To this kind of pass-word, which was frequently altered from time to
time, he received a reply: "G.L.G.S." and then he added his own number,
"0740."
The signals exchanged were quite strong, and he drew a long breath of
relief and satisfaction.
Then, settling down to his dastardly work, he began to tap out rapidly
the following in German:
"On Imperial War Service. Most Urgent. From 0740 to Berlin 70.
Transmitted Personally.
"Source of information G.27, British Admiralty. Lieutenant Ralph
Beeton, Grenadier Guards, British secret agent, is at present staying at
Kaiserhof Hotel, Berlin, as James B. James, an American citizen, of
Fernville, Kansas, and is transmitting reports. Captain Henry Fordyce,
British Navy, is at Park Hotel, Dusseldorf, as Francis Dexter, iron
merchant of New Orleans, and has sent reports regarding Erhardt's
ordnance factory. Both should be arrested at once. Lieutenant George
Evans, reported at Amsterdam on the 5th, has gone to Emden, and will
probably be found at the Krone Hotel."
Then he paused. That message had, he knew, sealed the fate of three
brave Englishmen who had dared to enter the camp of our enemies. They
would be arrested within an hour or so, and most certainly shot as
spies. His face broadened into an evil grin of satisfaction as the
truth crossed his mind.
He waited for an acknowledgment that his report had been received.
Then, having listened to the answering click--clickety--click, he sent a
second message as follows:--
"British Naval Dispositions: Urgent to Q.S.R.
"Source of information H.238. To-night, off the Outer Skerries,
Shetlands, are battleships _King Charles_ (flag), _Mole, Wey, Welland,
Teign, Yare, Queen Boadicea, Emperor of India_, _King Henry VIII_; with
first-class cruisers _Hogue, Stamford, Petworth, Lichfield, Dorchester_;
second-class cruisers _Rockingham, Guildford, Driffield, Verulam,
Donnington, Pirbright, Tremayne_ and _Blackpool_; destroyers _Viking,
Serpent, Chameleon, Adder, Batswing, Sturdy_ and _Havoc_, with eight
submarines, the aircraft-ship _Flyer_, and repair-ship _Vulcan_.
Another strong division left Girdle Ness at 4 p.m. coming south. The
division in Moray Firth remains the same. _Trusty, Dragon, Norfolk_ and
_Shadower_ left Portsmouth this evening going east. British Naval
war-code to be altered at midnight to 106-13."
The figures he spelt out very carefully, repeating them three times so
that there could be no mistake. Again he paused until, from Berlin,
they were repeated for confirmation.
Afterwards he proceeded as follows:
"_Ruritania_ leaves Liverpool for New York at noon to-morrow, carrying
bullion. Also liners _Smyrna, Jacob Elderson, City of Rotterdam_ and
_Great Missenden_ leave same port for Atlantic ports to-morrow.
Submarines may be advised by wireless."
Once more he paused until he received the signal of acknowledgment,
together with the query whether the name of one of the ships mentioned
was Elderson or Elderton. But Lewin Rodwell, with keen interest in his
fell work of betraying British liners into the hands of the German
pirate submarines, quickly tapped out the correct spelling, repeating
it, so that there should be no further mistake.
After yet another pause, the man seated in the fisherman's stuffy little
bedroom grasped the telegraph-key and made the signals--"J.O.H.J."--
which, in the German war-code, meant: "Take careful note and report to
proper quarter instantly."
"All right," came the answering signal, also in code. "Prepared to
receive J.O.H.J."
Then, after a few seconds, Rodwell glanced again at the closely-written
sheet spread before him, and began to tap out the following secret
message in German to the very heart of the Imperial war-machine:
"Official information just gained from a fresh and most reliable
source--confirmed by H.238, M.605, and also B.1928--shows that British
Admiralty have conceived a clever plan for entrapping the German Grand
Fleet. Roughly, the scheme is to make attack with inferior force upon
Heligoland early on Wednesday morning, the 16th, together with
corresponding attack upon German division in the estuary of the Eider
and thus draw out the German ships northward towards the Shetlands,
behind which British Grand Fleet are concealed in readiness. This
concentration of forces northward will, according to the scheme of which
I have learned full details, leave the East coast of England from the
Tyne to the Humber unprotected for a full twelve hours on the 16th, thus
full advantage could be taken for bombardment. Inform Grand Admiral
immediately."
Having thus betrayed the well-laid plans of the British Admiralty to
entice the German Fleet out of the Kiel canal and the other harbours in
which barnacles were growing on their keels, Lewin Rodwell, the popular
British "patriot," paused once more.
But not for long, because, in less than a minute, he received again the
signal of acknowledgment that his highly interesting message to the
German Admiralty had been received, and would be delivered without a
moment's delay.
Then he knew that the well-organised plans of the British Fleet, so
cleverly conceived and so deadly if executed, would be effectively
frustrated.
He gave the signal that he had ended his message and, with a low laugh
of satisfaction, rose from the rickety old chair and lit another
cigarette.
Thus had England been foully betrayed by one of the men whom her deluded
public most confidently trusted and so greatly admired.