THE GERMANS ARE ANNOYED
Mr. Sabin ate his luncheon with unimpaired appetite and with his usual
care that everything of which he partook should be so far as possible of
the best. The close presence of the German man-of-war did not greatly
alarm him. He had some knowledge of the laws and courtesies of maritime
life, and he could not conceive by what means short of actual force he
could be inveigled on board of her. Mr. Watson's last words had been
a little disquieting, but he probably held an exaggerated opinion as
to the powers possessed by his employers. Mr. Sabin had been in many
tighter places than this, and he had sufficient belief in the country
of his recent adoption to congratulate himself that it was an English
boat on which he was a passenger. He proceeded to make himself agreeable
to Mrs. Watson, who, in a charming costume of blue and white, and a
fascinating little hat, had just come on to luncheon.
"I have been talking," he remarked, after a brief pause in their
conversation, "to your husband this morning."
She looked up at him with a meaning smile upon her face.
"So he has been telling me."
"I hope," Mr. Sabin continued gently, "that your advice to him--I take
it for granted that he comes to you for advice--was in my favour."
"It was very much in your favour," she answered, leaning across towards
him. "I think that you knew it would be."
"I hoped at least----"
Mr. Sabin broke off suddenly in the midst of his sentence, and turning
round looked out of the open port-hole. Mrs. Watson had dropped her
knife and fork and was holding her hands to her ears. The saloon itself
seemed to be shaken by the booming of a gun fired at close quarters.
"What is it?" she exclaimed, looking across at him with frightened eyes.
"What can have happened! England is not at war with anybody, is she?"
Mr. Sabin looked up with a quiet smile from the salad which he was
mixing.
"It is simply a signal from another ship," he answered. "She wants us to
stop."
"What ship? Do you know anything about it? Do you know what they want?"
"Not exactly," Mr. Sabin said. "At the same time I have some idea. The
ship who fired that signal is a German man-of-war, and you see we are
stopping."
Of the two Mrs. Watson was certainly the most nervous. Her fingers shook
so that the wine in her glass was spilt. She set her glass down and
looked across at her companion.
"They will take you away," she murmured.
"I think not," Mr. Sabin answered. "I am inclined to think that I am
perfectly safe. Will you try some of my salad?"
A look of admiration flashed for a moment across her face,
"You are a wonderful man," she said softly. "No salad, thanks! I am too
nervous to eat. Let us go on deck!"
Mr. Sabin rose, and carefully selected a cigarette.
"I can assure you," he said, "that they are powerless to do anything
except attempt to frighten Captain Ackinson. Of course they might
succeed in that, but I don't think it is likely. Let us go and hear what
he has to say."
Captain Ackinson was standing alone on the deck, watching the
man-of-war's boat which was being rapidly pulled towards the _Calipha_.
He was obviously in a bad temper. There was a black frown upon his
forehead which did not altogether disappear when he turned his head and
saw them approaching.
"Are we arrested, Captain?" Mr. Sabin asked. "Why couldn't they signal
what they wanted?"
"Because they're blistering idiots," Captain Ackinson answered. "They
blither me to stop, and I signalled back to ask their reason, and I'm
dashed if they didn't put a shot across my bows. As if I hadn't lost
enough time already without fooling."
"Thanks to us, I am afraid, Captain," Mrs. Watson put in.
"Well, I'm not regretting that, Mrs. Watson," the captain answered
gallantly. "We got something for stopping there, but we shall get
nothing decent from these confounded Germans, I am very sure. By the
bye, can you speak their lingo, Mr. Sabin?"
"Yes," Mr. Sabin answered, "I can speak German. Can I be of any
assistance to you?"
"You might stay with me if you will," Captain Ackinson answered, "in
case they don't speak English."
Mr. Sabin remained by the captain's side, standing with his hands behind
him. Mrs. Watson leaned over the rail close at hand, watching the
approaching boat, and exchanging remarks with the doctor. In a few
minutes the boat was alongside, and an officer in the uniform of the
German Navy rose and made a stiff salute.
"Are you the captain?" he inquired, in stiff but correct English.
The captain returned his salute.
"I am Captain Ackinson, Cunard ss. _Calipha_," he answered. "What do you
want with me?"
"I am Captain Von Dronestein, in command of the _Kaiser Wilhelm_,
German Navy," was the reply. "I want a word or two with you in private,
Captain Ackinson. Can I come on board?"
Captain Ackinson's reply was not gushing. He gave the necessary orders,
however, and in a few moments Captain Von Dronestein, and a thin, dark
man in the dress of a civilian, clambered to the deck. They looked at
Mr. Sabin, standing by the captain's side, and exchanged glances of
intelligence.
"If you will kindly permit us, Captain," the newcomer said, "we should
like to speak with you in private. The matter is one of great
importance."
Mr. Sabin discreetly retired. The captain turned on his heel and led the
way to his cabin. He pointed briefly to the lounge against the wall and
remained himself standing.
"Now, gentlemen, if you please," he said briskly, "to business. You have
stopped a mail steamer in mid ocean by force, so I presume you have
something of importance to say. Please say it and let me go on. I am
behind time now."
