Читать книгу The Rival Submarines - Percy Francis Westerman - Страница 6

Table of Contents

"Naval appointments: The following appointment was made at the Admiralty this afternoon: Sub-Lieutenant Arnold Hythe to the 'Investigator' for special duties (undated)."

This item, in the Stop-Press columns of an evening paper, was shown to Sub-Lieutenant Hythe by one of his brother officers.

"You are a lucky dog!" exclaimed the latter. "My Lords evidently recognize your capabilities as a diver. Well, good luck, old man. I hope you'll play the chief part in running down this plaguey fellow. Hang it all, I cannot see that he's doing any harm, except that all leave is stopped until something is done to stop his little antics."

"Yes, that is hard lines," assented the sub. "But I'll do my level best, no doubt."

H.M. surveying vessel "Investigator" was lying in dock at Portsmouth, and was under orders to proceed to sea at the first possible opportunity, her errand being to endeavour to locate and capture the submarine that, it was generally agreed, was still in the vicinity of Spithead.

To cope with the situation a special Bill had been hurriedly introduced into Parliament making it an offence against the Naval Secrets Act for any person to manoeuvre a private submarine within five miles of specified naval ports. The Bill received the Royal assent and became law within thirty-six hours after the escape of the suspect arrest on Southsea beach, an individual who was generally accepted as being the man of mystery, Captain Restronguet.

The fellow's diving gear, or at any rate the major portion of it, remained in the hands of the authorities. After being subjected to a lengthy research at the hands of the Diving School at Whale Island the following report was issued confidentially: "The helmet is of a metal hitherto unknown, possessing all the advantages of aluminium, without the known disadvantages. It is a departure from the usual form, having a ridge-shaped projection in front, possibly to lessen the resistance to the water when moving on the bottom of the sea. The helmet is also valveless, the air, chemically prepared, is by some means kept at a fairly high pressure, sufficient to distend the suit in order to do away with any discomfort to the wearer by reason of the weight of water. The suit is made, not of rubber as was at first supposed, but of an unknown quality of flexible metal. When distended it also presents an edge in front, in order to minimize lateral resistance. How the air is purified is still a secret, the apparatus for so doing having been detached and thrown into the sea by the unknown. A diligent search had failed to produce this important item. Undoubtedly the suit, when complete, is far in advance of any now used in the Service."

A careful watch was maintained along the shore, the coastguards stationed in the district being temporarily augmented by men drafted from more remote places. Yet no trace of the mysterious submarine on the surface was to be seen. How, when and where the craft replenished her fuel necessary for locomotion purposes and her provisions and fresh water completely baffled the naval experts; for a fortnight had elapsed since she announced her appearance at Spithead, and save for the temporary visit to Cherbourg all evidence pointed to the fact that she was still within the limits of the Port of Portsmouth.

Arnold Hythe duly joined the "Investigator" as officer in charge of the diving parties. Twelve first-class seamen-divers were drafted into the ship, while special gear for "creeping" was placed on board. Submarine apparatus for recording by sound the presence of submerged craft under way was also installed, so that it was impossible for any vessel making the faintest noise to approach within two miles of the "Investigator." Even the wavelets lapping the bows of a passing fishing-smack would be reproduced with unerring fidelity. Just before high water the "Investigator" was undocked; steam was soon raised, for the surveying vessel, being of an old type, was driven by reciprocating engines and oil-fed boilers. Almost at the moment of casting off the hawsers and springs came news that caused the greatest disappointment amongst officers and crew.

Captain Restronguet had, according to the latest report, turned up in a totally different spot. This time he devoted his attention to the German port of Wilhelmshaven. Here his visit was not of a comparatively harmless nature, for the locks of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal were totally demolished by means of a powerful explosive. The battleship, "Karl Adelbert," that was about to pass out of the canal, was badly damaged. In the confusion six destroyers and submarines were ordered from Cuxhaven. They were quickly on the spot, but no trace of the mysterious submarine was to be seen, except a small barrel painted white and green, with the name "Captain Restronguet" in bold letters.

The "Investigator" was immediately ordered to make fast one of the buoys in Portsmouth harbour. Her special mission was, for the time being at least, over; a far more serious situation had arisen.

The German Government, supported almost entirely by the Press of that country, actually suggested that, since Captain Restronguet had committed an act of piracy against the German Fleet while he had refrained from so doing on his visit to Portsmouth and Cherbourg, Great Britain and France were secretly aware of the identity of this modern buccaneer, and that they had encouraged him to make an unlawful act of hostility towards a friendly Power.

Three army corps were hastily ordered to Hanover and Schleswig-Holstein, the German High Sea Fleet was ordered to assemble at a rendezvous off Heligoland, and every available battleship, cruiser, destroyer and submarine in the Baltic was sent through the Great Belt and around the Skaw to augment the naval armament already in the North Sea.

