CHAPTER V
A Dash up The Narrows
The Turk challenged. In the dim light he was not able to discern theuniform of the young officer. Perhaps he took him for one of theGerman taskmasters. At all events he merely held his rifle at theready and made no attempt to fire.
The slight delay gave Dick his chance. Dropping on one knee he grippedthe sentry by his ankle, at the same time delivering a terrificleft-hander that caught the fellow fairly in that portion of his bodycommonly known as "the wind".
The Turk fell like a log. His rifle dropped from his nerveless grasp,fortunately without exploding. The back of his head came in violentcontact with a lump of rock and rendered him insensible.
"You've killed him," whispered Sefton.
"Not much," replied Crosthwaite coolly. "He's got a skull as thick asa log of wood. At any rate we'll be spared the trouble of having togag and truss him up. You might remove the bolt from his rifle andthrow it away. It may save us a lot of bother if the fellow does pullhimself together sooner than I expect."
It was hazardous work descending the almost sheer cliff, for the spotwhere the officers had emerged was midway between the fort and thebeach, and, being in a totally different part to the place where theyhad landed, they were unfamiliar with the locality.
Once Sefton slipped, and rolled twenty feet through the brushwood,finally landing in a cavity caused by the explosion of a shell. On twooccasions the Sub almost came to grief through the rock giving waybeneath his feet, but by dint of hanging on like grim death hesucceeded in regaining a firm foothold. The drizzling rain, too, madethe ground slippery, and added to the difficulties; but after tenminutes' arduous exertions they found themselves on the stone-strewnbeach.
"Now stop," ordered Dick. "Sling your revolver and ammunition into thesea. We want to travel light on the job. Ready? I'll set the courseif you'll keep as close as you can. Thank goodness we're not in theTropics, and that there are no sharks about!"
He might have added that amongst those rocks cuttle-fish werefrequently to be found; but fearing there might be a limit to his youngcompanion's pluck, he refrained from cautioning him on that point. Itwas a case of "ignorance is bliss" as far as Sefton was concerned.
The water was cold--much colder than that of the adjacentMediterranean--yet it would be possible for the active swimmers toendure half an hour's swimming without risk of exhaustion. Long beforethat, they fervently hoped they would be safe on board a British vessel.
"Breast stroke--and don't splash," cautioned Dick, as the midshipmanstarted off with powerful overhand stroke. Any suspicious movement inthe water might bring a heavy rifle-fire upon the two swimmers from thenumerous Turkish infantry who had reoccupied the position after theretirement of the demolition party. The Sub could hear them distinctlyas they vigorously plied mattock and shovel in throwing upentrenchments on either side of the demolished fort.
Ahead, and less than half a mile from the shore, was a destroyer,moving slowly against the current and sweeping the shore with hersearch-lights. At first the Sub imagined she was stationary, butbefore the swimmers had covered fifty yards they were caught by thecurrent, and swept southwards so rapidly that Dick realized that therewas no chance of making for her. Their best plan was to swim at rightangles to the shore, and let the drift help them to shape an obliquecourse that would bring them in the track of the mine-sweepers.
"How goes it?" enquired Crosthwaite laconically, after ten minutes ofsilence.
"All correct, sir," replied the middy confidently.
"We'll make that chap all right," continued Dick, pointing to a blackshape "broad on his starboard bow" as he expressed its position.
Two minutes later he was not so certain. The vessel seemed to bechanging course. Just then a search-light played full upon the headsof the swimmers. There it hung with irritating persistency.
"Hope they don't think we're a couple of drifting mines, sir," remarkedSefton. "Perhaps they'll give us a few rounds."
That possibility had entered Dick's mind. Raising his arm out of thewater he waved it frantically. In so doing he completely forgot theother side of the question, and a crackle of musketry from the shoreannounced the disconcerting fact that the alert Turks had noticed thecommotion in the water.
The bullets ricochetted all around the swimmers. The Sub turned andgave a swift glance at his companion. He was still "going strong",unperturbed by the leaden missiles that sung like angry bees.
A lurid flash burst from the fo'c'sle gun of the destroyer.
For a brief instant the Sub was in a state of suspense; then he gave agasp of relief, for the projectile was not aimed at the two darkobjects in the ray of the search-light. With a crash it landed on thehillside, and the rifle-firing ceased with commendable promptness.
The destroyer turned and, still maintaining a high speed, made straightfor the two swimmers.
"Way enough!" exclaimed Dick cheerfully. "They're going to pick us up."
Suddenly, as the vessel's engines were reversed, the destroyer lostway. The creaking of tackle announced that her crew were lowering oneof the Berthon boats--and within four hundred yards of the Turkishbatteries.
Yet for some reason the field-pieces did not open fire until Dick andthe midshipman were picked up and were in the act of being transferredfrom the boat to the destroyer _Calder_. Then, with a vivid and asharp detonation, a shell burst a couple of hundred feet short of theBritish craft, quickly followed by another that missed by similardistance beyond.
Having revealed their identity, Dick and his companion were taken belowand furnished with dry clothing. Quickly the Sub returned on deck andapproached the Lieutenant-Commander on the bridge.
"Field-pieces lowered over the cliff, eh?" ejaculated that officer."Jolly plucky of those fellows. We're engaged in trying to draw theirfire. Sorry I can't put you on board the _Hammerer_. The battleshipsand cruisers have withdrawn until the mine-field is cleared a littlehigher up. They're going to tackle Chanak and Kilid Bahr to-morrow.We're just off to reconnoitre. The _Calder's_ taking the European andthe _Irwell_ is trying her luck on the Asiatic side."
