FARRAR'S FIRST BAG
SUBLIEUTENANT NIGEL FARRAR had a very busy week following the return
of H.M. armed merchant cruiser "Zenodorus" to Malta. With a celerity
undreamt of in pre-war days his project had been submitted to the
Commander-in-Chief, who returned it with the magic word "Concur."
"That's splendid, Mr. Farrar," remarked Lieutenant-Commander Aubyn.
"The next thing to be done is to find a suitable craft. There are
several condemned prizes lying off the Pieta Marine. Take the steam
cutter and have a look at them."
The sub lost no time in carrying out his commanding officer's
suggestion. Accompanied by the bo'sun and the carpenter of the
"Zenodorus"--for their expert advice was highly desirable--he
steered the cutter down the Grand Harbour, rounded St. Elmo on the
port hand, and ran up the long, land-locked arm known as the
Quarantine Harbour, thus almost circumnavigating the rocky peninsula
on which the town of Valetta is built.
Almost at the head of the creek were between twenty and thirty
sailing craft of all sizes up to a hundred tons, of all variety of
rigs, and of half a dozen different nationalities. Some had been
owned by enemy firms and had been detained when war broke out or
else captured within a very few days of the declaration of
hostilities; others had been seized on suspicion of having conveyed
contraband or assisting U-boats in their career of piracy and
murder.
It was not long before Farrar picked upon a likely vessel for his
forthcoming "independent cruise." She was of about eighty tons
burthen according to Board of Trade measurements, and well built and
structurally sound both above and below water. She was
felucca-rigged, her long lateen yards, destitute of canvas, lying
along her sheering deck.
"What is her history?" inquired the sub of the warrant officer in
charge of the prizes.
Reference to a docket showed that the "Afir-el-Bahr" had been
captured by the boats of H.M.S. "Hammerer" during the trouble with
the Senussi. The felucca, bought at a Tunisian port and flying the
French flag, had been caught red-handed.
That same afternoon Farrar had the felucca towed round to the Grand
Harbour, where she was hauled up on a cradle for cleaning and
anti-fouling. Working all night shipwrights bored her stern-post and
fitted a stern tube and propeller. This essential work having been
carried out with strict secrecy, the "Afir-el-Bahr" was again
launched and towed off alongside the "Zenodorus," for owing to all
the dry docks being occupied, below-water repairs to the merchant
cruiser had to be deferred.
In a polyglot port, although in a British Crown Colony, the danger
of espionage was far more difficult to cope with than at a home
station. The true Maltese is a loyal subject of King George, but on
the island are hundreds, perhaps thousands of doubtful
characters--men of pure or partial Arab, Greek, Moorish, Syrian, or
Algerian descent--many of whom were either potential or latent
spies. Consequently, all work in connection with the refitting of
the felucca that might be likely to cause comment was performed
during the hours of darkness.
A seventy-horse-power motor was installed in the after-hold; the
deck beams were strengthened and their planks doubled in order to
take the weight of two four-inch quick-firers. The for'ard gun,
taken from a captured U-boat, was of the "disappearing" type, being
housed, when not in use, in a water-tight compartment flush with the
deck. The second quick-firer was placed amidships, being screened
from observation from the sea-level by the high bulwarks, while as
an additional precaution a Maltese-built boat was placed on chocks
on deck, so that the weapon lay snugly against the quarter.
The existing wooden bulwarks were removed and replaced by others of
light but hardened steel capable of withstanding rifle and
machinegun bullets, while at intervals the metal plating was hinged
so as to fall flat upon the deck and give the guns a wide arc of
fire.
During the progress of this work several large wicker hampers were
received on board. These, when opened, were found to be full of
clothes not usually worn by men of His Majesty's Service, but
nevertheless the garments were served out to a dozen of the crew,
who entered into the game of make-believe with a zest that Jack Tar
always displays when engaged in anything of the nature of amateur
theatricals.
Ammunition, stores, and provisions were then stowed on board; new
canvas, purposely soiled to appear in common with the rest of the
craft, was bent to the cumbersome yards; a wireless telegraphy
installation was fitted, the aerials being kept below until actually
required, and finally forty of the ship's company of the "Zenodorus"
took up their quarters on the "Afir-el-Bahr" under the command of
Sub-Lieutenant Farrar.
Much to his disappointment Greenwood was refused permission to
accompany his chum: the A.P.'s abilities were in strong demand on
board the armed merchant cruiser, while as a member of the
non-combatant branch there was little need for his services on
particular work. As second-in-command, Mr. Gripper, the gunner of
the "Zenodorus," was chosen, while to safeguard the health of the
felucca's crowded crew a surgeon-probationer, Dick Leech by name,
was "lent" from one of the harbour service ships.
All preparations completed, the felucca was towed out of the Grand
Harbour shortly after midnight, and, exchanging signals with Forts
Ricasoli and St. Elmo that vigilantly guarded the port, passed
through the formidable barrier athwart the entrance.