The British Government met the situation with promptitude, firmness, and calmness. The First and Second Home Fleets settled at the Nore; the Third Home Fleet, which happened to be cruising off the Orkneys, was ordered to the Firth of Forth. Troops were quickly entrained at Aldershot and Salisbury Plain for the defence of the East Coast, while the Territorial Army and the National Reserve were called up for garrison duty. At the same time a statement was made to the German Ambassador in London in which His Majesty's Government totally repudiated the suggestions that Captain Restronguet held any authority, either direct or indirect, from the Crown.

To this the German Press retorted by pronouncing the declaration to be a diplomatic lie, and unanimously urged the Imperial Government to recall its ambassador. All privately owned airships in the Fatherland were taken possession of by the authorities, and ordered to the newly-formed Government aerodrome at Munster, a Westphalian town sufficiently far from the sea to be out of the reach of the guns of hostile warships, yet within a few hours' flying distance from the East Coast of England.

The struggle, if it came off, would be a desperate one. Both fleets were almost numerically equal, the British having a slight margin of superiority, but in aircraft the Germans held a decided advantage. In the science of warfare there was little to choose between the two, so that as far as Great Britain was concerned the issue depended upon whether the British tars still retained their bull-dog tenacity that characterized their forefathers in the days of the old wooden walls.

In spite of the British Government's coolness and determination the country, that had passed through so many international complications with safety, was in a panic. Consols dropped lower than ever they had been known to fall; prices immediately rose with a bound, and within twelve hours of the receipt of the disquieting news of Captain Restronguet's escapade at Wilhelmshaven the country was experiencing the horrors of war without actually being engaged in a desperate conflict on which her very existence depended.

On the morning following the momentous news from Wilhelmshaven a message appeared in The Times. It was a statement purporting to come from Captain Restronguet, in which he emphatically denied ever being in German waters, and that as a proof he would give a sure sign of his presence off the shores of Great Britain. At noon of that very day he would give a demonstration of the irresistible powers at his command at a spot somewhere between the Horse Sand Fort and the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.

"Do you think it is a joke, sir?" asked Sub-Lieutenant Hythe of the navigating officer of the "Investigator."

"What do you think of it, may I ask?" replied Lieutenant Egmont guardedly.

"Personally, I hardly consider that it is a hoax. You see the notice appeared in the Personal Column."

"And paid for in the usual manner, I suppose."

"But the Business Editor has the option of refusing any advertisement."

"That's what makes me think there's something genuine about it. Again, the paper has a short leader on it: non-committal, it is true."

"But how can a fellow cooped up in a submarine that is being watched for all along the coast contrive to get ashore to send off a message to The Times?" asked Egmont. "How can he keep in touch with affairs? Why, in order to have that notice inserted he must have heard of the Wilhelmshaven business within an hour or so of its occurrence."

"Admitted; but all the same Captain Restronguet is a modern magician in submarine work. I should not be surprised if he has a perfect wireless service at his command. By the by, has Captain Tarfag orders to proceed to Spithead?"

"No, and he told me himself that he didn't want to be sent on a wild-goose chase. The Admiral has ordered a couple of aero-hydroplanes to manoeuvre over the place indicated at noon, and to keep a sharp look-out for any suspicious object under the surface. There they are, by Jove!"

Both officers stopped in their "constitutional," a to and fro promenade of the short quarterdeck of the "Investigator." A dull hum, momentarily growing louder, announced that Nos. 27 and 29 Aero-hydroplanes had left their sheds on the shores of Fareham Creek and were rising rapidly to the height of one thousand feet.

As soon as this altitude was reached both aero-hydroplanes, abandoning their spiral motion, leapt forward, and passing high above the shipping in the harbour were soon mere specks floating in the blue sky.

Watch in hand the sub waited. It was close on the fateful hour of noon. To and fro, in elliptical curves, the aero-hydroplanes maintained their lofty vigil, each turning at almost the same moment and passing within fifty yards of one another.

Twelve o'clock! Hythe and his brother officer exchanged glances. Captain Tarfag ascended the bridge, and hailing the wireless operator and the yeoman of signals by telephone, demanded if either of them had received news of the mysterious submarine.

"No message has been received at the Semaphore Tower, sir," they replied. The captain gave a deprecating shrug and descended the ladder.

"They're coming back, by Jove!" exclaimed Lieutenant Egmont, after another ten minutes had elapsed. "That proves that the message was a hoax."

"They may have seen something," suggested the sub, unwilling to have his opinions shattered.

"Not they. Do you mean to tell me that if they had spotted anything suspicious they would not follow it up. I was----"

The navigating officer's words were interrupted by a heavy detonation, like the report of a fourteen-inch gun fired with a full charge. Beyond the houses of Old Portsmouth, and at an altitude of about five hundred feet, a cloud of yellow smoke hung almost motionless in the still air. The aero-hydroplanes, overtaken by a wave of disturbed atmosphere, lurched violently, although fully a mile from the actual place of the explosion. It required all the efforts at the command of their crew to save the aerial vessels from destruction, but recovering their equilibrium by superb manoeuvring of the planes, the aero-hydroplanes turned and headed towards that portion of Spithead over which they had so lately been reconnoitring.

