CONCERNING CAPTAIN RESTRONGUET'S RIVAL.
It was broad daylight when Arnold Hythe awoke. He was surprised to find
the "Aphrodite" lifting to the heave of the open sea, and the sunlight
pouring in through a small circular scuttle above his bunk. Hastily
springing out of bed he looked out. As far as his limited vision
extended he could see nothing but blue water--a sure sign that the
submarine was far from land. Judging by the apparent motion of the
waves the "Aphrodite" was running at a bare ten knots--possibly less.
And a few hours previously she had been lying motionless on the bed of
the River Tamar.
Slung to the beams overhead was a metal bath, of a similar pattern to
those supplied for officers' use in the Royal Navy, while in the
bulkhead were two taps marked "hot" and "cold." On a chair by his bunk
were his clothes, brushed and folded, while quite a large stock of new
under-garments were lying on a folding table.
Hythe always prided himself upon being a sound sleeper, yet able to
arouse at the slightest sound, but for once at least his faith in his
capabilities received a rude shock. Some one had certainly entered
whilst he slept, and also the "Aphrodite" had made a lengthy trip
without his being aware of it.
The astonished young officer quickly tubbed and dressed. Then it
occurred to him that he had not shaved. Lying on the dressing-table was
a safety razor, also brand-new. Evidently his host had left nothing
undone to contribute to the comfort of his guest.
His toilet completed Hythe stepped out into the alley-way. At the
fore-end, and hitherto unnoticed by him, was a hatchway. It was now
open and a ladder had been shipped under it.
An appetizing odour came from the captain's cabin. It made the sub feel
hungry; but curiosity conquered, and he made his way on deck, or on
Platform Number One as Captain Restronguet preferred to call it.
Hythe found himself on a flat deck nearly two hundred feet in length,
and unbroken save for the low coamings of three hatchways and the fore
and aft conning-towers. Metal stanchions and rails had been placed in
position round the sides to prevent anyone from slipping overboard. As
the sub looked down on the deck he noticed that, like the sides, it
reflected his own image and those of other persons and objects on deck,
but there was no dazzling glare from the sun that was now high in the
heavens.
Clustered for'ard between the bows and the foremost conning-tower were
nearly every member of the crew: twenty-five stalwart men all dressed in
plain but serviceable rig. Pacing up and down between the two
conning-towers were Mr. Devoran and some one whom Hythe had not
previously seen--the Second Officer Kenwyn.
As they turned at the end of their promenade the two men caught sight of
the sub.
"Good morning, Mr. Hythe," said the chief mate genially. "Quite a fine
day after our sample of the English climate, eh? By the by, I don't
think you know Kenwyn, our second officer? He only rejoined last
night."
The three engaged in conversation of general interest for a few minutes,
then Mr. Devoran asked Hythe if he had seen the captain that morning.
"Not yet," replied the sub. "I came straight on deck. It was a
surprise to find myself at sea. Where are we?"
"Nearly twenty miles S.W. of Ushant," replied the chief mate. "We shall
be cruising about here for a few days, as we expect to fall in with a
certain vessel. We have left English waters for a time, at all events,
but you need not worry about that, for the captain informed me that he
received a reply to his note at four this morning. You are officially
'lent' to the 'Aphrodite' until further orders. But breakfast is ready,
and Captain Restronguet will explain matters more fully."
The captain greeted Hythe with great affability, and both thoroughly
hungry did justice to a good breakfast. Very little was said, and when
the meal was over Captain Restronguet left the sub to his own devices
while he made the customary rounds of the vessel under his command.
Accordingly Hythe went on deck once more. The "Aphrodite" was slowly
forging ahead at a bare five knots, her course being N.N.W 1/4 W. That
meant although not actually retracing her course she was heading at an
acute angle to it. It was a sort of "wash-and-mend clothes day," a
function resembling the time-honoured custom of keeping Thursday
afternoon on board the ships of His Majesty's Navy.
The French coast was still invisible, but less than five miles off the
sky line was broken by curiously cut tanned sails of the Concarneau
fishing fleet. Away to the north-west a huge liner, looking without
masts and funnels more like an exaggerated Noah's Ark than anything
else, was pelting through the water at a modest thirty-three knots.
Perhaps had her officer of the watch chanced to direct his telescope in
the direction of the "Aphrodite" he would at once conclude that he had
sighted the sea serpent, for, owing to the invisible hue of her hull
only the seated figures of the men on deck would come within the field
of vision.
The submarine was floating fairly high out of the water. More than half
of her ballast tanks had been "started," and consequently there was
sufficient freeboard to allow the side scuttles to be opened. With
considerable buoyancy she rolled a good deal, but with a true-born
sailor's delight Hythe revelled in the motion.
At noon Captain Restronguet appeared on deck. Kenwyn had just "shot the
sun" and was working out the vessel's position.
"It's about time she was here, Devoran," remarked the captain. "That
is, if the report is authentic. Has the submarine detector given no
warning?"
"No, sir, I've stationed Polglaze by it, and he won't be caught napping.
She couldn't have passed before we arrived, sir?"
