Factor.

CHAPTER VIII

THE “UNTERSEE” GERMAN 135

My Kiel Acquaintance--Submarines by Rail--German Submarines at Constantinople--My Voyage of Discovery--The Exploit of U51--Captain von Hersing--German Hero-Worship--A Daring Feat--A Modest German!--Von Hersing in England--The German Naval Officer--His Opinion of the British Navy--A Regrettable Incident--Dr. Ledera Imprisoned--I Encounter an Austrian Spy--He Confides to Me his Methods--The Carelessness of British Consuls.

CHAPTER IX

“OUR KAISER IS HERE!” 152

Getting Out of Constantinople--I Become Suspicious--I Appeal to Halil Bey--A Gloomy Apartment--I Visit the Prefecture of Police--I Join a Military Train--Marvellous Engineering--A Subtle Device--The Kaiser at Nish--I See the Two Monarchs--A Remarkable Stroke of Luck--I am Invited to the Banquet--Fokker Aeroplanes.

CHAPTER X

THE BANQUET AT NISH 169

The Banqueting Hall--A Small Gathering--The Menu--The Kaiser and King Ferdinand--Von Falkenhayn--An Impressive Figure--The Kaiser’s Health--His Poor Appetite--Constant Coughing--King Ferdinand’s Triumph--The Bulgarian Princes--German Journalism--A Bombastic Oration--“Hail, Cæsar!”--The Kaiser’s Unspoken Reply--The Hour of “The Fox”--The End of an Historic Function--The Post Office Closed.

CHAPTER XI

THE BALKAN EXPRESS 191

Existence of the Balkan-Zug Denied--A Great Strategical Factor--The Publicity Train--German Economy--I Join the Balkan-Zug at Nish--King Ferdinand a Fellow-Passenger--His Condescension--Excellent Food--Ruined Belgrade--Arrival at Buda Pesth--A Tremendous Ovation--Russian Prisoners at Work--Arrival at Vienna--Another Tremendous Reception--Remarkable Punctuality.

CHAPTER XII

FRENCH THOROUGHNESS 213

I Leave Vienna--I am Ordered Back--I Risk Proceeding on My Journey--A Friendly Hungarian Officer--Over the Swiss Frontier--My Frankness My Undoing--The French Super-Official--I am Detained Somewhere in France--My Protests Unavailing--I am Suspected of the Plague--Left Behind--_The Daily Mail_ to the Rescue--Profuse Apologies--I Proceed to Paris--“You Will Never Convince England”--London at Last--Rest.

CHAPTER XIII

THE GERMAN MENACE 229

After Thoughts--The Great Factor--National Service--False Ideas as to the German Soldier--The Danger of Under-estimating Germany’s Resources--Great Britain’s Helpers--Crush the German--“Wait Till We Get to England.”

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
VIENNA BREAD TICKET 38

HALIL BEY’S CARD 155

MUSIC PROGRAMME AT THE NISH BANQUET 170

MENU AT THE NISH BANQUET 172

MY TICKET ON THE BALKAN EXPRESS 196

MY SECRET SERVICE