CHAPTER XX
TRESSIDAR SOLVES A MYSTERY
TRESSIDAR nudged his companion. German! Their interest was aroused.Although it was no doubt quite a common occurrence for the gutturallanguage of the Hun to be spoken on the Danish frontier, the warninggiven to the chauffeur of the car to avoid suspicion was in itself amystery.
The sub. had yet to learn the identity of Herr Oberfurst.
"Yes, I have had a fairly quick journey," said the spy. "Fortunatelywe did not fall in with any of our incomparable unterseebooten."
"Donnerwetter! I wish I could say the same," retorted the secondGerman crossly. "The frontier is a bore. Why on earth you couldn'tarrange to meet me in Hamburg is beyond me."
"A thousand pardons, Count," declared Oberfurst volubly. "Everythingdepends upon secrecy. It is easy enough to cross the frontier, Iadmit, but it is returning to Danish soil that is the difficulty.Here am I, an accredited American Red Cross agent, furnished withpassports by the owl-eyed British Government. So long as I remain inDenmark there is no cause for suspicion, but should I set foot in theFatherland, unseen difficulties beset me. My plan is, therefore, Ithink, an admirable one. Karl Hoeffer is the soul of integrity so faras Germany is concerned. This house of his is well suited for ourpurpose. Is that not so?"
"I suppose you have good reasons, friend Otto," replied the Count."But time presses. The 'Nordby' leaves Esbjerg at tide-time tomorrowmorning--a matter of seven hours from now. Well, what have you toreport? Is the damage done in the latest raid as extensive as thecommander of LZ142 states?"
Otto Oberfurst made a noise that indicated a negative reply.
"Then what?" demanded the count eagerly.
"The airship never got within twenty miles of Manchester, Count; andas for the damage stated to have been done at Newcastle, I havepersonally visited the town and can find nothing of the kind. Twentybombs were dropped, all around a small station on a branch line.Doubtless our airmen were deceived by the presence of a mountainlake. It may have looked like an arm of the sea. And how peculiar theEnglish people are! So long as they are not injured or their propertydestroyed they laugh at our Zeppelins."
"The fools!" ejaculated the count impatiently. Then--
"Now tell us about your work, Herr Oberfurst. Have you a copy of theBritish Admiralty chart of the shoals of Straits of Dover minefield?"
"It is here," was the reply. "One of von Schenck's men obtained itfor me from a compatriot who is actually employed in the BritishHydrographic office. Can you imagine an Englishman working in theGerman Admiralty? Ach! It is playing into our hands."
Tressidar could hear the crackle of the linen-backed paper as thecount unrolled and examined the highly important chart.
"Yes," he said slowly. "This is quite genuine. It tallies withreports through other sources. You mentioned Herr von Schenck: how ishe?"
The spy hesitated before replying.
"He is well," he replied simply.
"You speak strangely," said the count sharply "What is amiss?"
"A slightly personal matter," explained von Oberfurst. "In short, apecuniary affair."
"Explain."
"It is following the 'Pompey' business."
Tressidar gave an involuntary start. His hand went to the butt of therevolver in his pocket. He felt sorely tempted to descend andconfront the two spies with the muzzle of the weapon until herealised that in a neutral country it is well to be discreet.
"He agreed to pay me twenty thousand dollars," continued vonOberfurst. "I did my work. The cruiser, as you know, was sunk. Butvon Schenck declared that the destruction was not complete. The shipis capable of being raised and repaired. I doubt it. All the same, hewould not give me more than ten thousand dollars, and what is worsehe made the draft out in marks, and unfortunately a mark is no longerwhat it was."
"You have my sympathy; nevertheless I must upbraid you on your lackof duty towards the Fatherland," said the count. "The fall of themark is but temporary. After the war, when the German arms arevictorious---- But let that remain. I will guarantee the differencebetween the amount von Schenck originally promised and what youactually received. More, I will instruct your New York bank to placeto your credit another ten thousand dollars provided you performanother service."
"And what is it?" asked the spy eagerly.
"This torpedoing of neutral vessels is a praiseworthy affair,"explained the count. "It will give our mercantile fleet an undoubtedadvantage after the war, but unfortunately at the present juncture itcuts both ways. Neutrals don't like it, which is natural. Not that wecare a pfennig for their likes and dislikes. At the same time theyare showing signs of reluctance to supply us with necessarycommodities. They plead the rigours of the English blockade, but thatis a mere excuse. Now, the Imperial Chancellor has asked me toengineer a scheme to enlist the sympathy of neutrals to acorresponding resentment towards England. Then the desired goods willroll in fast enough."
"I follow you so far," observed von Oberfurst.
"As a man of supreme intelligence you would," rejoined the Germanflatteringly. "Now, to the point. You are returning in the 'Nordby'to-morrow. A British submarine has been reported off the VylLightship. It is reasonable to conclude that the 'Nordby' will besubject to a scrutiny if not to actual examination. Now, what I wantis that you fire a charge of explosive on board the steamer at thepsychological moment when the submarine appears."