The German held up his hands. "We have stopped you," he said, "it is
true, but not by force. No! No!"
"I don't know what else you call it when you show me a bounding thirty
guns and put a shot across my bows."
"It was a blank charge," the German began, but Captain Ackinson
interrupted him.
"It was nothing of the sort!" he declared bluntly. "I was on deck and I
saw the charge strike the water."
"It was then contrary to my orders," Captain Dronestein declared, "and
in any case it was not intended for intimidation."
"Never mind what it was intended for. I have my own opinion about that,"
Captain Ackinson remarked impatiently. "Proceed if you please!"
"In the first place permit me to introduce the Baron Von Graisheim, who
is attached to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at Berlin."
Captain Ackinson's acknowledgment of the introduction was barely civil.
The German continued--
"I am afraid you will not consider my errand here a particularly
pleasant one, Herr Captain. I have a warrant here for the arrest of one
of your passengers, whom I have to ask you to hand over to me."
"A what!" Captain Ackinson exclaimed, with a spot of deep colour
stealing through the tan of his cheeks.
"A warrant," Dronestein continued, drawing an imposing looking document
from his breast pocket. "If you will examine it you will perceive that
it is in perfect order. It bears, in fact," he continued, pointing with
reverential forefinger to a signature near the bottom of the document,
"the seal of his most august Majesty, the Emperor of Germany."
Captain Ackinson glanced at the document with imperturbable face.
"What is the name of the gentleman to whom all this refers?" he
inquired.
"The Duc de Souspennier!"
"The name," Captain Ackinson remarked, "is not upon my passengers'
list."
"He is travelling under the alias of 'Mr. Sabin,'" Baron Von Graisheim
interjected.
"And do you expect me," Captain Ackinson remarked, "to hand over the
person in question to you on the authority of that document?"
"Certainly!" the two men exclaimed with one voice.
"Then I am very sorry indeed," Captain Ackinson declared, "that you
should have had the temerity to stop my ship, and detain me here on such
a fool's errand. We are on the high seas and under the English flag. The
document you have just shown me impeaching the Duc de Souspennier for
'lese majestie' and high treason, and all the rest of it, is not worth
the paper it is written on here, nor, I should think in America. I must
ask you to leave my ship at once, gentlemen, and I can promise you that
my employers, the Cunard ss. Company, will bring a claim against your
Government for this unwarrantable detention."
"You must, if you please, be reasonable," Captain Dronestein said. "We
have force behind us, and we are determined to rescue this man at all
costs."
Captain Ackinson laughed scornfully.
"I shall be interested to see what measures of force you will employ,"
he remarked. "You may have a tidy bill to pay as it is, for that shot
you put across my bows. If you try another it may cost you the _Kaiser
Wilhelm_ and the whole of the German Navy. Now, if you please, I've no
more time to waste."
Captain Ackinson moved towards the door. Dronestein laid his hand upon
his arm.
"Captain Ackinson," he said, "do not be rash. If I have seemed too
peremptory in this matter, remember that Germany as my fatherland
is as dear to me as England to you, and this man whose arrest I am
commissioned to effect has earned for himself the deep enmity of all
patriots. Listen to me, I beg. You run not one shadow of risk in
delivering this man up to my custody. He has no country with whom you
might become embroiled. He is a French Royalist, who has cast himself
adrift altogether from his country, and is indeed her enemy. Apart from
that, his detention, trial and sentence, would be before a secret court.
He would simply disappear. As for you, you need not fear but that
your services will be amply recognised. Make your claims now for this
detention of your steamer; fix it if you will at five or even ten
thousand pounds, and I will satisfy it on the spot by a draft on the
Imperial Exchequer. The man can be nothing to you. Make a great country
your debtor. You will never regret it."
Captain Ackinson shook his arm free from the other's grasp, and strode
out on to the deck.
"_Kaiser Wilhelm_ boat alongside," he shouted, blowing his whistle.
"Smith, have these gentlemen lowered at once, and pass the word to the
engineer's room, full speed ahead."
He turned to the two men, who had followed him out.
"You had better get off my ship before I lose my temper," he said
bluntly. "But rest assured that I shall report this attempt at
intimidation and bribery to my employers, and they will without doubt
lay the matter before the Government."
"But Captain Ackinson----"
"Not another word, sir."
"My dear----"
Captain Ackinson turned his back upon the two men, and with a stiff,
military salute turned towards the bridge. Already the machinery was
commencing to throb. Mr. Watson, who was hovering near, came up and
helped them to descend. A few apparently casual remarks passed between
the three men. From a little lower down Mr. Sabin and Mrs. Watson leaned
over the rail and watched the visitors lowered into their boat.
"That was rather a foolish attempt," he remarked lightly; "nevertheless
they seem disappointed."
She looked after them pensively.
"I wish I knew what they said to--my husband," she murmured.
"Orders for my assassination, very likely," he remarked lightly. "Did
you see your husband's face when he passed us?"
She nodded, and looked behind. Mr. Watson had entered the smoke-room.
She drew a little nearer to Mr. Sabin and dropped her voice almost to a
whisper.
"What you have said in jest is most likely the truth. Be very careful!"