There was a clean, sparkling steam engine there, being tended by two brawny sailors. ‘This is the Chief Engineer and his assistant; his assistant is also the cook as well as an engineer. He does the cooking on the firebox of the engine, clever, eh?’ The cook/engineer was standing up to his knees in a trapdoor in the floor. ‘The entire lower level of the gondola is filled with coal, that’s what the bit suspended under the airship is called, “the gondola”.
‘What keeps the whole thing up?’ asked Cobb.
‘Helium,’ replied Somersby, ‘it’s a lighter than air gas. The balloon section is filled with it. The steam engine drives propellers on either side of the gondola and they provide forward propulsion and directional control. Come on.’ He led the way through the door at the rear of the engine room into a short corridor. There was a tiny latrine on one side, a locker on the other and yet another door.
This led into the rear of the gondola, which was another room with glass windows, but this one had three bunks, two of which were occupied. Two sailors lay there, talking. They sat up when Cobb and Captain Somersby walked in but he told them to relax and introduced Cobb. ‘As you can see, a crew of eight but then the gondola is only forty-five feet long. The bunks can be folded away and this cabin used as an observation platform.’
Cobb looked around the small cabin. Around the walls were what looked like sawn-off drainpipes with tail fins attached. They were stood on end, pointed nose down and held in place by large clamps. ‘Are those bombs?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Part of the trials we were conducting but don’t worry, they’re not armed. Think of it!’ said Somersby with enthusiasm, ‘aerial bombardment. Even the most skilled gunnery can sometimes be a hit and miss affair over long distances. Think of the advantages of being able to float over your target, out of range of his guns and simply drop the bombs onto your enemy! Eventually we’ll have fleets of these airships, bigger ones than this of course, able to transport large amounts of troops quickly to trouble spots anywhere in the world. Think of the superiority it will give us in any war. Britonnia will rule the clouds as well as the waves.’
Cobb had to admit, it was pretty impressive. It was a technological marvel.
Somersby led the way back to the bridge, asking the cook to rustle up a cup of tea, on the way.
‘So Mr. Cobb, how may we help you? According to my orders, we are at your disposal.’
‘Well for the moment, all I need is to get back to Londum as fast as possible. How long do you think that will take?’
‘Well we were due to put the Pegasus through her speed trials soon anyway, so we might as well do it now. I reckon with a couple of stops for fuel, we can have you in Londum by tomorrow night.’
‘You’re going to travel through the night? How?’
‘We navigate by compass and we’ll take readings from the stars to double check our position. It’s quite all right, you know, I don’t think we’ll run into anyone up here, do you?’
***
Cobb spent the rest of the day gazing out of the windows at the panoramic views and trying not to be in anyone’s way, as the Pegasus headed south. The crew changed over from time to time but Cobb could not tear himself away from the window. The cook gave him a meal when he fed the rest of the crew. It was a rather good corned beef hash, given the circumstances that he had to cook it under. When it got dark, the captain offered him one of the bunks, which Cobb gratefully accepted.
***
When Cobb woke up at daybreak, he washed in the small basin in the latrine and then made his way up to the bridge.
‘Morning Mr. Cobb,’ Captain Somersby greeted him as he entered the bridge, ‘Cookie has made fresh coffee if you’d like some.’
Cobb helped himself to a cup of coffee from the pot and a few slices of bread and jam. ‘We’re making good time. We’ll reach Sheffleton by lunchtime, there are plenty of steel mills there with tons of coal, so we can refuel,’ the captain informed him.
‘Any news?’
‘No. We checked at our last stop. While you were asleep we pulled in at a railway yard and filled up. We’re following the railway lines and so we use their telegraph wires to send and receive messages, but there was nothing of any importance.’
The rest of the morning passed quietly. Cobb stood in the corner of the bridge watching the countryside slip by beneath them, alone with his thoughts. Apart from when the cook brought him some breakfast, the crew of the Pegasus left him alone, busy with their own tasks.
Finally around lunchtime of that day, they spotted the tall smokestacks of the steel mills; belching out thick black smoke into the clear, blue sky. Captain Somersby ordered the helmsman to descend to two hundred feet and they drifted over the town, until they found a good supply of coal in one of the steel mills for which Sheffleton was famous.