"I made due allowances, giving her ten knots above her estimated speed.
But we must exercise patience. Ah! Mr. Hythe, no doubt you are
wondering why we are dodging about here instead of playing harmless
little tricks upon His Britannic Majesty's ships and naval
establishments? Well, I think I ought to give you some explanation, so
if you will kindly step below we can talk without interruption."
"By the by," continued Captain Restronguet, as the two men made their
way to the cabin, "you asked me how the 'Aphrodite' is manoeuvred to
bring her to the surface and vice versa. We have three distinct
methods. The first is by means of horizontal rudders, there being a
pair at both bow and stern; the second is by means of expelling water
ballast, which is all very well so long as the ejecting pumps work
properly. Hitherto we have had no trouble in this direction, but it is
well to be prepared. Consequently we employ a third method--one for use
in emergencies only. I make no secret of the fact that I borrowed the
idea from the French. I prefer to be original, but at the same time in
the interests of my crew I do not hesitate to adopt well-established
devices. To each of the three sections of this vessel is fixed a
detachable iron keel. The bolts are secured on the keelson by a single
yet effective looking device. One thrust of a lever and a section of
this keel is dropped. Should a compartment be half full of water there
is sufficient buoyancy gained by the release of this dead-weight to lift
the vessel to the surface."
"Isn't there a chance of the 'Aphrodite' buckling her plates in a heavy
sea with that dead-weight split into three separate sections?" asked
Hythe.
"As far as the 'Aphrodite' is concerned there are no heavy seas,"
replied his host. "At the first suspicion of bad weather we dive to
eight fathoms, or more if necessary. Since, even in mid-Atlantic the
waves rarely exceed forty feet in height, and the depth maintained by
the submarine is regulated by the vertical height of water over her,
there is nothing to be feared as far as the 'hogging' and 'sagging'
stresses are concerned."
At Captain Restronguet's invitation the sub threw himself into an easy
chair. He was eager to hear everything about this mysterious man and
his marvellous vessel, and the fact that the Admiralty had given a
formal consent for him to remain on board as an official observer
relieved him of all anxiety.
"You may have noticed," said Captain Restronguet, "that I hinted that I
had had a quarrel with the Admiralty. First let me tell you my real
name is not Restronguet. What it is is outside the question."
"The name is French, I believe?"
"No, Cornish. Had you been well acquainted with the district around
Falmouth you would have recognized the names of Restronguet, Kenwyn,
Devoran and the rest of my crew as those of places in what I consider
the foremost county in England. Of course that is a matter of opinion,
but that opinion is shared by every Cornishman.
"Some years back my father owned several copper mines, or wheals as we
call them, in the neighbourhood of Redruth, and as, in time, I would
have control of them, had articled me to an electrical engineer in order
that I might get an insight into that branch before I took over the
mining supervision. Hardly was my apprenticeship complete when the
wheals failed and my father was a ruined man. He died shortly
afterwards and I was thrown utterly on my own resources, and although I
was very sore about it at the time I have since realized that misfortune
is often the purifying fire of a man's strength of mind.
"Just about that time the South African War broke out. I volunteered
for the front, and was accepted. There I saw enough of war--although
supposed to be conducted under the most humane principles--to make me
hate it. You may look astonished, Mr. Hythe, but I mean what I say. War
might be a necessary evil, but all the same it must be avoided if
possible. You do not know how thankful I am that the present crisis
between Great Britain and Germany is over. It may sound paradoxical,
but with this powerful instrument of destruction under my control I hope
to be a deterrent to any Power that attempts to dispute the supremacy of
the sea with the country that is mine by birth.
"But to proceed. On my return to England I was down on my luck, and as
a final resource I joined the electrical department of Devonport
Dockyard as a fitter. It was not long before I saw that there was
little chance of bettering myself. I had ability and energy, but no
influence. Profiting by the experience gained in my apprenticeship I
devised an improved method of electrical welding. It saved hundreds,
possibly thousands of pounds, and I was rewarded with a paltry bonus of
forty shillings.
"Needless to say I was very sick about it. Then an opportunity came.
The copper boom revived the Cornish mining industry. The 'wheals' that
my father had left me became prosperous, and I was able to throw up my
employment with an unsympathetic State Employer. Arguing that a wave of
failure might once more return over the mining industry I sold those
under my control to a Company; took all my best workmen and one or two
of my special friends--Devoran and Kenwyn amongst them--and bought a
concession in the Island of Sumatra.
"Sumatra is a Dutch colony, as you doubtless know. The Dutch officials
lack the energy of their fellow-countrymen at home and the consequence
is that the whole of the Dutch East Indies stagnates. For years past
the Germans have had an eye on those islands, but my belief is that
Japan will be the future master of them. Possibly that accounts for
numbers of Germans who settle in Sumatra and Java.
"Personally I rather like the German, when free from the excessive
officialdom that pervades in the German Empire. They are good
colonists, hard-working and law-abiding, in every foreign possession
save their own, for in the latter the blighting effect of the
be-uniformed official is fatal to individual success. We got on very
well with our neighbours on the adjoining concessions, with one
exception. That exception was a German named Karl von Harburg."