Clear of the land the tug cast off her tow and the felucca, renamed
the "Georgeos Nikolaos," hoisted sail and bore away on an easterly
course.
Nigel Farrar had no cause to regret his choice of the craft. The
felucca was stiff, weatherly, sailed well, and for her type pointed
high. Her sharp bows and clean run aft gave her a fair turn of
speed, notwithstanding her large complement and heavy cargo. The
sub's experience on board his father's yacht in those far-off
pre-war days was proving useful, for he had not lost the art of
getting every ounce out of a vessel under sail.
The warrant officer, the felucca's second-in-command, was also a
good sailing man. Although belonging to the _pukka_ navy, Mr.
Gripper had had considerable experience in sailing cutters off the
East Coast of Africa, where expeditions in search of slave-running
dhows afforded plenty of excitement and danger, with a chance of a
few tough "scraps" thrown in. The gunner was also a stern
disciplinarian. Even on board the felucca he would have things run
in proper Navy fashion, while with a view of keeping the "hands" out
of mischief he had the little craft's deck holystoned and the ropes
either neatly coiled or flemished.
It was he who had picked two "gunlayers 1st Class" from the
"Zenodorus's" ship's company, men who were able to perform feats
little short of miraculous with the merchant cruiser's six-inch
quick-firers. Woe betide a periscope that incautiously poked its
tips above the surface anywhere within two thousand yards if either
Sampson or Claydon happened to be laying the guns. Whether they
would be able to maintain their reputation with the four-inch
weapons of the "Georgeos Nikolaos" remained to be seen.
With the exception of half a dozen British seamen beautifully
disguised as Greeks all hands on deck were strictly enjoined to keep
their heads below the top of the bulwarks, while whenever a vessel
was sighted every one not in "fancy rig" was ordered below.
Outwardly the felucca looked like a peaceful trader, but she had a
stern and retributive duty to perform--to avenge a certain
hospital-ship that had been wantonly torpedoed in broad daylight.
The day passed without anything of an untoward nature occurring. At
sunset the wind dropped, and the felucca lay almost motionless. She
was in no hurry to make any port in particular, and there was no
need to make use of the motor. After dark the wireless aerials were
sent aloft, while the operator stuck to his little cabin on the
offchance of picking up an "S.O.S." message from a hard-pressed
merchantman. Yet no such indication was received. The felucca might
have been sailing the Mediterranean in peace time as far as the
presence of German Unterseebooten was concerned.
Dawn of the second day found the "Georgeos Nikolaos" 120 miles east
of Malta. The flat calm still prevailed, although the vivid red
sunrise presaged dirty weather. The felucca was rolling sullenly,
her lateen yards groaning dismally as they ground and thumped
against the raking masts.
With a scarlet scarf bound round his head in place of his
white-covered uniform cap, Farrar swept the expanse of oily sea by
means of his binoculars. Presently he caught sight of an indistinct
shape that looked much like a truncated cone, its distance from the
felucca being not far short of three miles.
"See what you make of that, Mr. Gripper," he remarked, addressing
the warrant officer, who was about to take over the watch. "Dead in
line with that shroud; can you pick it up?"
The gunner took the proffered binoculars, hung his cap on a
belaying-pin, and levelled the glasses in the direction indicated.
"A Fritz, sir," he declared. "Busting up to see what he can pinch.
Never saw a Hun hurrying to his own funeral so smart before--unless
this infernal roll gives the show away."
"Lie close, men," ordered the sub, addressing those of the felucca's
complement who were not playing the rôle of Greeks. "All clear
there, Sampson?"
"All clear, sir," replied the gunlayer confidently, as he gave a
preliminary tug to the lever operating the raising mechanism of the
disappearing gun.
"Hoist the colours, Dixon," continued the sub.
A barefooted bluejacket wearing a pair of fierce-looking turned-up
moustachios, glittering "gold" earrings, a loosely-fitting red
shirt, and a pair of trousers of grotesque cut, pattered aft with
the Greek colours in one hand and a neatly rolled up ensign in the
other. Bending the blue and white flag to the signal halliards of
the main lateen yard-arm he hoisted the colours of the Mercantile
Marine of the Kingdom of Greece. The rolled ensign he toggled to the
ensign-staff halliards, keeping the compact bundle of bunting well
below the taffrail.
The U-boat came up rapidly and unhesitatingly. Evidently the
anticipated prize was not thought worth a warning shot, although the
pirates were manning the for'ard "disappearing" gun. The whole of
her length--close on 250 feet--was exposed, nearly a score of her
crew being distributed along the deck. On the conning-tower platform
stood a couple of gold-laced officers and the helmsman, for when
running on the surface and not about to attack this type of craft is
steered by means of a wheel in front of the conning tower.
