But the incident at Langeland, which had made the Danish authorities suspect illegal traffic with Iceland, made a change of plan imperative.

Before leaving Danish waters Crawford tried to communicate this change to Belfast.

But, meantime, information had reached Belfast of certain measures being taken by the Government, and Spender, hoping to catch Crawford before he left Kiel, went to Dublin to telegraph from there.

In Dublin he was dismayed to read in the newspapers that a mysterious vessel called the _Fanny_, said to be carrying arms for Ulster, had been captured by the Danish authorities in the Baltic.

For several days no further news reached Belfast, where it was assumed that the whole enterprise had failed; and then a code message informed the Committee that Crawford was in London.
Spender at once went over to see him, in order to warn him not to bring the arms to Ireland for the present.