The Tables Turned
Both Ross Trefusis and Vernon Haye understood and could speak German.
Ross was especially good in his knowledge of the language of the modern
Hun, for in his early youth he had been inflicted with a German
governess. Since German is one of the subjects for Sandhurst--for
which both lads were preparing--their knowledge had been considerably
improved under the cast-iron rule of a native professor.
"Eminently satisfactory," replied von Ruhle. "We will go into details
later. You had no difficulty in coming here, I hope?"
"None whatever."
"No suspicions?" asked von Ruhle anxiously.
Ramblethorne smiled.
"My dear von Ruhle," he replied. "A medical practitioner is above
suspicion. He is free to go anywhere at any hour of the day or night
without question. No man would suspect----"
"You are clever, von Hauptwald----"
"Ssh!" interrupted the doctor. "Call me Ramblethorne, if you please.
Of course there is no danger here, but at other times and in other
places you might incautiously give the show away. You had a good
passage?"
"Excellent," replied von Ruhle. "I am getting well-known to the
strafed English custom-house officers at Queenboro' and Harwich. They
recognize me by my stick, I believe, but they little know that it is a
new one every time. What do you think of this? I have brought it as a
specimen for you to see. Just fancy! every time I cross to Holland
twenty kilogrammes of good copper are on their way to the Fatherland.
By this time Herr Stabb of Essen is well acquainted with my Malacca
canes."
"A good weight to carry about," remarked Ramblethorne, wielding the
disguised bar of copper. "I wonder you troubled."
"Mein Gott! I could not leave it," declared von Ruhle. "Someone might
take a fancy to it, and then the secret would be out. But tell me:
have you succeeded in getting that commission you spoke of?"
"I am still living in hopes," replied Ramblethorne. "Of course I could
have obtained a post of temporary surgeon in the British Navy, but it
wasn't good enough. It's no fun running the risk of being torpedoed by
our own Submarines. The English Army offers a wider scope. Believe
me, I am worth more than a division to the Emperor. I'll get a
commission, never you fear, for I have heaps of influence. Then, of
course, I will do my utmost to fight against a terrible epidemic that
will mysteriously break out amongst the troops."
Ramblethorne, otherwise von Hauptwald, threw back his shoulders and
laughed uproariously.
"Careful!" hissed his companion. "You will be heard over the whole
island."
"What matters? There is not another soul in sight besides ourselves.
How much petrol have you?"
"Fifty two-gallon tins. I expect some more by boat to-morrow. It's
safely stored in a cave on the side of the creek. It is a nuisance it
is raining. I do not fancy a night's work in weather like this.
Himmel, what's that?"
Accidentally Vernon's foot had dislodged a small piece of stone.
"Nerves, my dear von Ruhle," said Ramblethorne, with his usual
good-natured smile. "A bit of masonry has fallen from the tower. See,
the floor is covered with similar pieces."
"If anyone should be up there----" suggested von Ruhle, pointing to the
top of the tower.
The lads could feel their hearts thumping against their ribs. Through
a small crack in the planking they could see the eyes of the two
Germans directed upwards.
"Impossible; there are no steps," declared Ramblethorne. "Besides,
what object would anyone have in ascending a tower on a day like this?
I fully appreciate the danger of being overheard, of course. We've
said enough to find ourselves faced by a firing-party in the Tower of
London, my friend."
"Don't!" expostulated von Ruhle, closing his eyes as if to shut out the
unpleasant mental vision. Then: "You have the signalling apparatus, I
hope?"
"Trust me for that, von Ruhle," replied his companion, tapping his
breast-pocket. "All we have to do is to wait until yonder lighthouse
exposes its light. Really the ways of these English pass
understanding. They rigorously forbid the showing of lights in private
houses on shore, imagining that our agents would be so foolish as to
start blinking with a lamp; yet they allow these lighthouses to work as
usual, and obligingly enable us to communicate to our hearts' content."
Von Hauptwald was not far wrong in his remarks, for the instrument he
had enabled him to flash a message to a confederate without having to
be in possession of a lamp. The flash was obtained from any distant
and visible light by means of a complicated system of mirrors. The
reflected rays could then be projected in any desired direction so as
to be quite invisible except on a certain bearing. It was one of the
carefully-thought-out plans adopted by the German Government to permit
its spies to communicate with their submarines without running any
great risk of detection.
"It's two hours to sunset," remarked the doctor; "three before we
commence operations. I would suggest that we adjourn to the cave and
partake of refreshment. You see, I have not omitted to make suitable
provision."
"Very good!" agreed von Ruhle; "but I only wish I had a waterproof.
The rain is most annoying."
Arm-in-arm the two men left the building, and presently disappeared
from view behind a slight rise in the ground.
"I say!" exclaimed Ross; "we've tumbled on something this time. Fancy
Ramblethorne a rotten German spy. I always thought he was a rattling
good chap."
"Evidently he isn't," rejoined Vernon. "But the point is: what do you
propose to do? It's beastly wet here."
"It is, now I come to think of it," agreed his chum. "The fact is,
that until you mentioned it I was hardly aware that it was raining.
We'll discuss this knotty point."
"I vote we make tracks for the boat," suggested Haye. "The tide must
be rising by this time. We can then slip off and raise the alarm."
