CHAPTER IX
Dick Hamshaw Saves the Situation
There was pandemonium in the city of Adrianople as daylight stole coldlyacross the roofs of the houses and penetrated to mean streets andalleys, to the interior of houses large and small, and to the cloisteredhalls of the many mosques. Wailing could be heard on every side, thefrightened cries of women, the piteous, hungry sobs of infants andchildren. For provisions had been short for a long time, while but sevenounces of bread formed the daily ration of each soldier, and civiliansmust fight for what they could see and live as best they could.
Shells rained into the place fitfully, ebbing and flowing as does thesea. They came in shoals like mackerel, then intermittently, crashingtheir way through roofs, thudding into the streets and open spaces, andbursting to right and left. And then, of a sudden, they would cease tofall. Comparative silence would reign in the city; while outside, in theneighbourhood of the forts, could be heard the rattle of musketry,incessant, rising and falling, overwhelmed every few seconds by someviolent detonation as a cannon was discharged, and running in waves fromone end of the defences to the other.
"Hard at it," said the Commander, listening to a great outburst. "Youmay depend upon it that the allies have decided to take the placewhatever it may cost them. And if all the Turkish troops are like thepoor objects one sees from this window, why, this business won't be longbefore it's ended. Meanwhile, if one may enquire, what are ourprospects?"
He turned with smiling face to Dick and Alec, though the handssupporting his head on either side, and the anxious, drawn look abouthis eyes, told that he was suffering. Indeed he had a dreadful headachethat morning, while the wound he had been unlucky enough to receive wasextremely painful.
"If one may enquire?" he said again, with polite and jovial satire. "Iam as a child in your hands, and, 'pon my word, you've done uncommonlywell. What happened after I was knocked over? Tell me, do. I am stillleft gaping at the fact that a moment ago, as it seems to me, I wascrouching beside a wall waiting for a shell to wreak its vengeance uponthis unfortunate city. The very next, I appear to be in clover,reclining on a most comfortable divan, and--er--er--watching you twomunching your rations. Now."
They told him all that had happened with a gusto there was no denying.
"And so you see, sir, here we are," added Dick, his mouth occupied witha hunch of bread and cheese which the thoughtful Sergeant Evans hadprovided.
"Precisely! Here we are. Afterwards, what? That's where I'm vastlyinterested. We appear to have got into a charming little pickle. How dowe emerge from it?"
Neither Dick nor Alec could give him the smallest indication, for theythemselves were nonplussed by the curious situation into which they hadtumbled. Not that they had not given vast thought to the matter; foreven then Dick had risen from the divan and was staring through thewindow, the noise of people moving down the cobbled street havingattracted him. He swung round after a while, reseated himself, and tookan enormous bite from the hunch of bread he was holding.
The Commander watched him as he ate it, watched him critically and withsome amusement. "Come," he said after a while. "What's the manoeuvre?"
Alec shook his head violently; Dick stood up, still munching, and oncemore stared through the window. He did not mean to be disrespectful tohis senior, but, to be precise, his thoughts were so fully occupied atthat particular moment that he hardly heard the sentence. Presently heturned again.
"I'm going out, sir," he said.
"Out! Impossible! You'd be spotted," cried the officer, his jovialitygone instantly.
"Hardly, sir. You see, or perhaps I should say, you will see the reason.I can speak these fellows' lingo quite a little."
"Turkish?"
"Yes, sir. Father was quartered at Constantinople, at the BritishEmbassy. I was there a good five years, and so learnt to know all about'em. If I was disguised I could pass easily, and so I'm going in thegear of that officer."
"But--but why?" demanded the Commander.
"First, to find a more suitable crib for us, sir. That officer fellowmay recover consciousness just as quickly as you have done, and then hemay very well return to these quarters. That'd be bad for us. Next,there's Major Harvey and his friend to be thought of. We couldn't verywell return aboard the airship without them."
"Certainly not. If they're to be found, then we find them," came fromthe officer. "But--look here, Dick, this idea means danger, don't it?"
"Risk, perhaps, sir. Nothing more."
"Supposing you were spotted?"
The Commander sat up quickly and looked anxiously at the midshipman.
