CHAPTER IV.
THE SIGNAL FROM THE DEPTHS.
"Naval appointments: The following appointment was made at the Admiraltythis afternoon: Sub-Lieutenant Arnold Hythe to the 'Investigator' forspecial duties (undated)."
This item, in the Stop-Press columns of an evening paper, was shown toSub-Lieutenant Hythe by one of his brother officers.
"You are a lucky dog!" exclaimed the latter. "My Lords evidentlyrecognize your capabilities as a diver. Well, good luck, old man. Ihope 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 allleave 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 possibleopportunity, her errand being to endeavour to locate and capture thesubmarine that, it was generally agreed, was still in the vicinity ofSpithead.
To cope with the situation a special Bill had been hurriedly introducedinto Parliament making it an offence against the Naval Secrets Act forany person to manoeuvre a private submarine within five miles ofspecified naval ports. The Bill received the Royal assent and becamelaw within thirty-six hours after the escape of the suspect arrest onSouthsea beach, an individual who was generally accepted as being theman 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 alengthy research at the hands of the Diving School at Whale Island thefollowing report was issued confidentially: "The helmet is of a metalhitherto unknown, possessing all the advantages of aluminium, withoutthe known disadvantages. It is a departure from the usual form, havinga ridge-shaped projection in front, possibly to lessen the resistance tothe water when moving on the bottom of the sea. The helmet is alsovalveless, the air, chemically prepared, is by some means kept at afairly high pressure, sufficient to distend the suit in order to do awaywith any discomfort to the wearer by reason of the weight of water. Thesuit is made, not of rubber as was at first supposed, but of an unknownquality of flexible metal. When distended it also presents an edge infront, in order to minimize lateral resistance. How the air is purifiedis still a secret, the apparatus for so doing having been detached andthrown into the sea by the unknown. A diligent search had failed toproduce this important item. Undoubtedly the suit, when complete, is farin advance of any now used in the Service."
A careful watch was maintained along the shore, the coastguardsstationed in the district being temporarily augmented by men draftedfrom more remote places. Yet no trace of the mysterious submarine onthe surface was to be seen. How, when and where the craft replenishedher fuel necessary for locomotion purposes and her provisions and freshwater completely baffled the naval experts; for a fortnight had elapsedsince she announced her appearance at Spithead, and save for thetemporary visit to Cherbourg all evidence pointed to the fact that shewas still within the limits of the Port of Portsmouth.
Arnold Hythe duly joined the "Investigator" as officer in charge of thediving parties. Twelve first-class seamen-divers were drafted into theship, while special gear for "creeping" was placed on board. Submarineapparatus for recording by sound the presence of submerged craft underway was also installed, so that it was impossible for any vessel makingthe faintest noise to approach within two miles of the "Investigator."Even the wavelets lapping the bows of a passing fishing-smack would bereproduced with unerring fidelity. Just before high water the"Investigator" was undocked; steam was soon raised, for the surveyingvessel, being of an old type, was driven by reciprocating engines andoil-fed boilers. Almost at the moment of casting off the hawsers andsprings came news that caused the greatest disappointment amongstofficers and crew.
Captain Restronguet had, according to the latest report, turned up in atotally different spot. This time he devoted his attention to the Germanport of Wilhelmshaven. Here his visit was not of a comparativelyharmless nature, for the locks of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal were totallydemolished by means of a powerful explosive. The battleship, "KarlAdelbert," that was about to pass out of the canal, was badly damaged.In the confusion six destroyers and submarines were ordered fromCuxhaven. They were quickly on the spot, but no trace of the mysterioussubmarine 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 buoysin Portsmouth harbour. Her special mission was, for the time being atleast, over; a far more serious situation had arisen.
The German Government, supported almost entirely by the Press of thatcountry, actually suggested that, since Captain Restronguet hadcommitted an act of piracy against the German Fleet while he hadrefrained from so doing on his visit to Portsmouth and Cherbourg, GreatBritain and France were secretly aware of the identity of this modernbuccaneer, and that they had encouraged him to make an unlawful act ofhostility 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 offHeligoland, and every available battleship, cruiser, destroyer andsubmarine in the Baltic was sent through the Great Belt and around theSkaw to augment the naval armament already in the North Sea.
