CHAPTER XIV
A BREACH OF NEUTRALITY
TRESSIDAR awoke with a start to find himself in utter darkness.Accustomed to be aroused at all times and without warning, he wasfully awake in an instant.
The "Freya" was rolling considerably. Against her sides the wavesslapped viciously. Above his head he could see the seas pouring ondeck with that almost indescribable sound that accompanies the rushof green water over the low bulwarks.
The rain had been succeeded by a stiff blow and the tramp wasploughing through a rough sea with the wind broad on her starboardbeam.
"Thank goodness no middle watch for me to-night," soliloquised thesub. as he prepared to fall asleep again. "Wonder what the time is?I'll just see to satisfy my curiosity."
He leapt from his bunk and searched for the switch, for theafter-cabin of the "Freya" was electrically lighted. Having switchedon the light, he consulted his watch. It was twenty minutes to ten.
"By Jove, I've almost slept the clock twice round!" exclaimedTressidar. "It was nearly two in the morning before I turned in.Seventeen hours at ten knots, if not more. Why, the old tub must bewell across the North Sea by this time."
Wondering why the "Freya" had not fallen in with any patrol ships,the sub. dressed and left the cabin. In the saloon he found theNorwegian skipper, who was in the midst of a meal.
"You slept so soundly that we did not like to awaken you," he said ashe rose to greet his guest. "There has been nothing to report. Wehave not sighted a single sail since yesterday. Please sit down andhave some food."
"And my men?" asked Tressidar.
"They are all practically recovered except two, who have to keep totheir bunks," replied the Norwegian. "They have all turned in again,but if you wish to see them----"
"No, I won't disturb them," the sub. hastened to declare, lest hisdesire to communicate with his men might give rise to unfoundedsuspicion. "To-morrow, perhaps. Where are we now, do you think?"
"About eighty miles due west of Cape Stodt, which is, you may perhapsremember, almost midway between Christiansund and Bergen," was thereply. "In order to avoid meeting German submarines, I have to hugthe Norwegian coast. I am afraid we've evaded your cruisers, sir.Believe me, it was not by design, but by accident. Of course there isno reason why you should not return to England by steamer after weland you at Gothenborg, provided you and your men wear civilianclothes and discard your arms and ammunition."
"That is something to be thankful for," remarked Tressidar. "So longas I am back in England and able to rejoin my ship, I am content.Next to being a prisoner of war the lot of an interned man must befearfully irksome."
"Quite so," agreed the skipper. "Now tell me: when do you think thatthe war will be over?"
"When we've properly whacked the Germans--not before," replied thesub. firmly.
"Then the sooner the better," added his host. "At the present time itis hardly safe for a neutral ship to be at sea. We neutrals are likea man standing on two rickety stools. At any moment one mightcollapse and let us down badly. Holland and Denmark are the worstoff, I should say. It will indeed be a marvel if they can contrive toavoid being drawn in by the vortex, even as Belgium was."
"We came into the war to help Belgium," remarked Tressidar."Only----"
The Norwegian smiled blandly.
"My friend," he interrupted, "let me tell you something. Theonlookers see most of the game. The cry about violating theneutrality of Belgium that your politicians are so fond of raising ismere clap-trap. It served its purpose to unite the various politicalfactions in England, that was all. You English had a chance thatmight, perhaps, never occur again. It was a favourable chance tosmash German militarism, and, luckily for you, you took it. Even ifBelgium had not been involved, Great Britain would have rangedherself on the side of France and Russia. When big Empires wage war,little States do not count."
Tressidar merely inclined his head in assent. He, too, knew that theNorwegian spoke the truth. Long before the German troops set foot inBelgium the British Fleet was "standing fast" in readiness to helpin the necessary task of freeing Europe, nay, the world, from themenace of Prussianism as preached by the disciples of kultur.
At daybreak the "Freya" rounded the Naze, the southernmost point ofNorway. Ahead lay the broad waters of the Skager Rack. In normaltimes, following the breaking up of the ice, the sound would bedotted with vessels of all nationalities engaged in trade with theBaltic ports. Now not a sail was visible. The heavily sparred Germantimber ships, like the rest of the mercantile navy of Prussia, hadlong since been swept off the seas.
The quaint Russian barques, too, that were familiar in almost everyBritish port of any size, were no longer to be seen. A few Swedishmerchantmen, timorously hugging the Norwegian coast, might have beendiscerned had the weather been clear. Otherwise, save for thespectacular "dashes" of a few German warships--short cruises to cheerup the Huns in the belief that their navy did plough thehigh-seas--the Skager Rack presented almost as desolate an aspect asthe Dead Sea.
The "Freya" hugged the shore closely, keeping well within thethree-mile limit. Even at that distance the land was frequentlyobscured by patches of mist that drove slowly across the sea underthe mild southerly wind.
