quiet old streets of York city, past the Minster, they turnedeastward upon that well-kept highway which led towards the North SeaCoast.
An hour's run brought them to the pleasant town which I must not, withthe alarming provisions of the Defence of the Realm Act before me,indicate with any other initial save that of J--.
The town of J--, built upon a deep and pretty bay forming a naturalharbour with its breakwater and pier, was, in the pre-war days, apopular resort of the summer girl with her transparent blouses and herpretty bathing costumes, but since hostilities, it was a place believedto be within the danger zone.
As they descended, by the long, winding road, into the town, they couldsee, in the bay, a big grey four-funnelled first-class cruiser lying atanchor, the grey smoke curling lazily from her striped funnels--restingthere no doubt after many weeks of patrol duty in the vicinity of theKiel Canal.
Indeed, as they went along the High Street, they saw a number ofclear-eyed liberty men--bluejackets--bearing upon their caps the nameH.M.S. _Oakham_.
The car containing Ella's father and his companion pulled up at thePalace Hotel, a big imposing place, high on the cliff, thereforeKennedy, much satisfied that he had thus been able to follow the car forover two hundred miles, went on some little distance to the nextavailable hotel.
This latter place, like the Palace, afforded a fine view of the bay, andas they stood at a window of the palm-lined lounge, they could see thatupon the cruiser lights were already appearing.
Kennedy called the waiter for a drink, and carelessly asked what was inprogress.
"The ship--the _Oakham_--came in the day before yesterday, sir," the manreplied. "There's a party on board this evening, they say--our Mayorand corporation, and all the rest."
Ella exchanged glances with her lover. She recollected thatkhaki-covered despatch-box. Had her father brought with him thatterrible death-dealing machine which he and Nystrom had constructed withsuch accursed ingenuity?
The hotel was deserted, as east coast hotels within the danger zoneusually were in those war days, remaining open only for the occasionaltraveller and for the continuity of its licence. The great revue starhad sent a telegram to her manager, asking that her understudy shouldplay that night, and the devoted pair now stood side by side watchinghow, in the rapidly falling night, the twinkling electric lights onboard the fine British cruiser became more clearly marked against thegrey background of stormy sea and sky.
"I wonder what their game can really be?" remarked the youngflying-officer reflectively as, alone with Ella, his strong arm creptslowly around her neat waist.
From where they stood they were afforded a wide view of the broad roadwhich led from the town down to the landing-stage, from which thecruiser's steam pinnace and picket-boat were speeding to and fro betweenship and shore. A dozen or so smart motor-cars had descended the road,conveying the guests of the captain and officers who, after their longand unrelaxing vigil in the North Sea, certainly deserved a littlerecreation. Then, as the twilight deepened and the stars began to shineout over the bay, it was seen that the procession of guests had at lastended.
"I think, Ella, that we might, perhaps, go down to the landing-stage,"said Kennedy at last--"if you are not too tired, dear."
"Tired? Why, of course not," she laughed, and after he had helped heron with her coat, they both went out, passing down to the harbour byanother road.
For fully an hour they idled about in the darkness, watching the swiftbrass-funnelled pinnace which, so spick and span, and commanded by asmart lad fresh from Osborne, was making the journey regularly betweenship and quay. Away in the darkness the lights on the cruiser'squarter-deck reflected into the sea, while ever and anon the high-upmasthead signal-lamp winked in Morse code to the coastguard station fivemiles distant across the bay.
While they were watching, the pinnace came in again, whereupon the smartfigure of a naval officer in his topcoat appeared within the zone oflight, and descended the steps, shouting in an interrogative tone:
"_Oakham_?"
"Ay, ay, sir!" came a cheery voice from the pinnace.
"Look!" gasped Ella, clinging to her lover's arm. "Why--it's Benyon--dressed as a naval lieutenant! He's going on board, and he's carryingthat despatch-box with him!"
Indeed, he had handed the heavy box to one of the men, and was at thatmoment stepping into the pinnace.
