persistent were these exaggerations that it became evident that
the Zeppelin raids were intended quite as much for moral effect
at home as for material damage abroad. The heartening effect of
the raids upon the German populace is evidenced by the mental
attitude of men made prisoners on any of the fronts. Only with
the utmost difficulty were their captors able to persuade them
that London and other large towns were not in ruins; that
shipbuilding was not at a standstill; and that the British people
was not ready at any moment to purchase indemnity from the raids
by concluding a German peace. When one method of terrorism fails
try another, was evidently the German motto. After the Zeppelin
the Gotha, and after that the submarine.

The next year--1917--brought in a very welcome change in the
situation. One Zeppelin after another met with its just deserts,
the British navy in particular scoring heavily against them. Nor
must the skill and enterprise of our French allies be forgotten.
In March, 1917, they shot down a Zeppelin at Compiegne, and seven
months later dealt the blow which finally rid these islands of
the Zeppelin menace.

For nearly a year London, owing to its greatly increased
defences, had been free from attack. Then, on the night of
October 19, Germany made a colossal effort to make good
their boast of laying London in ruins. A fleet of eleven
Zeppelins came over, five of which found the city. One, drifting
low and silently, was responsible for most of the casualties,
which totalled 34 killed and 56 injured.

The fleet got away from these shores without mishap. Then, at