"Then it would be unlucky for me, sir," came Dick's steady answer. "Ofcourse, you and Alec would work hard to get back to the ship. But Ihaven't been spotted yet, and don't mean to be. Someone's got to go out,and I'm that someone, for I can understand these people. Now, Alec, giveme a help with this gear. Say, how do I look? Fairly smart, eh? That fezalways makes a fellow look fetching."
Dick made certainly quite a smart officer once he was dressed in thegreatcoat, belts, and pouches of his late assailant, while the fez gavehim quite an Oriental appearance. Indeed, the Commander was delighted.
"I don't half like letting you go, Dick," he said. "I'm the one whoshould be taking this sort of risk. But there--I couldn't standsteadily, and am therefore useless. Lad, shake hands. I'm glad youbelong to us, and I must say that you two youngsters have donehandsomely."
Dick coloured redly. Alec shuffled his feet and felt positivelyuncomfortable. And then the former gripped each of his companions inturn by the hand, saluted his officer, and turning, went out of theroom. They heard the front door bang. They heard his steps on thecobbles, and looking out, Alec saw his chum strolling nonchalantly downthe street. Then he turned into another, and in an instant was lost toview.
"Gone! Out of sight," he said, turning and speaking almost dismally tothe Commander.
"And good luck go with him! A plucky lad, a very plucky fellow!" criedthe officer. "But don't let's fret about him, for a midshipman's amidshipman all over the world and a wonder at getting into and out ofscrapes. Now, let's see if we can get a fire going, for it's cold inthis room and I'm positively shivering."
It may be wondered meanwhile what had happened to the gallant Major whohad left the airship just two nights previous to Dick and his fellows.If they had but known the truth he had set foot in this beleaguered citywithin some fifty yards of the spot where they had landed. And then allhis efforts had been concentrated on the task of finding that elusiveindividual known as Charlie. He groped his way around buildings andalong streets; and for hours haunted the precincts of that huge mosquewhich the elusive Charlie had denoted as his probable location. The dawnwas breaking indeed before he thought of his own personal safety and theneed for some hiding-place. For the Major cut a conspicuous figurewherever he happened to be. He looked, in fact, precisely what he was, asoldier and a gentleman. Nor must the reader imagine for one moment thathe and "Charlie", the high-placed officer of whom he had spoken, weremerely spies engaged on some dangerous espionage. There is spying andspying. There is the patriot who for the sake of his country, not formere filthy lucre or out of burning curiosity, will investigate mattersof moment, such as guns and forts and equipment used by possible enemiesof his country. And there are others who from the same patriotic motiveswill endeavour to fathom some new negotiations between Powers other thanhis own, some diplomatic move, some international conspiracy hatched inthe secret recesses of foreign offices, perhaps never set down on paper,never signed and sealed, merely a secret compact, but still something ofvital importance for his own people. We do not profess to guess whatprecisely was the business upon which the Major and his friend had beenengaged. It was secret, it was of vital importance, and it was of theutmost delicacy. Let us, then, leave it there, merely remembering thatthe elusive Charlie had intimated to the Major that he had succeeded inhis mission, while the authorities at home had thought so much of thematter and desired that inf
ormation so greatly that they posted theMajor to the great airship when on her world-wide tour, and urged Andrewand Joe Gresson to hazard a visit to Adrianople, even at the risk ofwrecking a machine than which nothing would appear to be more valuableto Great Britain.
It was with an inner knowledge of this delicate affair that the Majorstrove to discover his friend, and for the moment we will leave himhastening through the streets of the city, gazing into the faces ofpassers-by as the dawn drew near, and risking discovery. In fact, hemerely forestalled Dick, for the young midshipman was now engaged in asimilar task with similar risks, seeking eagerly for those for whom heand his friends had descended from the airship.
"And it's like looking for the usual needle in the usual bundle of hay,"he grumbled, as he dived into another street and strode down it. "Amighty small needle, by jingo! and an awfully big bundle of hay. Butthere's always the mosque. That must be the big one, and I don't go astep farther from it. My first job is to investigate every corner. Soround we go. We'll do the outside first, and then dive in."
People hurried past him, civilians with wan, lean forms and faces.Half-starved soldiers dressed in rags, unshaven for weeks past, draggedtheir weary limbs past him. An officer, a dapper enough fellow at onetime no doubt, stepped into the street before him, turned a hurriedgaze upon him, and then retreated with haste.
