AN EMBASSY FROM THE SKY.
By the time the captured war-balloons had been formed in order, and
the voyage fairly commenced, the eastern sky was bright with the
foreglow of the coming dawn, and, as the flotilla was only floating
between eight and nine hundred feet above the earth, it was not long
before the light was sufficiently strong to render the landscape
completely visible.
Far and wide it was a scene of desolation and destruction, of wasted,
blackened fields trampled into wildernesses by the tread of countless
feet, of forests of trees broken, scorched, and splintered by the
iron hail of artillery, and of towns and villages, reduced to heaps
of ruins, still smouldering with the fires that had destroyed them.
No more eloquent object-lesson in the horrors of what is called
civilised warfare could well have been found than the scene which was
visible from the decks of the air-ships. The promised fruits of a
whole year of patient industry had been withered in a few hours under
the storm-blast of war; homes which but a few days before had
sheltered stalwart, well-fed peasants and citizens, were now mere
heaps of blackened brick and stone and smoking thatches.
Streets which had been the thoroughfares of peaceful industrious
folk, who had no quarrel with the Powers of the earth, or with any of
their kind, were now strewn with corpses and encumbered with ruins,
and the few survivors, more miserable than those who had died, were
crawling, haggard and starving, amidst the wrecks of their vanished
prosperity, seeking for some scanty morsels of food to prolong life
if only for a few more days of misery and nights of sleepless
anxiety.
As the sun rose and shed its midsummer splendour, as if in sublime
mockery, over the scene of suffering and desolation, hideous features
of the landscape were brought into stronger and more horrifying
relief; the scorched and trampled fields were seen to be strewn with
unburied corpses of men and horses, and ploughed up with cannon shot
and torn into great irregular gashes by shells that had buried
themselves in the earth and then exploded.
It was evident that some frightful tragedy must have taken place in
this region not many hours before the air-ships had arrived upon the
scene. And this, in fact, had been the case. Barely three days
previously the advance guard of the Russian army of the North had
been met and stubbornly but unsuccessfully opposed by the remnants of
the German army of the East, which, driven back from the frontier,
was retreating in good order to join the main force which had
concentrated about Berlin, under the command of the Emperor, there to
fight out the supreme struggle, on the issue of which depended the
existence of that German Empire which fifty years before had been so
triumphantly built up by the master-geniuses of the last generation.
After a flight of a little over two hours the flotilla came in sight
of the Russian army lying between Cüstrin on the right and
Frankfort-on-Spree on the left. The distance between these two towns
is nearly twelve English miles, and yet the wings of the vast host
under the command of the Tsar spread for a couple of miles on either
side to north and south of each of them.
In spite of the colossal iniquity which it concealed, the spectacle
was one of indescribable grandeur. Almost as far as the eye could
reach the beams of the early morning sun were gleaming upon
innumerable white tents, and flashing over a sea of glittering metal,
of bare bayonets and sword scabbards, of spear points and helmets, of
gold-laced uniforms and the polished accoutrements of countless
batteries of field artillery.
Far away to the westward the stately city of Berlin could be seen
lying upon its intersecting waters, and encircled by its
fortifications bristling with guns, and in advance of it were the
long serried lines of its defenders gathered to do desperate battle
for home and fatherland.
As soon as the Russian army was fairly in sight the _Ithuriel_ shot
ahead, sank to the level of the flotilla, and then stopped until she
was overtaken by the _Orion_. Tremayne was on deck, and Arnold as
soon as he came alongside said--
"You must stop here for the present. I want the aerostat commanded by
Colonel Alexandrovitch to come with me; meanwhile you and the _Ariel_
will rise with the rest of the balloons to a height of four thousand
feet; you will keep strict guard over the balloons, and permit no
movement to be made until my return. We are going to bring his
Majesty the Tsar to book, or else make things pretty lively for him
if he won't listen to reason."
"Very well," replied Tremayne. "I will do as you say, and await
developments with considerable interest. If there is going to be a
fight, I hope you're not going to leave us out in the cold."