Ross shook his head.
"No go," he decided. "We might get nabbed ourselves. Besides, who
would be able to lay these chaps by the heels? There's only that
motor-boat chap at Penydwick Cove, and he's precious little use. There
are no soldiers nearer than at St. Bedal. I propose we hang on here.
There's a snug, sheltered hole in these ruins, just big enough for us
to lie hidden. Then we stand a good chance of hearing more of the
conversation between those beggars."
"Three hours more, remember."
"Yes, I know. In the meanwhile we might slip down to Main Beach Cove.
There's plenty of cover amongst the rocks."
"What for?" asked Vernon.
"To see what these fellows are up to. I'm rather anxious to renew my
slight acquaintance with friend Copperstick. By Jove, what a cute move
to get contraband metal into Germany!"
"Not much at a time. It shows how hard up the Germans must be for
copper when it pays a fellow to carry over about half a hundredweight
at a time."
"Well, let's get a move on," said Ross. "Be careful how you descend.
The ivy will be fairly slippery with the wet."
Cautiously the two lads descended, reaching the ground without mishap.
"Our sweaters!" exclaimed Vernon.
"Dash it all! Yes," agreed his companion. "I had forgotten all about
them."
The sweaters, carefully rolled up, had been placed for security in one
corner of the chapel. Unless anyone actually came close to the spot,
they were hidden from sight.
"Neither of those fellows stood about here, I think," remarked Ross as
the chums retrieved and donned the additional clothing. "It's jolly
lucky, or they would have smelt a rat."
Trefusis and his companion went out into the rain, walking rapidly
towards a slight mound capped by a few irregularly shaped stones. It
was behind this rise of ground that the two spies had gone. Up to this
point, Ross argued, there was little need for caution; beyond, it would
be necessary to keep well under cover until they reached Main Beach.
"'Ware the skyline," cautioned Ross as the chums approached the hillock.
"Ay; 'ware the skyline," said a deep voice mockingly, "It's bad
strategy."
Turning, the lads made the disconcerting discovery that Ramblethorne
and von Ruhle were within five yards of their would-be trackers.
Ross realized that he and his chum had been badly outmanoeuvred.
Evidently the Germans suspected that they had been overheard, and
ostentatiously leaving the ruins for Main Beach Cove, they had made a
detour from the hillock, and had waited until Ross and Vernon had
emerged from the chapel. Then, taking advantage of the wet grass that
effectually deadened the sound of their footsteps, they had turned the
tables on their shadowers.
So completely taken aback were the two lads that they stood stock-still
as if rooted to the earth.
"Not a nice evening to be out, Trefusis," continued the doctor. "What
brings you on St. Mena's Island at this late hour of the day?"
"Our boat was left high and dry by the tide, so we had to wait and take
shelter," replied Ross.
"And so you chose a place where there was no shelter," remarked
Ramblethorne. "Idiotic thing to do--very idiotic. Now tell me: what
were you doing on the top of the tower?"
Ross did not hesitate in his reply. Perhaps it would have been better
had he done so, for he had never betrayed his knowledge of German to
the doctor on any of their previous meetings, and it would have been
judicious to keep up the deception.
"What were we doing? Listening to your precious schemes," he retorted
boldly. "Now we know all about you, and it will be our duty to report
you as spies to the authorities. We are expecting a search-party from
Killigwent Hall at any moment, you see."
"So that's the line of defence you propose to adopt, eh?" sneered
Ramblethorne. "Well, look out!"
With a sudden spring the athletic man flung himself upon Ross, while
von Ruhle with equal promptitude made a rush to secure Vernon.
Strong and active though he was, Ross was no match for his huge and
powerful antagonist. Knowing that flight was impossible, the lad
feinted, and aimed a blow with his left straight for the doctor's chin.
This Ramblethorne parried easily, and grasping the lad's wrist, held it
as in a vice, and in such a manner that rendered fruitless any attempt
on Trefusis' part to make use of his right arm.
Having thus secured his opponent, Ramblethorne watched the result of
the encounter between his fellow-spy and young Haye.
Von Ruhle had opened the attack by brandishing his heavy stick, and
calling upon Vernon to surrender.
Haye returned the compliment by closing, and dealing the German such a
terrific blow upon the chest that von Ruhle recoiled quite a couple of
yards. The lad's onslaught had only missed the German's solar plexus
by a few inches; had it not, the chances were that von Ruhle would have
lost all interest in life for the next quarter of an hour.
But instead of following up his initial success Vernon, seeing Ross
helpless in the doctor's grip, rushed to his chum's aid. For a few
seconds he feinted, striving to find an opening, while Ramblethorne,
dragging his captive with him, pivoted in order to keep his front
towards his new antagonist.
Those few seconds were Vernon's undoing.
Quickly recovering himself, von Ruhle sprang forward with the agility
of a panther. The imitation Malacca cane descended with a dull thud
upon the lad's head, and like a felled ox Vernon fell inertly upon the
sodden grass.
"Hold him--so," exclaimed Ramblethorne, handing Ross over to the
custody of von Ruhle. Then drawing a small hypodermic syringe from a
case, the former inserted the needle into the lad's forearm.
Five seconds later Ross Trefusis lay unconscious beside his companion
in misfortune.