Somersby gave the order to descend and they drifted gently down until they were just feet above the ground. The two sailors who were on port and starboard watch, slid back the door, jumped to the ground and quickly grabbed the trailing ropes and secured them. Captain Somersby called to the watching steel mill workers and asked to speak to the mill owner.
When the man came, Somersby asked him for permission to refuel with coal in return for a promissory note that could be drawn on the Navy Quartermaster’s Office, for payment. The man agreed and refuelling commenced.
The engineer opened a hatch on the side of the engine room and the coal was poured down a wooden chute directly into the storage bins in the lower deck of the gondola. It rolled into the bins with a sound like thunder and the whole gondola shook. Cobb thought he must have been really tired the night before to sleep through that when they had refuelled overnight.
Once refuelling had been carried out, the crew released the mooring ropes and the Pegasus rose majestically into the air and continued its journey south.
Once they had cleared the town, Somersby gave the order to find the railway line. The helmsman did as ordered and on Somersby’s instructions, descended again until the gondola was level with the wire suspended between the telegraph poles. One of the crew ran a cable from the onboard telegraph equipment to the telegraph wire which he attached the cable to with crocodile clips.
For the next quarter of an hour, the crewman sat at the telegraph sending and receiving messages that had built up for the Pegasus, while they were out of communication. Eventually he informed the captain that he had finished and Somersby gave the order to disconnect the cable. Once the cable was stowed away, the Pegasus continued its journey as the telegraph operator busied himself decoding the signals, which he then passed to the captain.
The captain read them all and then singling out one message, passed it to Cobb. It was from Thornton.
RUFUS COBB HMAS PEGASUS
PARCEL TRACKED TO GREEN-WITCH STOP PRIVATE ESTATE AT FOLLOWING CO-ORDINATES 51 DEG 28 MIN 43 SEC NORTH 0 DEG 0 MIN 12 SEC EAST STOP HEAVILY GUARDED ADVISE EXTREME CAUTION STOP UNDERSTAND GRAVITY OF SITUATION THEREFORE HAVE OBTAINED ADMIRALTY PERMISSION FOR YOU TO COMMANDEER PEGASUS AND CREW TO ASSIST YOU STOP GOOD LUCK STOP
WELLS
Cobb read the signal over and over, trying to come up with a plan. Captain Somersby pulled down the folding chart table clipped to the rear of the bridge and started poring over the maps. Cobb walked over to him and waved the message in front of him. ‘Can you help me with this?’
Somersby took the telegram and checked the co-ordinates against the map he had laid on the table. ‘You’re in luck. We have maps of Green-Witch. Those co-ordinates put the estate right here.’ He drew a cross on the map. ‘It backs onto a park. That’s perfect! The latest weather reports we received in that last batch of messages indicate that the weather is drawing in and it will be a cloudy night. We can land unnoticed in the park and drop you off.’ He stood up from the table and looked at Cobb, ‘I’ve done the calculations and at top speed we should reach Londum by nine forty-five. Is that good enough?’
‘That will do fine,’ agreed Cobb.
***
It was nine fifteen pm and the Pegasus was approaching Green-Witch. All day they had headed due south, until they were half an hour away from Londum and then veered forty-five degrees to the left to put them on the correct heading. They had reached the River Isis and were following it downstream, heading towards Green-Witch Observatory. Cobb had managed to sleep for a few hours that afternoon and was now back on the bridge. The sky was pitch black outside and all Cobb could see was the occasional wisp of cloud passing the windows.
Cobb had to have an awkward conversation with Captain Somersby and was unsure how to begin. Finally, he took a deep breath and asked, ‘Captain Somersby, may I have a word with you … in private?’
Somersby looked at him and nodded. He led Cobb through into the engine room. ‘Can you give us a moment alone, Chief?’ he asked the engineer who was busy tending the engine. The man left the engine room and went onto the bridge. ‘No-one will overhear us in here,’ said Somersby, ‘what’s on your mind?’
‘It’s about our next move. Are we still on time for reaching our destination at nine forty five?’
‘Yes,’ confirmed Somersby.
‘I’ve been thinking about what to do once you drop me off. According to my information the estate is heavily guarded.’