"Funny, that. Spotted me, eh?" Dick asked himself. "Then why did he boltas if he were afraid of me?"
It was a problem to which he gave his mind for some few minutes. He wasstill worrying it out when almost a similar thing took place. Twosoldiers, under-officers without a doubt, tattered and dishevelled,emerged from a doorway and halted immediately outside to peer up anddown the street. On seeing Dick's jaunty figure they bolted, positivelybolted.
"This beats me hollow," that young gentleman grumbled. "What's thematter with me, or--er--with those jolly beggars? Surely it can't bethat they're--jingo! it looks it. What did that officer say?"
His mind went back to the encounter he had some little time before andto the manner in which his assailant had accosted him. He recollectedthat Adrianople was then being fiercely assaulted. If he had beeninclined to forget that fact there was the firing to tell him, that andthe roar of shells raining round the city. Yes, he could hear the battleebbing and flowing in the distance about the outlying forts whichprotected all approaches to Adrianople.
"Got it!" he cried. "What have the papers said? Let's see. Littleenough, for correspondents have been barred and news sent by some ofthem at least has been secondhand information written up in a houseperhaps a hundred miles from the fighting. But there's been awfuldisorganization amongst the Turkish battalions. Men have been anywhereat times except where they were wanted. Officers have lost theircommands, while, what with hardship, fear of wounds or worse, andstarvation, soldiers have strayed from their ranks or actually deserted.Jingo! That's it. The fellows who have been scared of me are shirkers.Lor! there seem to be a good many of 'em. That don't say much for thechances of the defenders."
In any case the discovery he had made was of little moment and gave himno help in his search. But it did put a little more dash and swaggerinto our hero.
"If they don't see anything wrong about me and get scared so easily,why, others'll be the same," Dick told himself with a grin. "I'll cut adash next time I meet a soldier. A bit of bounce'll help to deceive'em."
He carried the plan out in a manner which would have made Alec screamwith laughing, for Dick was really too bold for anything. Meeting asquad of men some few minutes later escorting an ammunition cart alongone of the streets he clanked his sword loudly, squared his shoulders,and took their salute without a falter.
"My word! That's better," he grinned. "I'll be ordering 'em about beforeI've done with this business. Hallo! A guard-house, eh? Yes, sentryposted outside. Jingo, call him a sentry! Of course, I know the poorbeggar's been more than half starved for weeks past. But, what afigure!"
The wretchedly ragged fellow outside this guard house did indeed cutanything but a soldierly figure. He lolled against the post, his facedrawn and thin and vacant, and innocent of soap and water for days past.And when, seeing an officer draw near, he shouldered his rifle, it wasin an uncouth and distinctly unmilitary manner.
"Like to see one of our tars give a salute like that," said Dickbridling. "If the Turks are all like him, which I doubt, it ain'tsurprising that those jolly Bulgarians and their allies have made such arunning. But let's get on. That's completed the round of the mosque. Nowwe enter and see what's doing."
Unabashed by the presence of a sentry at the door of the mosque, Dickmarched boldly up to him and once more acknowledged a salute. Then hedonned a pair of shoes lying in the doorway and entered withouthesitation.
"It is empty," said the man over his shoulder. "I have orders to keepall people from entering, all save those who command."
Dick nodded curtly. He wondered whether he ought to make some reply; butfearing that the man would suspect him at once he went on withouthalting.
"Though I've got to chance it some time," he said. "I've got to askquestions so as to get information. Lor! why didn't I think of itbefore? I'll be a foreign officer serving with the Turks. It's said thatthere are something approaching a hundred German officers here inAdrianople. Right! I ain't over particular which sort of a country itis I come from. But I'm foreign. That's why I can't talk the lingoperfectly. Now we take a look round and then come back to gatherinformation."
His tour of the mosque proved it to be much the same as others, exceptthat this was huge and more brilliantly decorated than those Dick wasaccustomed to. It was deserted, without a doubt, not even a mullah beingpresent.
"They are gone in fear lest shells should strike the building,"explained the sentry at the door when Dick questioned him. "Pardon, yourpapers, please."
"Papers? Eh?" gasped Dick.
"All foreign officers carry papers to prove their identity. I took youfor one of our own nationality at first, but now that you speak, thoughbetter than the majority, I see that you are foreign. Your papers,please."
