Great attention was paid to the transport and commissariat departments;
but quietly, so as not to attract attention.
Little by little, our army was approaching along the road to perfection.
The troops themselves had always been good, so there was splendid
material to work on. They used many cartridges, and their shooting
improved enormously, as did their discipline. They were loyal to a man,
these Rudarlian troops, always to their country, and gradually to me. I
think the good fellows learnt to love me when they saw that nothing was
spared to render them more comfortable, and that I, personally, was
always ready and anxious to assist them.
I made it a point to inspect one regiment each week after lunching with
the officers; that is, of course, unless more urgent affairs detained
me. But, whenever I took a meal with the officers, I insisted that no
extra expense should be incurred.
Whenever possible we had manoeuvres on a small scale, now in one
province, now in another. Upon one occasion, wishing to test the
non-coms., I ordered different companies to act as they would if left
without officers. The confusion was so great that it was decided, in
future, always to try this in all regiments. It was an order to which
the troops took very kindly; I fancy they looked upon it as rather a
joke. They made great strides in individuality, however.
I have omitted mention of machine guns, as I never look upon them as
artillery, but as adjuncts to rifle fire, and in the case of pom-poms,
as cavalry supports.
Our supply of these weapons was in proportion to our needs.
Ten picked officers were sent to France for instruction in aviation.
*CHAPTER X*
It was indeed a busy time in Rudarlia. Ivan's death seemed to have
awakened her. From Melanov to Soctia, from Ruln to the farthest western
point of the kingdom, there was bustling activity. What had to be done,
was done, and thoroughly. All classes seemed to vie with each other in
the efforts they made to bring order out of chaos. Everywhere could be
seen the signs of reviving desire to live, and live well. No longer
were there dozens of farms unoccupied; instead, they rang with the
sounds of work, the voices of children, of men and women, who with
cheerful faces went about their daily toil, thankful that the burden had
been lifted from their lives.
And in the towns it was the same story.
Now, besides the gigantic tasks of granting a constitution and
reorganising the army, the other public services had to be overhauled,
especially the railways and roads. By the aid of money, much was done
to improve both, and also extend them. As if by magic, roads were made
connecting village to village and village to town.
The Minister of War had a word to say about the railways; and more than
one military council was called to decide upon the advisability of
laying this or that piece of line.
The railways in Rudarlia were state owned. I am not altogether in
favour of this, but in our case, I insisted upon all the employes being
men who had served their country in a military capacity, and the
railroads would thus be in the hands of men who were used to the
operations of military movements.
Another reason I had for complying with state ownership was that, in
such a country as Rudarlia, depending as it did upon the agriculturists,
to a very large extent, the rate for carrying freight would be
controlled by the state; for to my mind such rates should be kept low,
and, if a loss is incurred by this, it is better for the state to bear
the burden than that the producers should be handicapped, as farmers
have already, in most climates, to fight against nature.
It was fortunate for me that I was possessed of a fine constitution, and
was physically strong, for the strain was great. I was working from
morning until late at night.
My Ministers, older men than I by many years, frankly confessed that
they could not keep pace with me. Personally, I fancy that I must have
been a little mad, so eaten up was I with the desire to improve
Rudarlia, and then still improve. I gloried in the success which our
efforts met with.
Mr. Neville, who had brought my mother back to Karena, warned me time
and again not to overdo it, but in spite of all his good advice I
persisted, and luckily did not break down.
My old tutor was of the greatest service to me. I had given him a suite
of rooms in the Palace, and he was ever near me when I wanted him, which
was quite often, I am afraid.
Carruthers had returned to England soon after my ascending the throne,
but I had promised to send him word before hostilities broke out with
Bornia, so that he could get leave and join us. I knew that he would
have to dodge the authorities at home, somehow; but I gave him my
promise to cable the one word "Now" when I was certain that war was
inevitable.
It was now nearly two years since I became King, and so far we had
managed to avoid any serious rupture with our neighbour; but that it was
near, I was convinced. We had added continually to our stores of every
kind. We had a large reserve of ammunition, small arms, and medical
stores, as well as a vast quantity of food in the fortified towns.
I think it is permissible to say, with a good deal of pride, that
Rudarlia was ready for whatever happened; that is, as far as a nation
can be prepared. It depends so much upon what is willed--destiny, or
God's will, if it suits you better. Perhaps the terms are synonymous;
they were to me. But even if a nation is destined to be overthrown, and
swept away, even if the national life must end, the individual element
remains, so that every man, be he king or peasant, must profit by
straining every particle of energy for his nation and, in so doing, the
sacrifice he makes will strengthen himself.
I had heard again from Prince Alexis, a threatening letter, full of
cunning malice and blackmail. I sent him a few thousands, for I was not
quite ready to refuse him.
It was after this that I took a holiday--one week. Perhaps it was not
the kind to appeal to every one, but to me it was a needful change from
the routine of statecraft. I went walking with Mr. Neville. I should
think we averaged twenty miles a day.
We walked among the peasants, the farmers, and the workers in the towns.