Captain Restronguet paused as if he feared that the growing excitability
would overmaster him. He was evidently labouring under a strong
recollection of bygone insults. Hythe had the sense to keep silence, he
realized that the listener is the one who hears most.
"But before I say anything more about Karl von Harburg," continued the
Captain, "I must mention another incident. The concession I had
acquired paid beyond all expectations, for not only were copper and tin
found in abundance but also gold. We were all rich men. Some of my
workmen went back to Redruth; others, having no home ties, and liking
the free open life, stayed on. Since I was naturally fond of electrical
engineering and the allied sciences, I spent a great deal of my time
experimenting. One day, almost by accident, I discovered an alloy--as
light as aluminium, absolutely showing no traces of corrosion when
exposed to the action of salt water, as proof against acids as pure
gold, and possessing the strength and resilience of steel. It was also
as non-porous as a metal can possibly be. Under pressure that would
cause water to 'weep' through a steel vessel, a cylinder made of this
metal showed no sign of moisture. I realized that I had made a
discovery that would prove of inestimable value in the construction of
air-ships, and as at that time the Admiralty were 'tied up in knots'
over the utter failure of the naval airship 'Mayfly,' I sent a sheet of
the metal to a trusted agent in London with instructions to submit it to
My Lords.
"Believe me from that day to this, beyond a curt acknowledgment and a
bald statement that the subject was under consideration, I have heard
nothing further of the matter. I was angry--disgusted because the
powers that be had bluntly shut their eyes to an actual discovery that
would give Great Britain the command of the air.
"Since airmanship did not appeal to me I resolved to make use of my
discovery in another direction. By further experiments I found that my
metal 'Restronium,' I have been ambitious enough to call it, could be
made capable of absorbing bright light, yet at close distance would act
as a reflector. The result was that I devised a submarine, steel-clad,
and cased with restronium. It was constructed by native workmen under
the supervision of my comrades and myself.
"The craft was a success. It prompted me to attempt another on a more
ambitious scale, but ere it was completed Karl von Harburg appeared on
the scene.
"This fellow is as crafty as a rogue can possibly be. By his German
co-colonists he was cordially hated. He had ability but was lazy. His
factory did not do so well as the others; instead of working harder he
sulked. In the Fatherland he had once held a high diplomatic position.
He it was who a few years back tried to force a quarrel upon Holland in
order that a pretext might be found for Germany to acquire a longer
coast-line on the shores of the North Sea. He failed, and since failure
is not tolerated in Teutonic diplomatic circles, he was disgraced. He
came to Sumatra, ostensibly with the idea of working a concession, but
in reality looking for an opportunity of recovering his lost prestige by
smoothing the way for a German annexation of the Dutch East Indies.
Again he failed--how and why I need not now mention; but rightly or
wrongly he formed the idea that I had a say in the matter.
"He had his revenge. He stole the secret of my new alloy. He obtained
possession of the plans of my latest submarine, the 'Aphrodite,' and set
himself to build a vessel that would be more powerful than mine. But he
had not mastered one important idea--the secret of the defensive and
offensive powers of my vessel.
"It was a case of war to the knife. His idea was to take his
submarine--the 'Vorwartz' he named her--into British waters and
deliberately do as much destruction to British ships of war and
merchantmen as he possibly could; this with the idea of giving the
Fatherland an advantage in the coming naval war that has been so long
anticipated and which has not yet, thank God, caused untold misery and
disaster to two nations who could be rivals yet friends.
"That is where I stepped in. I sent word and told the fellow plainly
that the 'Aphrodite' was also bound for British waters, and that I would
take the first opportunity of smashing up the 'Vorwartz' should one
hostile act be committed against British property. That frightened him,
for at heart he is a coward. Accordingly Karl von Harburg, knowing that
the 'Aphrodite' had left for the Atlantic, concocted a truly diabolical
plot. He deliberately navigated his 'Vorwartz' to German waters and
committed outrages against his own country."
"Whatever for?" asked the Sub. "It is inconceivable."
"To a Briton, yes!" assented Captain Restronguet. "But Karl von Harburg
had no compunction. He had a spite against his Government, he had a
grudge against me; and whatever the issue he had nothing to lose by
being the means of a terrible conflict between Great Britain and
Germany. Thus he impersonated me, and by committing these outrages upon
the German fleet and harbours he very nearly provoked the war he wished
to engineer.
"It was time for me to dissociate myself with the authorship of these
acts of piracy. Although I have registered a solemn oath never to hand
my 'Aphrodite' over to the British Government (yet there are times when
I feel tempted to perjure myself) I am still an Englishman. Should the
Empire require my aid I for my part will do my best. And thus, having
succeeded in demonstrating that I could not possibly be responsible for
the work of destruction at Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, and elsewhere, I mean to
lay in wait for the 'Vorwartz' and destroy her as ruthlessly as I would
a venomous reptile. For this purpose, Mr. Hythe, is the 'Aphrodite' now
cruising off Cape Ushant, for according to fairly reliable information
the 'Vorwartz,' with Karl von Harburg on board, has passed through the
straits of Dover bound west."