"I hardly see how," objected von Oberfurst. "There will be noopportunity for me to get below. And the risk to myself----"
"Ach! You do not think enough," said the count deprecatingly, andcontradicting the words he had used a few moments previously. "Youare berthed aft? There is no danger to you from an explosion in thehold. You may be certain that in the excitement that follows theappearance of the submarine the attention of all on board exceptyourself will be directed towards it. It will be an easy matter toslip below. The after-store hatchway will most certainly beuncovered. You will drop the bomb, with a short-time fuse lighted,into the hold, return on deck and await events. All the damage donewill be below the water-line, and there are boats. It will not be along row to the Vyl Lightship. And, just think, ten thousand dollarsfor a comparatively simple piece of work compared with which thesinking of the 'Pompey' was a colossal task."
"I would prefer to use the clockwork detonating gear. It isinfinitely safer," objected Oberfurst.
"Impracticable," decided his companion. "It is no use setting thething hours ahead. It is a question of minutes. Say three: that willgive you ample time to light the fuse and return on deck."
Apparently the spy made a gesture that denoted unwillingness--for thecount continued:
"The Americans, as you know well, have a saying 'Money talks.' Hereis a sum on account," and the two British officers could distinctlyhear the crinkling of crisp paper.
"No gold," said the spy firmly. "The Fatherland has plenty in reservefor use in circumstances such as the present."
"Himmel! You cannot carry ten thousand marks in gold to England."
"I do not intend to do so, Count. I will see that it is placed in theEsbjerg branch of the Danish State Bank."
"Ach! You are perverse," almost shouted the Kaiser's emissary. "Doyou think that the car is laden with gold?"
A rupture seemed imminent, until Otto Oberfurst, overcome by hisinnate greed, exclaimed:
"Well, Count, under protest I will take the notes; but they must beat the local rates of exchange."
"And how is von Arve?" inquired the count.
"Himmel! I have neither seen nor heard of him for weeks," declaredthe spy. "He was to have gone to Rosyth. I fear the worst,especially as these English have shot three unnamed German agents inthe Tower of London. This secrecy is, believe me, very trying toone's nerves. Imagine a man working hard and risking everything forthe love of the Fatherland, as many of us are now doing. Then withoutwarning, without even a chance of his name being announced so thatall good Germans could honour his heroic sacrifice, he vanishes--andan unnamed
corpse occupies an unmarked grave in an English fortress."
"You are getting quite melodramatic, my friend," remarked the countsuavely. "A draught of honest Bavarian beer will set you up. I, too,am hungry and thirsty. Within another half-hour we must partcompany."
The two conspirators rose. Tressidar could hear the shuffling oftheir feet and the movement of the chair-legs on the oaken floor.
"Come and bear a hand like an old campaigner," said the count, andthe twain made their way to the larder.
"We'll have to be moving," whispered Tressidar. "Wait until thosefellows make a noise with the plates and bottles, then get to thewindow."
Creeping with the utmost caution lest the creaking of the floor wouldbetray their presence, the two chums gained the window. The sub.,knowing the "lay of the land," went first, dropping noiselessly uponthe tarred roof of the outhouse. Then, guiding the flight-sub.'sfeet, he waited until Fuller stood beside him.
Having reached terra-firma, the chums retrieved their wooden-soledfoot-gear. These they carried with them until they could find asuitable hiding-place.
"We'll make for the high road now," decided Tressidar, when they wereat a safe distance from the spies' meeting-place. "We'll pass musterin these togs, and I don't suppose we'll be questioned."
"By Jove! I would like to scrag that fellow," exclaimed Fuller. "Thebounder who kippered the 'Pompey,' I mean."
"So would I," agreed Tressidar. "It's a mystery to me how he was ableto place the explosives on board. Never mind; we'll lay him by theheels."
Briefly he explained his plan of action.
"Capital, if it works," decided the flight-sub.
Dawn was breaking as the two chums trudged wearily into the littleJutland town of Esbjerg. Guided by a seaman's unerring instinct, theymade straight for the harbour.
It was now a little more than half flood. Lying alongside the westernpier, that with the mole encloses the outer tidal harbour, wereseveral small tramps with steam raised. They were still aground, andwould be for another hour. Amongst them was a wall-sided, grey-hulledsteamer, with the Danish colours painted conspicuously on both sidesas well as the name "Nordby" in letters six feet in height.
The work of loading was not yet complete, for gangs of stevedoreswere carrying sacks of smoked bacon and kegs of butter from the quayto the hold. A sleepy young officer was directing operations. He wasthe only member of the ship's complement visible. The rest of theofficers and ship's crew were below.
"Any use trailing in with the crowd?" asked Fuller, indicating themen engaged in loading the vessel.
"I think not," replied Tressidar. "We'll mark time until the skipperputs in an appearance, only I hope he'll come on deck before our manarrives."
Presently a short, rotund man skipped agilely up the gangway. Thesub. rightly concluded that he was the pilot, for as he gained thedeck the mate sung out an order and the crew emerged from the forepeak. A little later the skipper came on deck and made his way to thebridge, where he remained for some time in animated conversation withthe pilot.