Everywhere we found contentment, and sometimes I blushed to hear the
praises heaped upon my head. We were generally taken for a pair of
Englishmen on tour. We talked with every one, as on our first visit to
Rudarlia. One day we visited Melanov, with two objects: to see Colonel
von Quarovitch, and hear news of Piotr. I knew that the former would
know me for his King, for he must have seen pictures of me, and heard
enough to connect me as King with his visitor, whom he no doubt had
thought eccentric, to say the least of it.
As I did not wish the soldiery to know of my arrival, I asked Mr.
Neville to prepare him for my visit, so that I could see him alone. I
gave him two or three minutes and then went in.
The news of my arrival had evidently come as a great surprise, for he
was still seated staring at Mr. Neville when I entered. He sprang to
his feet in a second and saluted. I saw his grim old face twitching.
"I have come again, Colonel, as I promised," I said, and held out my
hand.
His emotion was so great that for a moment or two I turned away; for the
sight of a strong man trying to restrain his emotion is a terrible
thing.
I do not think there was the proper ceremony between us; in fact, on
second thoughts, I am sure there was not. We were far more like two
friends than King and subject. His delight over events was extreme; and
when I told him, as a secret, of certain plans, certain fortifications,
I really thought he was becoming crazy with joy. He swore like a
trooper, then apologised with the grace of a courtier, and swore again.
He laughed gleefully at thoughts of war--I believe fighting was like
wine to him--and gave me minute accounts of his expenditure of the money
I had left with him. They met the fate I had promised them.
We stayed two hours with him. At the inn, we heard news of Piotr, from
the oily host who had introduced him to our notice. It appeared that he
was back upon his farm, doing well. So there for the present we left
him, undisturbed; but I retained the half of the broken coin which he
had given me, and did not forget his promises.
I enjoyed the first six days of that holiday immensely; but, on the
seventh, something happened, which I only enjoyed afterwards.
From Melanov we had walked round to Ampletch, from where we intended to
return to Karena. We did not enter the town, but put up for the night
in an inn upon the outskirts, a very respectable place, standing a
little off the main road.
The landlord, who looked like a man who never moved from his own yard,
showed us our rooms and the dining hall. We took a table standing by
itself in one corner near a window.
I did not observe the other diners; but recollected afterwards that one
of them left the room immediately we entered, and I observed that his
dinner was uneaten. I thought no more about him. He, however, had
remembered something I had almost forgotten.
It was not long after that Mr. Neville and I sought our beds, for we
were both tired.
* * * * *
I must be forgiven if I cannot describe my awakening, but my mind
refuses to recall my thoughts. I know, however, that I realised that my
head ached consumedly, that I was in a different room from the one in
which I had gone to sleep, and that my hands and feet were tied.
There was light in the room, and after some little time I turned my head
towards it. A man was busy writing at a table. The light fell upon his
face, and I began to puzzle myself as to where I had seen it before.
Was it in England? No, I could not place it there. In
France?--Italy?--Russia? No. I pondered and worried, then like a flash
it came to me: Baron von Goltz! My mind seemed to clear, I understood
the unpleasantness of my position. I felt the rope cut into my arms as
I tried to burst myself free. Some noise I made must have roused the
man's attention, for he raised his head and looked at me.
"Ah! awake, I see."
Then, as I made no answer, he carefully blotted the letter he had
written, and enclosing it in an envelope placed it in his pocket. He
rose from his chair, shook himself, and walked over to the bed on which
I was lying. He was laughing to himself, as he stood looking down at
me. I met his gaze steadily, until he turned away.
"I trust your Majesty is comfortable," he said.
"Quite, thank you; but it is a devilish bad bed." I would not let the
fellow see that I was at all uneasy.
"Good! Anyone can see that you are not of the same breed as Alexis."
"Very distantly, I am glad to say; but you should not sneer at the
Prince, even a dog should not snap at the hand that feeds him." I saw
him wince at this, so I continued, "I suppose this is the work of your
master, isn't it?"
"No, it is entirely my own."
"H'm! it is pretty low, even for you; but may I trouble you for some
water? I find my throat rather parched."
"Gad! you are all right, even though you are an Englishman."
He laughed again as he turned away and left the room.
The moment the door was shut, I commenced to wriggle. I thought I felt
something loosen; but I was once more rigid as he returned with the
desired drink.
"No poison in it, is there?" I asked.
He drank some of the water before putting it to my lips, then with his
arm round me he raised me enough to drink. He was quite tender, too, in
his movements; and I felt inclined to laugh--the situation had its
humours, in spite of its unpleasantness. I drank all the water there
was and felt better.
"Well, what do you intend to do with me?"
"Frankly, I don't know; it depends so much on how reasonable you are,
and what the plans of Alexis are, and he is a bit uncertain."
"Of course, you know that you will be traced?"
"Not a chance of it, I assure you."
"You will certainly be hanged, Baron Goltz, that is, unless you untie me
and let me pass out."
"It is extremely probable, no doubt, after the trouble I had in getting
you here. You ought to be worth a great deal to me, for Alexis will not
forget who gave him the throne."