The British Government met the situation with promptitude, firmness, andcalmness. The First and Second Home Fleets settled at the Nore; theThird Home Fleet, which happened to be cruising off the Orkneys, wasordered to the Firth of Forth. Troops were quickly entrained atAldershot and Salisbury Plain for the defence of the East Coast, whilethe Territorial Army and the National Reserve were called up forgarrison duty. At the same time a statement was made to the GermanAmbassador in London in which His Majesty's Government totallyrepudiated 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 adiplomatic lie, and unanimously urged the Imperial Government to recallits ambassador. All privately owned airships in the Fatherland weretaken possession of by the authorities, and ordered to the newly-formedGovernment aerodrome at Munster, a Westphalian town sufficiently farfrom the sea to be out of the reach of the guns of hostile warships, yetwithin a few hours' flying distance from the East Coast of England.
The struggle, if it came off, would be a desperate one. Both fleetswere almost numerically equal, the British having a slight margin ofsuperiority, but in aircraft the Germans held a decided advantage. Inthe science of warfare there was little to choose between the two, sothat as far as Great Britain was concerned the issue depended uponwhether the British tars still retained their bull-dog tenacity thatcharacterized their forefathers in the days of the old wooden walls.
In spite of the British Government's coolness and determination thecountry, that had passed through so many international complicationswith safety, was in a panic. Consols dropped lower than ever they hadbeen known to fall; prices immediately rose with a bound, and withintwelve hours of the receipt of the disquieting news of CaptainRestronguet's escapade at Wilhelmshaven the country was experiencing thehorrors of war without actually being engaged in a desperate conflict onwhich her very existence depended.
On the morning following the momentous news from Wilhelmshaven a messageappeared in _The Times_. It was a statement purporting to come fromCaptain Restronguet, in which he emphatically denied ever being inGerman waters, and that as a proof he would give a sure sign of hispresence off the shores of Great Britain. At noon of that very day hewould give a demonstration of the irresistible powers at his command ata spot somewhere between the Horse Sand Fort and the entrance toPortsmouth Harbour.
"Do you think it is a joke, sir?" asked Sub-Lieutenant Hythe of thenavigating officer of the "Investigator."
"Personally, I hardly consider that it is a hoax. You see the noticeappeared 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 forall along the coast contrive to get ashore to send off a message to _TheTimes_?" asked Egmont. "How can he keep in touch with affairs? Why, inorder to have that notice inserted he must have heard of theWilhelmshaven business within an hour or so of its occurrence."
"Admitted; but all the same Captain Restronguet is a modern magician insubmarine work. I should not be surprised if he has a perfect wirelessservice at his command. By the by, has Captain Tarfag orders to proceedto Spithead?"
"No, and he told me himself that he didn't want to be sent on awild-goose chase. The Admiral has ordered a couple of aero-hydroplanesto manoeuvre over the place indicated at noon, and to keep a sharplook-out for any suspicious object under the surface. There they are,by Jove!"
Both officers stopped in their "constitutional," a to and fro promenadeof the short quarterdeck of the "Investigator." A dull hum, momentarilygrowing louder, announced that Nos. 27 and 29 Aero-hydroplanes had lefttheir sheds on the shores of Fareham Creek and were rising rapidly tothe height of one thousand feet.
As soon as this altitude was reached both aero-hydroplanes, abandoningtheir spiral motion, leapt forward, and passing high above the shippingin 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 theirlofty vigil, each turning at almost the same moment and passing withinfifty yards of one another.
Twelve o'clock! Hythe and his brother officer exchanged glances.Captain Tarfag ascended the bridge, and hailing the wireless operatorand the yeoman of signals by telephone, demanded if either of them hadreceived news of the mysterious submarine.
"No message has been received at the Semaphore Tower, sir," theyreplied. The captain gave a deprecating shrug and descended the ladder.
"They're coming back, by Jove!" exclaimed Lieutenant Egmont, afteranother ten minutes had elapsed. "That proves that the message was ahoax."
"They may have seen something," suggested the sub, unwilling to have hisopinions shattered.
"Not they. Do you mean to tell me that if they had spotted anythingsuspicious 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. Beyondthe houses of Old Portsmouth, and at an altitude of about five hundredfeet, 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 theexplosion. It required all the efforts at the command of their crew tosave the aerial vessels from destruction, but recovering theirequilibrium by superb manoeuvring of the planes, the aero-hydroplanesturned and headed towards that portion of Spithead over which they hadso lately been reconnoitring.