"Off to the ship--as quick as you can!" they heard him order, while,next moment, the boat was cast loose and the propeller began to revolve.
"We haven't a second to lose!" whispered Kennedy who, as soon as thepinnace was around the pier-head, called out "Boat!" In an instanthalf-a-dozen men, noticing that he was a naval officer, were eagerlycrowding around him.
"I want to follow that pinnace--quick!" he said. "Three men--and youcan sail out there. The wind's just right."
In a few moments a boat came alongside the steps, and into it the pairstepped, with three hardy North Sea boatmen.
Quickly sail was set and, favoured by a fresh breeze, the boat slowlyheeled over and began to skim across the dark waters.
Already the light on the pinnace showed far away, it having nearlyreached the ship. Therefore Kennedy, in his eagerness, stirred thethree men to greater effort, so that by rowing and sailing by turns,they gradually grew nearer the long, dark war-vessel, while Ella satclasping her well-beloved's hand in the darkness, and whisperingexcitedly with him.
Those were, indeed, moments of greatest tension, away upon that darkwintry sea beyond the harbour, that wide bay which, on account of itsunusual depth and exposed position, was never considered a very safeanchorage.
Their progress seemed at a snail's pace, as it always seems upon the seaat night. They watched the pinnace draw up, and they knew that the man,Benyon, who, though German-born, had lived in London the greater part ofhis life--was on board carrying that terrible instrument of death thathad been cleverly prepared in such official guise.
At last--after an age it seemed--the boat swung in beside the lightedgangway against the pinnace, and Kennedy, stepping nimbly up, said tothe sentry on board:
"Let nobody pass up or down, except this lady." Then, seeing theofficer on duty, he asked if a lieutenant had arrived on board with adespatch-box.
"Yes. I've sent him down to the captain," was the reply.
"Take me to the captain at once, please," Kennedy said in a calm voice."There's no time to lose. There's treachery on board!"
In a second the officer was on the alert and ran down the stern gangwaywhich led direct to the captain's comfortable cabin, with itseasy-chairs covered with bright chintzes like the small drawing-room ofa country house.
Kennedy followed with Ella, but the captain was not there. The sentrysaid he was in the ward-room, therefore the pair waited till he cameforward eagerly.
"Well," asked the grey-haired captain with some surprise, seeing anofficer and a lady. "What is it?"
"Have you received any despatches to-night, sir?" Kennedy inquired.
"No. What despatches?" asked the captain.
Then, in a few brief words, Kennedy explained how he had watched a manin naval uniform come off in the pinnace, carrying a heavy despatch-box.The man had passed the sentry and been directed below by the officer onduty. But he had never arrived at the captain's cabin.
The "owner," as the captain of a cruiser is often called by his brotherofficers, was instantly on the alert. The alarm was given, and the shipwas at once thoroughly searched, especially the ammunition stores,where, in the flat close to the torpedoes on the port side, the deadlybox was discovered. The guests knew nothing of this activity on thelower deck, but the two men who found the box heard a curious tickingwithin, and without a second's delay brought it up and heaved itoverboard.
Then again the boatswain piped, and every man, as he stood at his post,was informed that a spy who had attempted to blow up the ship was stillon board. Indeed, as "Number One," otherwise the first lieutenant, wasaddressing them a great column
of water rose from an explosion deepbelow the surface, and much of it fell heavily on deck.
Another thorough search was made into every corner of the vessel,whereupon the stranger in uniform was at last discovered in one of thestokeholds. Two stokers rushed across to seize him, but with a quickmovement he felled both with an iron bar. Then he ran up the ladderwith the agility of a cat, and sped right into the arms of Ella andKennedy.
"Curse you--I was too late!" he shrieked in fierce anger, on recognisingthem, and then seeing all retreat cut off, he suddenly sprang over theside of the vessel, intending, no doubt, to swim ashore.
At once the pinnace went after him, but in the darkness he could not bediscovered, though the searchlights began to slowly sweep the darkswirling waters.
That he met a well-deserved fate,