Presently the tramp ran into a thick bank of fog. With a dangerousshore so close under her lee, it was imperative that every precautionshould be taken to prevent her being carried out of her course by thestrong indraught. Speed was reduced to a minimum necessary to carrysteerage way, while the syren was kept going to warn possibleapproaching vessels of her presence.
Suddenly, like the passing of a compact cloud across the sun, the foglifted. The ship was still within the three-mile limit, but betweenher and the Norwegian coast was a fleet of warships steaming rapidlyin the same direction and on a parallel course that, if maintained,would bring them within a cable's length of the "Freya."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Tressidar. "They are German vessels."
He was right. There were three light cruisers steaming in line ahead.On either hand were lines of torpedo-boats, while overhead at analtitude of about one thousand feet flew two Zeppelins of the mostrecent type. The Huns, fearing submarine attack, were taking nounnecessary risks. They were cruising in neutral waters, but theGerman populace was not to know that.
"Keep your men well out of sight," cautioned the skipper. "Even theNorwegian flag flying in Norwegian waters would not be able toprotect you."
As he spoke the leading torpedo-boat of the starboard divisionsounded her syren imperiously. By all the rules of the road at seathe tramp, being the overtaken vessel, was entitled to hold on hercourse; but it was evident that the German flotilla was attempting toedge the "Freya" beyond territorial waters, although for what reasonnone on board her could certainly conjecture.
Nearer and nearer drew the warships, without making the slightestattempt to alter helm. Their syrens were braying frantically. Itreminded the sub. of a herd of cattle trying to shift a little dogthat impeded their way.
If the "Freya's" skipper held on, he realised that he would give theimperious Huns cause for offence. Reluctantly he gave orders for thehelm to be ported in order to yield to the palpably illegal tacticsof the German ships.
As the tramp altered her course the starboard column of torpedo-boatsdid likewise, until they were heading south-east or almost at rightangles to the coast-line. The "Freya" was being jockeyed beyond thethree-mile limit.
The sub. knew that he and his men were in a tight corner. Should thetramp be compelled to hove-to there was no escape. They could not bepassed off as passengers, since their names did not figure on thepassenger list. Nor was the ship certified to carry any personsbesides her officers and crew.
Tressidar dismissed the proposal that he and his men should hide inthe hold. Searched the ship would certainly be, and he was not goingto be ignominiously hauled out of the hold by a mob of Germans.
At length, in fact directly the tramp had passed the limit ofterritorial waters, the peremptory hail to
stop instantly came fromthe nearmost German torpedo-boat, which promptly swung out of stationand slowed down.
"I am sorry, but it is not my fault," exclaimed the Norwegian skipperto Tressidar as he telegraphed to the engine-room for half-speedastern.
"You did your best: you had no choice," replied the sub. "We mustmake the best of the situation."
While the German torpedo-boat was manoeuvring to come alongside (itsaved the trouble of sending away a boarding-party), Tressidar sent acouple of seamen to fetch the rifles and ammunition from the cabin.These he dropped overboard. At least they would not be allowed tofall into the hands of the enemy.
Barely had this task been completed when a tall, full-faced, blondunter-leutnant appeared over the side, followed by half a dozen armedmen.
Directly he caught sight of Tressidar and the British seamen he halfhesitated, fearing a trap. Then, possibly realising that he hadthirty German warships to back him up, he waxed bold, and fiercelytwirling his fair moustache, haughtily demanded to know what theseEnglish swine were doing on board a Norwegian ship?
The skipper of the "Freya," who spoke German as fluently as he didEnglish, explained briefly and to the point, saying that he had actedmerely in the dictates of humanity.
"Then so much the worse for you," retorted the German officer.
He walked to the side and reported his find to his superior, thekapitan of the torpedo-boat. Great was the excitement on board, whilethe news was quickly transmitted by semaphore to the flagship, whichhappened to be one of the three light cruisers.
Tressidar and the cutter's crew were then ordered over the side andsent on board the torpedo-boat. A thorough search was then made ofthe "Freya" lest any more British officers and men might still be inhiding, but without result.
"Your vessel is a prize to the German Government," declared theunter-leutnant, addressing the Norwegian skipper.
"A prize?" repeated the master. "For why?"
"You are conveying contraband."
"We are not," protested the "Freya's" captain. "We have not touchedat a British port. Our papers prove that. And our cargo is notcontraband."
"I did not say contraband cargo," said the German with a leer. "Mencan be contraband as well as stores. You had English seamen on board,therefore you are under arrest."
"We were in Norwegian waters when you overhauled us," declared theskipper.
"No," replied the German. "Well beyond the limit. But what is the useof your protesting You are under arrest and the vessel is a prize. Ifyou do not know how to make the best of the business, I will have toshow you."
So with a prize crew on board, the luckless "Freya," escorted by atorpedo-boat, was taken into the Elbe, while Tressidar found himselfa prisoner of war in the hands of the Huns.