"No; I should be careful of knife-thrusts if I were you."
"Your Sacred Majesty does not care for the Prince? Well, I don't blame
you, I don't think much of him myself."
"Then why work for him?"
"Who would you have me work for?"
"For me."
"No, thanks, my friend, you have had your pickings for eighteen months
or more; now it is our turn."
"You have tied me up rather too tightly for comfort; if you would loosen
the ropes a bit I should be obliged."
"Could I lay hands on your Majesty? Oh no!"
"Then go to the devil!" I said.
"After your Majesty."
He continued to look at me for some time, but neither of us spoke. Then
again he left the room and again I had a good struggle with the ropes
and felt them give a little more.
When, after a few minutes, he returned, he found me in the same position
as when he had left me.
"Your Majesty must forgive me, but I am compelled to leave you for a
little time; there is a certain letter to be posted which is too
valuable to be let out of my hands. My servant will attend you while I
am away; he is deaf and dumb, so I do not think you will seduce him,
and--oh, by the by, you called me a dog just now, so I will tell you
something to console you during my absence. I have discovered a new
source of income to be paid me by Bornia; I have found out that there
are minerals in this country of a very valuable nature, and those mines
of yours-- Ah! that interests you, does it? Clever chap you are, I
suppose it was your idea. It's almost a pity to spoil the scheme,
but----" He shrugged his shoulders and turned away. At the door he
paused. "I shall not be long gone, be good till I return."
I heard the key turn in the lock. I was alone and made good use of my
time, which I knew would be short. I found a knot with my fingers,
little by little I worked my elbows free and then my hands; I heaved a
great sigh of relief, but I was only just in time. I do not to this day
know how I did it, but I could have shouted with joy when it was done.
There were footsteps outside. I put my still bound feet upon the floor
and sat up. Then I stood up, holding the ropes which had bound my arms
as though they were still tied; my left hand, however, was loose and
ready behind my back.
The door opened and a man came in, some one outside relocked the door,
and I had a companion. He was a very perfect scoundrel by his
appearance. He possessed other deformities, besides being deaf and dumb,
a cast in one eye, a vile mouth, and inflamed nose.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then I looked at my feet with
an appealing glance. He chuckled, and coming closer bent to see that my
feet were still secured.
As he bent, my fist took him under the chin and he went down. The
impetus of my blow took me forward and I landed somewhat heavily on top
of him. Fearing that the fall would have been heard, I lay still
listening; but no one came, so I pulled him towards me and secured the
knife in his sash. With it, I cut the rope round my legs, and commenced
rubbing them to restore the circulation. Then I searched the fellow and
was rewarded by finding a revolver fully loaded in his pocket. It was
transferred to mine.
I did not know how long he would remain unconscious, so I bound and
gagged him. Then I ran to the window and looked out.
I was on the second floor of a two-storied house, the grey light of dawn
just enabling me to see the projecting roof over my head, and the paved
courtyard beneath.
I refused to think of Goltz's last remark. All I thought of was how to
escape. I might be able to prevent the damage which he threatened then.
I gently pulled the bed to the window, stripped off the sheets and tore
them in two, lengthways, knotted them together, and I had a rope. I
then dragged the still unconscious man to the bed and thrust him under;
he was hidden by a blanket which I let hang over the side of the bed. I
wished them to suppose that he had aided me to escape. I placed a chair
with its back to the door tilted beneath the handle; and threw a hurried
glance round and over the desk. All the papers save one seemed of
little importance, the exception was a list of our supposed mines, with
certain details of the artillery. I could have shouted with exultation
as I placed it in my pocket. Then I fastened my improvised rope to the
head of the bed, throwing the other end out of the window, and was just
about to clamber over the window-sill--in fact, one leg was already
out--when I heard the sound of a horse galloping. I slipped back into
the room, and peeped from behind the curtain down into the yard beneath.
The dawn was just breaking as Goltz rode in.
I heard him speaking to some one, a loud laugh came up to me, then I
heard him say:
"No, they don't know he is gone. Keep him walking up and down; I shall
want him again in twenty minutes or so."
Now this remark upset all my plans, for it meant that my way of escape
was cut off: I could not hope to swing on that rope and get past an
armed man waiting below. So, instead, I crept under the bed, and lay
there upon my back with every nerve on the strain, and with the revolver
ready for instant use.
Waiting there was extremely trying; it was lucky that I did not have to
wait for long. I had do push my stunned companion further under, as he
was in the way; I hoped sincerely that he would not start groaning or
struggling, and so give me away.
Some one turned the key in the lock, and tried the handle; then I heard
a creaking noise, an oath, the sound of other voices and a crash--the
door was open. I could imagine the look of blank astonishment on their
faces when they saw the room apparently empty; and for a second there
was silence. Then Goltz gave hurried orders, they were to search the
roads and neighbourhood, I could not be far distant. There was a clatter
of feet descending the stairs. Had they all gone? I almost betrayed
myself: just as I was going to lift the blanket to peer out, some one
ran to the window and evidently looked out.
"Leave my horse, I will follow in a minute or two."