"By Jove! There's pluck for you!" ejaculated Egmont. "That was Restronguet's signal. If it had been to time those fellows would have been done for; and now they're trying to spot the submarine. You were right after all, Hythe. That paragraph was not a hoax."

Captain Tarfag was in the middle of lunch when the detonation was heard. He rushed on deck, and realizing that it was a case where waiting for orders would be detrimental to success, he ordered the moorings to be slipped.

Within the harbour all was commotion. Nearly a dozen destroyers, two scouts, and three tugs were making for Spithead, while five more aero-hydroplanes and the naval airship "Beresford" were ploughing their way against a stiff south-easterly breeze towards the scene of Captain Restronguet's latest demonstration.

One noticeable result of the explosion was that within a quarter of an hour the weather, hitherto perfectly calm, became changed. Clouds were rapidly banking up, with every appearance of a heavy thunderstorm, while the placid waters of Spithead were now white with foam-crested waves.

For two hours the "Investigator" and her consorts cruised up and down, betwixt the Nab Lightship to the eastward and Cowes to the west. Aloft the aircraft kept anxious watch and ward, till it seemed impossible that any craft could lie at the bottom of that comparatively shallow roadstead without being discovered.

"Nothing to report," came the wireless message from the aircraft with monotonous regularity. Captain Restronguet had outwitted the eyes and ears of the British Fleet.

Upon the "Investigator's" return to Portsmouth Harbour it was possible to obtain details of what had occurred: The sea wall in front of Southsea Castle was crowded with people who, half-doubting, were yet sufficiently curious to see whether the promise in The Times would be redeemed. They saw the two aero-hydroplanes approach and manoeuvre over the pre-arranged area. They heard the clocks chime the hour of twelve. They waited a few moments longer, nothing happened, so with a derisive cheer they began to disperse. Some remained--mostly those of the leisured class who were not restricted by the midday meal that the British workman holds up as an established institution.

Suddenly--it was exactly at eleven minutes past twelve--a column of water leapt vertically upwards at less than four hundred yards from the shore. There was a shrieking sound like the screech of a high velocity projectile, followed by a detonation so powerful that most of the spectators on the sea-front were deaf for days afterwards. The ground trembled, several persons were overthrown; the windows of several houses overlooking the common were broken. Expecting a shower of scraps of metal from the bursting projectile the terror-stricken crowd broke and ran, but curiously enough no one could afterwards be found to report that anything of a solid nature fell to earth. Captain Restronguet's token was merely an explosive rocket of high power.

That same afternoon news came that a German seagoing training-ship, the "Sachsen" was sunk by some unknown means in Kiel Harbour, and another green and white buoy bearing Captain Restronguet's name, was found floating over the wreck of the sunken vessel.

By what manner, incomprehensible beyond the wildest dream of fiction, could this Captain Restronguet be at Portsmouth just after noon and at Kiel, in the Baltic Sea, two hours later? Was his submarine in possession of supernatural powers whereby he could annihilate space and practically conquer time? The theory was no sooner advanced than it was regarded as utterly impossible; the opinion that Captain Restronguet was, after all, not responsible for the outrages at Wilhelmshaven began to gain ground both in Great Britain and Germany.

In naval and military circles the importance of the offensive powers of the mysterious submarine were fully commented upon. It was recognized that submarine warfare was more than likely to regain the supremacy that had been wrested from it by aircraft. Here was a submerged vessel, invisible although only in seven fathoms of water, that could project a shell charged with a high explosive vertically to a great height. Although not in the accepted sense of the word an aerial torpedo, the rocket had seriously affected the stability of the two aero-hydroplanes that were at a distance hitherto considered as a safe margin. Had it been an aerial torpedo instead of a rocket the result would have been terrible to contemplate.

The Chronicle appeared next morning with an apology and manifesto from Captain Restronguet. He regretted that, owing to the proximity of the two aero-hydroplanes, he was not able to give his promised token precisely at the hour of twelve, and trusted that the British public would realize that the slight delay was due solely to his desire to avoid loss of life and property to His Majesty's subjects. He once more repudiated any suggestion that the Kiel outrage was carried out at his instigation, and, further, as a proof of good faith, he hoped to give an exhibition of the forces at his command this time in Plymouth Sound. At 6 a.m. on the following day, unless unforeseen circumstances prevented, he would make known his presence in Cawsand Bay.

As soon as this decision was communicated to the Admiralty telegraphic orders were sent to Portsmouth, ordering the "Investigator" to proceed at once to Plymouth, where, co-operating with the surveying-vessel "Mudlark," she was to make every effort to effect the capture of Captain Restronguet's submersible ship.