It was an awkward moment, and perhaps few others would have escaped fromit as did the light-hearted Dick. He gazed at the man in amazement. Hestamped his feet with seeming rage and fumed and growled loudly.
"What! You ask for papers while shells fall into the city and there isfighting! You expect me to take such things into the trenches, then?What next! I keep such things in my quarters where you can see them ifyou come with me."
"Ah! Pardon, I did not think," the sentry answered abjectly. "Of course,it is not the time to make such a demand."
"As if one could enter or leave the city!" growled Dick, pretending tobe only half appeased. "But there! let it pass. Tell me for what reasonis there a guard-house yonder?"
"To house the patrols who police the streets. In times of peace theplace is unoccupied."
"And now?" asked Dick curiously.
"There are a few men there. I myself shall be relieved by one of them."
"And prisoners?"
The sentry looked astonished. "Prisoners?" he asked, lookingsuspiciously at Dick.
"Yes, prisoners," declared that young fellow without a falter. The highhand he had played already had served his purpose wonderfully. Then whynot continue? "Did I not say prisoners plainly?" he asked curtly, atwhich the man nodded abjectly. "Then why this surprise?"
"But--but pardon, sir, you asked as if it were not merely curiosity. Itseemed as if you might be interested in some other way," said thesentry, emboldened for the moment and again surveying Dick in a mannerwhich, if it did not show suspicion, at least told of his dislike of allforeigners. As for the midshipman, his interest was stimulated by thecurious stubbornness of the man. Dick recollected that he was in searchof Major Harvey, and that the latter had disappeared, had failed tosignal to the airship, and was lost for the moment. Supposing there wereprisoners yonder? Supposing this fellow and his mates placed in theguard-house to police the neighbourhood o
f the mosque had seized uponthe Major and were holding him a prisoner? Was it likely that they hadreported their action? Hardly at such a time when the allies werepressing an attack, and if they had sent in a report a day before, nodoubt in the hurry and bustle of hastening troops to meet that expectedassault the matter had been forgotten. However, this was all guesswork.Dick had yet no certain information that prisoners were located in theguard-house, though he had his suspicions.
"And I'm pretty sure that this fellow is trying to throw dust in myeyes," he told himself. "It ain't difficult either to see why he's sostubborn and sly. I'm a foreign officer attached to the Turkish army.Half a mo'; I ain't. But that's what he takes me to be. Well, then,supposing he and his fellows had bagged the Major, they'd expect me tokick up a shindy and----"
In one instant he saw it all, and his suspicions were heightened.
"You have prisoners in the guard-house," he said severely. "Foreignprisoners. I will see them. Stay here, man; have a care what you do andsay. Tell me, you reported the taking of these men?"
The sentry stood to attention, looking shamefaced and frightened.
"We could not," he excused himself. "No officer has visited us for twodays now. There is heavy fighting."
"Ah!" Dick regarded him severely. "You dared to neglect to report," hecried angrily. "You took these men prisoner, careless whether they werefriends of your army or not. There will be more said upon this matter,for learn this, idiot that you are. These men are wanted by His HighnessShukri Pasha himself. Yes, by the general in command of the defenders."
Dick positively blushed at his own assurance and cheek, while theunhappy sentry actually trembled. For this foreign officer was withoutdoubt very angry and filled with indignation.
"I--we," he began in an effort to excuse himself.
"March down to the guard-house with me," commanded Dick. "You shall berelieved instantly, and shall yourself conduct me to these prisoners. Amore disgraceful and high-handed proceeding I never experienced, and HisHighness shall hear of it. To think that he is waiting for these men,these foreigners, while you, you fools, sitting here near theguard-house, hold them as prisoners."
Dick ought to have been an actor, for he stamped and raved at theunfortunate fellow, and altogether impressed him so much with theheinousness of the act he had committed that the sentry was ready tosink into the ground or do anything to repair his blunder. He was a veryhumble individual as he shambled down to the guard-house in front ofDick and surlily bade his comrade make for the mosque and there relievehim.
"Now, take me to these men," commanded Dick. "There are two?"
"No--three, sir," came the answer.