"Oh no," replied Arnold. "You needn't be afraid of that. If his
Majesty won't come to terms, you will smash up the war-balloons and
then come and join us in the general bombardment. I see, by the way,
that there are ten or a dozen more of these unwieldy monsters with
the Russian force moored to the ground yonder on the outskirts of
Cüstrin. It will be a little amusement for us if we have to come to
blows to knock them to pieces before we smash up the Tsar's
headquarters.
So saying, Arnold increased the speed of the _Ithuriel_, swept round
in front of the line, and communicated the same instructions to the
captain of the _Ariel_.
A few minutes later the _Ariel_ and the _Orion_ began to rise with
their charges to the higher regions of the air, leaving the
_Ithuriel_ and the one aerostat to carry out the plan which had been
arranged by Natas and Arnold an hour previously.
As the speed of the aerostat was only about twenty miles an hour
against the wind, a rope was passed from the stern of the _Ithuriel_
to the cordage connecting the car with the gas-holder, and so the
aerostat was taken in tow by the air-ship, and dragged through the
air at a speed of about forty miles an hour, as a wind-bound sailing
vessel might have been towed by a steamer.
On the journey the elevation was increased to more than four thousand
feet,--an elevation at which both the _Ithuriel_ and her captive, and
especially the former, presented practically impossible marks for the
Russian riflemen. Almost immediately over Cüstrin they came to a
standstill, and then Colonel Alexandrovitch and Professor Volnow were
summoned by Natas into the deck saloon.
He explained to them the mission which he desired them to undertake,
that is to say, the conveyance of a letter from himself to the Tsar
offering terms for the surrender of the _Lucifer_. They accepted the
mission; and in order that they might fully understand the gravity of
it, Natas read them the letter, which ran as follows:--
ALEXANDER ROMANOFF,--
Three days ago one of my fleet of air-ships, named the _Lucifer_,
was delivered into your hands by traitors and deserters, whose
lives are forfeit in virtue of the oaths which they took of their
own free will. I have already taken measures to render abortive
the analysis which you ordered to be performed in the chemical
department of your Arsenal at St. Petersburg, and I have now come
to make terms, if possible, for the restoration of the air-ship.
Those terms are as follows--
An hour before daybreak this morning I captured nine of your
war-balloons, after destroying three others which attempted to
escape. I have no desire to take any present part in the war
which you are now carrying on with the Anglo-Teutonic Alliance,
and if you will tell me where the _Lucifer_ is now to be found,
and will despatch orders both by land and through Professor
Volnow, who brings this letter to you, and will return with your
answer, for her to be given up to me forthwith with everything
she has on board, and will surrender with her the four traitors
who delivered her into your hands, I will restore the nine
war-balloons to you intact, and when I have recovered the
_Lucifer_ I will take no further part in the war unless either
you or your opponents proceed to unjustifiable extremities.
If you reject these terms, or if I do not receive an answer to
this letter within two hours of the time that the bearer of it
descends in the aerostat, I shall give orders for the immediate
destruction of the war-balloons now in my hands, and I shall then
proceed to destroy Cüstrin and the other aerostats which are
moored near the town. That done I shall, for the time being,
devote the force at my disposal to the defence of Berlin, and do
my utmost to bring about the defeat and dispersal of the army
which will then no longer be commanded by yourself.
In case you may doubt what I say as to the capture of the fleet
of war-balloons, Professor Volnow will be accompanied by Colonel
Alexei Alexandrovitch, late in command of the squadron, and now
my prisoner of war.
NATAS.
The ambassadors were at once transferred to the aerostat, and with a
white flag hoisted on the after stays of the balloon she began to
sink rapidly towards the earth, and at the same time Natas gave
orders for the _Ithuriel_ to ascend to a height of eight thousand
feet in order to frustrate any attempts that might be made, whether
with or without the orders of the Tsar, to injure her by means of a
volley from the earth.
Even from that elevation, those on board the _Ithuriel_ were able
with the aid of their field-glasses to see with perfect ease the
commotion which the appearance of the air-ship with the captured
aerostat had produced in the Russian camp. The whole of the vast
host, numbering more than four millions of men, turned out into the
open to watch their aërial visitors, and everywhere throughout the
whole extent of the huge camp the plainest signs of the utmost
excitement were visible.
