But I will not anticipate events any further. Enough has been said
to enable me to take up the thread of my narrative from the time the
Vice-Consul dispatched his coded message regarding Lieutenant Karl Koch
to the German Embassy in Madrid.
Having signed his despatch and given Fischer sufficient work to keep
him busy until noon, the Vice-Consul sallied forth with a satisfied
mien and walked leisurely, almost aimlessly, towards the quays, gazing
out occasionally over the bay. In the distance could be seen two
German vessels, interned since the beginning of the war, one of which
was the steamship _Wehrt_. At last, on reaching the deserted end of
one of the quays, the Vice-Consul, glancing quickly over his shoulder,
stopped and gave a low whistle, which was answered almost immediately
by a similar signal and the sound of a boat grating against the side of
the quay.
"_Ach so!_ There you are, José," said the official, as the boatman
became visible. "I was afraid you would be late. You can row me this
morning to the _Wehrt_."
And with a final precautionary look to right and left, the German
Vice-Consul disappeared over the side and clambered down the iron rungs
of a ladder into the boat.
The captain of the steamship _Wehrt_, condemned to a captivity which
eternally rankled in his breast, was always ready to extend a hearty
welcome to the Vice-Consul of Vigo. Their periodic meetings, arranged
as far as possible in secret, constituted a safety valve. The captain
could fulminate to his heart's content against the tyrant of the
seas--Great Britain; the Vice-Consul could give full rein to his taste
for intrigue.
Behold these two, then, _tête-à-tête_ in the captain's private room,
and exchanging confidences over the luncheon table. The captain,
deprived of official information for the past three or four days,
was thirsting for news regarding fresh developments in the war, and
his lean, bronzed face lit up with eagerness when he inquired if the
Vice-Consul had anything new and special to report.
"_Ya wohl!_ Something of the greatest importance," replied the
official. "A matter for consultation, and in which your advice will be
valuable."
And the Vice-Consul proceeded to put the skipper _au courant_ with the
bare facts concerning the predicament in which Lieutenant Koch and his
companions found themselves at Pampeluna, the official request for
whatever assistance he could render them, the strange coincidence of
Koch and himself being old college chums, and so on.