CHAPTER XII
AN OCEAN DUEL
MIDWAY between the coasts of Norway and Iceland and at less thanthree degrees south of the Arctic Circle the British light cruiser"Heracles" was on patrol duty. She was one of a chain of swiftvessels spread out betwixt Iceland and Cape Wrath in order to tightenthe net that was being cast about Germany's sea-borne trade.
Germany's mercantile fleet had long since been swept off the fiveoceans, but her sea-borne trade still continued. Thanks to theincapacity of a certain section of the British Government to graspthe necessity for a stringent blockade, neutrals, bought by Teutongold, were actively engaged in importing enormous quantities ofgoods, more than ten times the amount needed for their ownconsumption, and were waxing rich by means of the inflated pricesthat the Huns were forced to pay in order to obtain the necessariesfor carrying on the war.
But at last, owing to popular clamour rather than to the inclinationof the civil authorities, the British Government had been forced toaction. The great silent navy, that for months past had had tooverhaul ship after ship without being allowed to detain what wereobviously supplies intended for Germany, was now unfettered.
"Stop everything," was the order. The "rights" of petty neutralStates--parasites upon the belligerent nations--had to be waived ifthe Great War was to be won by the Entente Powers.
The "Heracles" was a vessel of 4,300 tons, mounting two 6-in. gunsand eight 4.7's. Her speed was nineteen knots--sufficient to overhaulany merchant craft likely to be met with in high latitudes. She wasmanned by the officers and crew of the late cruiser "Pompey."
Six weeks had elapsed since Sub-lieutenant Tressidar was within anace of bringing a Zeppelin into Auldhaig Firth. It was now late inFebruary. A spell of comparatively fine weather had succeeded a monthof continual blizzards. The sea, encumbered by drift-ice, waspractically calm. The cold was intense. The vessel's masts andfunnels, and in fact every part not readily to be swept clear, wereoutlined in dazzling white, the snow having frozen into a hard coat.Morning after morning the hoses had to be connected up and hot waterplayed upon the muzzles of the guns in order to remove the ice fromthe bore. Officers and men, clad in thick woollen and fur garments,were faced with the problem of drawing the line between bodily warmthand activity. If, on the one hand, they wore sufficient to withstandthe morning cold, the free use of their limbs was seriously impeded;if, on the other hand, they had to shed their super-coats in order totackle a job that required agility, they were in danger of being"nipped" by the icy blast.
Yet week after week the monotonous patrol work was maintained.Frequently days passed without a strange sail being sighted, untilthe monotony became almost appalling.
Nor did the long nights tend to improve matters. Daylight, frequentlylittle more than a pale twilight, lasted only four hours in thetwenty-four. The remaining twenty consisted of intense blackness,without even the stars to cheer the men in the long night-watches.
"Sail on the starboard bow."
A wave of subdued interest swept over the ship's company. Anything inthe nature of a strange craft was sufficient to break the deadlytediousness. Of course she would only be one of those Norwegiantraders outward bound. It was too much to hope otherwise.
The stranger came up rapidly. Upon sighting the "Heracles" she madeno attempt to alter her helm, but stood doggedly on her course. Shewas a large vessel, bordering on 10,000 tons. On her sides werepainted the Norwegian colours, while the mercantile ensign of thatnation was displayed aft.
A shot fired across her bows had the desired effect. She backed herengines and, gradually losing way, brought up within two cables'lengths of the British cruiser.
"What ship is that?" was the peremptory signal from the "Heracles."
"The 'Frijick' of Bergen," was the reply. "Why are we detained? Weare neutrals."
"Must examine your papers," rejoined the British cruiser. "Stand byto receive a boat."
"Away cutter."
The pipes of the bos'n's mates trilled in the keen air as the boat'screw, armed in case of emergency, rushed to their duty. Quickly thefalls were manned and the boats swung outboard, Tressidar being incharge.
With a loud splash the boat struck the water. Dexterously the fallswere disengaged, the lower blocks swinging with a sharp crack againstthe cruiser's side.
"Give way, lads!"
As one the double line of blades dipped and the boat drew away fromher parent, for the "Heracles" had now circled slightly to starboardand had almost bows on to the Norwegian.
At that moment half a dozen port-lids, cunningly concealed in thestranger's side, were lowered, and a line of flashes leapt from thequick-firers hitherto concealed. Simultaneously two torpedoesshimmered in the dull light on their brief journey through the airbefore they took to the water and headed at the rate of an expresstrain towards the British cruiser.
Taken completely by surprise, the sub. gave an order to "Back all."The cutter was on the point of entering the direct line of fire. Toattempt to return to the "Heracles" was to court disaster, foralready shells were bursting against her unarmoured bows.
With the discharge of the torpedoes the disguised German cruiser, forsuch she was, began to forge ahead. Under a false flag she hadattempted to deal a knock-out blow at her more heavily armedantagonist, and she all but succeeded.
Well it was that the British cruiser was pretty well bows on to herantagonist, for the first torpedo, passing almost underneath thecutter's keel, missed the "Heracles'" port quarter by a few yards.The other seemed as if it were making straight for the almostmotionless ship when, with a terrific report, a column of water wasthrown up a couple of hundred feet in the air at less than half acable's length from the boat under Tressidar's command.
By sheer good luck as far as the "Heracles" was concerned, thepowerful locomotive weapon had struck a huge block of almostsubmerged drift-ice, sending fragments in all directions. Several ofthe men in the cutter were slightly injured by pieces of falling ice,while for six minutes the boat rocked violently in the confused waterchurned up by the explosion.
Meanwhile both ships were rapidly drawing away from the cutter, andwere firing furiously. Already the superior gunnery of the "Heracles"was beginning to tell, for several gaping holes were visible in theGerman cruiser's sides, through which volumes of smoke were pouring.The Hun, unable to score by a coward blow, was showing her heels, andalthough it was impossible at the present juncture to ascertain whichcraft had the advantage of speed, she had perceptibly increased herdistance before the British cruiser had got into her stride.
Nor had the "Heracles" come off lightly. The first hostile broadsidehad played havoc with her upper deck. Huge rents appeared in herfunnels, thereby decreasing her forced draught, while--which was tobe particularly deplored--both her fore and after topmasts had beenshot away and with them the wireless aerials.
Keeping slightly out of the wake of the German cruiser lest sheshould drop a chain of mines in the track of her pursuer, the"Heracles" held grimly in chase, giving and receiving punishment asshe did so. Her antagonist's guns were not to be despised, althoughnot equal in calibre to those of the British cruiser; but since the"Heracles" could only bring her bow 6-in. and the two foremostbroadside 4.7's to bear against the German's four 5-in. guns mountedaft, the chances were, until the "Heracles" drew broad abaft herfoeman's beam, fairly even on both sides.
AN OCEAN DUEL]
It was modern warfare with the "Nelson touch." Theoretically thenaval battle of the present day is fought at long range, but herewere two well-armed vessels fighting each other at point-blankdistance.
In spite of their underhand tactics, the Germans fought gamely.Undeterred by the accurately placed shells that rained upon herquarter-deck, the Huns stuck to their guns.
Still exchanging shots, the two vessels were lost to sight in thehaze of the northern seas, and Tressidar and his eleven men foundthemselves alone upon the deserted ocean.