AT CLOSE QUARTERS.
As soon as the captive war-balloons had been released, the _Ithuriel_
and her consorts, without any further delay or concern for the issue
of the decisive battle which would probably prove to be the
death-struggle of the German Empire, headed away to the northward at
the utmost speed of the two smaller vessels. Their objective point
was Copenhagen, and the distance rather more than two hundred and
sixty miles in a straight line.
This was covered in under two hours and a half, and by noon they had
reached the Danish capital. In crossing the water from Stralsund they
had sighted several war-vessels, all flying British, German, or
Danish colours, and all making a northerly course like themselves.
They had not attempted to speak to any of these, because, as they
were all apparently bound for the same point, and, as the speed of
the air-ships was more than five times as great as that of the
swiftest cruiser, to do so would have been a waste of time, when
every moment might be of the utmost consequence.
Off Copenhagen the aërial travellers saw the first signs of the
terrible night's work, with the details of which the reader has
already been made acquainted. Wrecked fortifications, cruisers and
battleships bearing every mark of a heavy engagement, some with their
top-works battered into ruins, their military masts gone, and their
guns dismounted; some down by the head, and some by the stern, and
others evidently run ashore to save them from sinking; and the
harbour crowded with others in little better condition--everywhere
there were eloquent proofs of the disaster which had overtaken the
Allied fleets on the previous night.
"There seems to have been some rough work going on down there within
the last few hours," said Arnold to Natas as they came in sight of
this scene of destruction. "The Russians could not have done this
alone, for when the war began they were shut up in the Baltic by an
overwhelming force, of which these seem to be the remains. And those
forts yonder were never destroyed by anything but our shells."
"Yes," replied Natas. "It is easy to see what has happened. The
_Lucifer_ was sent here to help the Russian fleet to break the
blockade, and it looks as though it had been done very effectually.
We are just a few hours too late, I fear.
"That one victory will have an immense effect on the course of the
war, for it is almost certain that the Russians will make for the
Atlantic round the north of the Shetland Islands, and co-operate with
the French and Italian squadrons along the British line of
communication with the West. That once cut, food will go up to famine
prices in Britain, and the end will not be far off."
Natas spoke without the slightest apparent personal interest in the
subject; but his words brought a flush to Arnold's cheeks, and make
him suddenly clench his hands and knit his brows. After all he was an
Englishman, and though he owed England nothing but the accident of
his birth, the knowledge that one of his own ships should be the
means of bringing this disaster upon her made him forget for the
moment the gulf that he had placed between himself and his native
land, and long to go to her rescue. But it was only a passing
emotion. He remembered that his country was now elsewhere, and that
all his hopes were now alien to Britain and her fortunes.
If Natas noticed the effect of his words he made no sign that he did,
and he went on in the same even tone as before--
"We must overtake the fleet, and either recapture the _Lucifer_ or
destroy her before she does any more mischief in Russian hands. The
first thing to do is to find out what has happened, and what course
they have taken. Hoist the Union Jack over a flag of truce on all
three ships, and signal to Mazanoff to come alongside. We had better
stop here till we get the news."
The Master's orders were at once executed, and as soon as the _Ariel_
was floating beside the flagship he said to her captain--
"Go down and speak that cruiser lying at anchor off the harbour, and
learn all you can of what has happened. Tell them freely how it
happened that the _Lucifer_ assisted the Russian, if it turns out
that she did so. Say that we have no hostility to Britain at present,
but rather the reverse, and that our only purpose just now is to
retake the air-ship and prevent her doing any more damage. If you can
get any newspapers, do so."
"I understand fully," replied Mazanoff, and a minute later his vessel
was sinking rapidly down towards the cruiser.
His reception was evidently friendly, for those on board the
_Ithuriel_ saw that he ran the _Ariel_ close alongside the
man-of-war, after the first hails had been exchanged, and conversed
for some time with a group of officers across the rails of the two
vessels. Then a large roll of newspapers was passed from the cruiser
to the air-ship, salutes were exchanged, and the _Ariel_ rose
gracefully into the air to rejoin her consorts, followed by the
envious glances of the crews of the battered warships.
Mazanoff presented his report, the facts of which were substantially
those given in the _St. James's Gazette_ telegram, and added that the
British officers had confessed to him that the damage done was so
great, both to the fleet and the shore fortifications, that the Sound
was now practically as open as the Atlantic, and that it would be two
or three weeks before even half the Allied force would be able to
take the sea in fighting trim.
They added that there was not the slightest need to conceal their
condition, as the Russians, who had steamed in triumph past their
shattered ships and silenced forts, knew it just as well as they did.
As regards the Russian fleet, it had been followed past the Skawe,
and had headed out westward.
In their opinion it would consider itself strong enough, with the aid
of the air-ship, to sweep the North Sea, and would probably attempt
to force the Straits of Dover, as it has done the Sound, and effect a
junction with the French squadrons at Brest and Cherbourg. This done,
a combined attack might possibly be made upon Portsmouth, or the
destruction of the Channel fleet attempted. The effects of the
air-ship's shells upon both forts and ships had been so appalling
that the Russians would no doubt think themselves strong enough for
anything as long as they had possession of her.
