Two years ago some friends of mine were playing tennis in an English
village and inquired the occupation of two young Germans, who seemed to
be good tennis-players, but without family relations or settled
business.

The response of the hostess was: "Oh, they are just two German spies of
good education and charming manner looking over the country here, and
we find them very useful in making up our tennis tournaments." It was
looked upon as just a part of the German map-making plans, and England
was an open book for anybody to map. Baedeker published the
guide-books of the world: why should n't the Germans make all the maps
of the world,--especially if German map-making were cheaper than
English map-making?

A banker friend of mine found two young Germans in his village, with no
other occupation than motoring the country over and making notes and
sketches of cross-roads, railroad junction-points, important buildings,
bridges, etc. He thought the authorities ought to know what was going
on, but received a polite invitation from the local police to mind his
own business. When once he lost his way on a motor-car trip, and ran
across these fellows, he was very glad to get the right directions for
the shortest way home. They knew more about the roads of that country
than did the people who were born there.

About 20,000 German spies and reservists are in detention camps on the
west coast, and on the islands. Even the German prisoners are kept
away from the east coast, where it is expected the Germans may
eventually struggle for their landing.