"Three!" Dick's hopes fell of a sudden. This statement that there werethree prisoners took the wind entirely out of his sails and robbed himfor the moment of his high-handed assurance. "Three!" he muttered. "I'vebeen groping in the dark all this while, guessing wildly. But I've alsobeen putting two and two together, and seeing that the Major was to makefor the surroundings of the great mosque and expected to meet his friendthere, why, when I gathered that this fellow and his comrades had madeprisoners of foreigners I made sure there must be two. If it had beenone that might still have been the Major taken prisoner before he hadmet this Charlie. But three! That's a stunner!"
For a little while he stood watching the shambling figure of the mangoing to take post at the door of the mosque. And then, roused by thedetonation of a shell in an adjacent place, he turned sharply upon thefellow who stood before him.
"Three prisoners whom you have dared to hold without reporting!" hecried. "Lead on, man; this is monstrous. Take me to them."
Thoroughly scared now by the anger of the foreign officer, whom heimagined to be doing service with the Turkish army, and conscious thatby making captures and failing to report he had been guilty of a seriousoffence, the man upon whom Dick, with his unblushing cheek and wonderfulassurance and resource, had so completely turned the tables proceeded toobey his orders with a meekness which was apparent. In fact, he wasobviously anxious to appease the anger of this officer, and so escapepunishment for his remissness.
"Follow, sir," he said. "There are three prisoners as I have told you,and it may be that when you see how ready I am to act on your orders,you will forget the fact that I failed to send a report, rememberingtoo, that the times are very unsettled."
They were that without a doubt, for all this while the distant rattle ofmusketry could be heard, rolling round the defences, now breaking outhere with a severity which showed that an attack was probably beingforced home, perhaps even at the point of the bayonet, and then dyingdown quite suddenly only to break out with virulence in anotherdirection. And every now and again, sometimes very frequently, at othersafter quite a lull, heavy guns would open, shells would scream throughthe air, and rarely now one of the monsters would drop into the streetsof the city or plunge amongst the houses, when the succeeding explosionwould be followed by heartrending shrieks, by piercing cries, by theanguished calls of the helpless and defenceless.
Yes, the times were unsettled enough; Dick had his own troubles andcould therefore sympathize. He bade the man hasten, and followed intothe guard-house.
"And there was good reason for making these men prisoners," said theTurk, pushing his fez to the back of his head and turning to our hero,still with the hope that he might excuse his own breach of the standingorders of the army. "I will tell you. One, a big man----"
"Yes, a big man," said Dick eagerly. "The Major without a doubt," hetold himself.
"A big man, and fat, very."
"Ah! Fat! Then that cannot be the Major. Get along with it," cried Dickpeevishly, his hopes wrecked in a moment.
"Fat and big," went on the man. "We saw him in converse with some of thestragglers who had left the lines of trenches. He was inciting them tostay away."
"Or to return to their duty, which?" asked Dick curtly.
"The former, we thought," came the answer. "We arrested him. He wasangry and shouted and threatened; but since he could speak only a fewwords of our language we could not understand the cause of his anger.Then there were two others, foreigners."
"Ah! Describe them," Dick almost shouted. It was hard indeed at thismoment to restrain his eagerness.
"One, tall, and spare, and like a soldier."
"The Major," Dick told himself. "Hooray! Things are going to comeright."
"And the other older, getting grey, also tall, and spare, andsoldierly."
"Lead me to them at once," demanded Dick. "They are the men whom HisHighness desires to interview. Come, lead quickly; there will be troubleabout this matter."
That set the sentry shivering with apprehension, and made him stillmore eager to appease the officer who had accosted him. Leading the waytowards the back of the guard-house, he took down a bunch of keys strungto a hook on the wall and with their help opened a cell. Dick looked in.An ill-kempt, unwieldy man dressed in the uniform of an officer wasseated on a stone bench and scowled as the two appeared. And then,recognizing Dick as an officer he burst into a torrent of abuse,expressed in a language of which the midshipman was ignorant.
"Not my bird at any rate," he told himself. "My! Listen to the fellow.I'm sorry for him, awfully. But I can't get mixing myself up in hisaffairs. Now, let us see the others," he demanded of the Turk.
A minute later they were peering into an adjacent cell, in which Dickinstantly recognized the Major. As for the latter, though he looked atour hero very hard and with suspicion, there was no recognition untilDick spoke.