In less than half an hour they saw the aerostat touch the earth near
to a large building, above which floated the imperial standard of
Russia. An hour had been allowed for the interview and for the Tsar
to give his decision, and half an hour for the aerostat to return and
meet the air-ship.
In all the history of the world there had probably never been an hour
so pregnant with tremendous consequences, not only to Europe, but to
the whole civilised world, as that was; and though apparently a
perfect calm reigned throughout the air-ship, the issue of the
embassy was awaited with the most intense anxiety.
Another half hour passed, and hardly a word was spoken on the deck of
the _Ithuriel_, hanging there in mid-air over the mighty Russian
host, and in range of the field-glasses of the outposts of the German
army of Berlin lying some ten or twelve miles away to the westward.
It was the calm before the threatening storm,--a storm which in less
than an hour might break in a hail of death and destruction from the
sky, and turn the fields of earth into a volcano of shot and flame.
Certainly the fate of an empire, and perhaps of Europe, or indeed the
world, hung in the balance over that field of possible carnage.
If the Russians regained their war-balloons and were left to
themselves, nothing that the heroic Germans could do would be likely
to save Berlin from the fate that had overwhelmed Strassburg and
Metz, Breslau and Thorn.
On the other hand, should the aerostat not return in time with a
satisfactory answer, the victorious career of the Tsar would be cut
short by such a bolt from the skies as had wrecked his fortress at
Kronstadt,--a blow which he could neither guard against nor return,
for it would come from an unassailable vantage point, a little vessel
a hundred feet long floating in the air six thousand feet from the
earth, and looking a mere bright speck amidst the sunlight. She
formed a mark that the most skilful rifle-shot in his army could not
hit once in a thousand shots, and against whose hull of hardened
aluminium, bullets, even if they struck, would simply splash and
scatter, like raindrops on a rock.
The remaining minutes of the last half hour were slipping away one by
one, and still no sign came from the earth. The aerostat remained
moored near the building surmounted by the Russian standard, and the
white flag, which, according to arrangement, had been hauled down to
be re-hoisted if the answer of the Tsar was favourable, was still
invisible. When only ten minutes of the allotted time were left,
Arnold, moving his glass from his eyes, and looking at his watch,
said to Natas--
"Ten minutes more; shall I prepare?"
"Yes," said Natas. "And let the first gun be fired with the first
second of the eleventh minute. Destroy the aerostats first and then
the batteries of artillery. After that send a shell into Frankfort,
if you have a gun that will carry the distance, so that they may see
our range of operations; but spare the Tsar's headquarters for the
present."
"Very good," replied Arnold. Then, turning to his lieutenant, he
said--
"You have the guns loaded with No. 3, I presume, Mr. Marston, and the
projectile stands are filled, I see. Very good. Now descend to six
thousand feet and go a mile to the westward. Train one broadside gun
on that patch of ground where you see those balloons, another to
strike in the midst of those field-guns yonder by the
ammunition-waggons, and train the starboard after-gun to throw a
shell into Frankfort. The distance is a little over twelve miles, so
give sufficient elevation."
By the time these orders had been executed, swiftly as the necessary
evolution had been performed, only four minutes of the allotted time
were left. Arnold took his stand by the broadside gun trained on the
aerostats, and, with one hand on the breech of the gun and the other
holding his watch, he waited for the appointed moment. Natasha stood
by him with her eyes fastened to the eye-pieces of the glasses
watching for the white flag in breathless suspense.
"One minute more!" said Arnold.
"Stop, there it goes!" cried Natasha as the words left his lips. "His
Majesty has yielded to circumstances!"
Arnold took the glasses from her, and through them saw a tiny white
speck shining against the black surface of the gas-holder of the
balloon. He handed the glasses back to her, saying--
"We must not be too sure of that. His message may be one of
defiance."
"True," said Natasha. "We shall see."
Ten minutes later the aerostat was released from her moorings and
rose swiftly and vertically into the air. As soon as it reached her
own altitude the _Ithuriel_ shot forward to meet it, and stopped
within a couple of hundred yards, a gun ready trained upon the car in
case of treachery. In the car stood Professor Volnow and Colonel
Alexandrovitch. The former held something white in his hand, and
across the intervening space came the reassuring hail: "All well!"