"By Jove! There's pluck for you!" ejaculated Egmont. "That wasRestronguet's signal. If it had been to time those fellows would havebeen done for; and now they're trying to spot the submarine. You wereright 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 fororders would be detrimental to success, he ordered the moorings to beslipped.
Within the harbour all was commotion. Nearly a dozen destroyers, twoscouts, and three tugs were making for Spithead, while five moreaero-hydroplanes and the naval airship "Beresford" were ploughing theirway against a stiff south-easterly breeze towards the scene of CaptainRestronguet's latest demonstration.
One noticeable result of the explosion was that within a quarter of anhour the weather, hitherto perfectly calm, became changed. Clouds wererapidly banking up, with every appearance of a heavy thunderstorm, whilethe 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. Aloftthe aircraft kept anxious watch and ward, till it seemed impossible thatany craft could lie at the bottom of that comparatively shallowroadstead without being discovered.
"Nothing to report," came the wireless message from the aircraft withmonotonous regularity. Captain Restronguet had outwitted the eyes andears of the British Fleet.
Upon the "Investigator's" return to Portsmouth Harbour it was possibleto obtain details of what had occurred: The sea wall in front ofSouthsea Castle was crowded with people who, half-doubting, were yetsufficiently curious to see whether the promise in _The Times_ would beredeemed. They saw the two aero-hydroplanes approach and manoeuvre overthe pre-arranged area. They heard the clocks chime the hour of twelve.They waited a few moments longer, nothing happened, so with a derisivecheer they began to disperse. Some remained--mostly those of theleisured class who were not restricted by the midday meal that theBritish workman holds up as an established institution.
Suddenly--it was exactly at eleven minutes past twelve--a column ofwater leapt vertically upwards at less than four hundred yards from theshore. There was a shrieking sound like the screech of a high velocityprojectile, followed by a detonation so powerful that most of thespectators on the sea-front were deaf for days afterwards. The groundtrembled, several persons were overthrown; the windows of several housesoverlooking the common were broken. Expecting a shower of scraps ofmetal from the bursting projectile the terror-stricken crowd broke andran, but curiously enough no one could afterwards be found to reportthat anything of a solid nature fell to earth. Captain Restronguet'stoken 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 anothergreen and white buoy bearing Captain Restronguet's name, was foundfloating 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 atKiel, in the Baltic Sea, two hours later? Was his submarine inpossession of supernatural powers whereby he could annihilate space andpractically conquer time? The theory was no sooner advanced than it wasregarded as utterly impossible; the opinion that Captain Restronguetwas, after all, not responsible for the outrages at Wilhelmshaven beganto gain ground both in Great Britain and Germany.
In naval and military circles the importance of the offensive powers ofthe mysterious submarine were fully commented upon. It was recognizedthat submarine warfare was more than likely to regain the supremacy thathad been wrested from it by aircraft. Here was a submerged vessel,invisible although only in seven fathoms of water, that could project ashell charged with a high explosive vertically to a great height.Although not in the accepted sense of the word an aerial torpedo, therocket had seriously affected the stability of the two aero-hydroplanesthat were at a distance hitherto considered as a safe margin. Had itbeen an aerial torpedo instead of a rocket the result would have beenterrible to contemplate.
_The Chronicle_ appeared next morning with an apology and manifesto fromCaptain Restronguet. He regretted that, owing to the proximity of thetwo aero-hydroplanes, he was not able to give his promised tokenprecisely at the hour of twelve, and trusted that the British publicwould realize that the slight delay was due solely to his desire toavoid loss of life and property to His Majesty's subjects. He once morerepudiated any suggestion that the Kiel outrage was carried out at hisinstigatio
n, and, further, as a proof of good faith, he hoped to give anexhibition of the forces at his command this time in Plymouth Sound. At6 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 telegraphicorders were sent to Portsmouth, ordering the "Investigator" to proceedat once to Plymouth, where, co-operating with the surveying-vessel"Mudlark," she was to make every effort to effect the capture of CaptainRestronguet's submersible ship.
The Rival Submarines Page 4