"They were extremely polite," said Mazanoff, as he concluded his
story. "They asked me to go ashore and interview the Admiral, who,
they told me, would guarantee any amount of money on behalf of the
British Government if we would only co-operate with their fleets for
even a month. They said Britain would gladly pay a hundred thousand a
month for the hire of each ship and her crew; and they looked quite
puzzled when I refused point-blank, and said that a million a month
would not do it.
"They evidently take us for a new sort of pirates, corsairs of the
air, or something of that kind; for when I said that a few odd
millions were no good to people who could levy blackmail on the whole
earth if they chose, they stared at me and asked me what we did want
if we didn't want money. The idea that we could have any higher aims
never seemed to have entered their heads, and, of course, I didn't
enlighten them."
"Quite right," said Natas, with a quiet laugh. "They will learn our
aims quite soon enough. And now we must overtake the Russian fleet as
soon as possible. You say they passed the Skawe soon after five this
morning. That gives them nearly six hours' start, and if they are
steaming twenty miles an hour, as I daresay they are, they will now
be some hundred and twenty miles west of the Skawe. Captain Arnold,
if we cut straight across Zeeland and Jutland, about what distance
ought we to travel before we meet them?"
Arnold glanced at the chart which lay spread out on the table of the
saloon in which they were sitting, and said--
"I should say a course of about two hundred miles due north-west from
here ought to take us within sight of them, unless they are making
for the Atlantic, and keep very close to the Swedish coast. In that
case I should say two hundred and fifty in the same direction."
"Very well, then, let us take that course and make all the speed we
can," said Natas; and within ten minutes the three vessels were
speeding away to the north-westward at a hundred and twenty miles an
hour over the verdant lowlands of the Danish peninsula.
The _Ithuriel_ kept above five miles ahead of the others, and when
the journey had lasted about an hour and three-quarters, the man who
had been stationed in the conning-tower signalled, "Fleet in sight"
to the saloon. The air-ships were then travelling at an elevation of
3000 feet. A good ten miles to the northward could be seen the
Russian fleet steering to the westward, and, judging by the dense
clouds of smoke that were pouring out of the funnels of the vessels,
making all the speed they could.
Arnold, who had gone forward to the conning-tower as soon as the
signal sounded, at once returned to the saloon and made his formal
report to Natas.
"The Russian fleet is in sight, heading to the westward, and
therefore evidently meaning to reach the Atlantic by the north of the
Shetlands. There are twelve large battleships, about twenty-five
cruisers of different sizes, eight of them very large, and a small
swarm of torpedo-boats being towed by the larger vessels, I suppose
to save their coal. I see no signs of the _Lucifer_ at present, but
from what we have learnt she will be on the deck of one of the large
cruisers. What are your orders?"
"Recover the air-ship if you can," replied Natas. "Send Mazanoff with
Professor Volnow to convey the Tsar's letter to the Admiral, and
demand the surrender of the _Lucifer_. If he refuses, let the _Ariel_
return at once, and we will decide what to do. I leave the details
with you with the most perfect confidence."
Arnold bowed in silence and retired, catching, as he turned to leave
the saloon, a glance from Natasha which, it must be confessed, meant
more to him than even the command of the Master. From the expression
of his face as he went to the wheel-house to take charge of the ship,
it was evident that it would go hard with the Russian fleet if the
Admiral refused to recognise the order of the Tsar.
When he got to the wheel-house the _Ithuriel_ was almost over the
fleet. He signalled "stop" to the engine-room. Immediately the
propellers slowed and then ceased their rapid revolutions, and at the
same time the fan-wheels went aloft and began to revolve. This was a
prearranged signal to the others to do the same, and by the time they
had overtaken the flagship they also came to a standstill. As soon as
they were within speaking distance Arnold hailed the _Orion_ and the
_Ariel_ to come alongside.
After communicating to Tremayne and Mazanoff the orders of Natas, he
said to the latter--
"You will take Professor Volnow to present the Tsar's letter to the
Admiral in command of the fleet. Fly the Russian flag over a flag of
truce, and if he acknowledges it say that if the _Lucifer_ is given
up we shall allow the fleet to go on its way unmolested and without
asking any question.
"The cruiser that has her on board must separate from the rest of the
fleet and allow two of your men to take possession of her and bring
her up here. The lives of the four traitors are safe for the present
if the air-ship is given up quietly."
"And if they will not recognise the authority of the Tsar's letter,
and refuse to give the air-ship up, what then?" asked Mazanoff.
"In that case haul down the Russian flag, and get aloft as quickly as
you can. You can leave the rest to us," said Arnold. "Meanwhile,
Tremayne, will you go down to two thousand feet or so, and keep your
eye on that big cruiser a bit ahead of the rest of the fleet. I fancy
I can make out the _Lucifer_ on her deck. Train a couple of guns on
her, and don't let the air-ship rise without orders. I shall stop up
here for the present, and be ready to make things lively for the
Admiral if he refuses to obey his master's orders."