In five minutes he was standing on the deck of the _Ithuriel_
presenting a folded paper to Natas. He was pale to the lips, and his
whole body trembled with violent emotion. As he handed him the paper,
he said to Natas in a low, husky voice that was barely recognisable
as his--
"Here is the answer of the Tsar. Whether you are man or fiend, I know
not, but his Majesty has yielded and accepted your terms. May I never
again witness such anger as was his when I presented your letter. It
was not till the last moment that he yielded to my entreaties and
those of his staff, and ordered the white flag to be hoisted."
"Yes," replied Natas. "He tempted his fate to the last moment. The
guns were already trained upon Cüstrin, and thirty seconds more would
have seen his headquarters in ruins. He did wisely, if he acted
tardily."
So saying, Natas broke the imperial seal. On a sheet of paper bearing
the imperial arms were scrawled three or four lines in the Autocrat's
own handwriting--
I accept your main terms. The air-ship has joined the Baltic
fleet. She will be delivered to you with all on board. The four
men are my subjects, and I feel bound to protect them; they will
therefore not be delivered up. Do as you like.
ALEXANDER.
"A Royal answer, though it comes from a despot," said Natas as he
refolded the paper. "I will waive that point, and let him protect the
traitors, if he can. Colonel Alexandrovitch," he continued, turning
to the Russian, who had also boarded the air-ship, "you are free. You
may return to your war-balloon, and accompany us to give the order
for the release of your squadron."
"Free!" suddenly screamed the Russian, his face livid and distorted
with passion. "Free, yes, but disgraced! Ruined for life, and
degraded to the ranks! I want no freedom from you. I will not even
have my life at your hands, but I will have yours, and rid the earth
of you if I die a thousand deaths!"
As he spoke he wrenched his sword from its scabbard, thrust the
Professor aside, and rushed at Natas with the uplifted blade. Before
it had time to descend a stream of pale flame flashed over the back
of the Master's chair, accompanied by a long, sharp rattle, and the
Russian's body dropped instantly to the deck riddled by a hail of
bullets.
"I saw murder in that man's eyes when he began to speak," said
Natasha, putting back into her pocket the magazine pistol that she
had used with such terrible effect.
"I saw it too, daughter," quietly replied Natas. "But you need not
have been afraid; the blow would never have reached me, for I would
have paralysed him before he could have made the stroke."
"Impossible! No man could have done it!"
The exclamation burst involuntarily from the lips of Professor
Volnow, who had stood by, an amazed and horrified spectator of the
rapidly enacted tragedy.
"Professor," said Natas, in quick, stern tones, "I am not accustomed
to say what is not true, nor yet to be contradicted by any one in
human shape. Stand there till I tell you to move."
As he spoke these last words Natas made a swift, sweeping downward
movement with one of his hands, and fixed his eyes upon those of the
Professor. In an instant Volnow's muscles stiffened into immovable
rigidity, and he stood rooted to the deck powerless to move so much
as a finger.
"Captain Arnold," continued Natas, as though nothing had happened.
"We will rejoin our consorts, please, and release the aerostats in
accordance with the terms. This man's body will be returned in one of
them to his master, and the Professor here will write an account of
his death in order that it may not be believed that we have murdered
him. Konstantin Volnow, go into the saloon and write that letter, and
bring it to me when it is done."
Like an automaton the Professor turned and walked mechanically into
the deck-saloon. Meanwhile the _Ithuriel_ started on her way towards
the captive squadron. Before she reached it Volnow returned with a
sheet of paper in his hand filled with fresh writing, and signed with
his name.
Natas took it from him, read it, and then fixing his eyes on his
again, said--
"That will do. I give you back your will. Now, do you believe?"
The Professor's body was suddenly shaken with such a violent
trembling that he almost fell to the deck. Then he recovered himself
with a violent effort, and cried through his chattering teeth--
"Believe! How can I help it? Whoever and whatever you are, you are
well named the Master of the Terror."