‘My men and I stand ready to support you, if you wish. We have weapons on board,’ Somersby interrupted.
‘No. Thank you but that won’t be necessary. There are too many of them and we may not succeed if we went in mob-handed. It would be best if I went in alone. I’d stand a better chance of getting past the guards on my own. Once we’ve landed, I reckon it will take me about fifteen minutes to get inside. Now then, I understand your orders were to give me “any and all possible assistance that I may require”?’
‘Yes that’s right,’ confirmed Somersby. ‘As I said, we’re at your disposal.’
‘Good. In that case, once I’ve entered the house, I want you to give me until midnight. If I am not out by then, I want you to take those bombs you have on the observation deck and drop every blasted one of them onto that house until there is not a stone left standing!’
‘You’re joking!’ said Somersby, incredulously.
‘Believe me Captain, I wish I were. It is vital that whatever is going on in that house is stopped. If I can’t do it, then I want you to finish the job for me. Will you do that?’
‘But to bomb the house to pieces?’
‘Any and all assistance,’ Cobb reminded him.
‘I’ll need that order in writing, of course.’
‘You’ll have it.’
‘Very well then, if you’re not out by twelve … we destroy the house,’ agreed Somersby.
They stared at each other in an uneasy silence for a moment, neither of them comfortable with the fact that one man had asked the other to kill him if necessary, and the other had agreed.
‘This must be a really important lost dog!’ said Somersby to ease the tension.
‘And then some,’ agreed Cobb.
***
Some ten minutes later, Cobb and Somersby were standing on the bridge. All lights on the Pegasus had been extinguished except for a single lamp in the engine room, which had no windows. Their eyes had become accustomed to the dark but Cobb was unable to make out anything in the gloom of the night sky. They were navigating through the low cloud purely by compass.
Cobb had written out the order for Somersby to bomb Quist’s house, if necessary. It wasn’t a question of Somersby being pedantic by asking for the order in writing. Cobb had asked him to commit murder and Somersby, quite rightly, was asking for protection for himself and his men at any subsequent enquiry.
‘Won’t they hear us coming?’ asked Cobb.
‘Yes but the map shows a train line running close to the Observatory, in this gloom they’ll just think we’re just a passing steam train. We’ll cut the engines, put her into a dive and take her down to the park; the house is on the other side of the park. We’ll drop you off and release some ballast. That will give us a quick lift off. After that we will circle around until we hear from you. Or you hear from us,’ he finished, ominously. He handed Cobb a hip flask, ‘Here’s to success.’
Cobb took the flask gratefully and offered a toast in return. ‘To you and your men Captain. You’ve a fine ship.’ He took a long swig and handed the flask back.
Somersby reached under his coat and brought out a service revolver. Handing it to Cobb he said, ‘Compliments of His Majesty’s Navy.’
‘Thank you.’
Somersby reached under his coat again and brought out a leather cosh. ‘Compliments of the cook, he thought it might come in handy.’
Cobb took the cosh and looked questioningly at Somersby.
Somersby shrugged, ‘Well … you know what sailors are like,’ he replied, slightly embarrassed, to the unspoken question. ‘Here’s a flare pistol and a rope with a grappling hook. You might find the rope useful to get over the wall or into the house. When you’ve finished your business in the house, for the God’s sake, come outside and fire off the flare pistol so we know you’re all right.’
Cobb was winding the rope around himself when the helmsman said, ‘Observatory in sight, sir!’ Somersby gave the order to cut the engines and one of the lookouts relayed the order to the engineer via the voice-pipe.
They drifted over Green-Witch Observatory roof in an eerie silence. The dark night and the low cloud made it almost invisible only tens of feet below them. They crested it and then began to descend towards the park.
‘Surely they’ll be able to see us?’ asked Cobb.
‘In this light we’ll look like a large grey cloud, that’s all,’ replied Somersby.
At a command from Somersby, one of the lookouts slid back the door and knelt beside it, calling off the distance to the ground in feet in a low voice, as the helmsman brought the ship down.
‘You’ll have to jump the last few feet I’m afraid Mr. Cobb. It will take too long to put the ladder down and pull it back in afterwards. The longer we are on the ground the more chance there is of being spotted,’ Somersby told Cobb.