"Major," he said. "Please be careful as I am disguised as a Turkishofficer. I have come to demand your release."
"Demand my release! Turkish officer! Why, it's--it's Mr. MidshipmanHamshaw."
"Present, sir," grinned that young gentleman, saluting. "You see," hesaid, swinging round upon the soldier. "He recognizes me, and so doesthe other officer. Ah! There will be bad trouble over this, when ShukriPasha gets to hear of it. Yes, trouble which----"
A
groan escaped the wretched sentry. Ever since he had exchanged wordswith Dick, he had been conjuring up all sorts of pains and penalties asa consequence of his rashness. His knees positively knocked together ashe besought this officer to spare him and forget the matter.
"Release them at once," cried Dick peremptorily. "Now, listen. If HisHighness asks no questions, well and good. Perhaps we shall not be toolate for this discussion even now, that is if you hasten. As to thethird officer, hold him till you receive a written order, or till anhour has passed. Now, stand aside. Major, please follow."
"But--but you don't mean to tell me that you have obtained our release?"cried that astonished officer. "How? And where are we to go?"
"Please follow as if you had every right to be at liberty," answeredDick. "I'll tell you later how I've worked it. But come at once, forthere is no saying when other soldiers may turn up, with perhaps anofficer."
He stalked before them out of the guard-house and led the way into thestreets of Adrianople, streets for the most part still untenanted. Forcivilians lay at home shivering beneath the cruel bombardment, andfearful of those dreadful shells. They were coming again into the city,and more than once Dick and the two who followed had to dodge behindsome building to escape the bursting of a bomb.
"And now, perhaps, you'll tell us where we are going," said the Major,when they had gained a smaller street. "To the airship? Impossible. Shewould never dare to come here in daylight. Then where?"
"To join Commander Jackson and Alec," answered Dick. "We entered thecity last night in search of you both. But--hush! Lookout! Let's hurry.If that isn't the very fellow I most wanted to avoid."
A figure had dived into the street immediately behind them, a figurestrangely familiar. Dick eyed him suspiciously, and then recognized himwith a start. For this man's head was swathed in bandages which left hisface fully exposed, and that face was young, and smooth, and hairless.In fact, it was the very officer against whom he had collided on theprevious night.
"Had he been back to his house and there discovered Alec and theCommander? Or was he now on his way?"
Dick asked himself those urgent questions, and then, spurred on by fearand dreadful foreboding hastened along the street, the Major and hisfriend close beside him, and the inquisitive officer in rear. Soon theyturned into the street in which that house they sought was located, andfor a moment the follower was out of sight.
"Run!" cried Dick, and took to his heels. "Now, into this house. Alec!"he called.
"Here," came back a jovial call. "And the Commander, both of us gettinga bit anxious about you."
"Shut the door and bolt it," commanded Dick, careless of the presence ofhis seniors. "Now, peep through the windows. The owner of this housewas following us a moment ago. If he tries to enter, keep perfectlyquiet. I'm going to see how we can manage to get out of what may proveto be a trap."
If they had any doubts of that follower, these were cleared on theinstant. There came the sound of steps on the cobbles, and then a heavyblow upon the door.
"Open--open in the name of the Sultan!"
Not one of those within answered. They stood back from the windowwaiting and watching. "Open!" they heard the command repeated, and thenthere followed a shrill whistle.
"Look, men are running across from a house almost opposite," whisperedMajor Harvey, peering through the window. "This begins to look ugly, andI'm not so sure that we should not be better off in our prison. Listento them, and see that fellow carrying a huge hammer."
There came a crashing blow upon the door an instant later, a blow thatalmost shattered the lock. It was clear that within a few minutes theirate individual outside and his helpers would force an entrance. TheMajor turned in bewilderment to the Commander, for he could not quiteunderstand this new situation. Then Dick burst in upon them.
"Come along," he said. "Let's sling it. There's a way out at the back,and I know a place that'll shelter us. Quick! Those chaps will be in ina moment."
They did not wait to argue or discuss the matter with him but followedat once. Stealthily departing by a door in rear of the building theydived into a narrow alley, and from that place heard a crash as the doorof the house was beaten in. Then they turned and fled through thestreets of Adrianople with a dozen Turks hotfoot after them.
The Great Airship: A Tale of Adventure. Page 9