Almost at the moment that the man and the two women who, but a few
moments ago, had been standing in the full pride of their youth and
health and beauty, had dropped to the earth in little heaps of
crumbling bones, whistles sounded inside the works, and a number of
men came out of the western gate, some of them armed with rifles and
revolvers, and others carrying stretchers. Hardress and Chrysie were
lifted on to two of these, and Lady Olive went back into the works
with them.
Lord Orrel and the president, after having their wounds hastily
bandaged for the time being, went to the door of the saloon carriage,
and Lord Orrel said, shortly and sternly:
"Madame de Bourbon, as you have seen, your niece has ceased to exist.
Count Valdemar, the same is true of your daughter. And as for you,
gentlemen," he went on, turning to the two admirals, "you have seen
something of those means of defence of which I spoke to you after
dinner.
"There," he went on, pointing to the little heap of mingled bones
lying on the sand, "is the proof of it. Every human thing that tries
to pass the limits of those rays will share the same fate. These
people were enemies, but they were worse--they were traitors; and, as
you have seen, they wished to be murderers. They have justly earned
their fate. There is no reason why you should share it. Take my
advice, I pray you, advice which I give from the bottom of my heart.
Weigh anchor to-night, go back to Europe, and you will find that
everything that we have told you is true."
"That, my Lord Orrel, is impossible," said Admiral Nazanoff, coming to
the door of the car. "By what devilish means you have slain Captain
Fargeau and those two ladies we know not, save that it must have been
done through some material mechanism. To-morrow our guns shall try
conclusions with it, whatever it is. Yes, even though you turned that
murderous ray on us and killed us, as you did them, for our men have
their orders. And now, I suppose, we had better get out and walk. We
can hardly expect the use of your train after what has happened."
"You needn't worry about that, admiral," said the president; "we've
promised you safe conduct to your ships, and you shall have it. But
look here, count," he went on, pulling a heavy six-shooter out of his
pocket, "don't you get fingering about that pocket as if you had a gun
in it, or it'll be the last shooting-iron you ever did touch. We don't
want any more shooting than we've had till we begin business in the
morning."
Count Valdemar saw that he was covered, and he didn't like the look of
the hard, steady, grey eyes behind the barrel of the long repeating
pistol. He took his hand empty out of his pocket, clasped it with the
left over his knees, and shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing to
be said, and so he kept something of his dignity by holding his
tongue, and the president went on:
"Well, that's better. You keep your hands where they are, and no harm
will happen to you just now. But don't you think, gentlemen, that it
would be better if Madame de Bourbon came back with us into the works,
where she will be safe, anyhow safer than she would be on one of your
ships, if you are still determined to fight it out."
"I am much obliged to you, Monsieur le President," replied the old
lady, in her most autocratic manner; "but after what has happened, and
what I have seen, I prefer to return with my own people."
"And," added Admiral Dumont, "you may be quite certain, monsieur, that
before this most regrettable battle begins at six o'clock, one of the
ships will have taken Madame de Bourbon beyond the reach of harm."
"With that, of course, we must be content," said Lord Orrel, coming
back to the president's side. "And now, gentlemen, since, as you say,
it is to be war between us, I have one more favour to ask: Here is the
man," he went on, pointing to the second engineer of the _Nadine_, who
had been brought out of the gate by a couple of stalwart quartermasters,
"here is the man who allowed himself to be bribed by the late Countess
Sophie Valdemar and the Marquise de Montpensier to wreck the engines
of the _Nadine_, and so, as they thought, turn the course of fate in
their favour. We have not punished him, but we have no further use for
his services. He is a good engineer, whatever else he may be, and so
perhaps you will be able to find him some employment on board one of
your ships. Now, Robertson and Thompson, help Mr Williams into the
car, please. These gentlemen want to get down to the harbour."
The two quartermasters picked up the handcuffed Williams, and flung
him in through the open door of the saloon. Then the president said to
the man at the engine, "Right away, driver, and come back when these
gentlemen are safe on board. Salud, Senores," he went on to the two
admirals, raising his hat with his unwounded arm. "Take my
advice--clear out, and don't let us have any shooting in the morning.
I reckon we've had quite trouble enough already."
At this moment the driver of the electric motor sounded his bell, the
two admirals and the count raised their hats and stared out through
the window with grim, immovable faces, and so went back to the ships,
marvelling greatly at the wonderful horror they had beheld. Madame de
Bourbon was already in hysterics, succoured by Ma'm'selle Felice.
Count Valdemar, though stricken to the heart by the frightful fate of
the only human being that he had loved since his wife had died nearly
twenty years before, was yet determined to use all his influence to
compel the admirals to take the amplest possible revenge for her
slaying. Certainly if the works were not battered into ruins within
twelve hours, it would not be his fault; and then, as the little train
drew out, he fell to wondering whether Hardress and Chrysie Vandel
were killed or not.
"And are you still decided to fight, gentlemen?" he said to the
admirals a few moments later, when the car was rattling over the
narrow rails, "and, if so, what are you going to do with this thing?"
He touched Mr Williams's still prostrate body with his toe as he said
this.
"I need not tell you, count," replied Admiral Nazanoff, "as a Russian
to a Russian, that orders are orders, and mine are to take those works
or destroy them. I admit that what we saw to-night was very wonderful
and very terrible, but when Holy Russia says 'Go and do,' then we must
go and do, or die. The Little Father has no forgiveness for failure.
That, in Russia, is the one unpardonable fault. Our guns will open at
six in the morning. That man will take his chance with the rest of our
men."
"And," said Admiral Dumont, "even if we cannot take the works and use
them, we may destroy them, and so rid the world of this detestable
commercial tyranny which would make war a matter of poll-tax. We shall
open fire at six. Ah, here we are at the wharf. Now let us go and see
that everything is ready. Admiral Nazanoff, I believe you are my
senior in service; it will therefore be yours to fire the first shot.
The _Caiman_ shall fire the second."
"And I shall ask you, admiral," said the count to Nazanoff, "as a
personal favour, and also, as I will say frankly, a matter of personal
vengeance, to be allowed to fire that first gun."
"My dear count," replied the admiral, "with the greatest pleasure. It
shall be laid by the best gunner on board the _Ivan_, and your hand
shall send the shot, I hope, into the vitals of these accursed works.
If we could only manage to drop a hundred-pound melinite shell into
the right place, it would do a great deal."