Meanwhile the hatches were secured and the last of the stevedoresreturned to the shore. Half a dozen passengers boarded the ship, butwhether the spy was amongst them Tressidar was unable to determine.He wished he had taken the risk of having a look at the fellow whilehe was conversing with the count.
As each passenger gained the head of the gangway he was addressed bya steward and told which was his cabin, but as every man had to showhis ticket it was pretty evident that the two Englishmen could notsmuggle themselves on board without an almost certain risk of beingchallenged.
"The crew look to be pretty hefty chuckers-out," remarked Fullerruefully, as he looked at the stalwart Danes. "Pity we hadn't knockedup the British vice-consul. I suppose the only thing to be done is togo straight on board and make a clean breast of it to the skipper.These Danes are awfully decent fellows, and their sympathies arealmost always pro-British. The trouble is, that neither of us canspeak Danish, although perhaps the skipper knows English."
Just then a cab drew up close to the pier and a tall, upright manwith a trim torpedo beard alighted. A porter hastened to convey hissomewhat scanty belongings. As he did so, a portmanteau slipped fromhis grasp and, rebounding on the planking of the pier, struck theowner a smart blow on the shin.
"Confound you, you idiot!" he exclaimed.
At the words, uttered in an unmistakably west-country accent,Tressidar walked straight up to the stranger.
"Excuse me," he said. "We're in a regular hole. We are Britishofficers and have escaped from Germany. Can you help us to obtain apassage in the 'Nordby'?"
"You have not broken your parole, I trust?"
"We were never asked to give our parole," replied the sub. "Wemanaged to get away from Sylt."
"Then you must be pretty smart," replied the stranger. "From allaccounts it is a pretty tight place to be cooped up in. By the bye,what are your names?"
Tressidar gave the name and rank of his companion and himself
"And mine is Holloway, late navigating lieutenant of the'Sunderbund.' I'm interned, but the Danish Government have given meten days' leave on parole. Suppose it won't be infringing any of theconditions if I do give you a hand. Here's some of the necessary. Theshipping agent's office is just round the corner. You'll have to looksharp."
With hurried thanks the two chums hastened to purchase their tickets.Directly the lieutenant had mentioned his name they had both recalledthe loss of the "Sunderbund," a destroyer that had run aground inDanish waters, and, while helpless, was subjected to the fire of fourGerman light cruisers in defiance of all international regulations.But for the prompt intervention of a Danish torpedo-boat that,regardless of risk, had interposed between the stranded British craftand her unscrupulous assailants, the crew of the "Sunderbund" wouldhave been massacred--there is no other word for it. As it was, thesurvivors--the officer and twenty-seven men--were rescued andinterned.
Without a hitch Tressidar and Fuller found themselves safely on boardthe "Nordby."
The steward, although guessing from the absence of luggage that thetwo passengers were British prisoners of war or else men who had beeninterned and had not been on parole, received them with imperturbablegravity.
"I am anxious to know how you did the trick," said LieutenantHolloway, as the three Britons paced the deck.
"If you don't mind we'll cut the first part of the yarn," repliedTressidar, making sure that no stranger was within earshot. "We hadparticular reasons for choosing the 'Nordby.'"
Briefly yet comprehensively he related the incident of the previousnight, and that the spy was expected to sail on the "Nordby" with theintention of blowing her up.
"By Jove!" said Lieutenant Holloway fiercely. "Wish to goodness Iwasn't bound by my parole. I'd like to have a hand in the business.Unfortunately I cannot. You say the spy isn't on board yet?"
"So far as we can surmise," rejoined Fuller. "You see, we heard himbut didn't have a chance of examining the cut of his jib. Hulloa,here's a late bird. Wonder if 'tis he?"
An overcoated man was hurrying to the gangway. Disregarding thesolicitations of the porters, he carried his own baggage, whichconsisted of two large, brass-bound attach? cases.
Nodding familiarly to the steward, the man descended the companion.
"Well?" asked Fuller, turning to his chum, but to his surprise he sawthat Tressidar was in the act of straightening himself out, havingjust completed the task of refastening his boot-lace. "I say, you'rea pretty sort of fellow. How on earth could you scrutinise a man ifyour face is looking at your boots?"
"I saw quite enough of him to satisfy me," replied Tressidar. "What Iwas afraid of was that he might recognise me."
"Recognise you?" echoed Fuller in amazement and incredulity.
"I said 'recognise me,'" repeated the sub. firmly. "Now I canunderstand the 'Pompey' affair. That fellow--I knew him in a minutein spite of his beard and moustache--was stoker on board thecruiser."
"Then you must hav
e a wonderful memory," remarked Holloway,"especially as this fellow is one of the engine-room ratings and youare an executive officer."
"I had to speak pretty sharply to him once," said the sub. "Heboggled over the steam winch--there was an accident in consequenceand a man was killed. Now I come to think of it I don't believe itwas altogether an accident, though. At any rate, he's our man. We'llfind out which cabin he occupies and how far it is from theafter-store-room hatchway. Then we'll have to wait."
"And see?" added Fuller.
"No--act," corrected Tressidar grimly.