Cobb turned to the captain and held out his hand. ‘You’re a good man, Captain Somersby.’
Somersby took Cobb’s hand and shook it. ‘You seem like a good man too, Mr. Cobb. But I’d like the chance to find out for myself one day, so come back alive. May the Gods be with you.’ Cobb knew that the Gods apparently were aware of what he was doing but he couldn’t swear they were actually with him.
The airship glided down as light as a feather until it halted at around six feet from the ground. Cobb leapt to the ground, ran for the cover of some trees and turned back to watch the Pegasus lift off. He heard the cabin door slide shut, then watched as she drifted silently up into the night sky until she was lost in the clouds.
As it finally disappeared from his sight, Cobb felt terribly alone. What was he doing here by himself? It was madness. He should have asked Thornton to arrange for Quist’s mansion to be raided. With Thornton’s influence he could have arranged for the Army, the Navy, the Household Cavalry and the Dagenham Girl Pipers to storm the place!
But he knew that if there were an all-out assault on the place, Adele would be the first person to be hurt, he couldn’t allow that. Besides, somewhere, deep down inside him, he knew that this had to be just between him and Quist. It had been coming for years. All those years on the force, when he had tried to bring Quist to justice. It seemed like this was destiny playing itself out. A final reckoning between them. Cobb knew that by the end of the night one of them, or maybe both of them, would be dead.
***
Cobb worked his way across the park, tree-by-tree, bush-by-bush, until he stood with his back to the brick wall that ran around the estate. It was twice Cobb’s height. He followed it along until he found a tree growing inside the estate with branches that overhung the wall. He unwound the rope from around his body and threw the grappling hook into the tree until it caught on
one of the branches. He pulled himself up the wall and into the tree.
He sat there listening and watching for the guards. Eventually he saw one, heading in his direction. The guard came and stood under Cobb’s tree, while Cobb huddled against the trunk in the upper branches. The guard looked around him but saw nothing. He didn’t even see the grappling hook as it came down behind him and hooked under his belt. Nor did he see Cobb loop the rope over a branch and then jump off the tree. Cobb was lowered safely to the ground as the guard shot up into the branches of the tree. With a loud THUNK! he connected with one of them and was knocked out. Cobb lowered the man to the ground and dragged him out of sight behind a bush. After recovering the rope, Cobb ran for the house.
Cobb was approaching from the rear of the house. Jutting out the back was what appeared to be the stables. It was lit up and Cobb could hear the noise of a steam engine coming from inside. He ran over to the stables and flattened himself against the wall, just in time, as a guard walked around the corner. Cobb pulled the cosh from his pocket. It was a well-made leather cosh, filled with lead shot, judging from the weight of it. It made a satisfying THWACK! as he brought it down onto the guard’s head. The guard crumpled to the floor and Cobb dragged him out of sight.
Cobb crept up to one of the windows and peered inside. There was a large steam engine taking up most of the room in the stables, driving a big wheel that had a drive belt running to a smaller wheel. This smaller wheel was on the end of a housing of some kind from which ran heavy, rubber-covered cables. These cables were connected to what seemed to be two columns of porcelain disks, approximately the height of a man and about six feet apart. Between these columns were what appeared to be occasional flashes of lightning! It took Cobb a few moments to realise what he was looking at … an electric generator!
(Electricity was well known in Cobb’s time. Ever since Benjamin Frankly, an Amerigon scientist, had discovered that if you fly a metallic kite into a thundercloud, it makes your hair stand on end and your boots smoke, scientists were aware of electricity in its natural state but were unable to reproduce it ((apart from rubbing balloons on their cardigans)). That is, until an Albion inventor; Michael Faraway invented the electric generator. This allowed businesses and scientists to generate enough power to charge up batteries for example, thereby allowing the creation of the telegraph network and batteries for use in laboratories etc. However at this time, Albion did not have the infrastructure in place to supply electricity to people’s houses or throughout the cities to power street lighting and tram networks. Only wealthy individuals or factory owners could afford to have their own private electrical generators.)
The Londum Omnibus Volume One (The Londum Series Book 4) Page 19