From a stumpy mast in the wake of the twin periscopes the Black
Cross ensign of Germany drooped sullenly in the still air, as if
ashamed to display the badge of infamy.
At a distance of about two cables' lengths, the U-boat made a
complete circuit of the felucca, as if to show her powers of
manoeuvring. It was like a cat playing with a mouse.
"'Georgeos Nikolaos' ahoy!" shouted the kapitan-leutnant in a vile
smattering of the language of the modern Hellenes. "Where are you
bound? What is your cargo?"
One of the disguised bluejackets replied. An R.N.R. man he had,
prior to the outbreak of hostilities, been a steward on a passenger
boat plying between Port Said, the Piraeus, and Constantinople, and
was decidedly a very handy member of the felucca's crew.
"We are from Messina, bound for Damietta, with a general cargo,
illustrious kapitan," he replied.
"Ach! general cargo--contraband every kilogramme. Abandon your
craft. I give you five minutes."
"But," protested the pseudo Greek, "we have only one small boat, and
we are many leagues from the nearest land. Bad weather threatens.
Have you no mercy?"
"Since you Grecian dogs are fond of licking the feet of your
accursed taskmasters who are the enemies of the German Fatherland,"
snapped the Hun, "you can drown or starve for aught I care. In any
case, you will have plenty of time for reflection. Hasten; one
minute of the five has already gone."
With every semblance of panic-stricken haste the members of the
"theatrical stunt" threw themselves upon the boat amidships,
swinging it outboard by means of tackle from the yards.
Jabbering in imitation of the cosmopolitan seafarers of various
Mediterranean ports the disguised bluejackets leapt into the boat
and began to row away from the felucca as hard as they could.
Farrar glanced aft. A seaman had crawled to the taffrail, and was
handling the ensign halliards in gleeful anticipation, while another
man was "standing by" the halliard of the Greek flag--or, rather, he
was sitting on the deck with the uncleated ropes in his horny hands.
The U-boat was approaching slowly. To save time in the expected
looting operations she evidently meant to run alongside. She was now
but a cable's length away.
The sub sprang to his feet. Simultaneously the blue and white
striped flag was struck, while a tug on the ensign halliards "broke
out" the British White Ensign. Down fell several sections of the
hinged steel bulwarks, revealing to the astounded Huns the deck of
the felucca crowded with armed bluejackets and the muzzles of the
two four-inch quick-firers pointing straight at the U-boat's conning
tower.
"Surrender instantly!" shouted the sub in stentorian tones.
The result hardly came up to the sub's expectations. Several of the
Huns on the forepart of the U-boat raised their hands high above
their heads, abject terror showing itself on their blanched faces
and by their trembling limbs. Two of them promptly leapt overboard,
and struck out as hard as they could away from the doomed pirate
craft.
The kapitan-leutnant was cast in a sterner mould. Shouting an order
to the waverers he bolted into the conning tower. The hinged
water-tight lid closed automatically, cutting off the retreat of the
unter-leutnant and those of the crew who were still on deck.
Almost at the next moment a trail of air bubbles and a diverging
wake of foam announced that the U-boat had let loose a torpedo at
practically point-blank range. It was a chance shot, and fortunately
the felucca had drifted just beyond the line of direction from the
U-boat's fixed bow tube. Missing her stern by less than a couple of
yards the powerful locomotive missile finished its run at nearly
three miles from its target.
At the first indication of the firing of the torpedo, Sub-Lieutenant
Farrar rapped out an order. Both four-inch guns spoke
simultaneously. The shells did their work effectively and with
appalling suddenness, for penetrating the base of the U-boat's
conning tower they burst with disastrous results in the interior of
the steel hull.
By the force of the irresistible explosion of the lyddite shells the
submarine simply buckled. For a brief instant the bow and stern were
lifted clear of the water, to disappear in a smother of smoke and
flame. As the U-boat sank a quantity of petrol and oil was forced
through the jagged hole amidships, and being lighter than water the
highly inflammable fluid spread far and wide. The next instant the
sea for a radius of fifty yards across the spot where the Hun craft
had disappeared was a blaze of fire, the hissing flames threatening
to set alight the idle sails of the felucca.
"Start up!" shouted the sub, addressing the engine-room artificer in
charge of the "Georgeos Nikolaos" motor.
The order was promptly obeyed, and the felucca, gathering way,
passed out of the danger zone, but not before the paint on her sides
was blistered by the flames.
Declutching the propeller shafting the felucca lost way at three
cables' distance from the still burning oil. Her officers and men on
the look out for possible survivors, saw none; nor did the boat with
its disguised crew, although she was rowed right up to the edge of
the blazing patch of oil-covered water. Those of the U-boat's crew
who had not gone down with the shattered hull had perished miserably
in the flames.
"Hoist the recall," ordered the sub, and the boat, returning to the
felucca, was hoisted on board.
For a few minutes the aerials were sent aloft, and a laconic message
dispatched to the Commander-in-Chief.