A FINE EXPLOIT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 10, 13 January 1915, Page 4

A FINE EXPLOIT.

A wounded officer now in hospital in Paris, tells the following story of a fine exploit of the Due d’Orleans’ brother. The Due de Moutpensier at the beginning of the war was at Yokohama. He offered his yacht, the Mekong, to tlie' British. Sir Conyngham Greene, our Ambassador at Tokio, accepted his generous offer in the name of the British Government, on August oth last, but begged the Duke to sail his yacht over to Wai-hei-wei himself, and there to hand it over to the British fleet stationed in that port. On the way over the Mekong sighted a big German steamship. The Duke’s yacht was armed with three little guns, made more for ornament than use, and but one man on board who knew how to fire them. The Duke, without the slightest hesitation gave chase to the German ship, and signalled her to haul to “or be sunk.” The merchantman immediately struck her colours and surrendered. She turned out to be the Hamametal, a vessel of 4000 tons. She was led into Wai-hei-wai by the Mekong. where the Duke handed her over to the British authorities, after which he took ship for San Francisco on board tho Mongolia. He was unfortunately laid up in that city with fever, which he contracted during his expedition in Xndo-China.