The _Ariel_ took the Professor on board, and hoisted the Russian
colours over the flag of truce, and began to sink down towards the
fleet. As she descended, the Admiral in command of the squadron,
already not a little puzzled by the appearance of the three
air-ships, was still more mystified by seeing the Russian ensign
flying from her flagstaff.
Was this only a ruse of the Terrorists, or were they flying the
Russian flag for a legitimate reason? As he knew from the experience
of the previous night that the air-ships, if their intentions were
hostile, could destroy his fleet in detail without troubling to
parley with him, he concluded that there was a good reason for the
flag of truce, and so he ordered one to be flown from his own
masthead in answer to it.
The white flag at once enabled Mazanoff to single out the huge
battleship on which it was flying as the Admiral's flagship. The
fleet was proceeding in four columns of line abreast. First two long
lines of cruisers, each with one or two torpedo boats in tow, and
with scouts thrown out on each wing, and then two lines of
battleships, in the centre of the first of which was the flagship.
It was a somewhat risky matter for the _Ariel_ to descend thus right
in the middle of the whole fleet, but Mazanoff had his orders, and
they had to be obeyed, and so down he went, running his bow up to
within a hundred feet of the hurricane deck, on which stood the
Admiral surrounded by several of his officers.
"I have a message for the Admiral of the fleet," he shouted, as soon
as he came within hail.
"Who are you, and from whom is your message?" came the reply.
"Konstantin Volnow, of the Imperial Arsenal at Petersburg, brings the
message from the Tsar in writing.'
"His Majesty's messenger is welcome. Come alongside."
The _Ariel_ ran ahead until her prow touched the rail of the
hurricane deck, and the Professor advanced with the Tsar's letter in
his hand, and gave it to the Admiral, saying--
"You are acquainted with me, Admiral Prabylov. Though I bear it
unwillingly, I can vouch for the letter being authentic. I saw his
Majesty write it, and he gave it into my hands."
"Then how do you come to be an unwilling bearer of it?" asked the
Admiral, scowling and gnawing his moustache as he read the unwelcome
letter. "What are these terms, and with whom were they made?"
"Pardon me, Admiral," interrupted Mazanoff, "that is not the
question. I presume you recognise his Majesty's signature, and see
that he desires the air-ship to be given up."
"His Majesty's signature can be forged, just as Nihilists' passports
can be, Mr. Terrorist, for that's what I presume you are, and"--
"Admiral, I solemnly assure you that that letter is genuine, and that
it is really his Majesty's wish that the air-ship should be given
up," the Professor broke in before Mazanoff had time to reply. "It is
to be given in exchange for nine war-balloons which these air-ships
captured before daybreak this morning."
"How do you come to be the bearer of it, sir? Please answer me that
first."
"I am a prisoner of war. I surrendered to save the Arsenal and
perhaps Petersburg from destruction under circumstances which I
cannot now explain"--
"Thank you, sir, that is quite enough! A pretty story, truly! And you
ask me to believe this, and to give up that priceless air-ship on
such grounds as these--a story that would hardly deceive a child? You
captured nine of the Tsar's war-balloons this morning, had an
interview with his Majesty, got this letter from him at Cüstrin--more
than five hundred miles away, and bring it here, and it is barely two
in the afternoon!
"No, gentlemen, I am too old a sailor to be taken in by a yarn like
that. I believe this letter to be a forgery, and I will not give the
air-ship up on its authority."
"That is your last word, is it?" asked Mazanoff, white with passion,
but still forcing himself to speak coolly.
"That is my last word, sir, save to tell you that if you do not haul
that flag you are masquerading under down at once I will fire upon
you," shouted the Admiral, tearing the Tsar's letter into fragments
as he spoke.
"If I haul that flag down it will be the signal for the air-ships up
yonder to open fire upon you, so your blood be on your own heads!"
said Mazanoff, stamping thrice on the deck as he spoke. The
propellers of the _Ariel_ whirled round in a reverse direction, and
she sprang swiftly back from the battleship, at the same time rising
rapidly in the air.
Before she had cleared a hundred yards, and before the flag of truce
was hauled down, there was a sharp, grinding report from one of the
tops of the man-of-war, and a hail of bullets from a machine gun
swept across the deck. Mazanoff heard a splintering of wood and
glass, and a deep groan beside him. He looked round and saw the
Professor clasp his hand to a great red wound in his breast, and fall
in a heap on the deck.
This was the event of an instant. The next he had trained one of the
bow-guns downwards on the centre of the deck of the Russian flagship
and sent the projectile to its mark. Then quick as thought he sprang
over and discharged the other gun almost at random. He saw the
dazzling green flash of the explosions, then came a shaking of the
atmosphere, and a roar as of a hundred thunder-claps in his ears, and
he dropped senseless to the deck beside the corpse of the Professor.
[Illustration: "There was a sharp, grinding report from one of the
tops of the man-of-war."
_See page 232._]