"Can I be of any service, sir?"
"I'm afraid not--as far as I can see at present. We'll find room foryou in the conning-tower."
The _Calder's_ search-lights had now been switched off. She wassteaming slowly in a northerly direction, and had already passed theinnermost of the mine-sweepers and their attendant destroyers.
Dick entered the limited expanse of the conning-tower, in which was aNaval Reserve sub-lieutenant and two seamen. The Lieutenant-Commander,called by courtesy the Captain, stood without on the bridge, in companywith the mate and a yeoman of signals.
Presently the Lieutenant-Commander glanced at the luminous dial of hiswatch.
"Time!" he exclaimed decisively, in the tone of a referee at a boxingtournament. "Full speed ahead."
The engine-room telegraph-bell clanged. Black smoke tinged with luridred flames belched from the four squat funnels, and, like a houndreleased from leash, the _Calder_ raced on her perilous mission, herwhole fabric quivering under the rapid pulsations of her engines.
The _Calder_ was not one of the latest type of destroyers. Her tonnagewas a little over 550, her speed supposed to be 24 knots, but by dintof terrific exertion on the part of her "black squad" that rate wasconsiderably exceeded.
Almost everything depended on her pace. She had to draw the fire fromthe hostile batteries. If she were hit and sunk the British navy wouldbe the poorer by the loss of a useful destroyer and a crew of seventygallant men--and nothing would be gained except the glory of havingdied for their country. If on the other hand the _Calder_ returned insafety, the British Admiral would be in possession of importantinformation with reference to the position of new batteries that theTurks had thrown up to supplement those which were already known to bein existence. Moreover, there had been a report that The Narrows hadbeen obstructed by a boom in addition to rows o
f mines, and averification of the information or otherwise was urgently requiredbefore further extensive operations could be conducted.
On and on the _Calder_ tore. Now she was abreast of the powerfulbatteries of Tekeh and Escali. Almost ahead, owing to the sinuosity ofThe Narrows, lay the huge fortress of Chanak. Each of these positionsmounted guns heavy enough to blow the frail destroyer clean out of thewater, while there was known to be rows of deadly mines which might beanchored sufficiently far beneath the surface to allow a craft of the_Calder's_ draught to pass unscathed--but they might not. It wasfacing death at every revolution of the propellers.
Yet for some unknown reason the Turks made no attempt to open fire. Itmight be that they relied upon their mines, and were loath to disclosetheir positions by opening fire upon an insignificant destroyer. Ifsuch were the case, it showed that the Ottoman had learned a newvirtue--forbearance under provocation.
It was useless to suppose that the enemy had not spotted theswiftly-moving destroyer. The flame-tinged smoke was enough. Besides,she had already crossed the path of three powerful fixed search-lightsthat swept the entire width of the Dardanelles.
"The beggars are going to spoof us," remarked the Naval Reserve officerto Dick. "We'll have our run for nothing. I wish they'd do something."
Before Crosthwaite could reply, the whole of the European shore betweenTekeh and Kilid Bahr seemed to be one blaze of vivid flashes. Then, tothe accompaniment of a continuous roar that would outvoice the clap ofthunder, a hundred projectiles sped towards the daring Britishdestroyer, some falling short, others bursting ahead and astern, whilemany flew harmlessly overhead. Yet in all that tornado of shell the_Calder_ survived. Although her funnels were riddled with fragments ofthe bursting missiles and a shell penetrated her wardroom, shesustained no vital damage.
Zigzagging like an eel, in order to baffle the Turkish gun-layers, sheheld grimly on her way, her skipper, standing coolly on the bridge,sweeping the shore with powerful night-glasses.
Fragments of metal rattled against the thin armour of theconning-tower. Wafts of cordite drifted aft as the crew of the 4-inchon the foc'sle blazed away against the powerful shore batteries. Adozen streams of smoke from the perforated funnels eddied aft in thestrong breeze caused by the destroyer's speed, and rendered itimpossible for the after 4-inch gun to be worked.
Making a complete circle the _Calder_ entered the belt of dense smokepreviously thrown out by the funnels. A lot depended upon thismanoeuvre, for she was lost sight of by the Turkish gunners. Whilethey were congratulating themselves upon having sunk another of theGiaour's ships, the destroyer emerged from the bank of vapour, and in aposition that necessitated an alteration in the sighting of the hostileguns.
It was grimly exciting, this game of dodging the fire of a hundredguns. Without giving a thought to the fact that the conning-towerafforded little or no protection, Dick revelled in the situation, nowthat the first salvo had been fired. Possibly the sight of theLieutenant-Commander scorning to take shelter helped to steady Dick'snerves. He felt as much at home on that frail craft, the plating ofwhich was a little thicker than cardboard, as he did behind aheavy-armoured casemate of the _Hammerer_.
From both sides of the Dardanelles shells, large and small, hurtledthrough the air. It seemed as if nothing could prevent the projectilesfrom Kilid Bahr and the adjacent batteries ricochetting into Chanak andthe forts on the Asiatic shore. Yet, hit many times, the _Calder_ heldgrimly and swiftly on her course till she came abreast of Nagara.
"THE _CALDER_ HELD GRIMLY AND SWIFTLY ON HER WAY"]
She had traversed the whole extent of The Narrows. Mines she missed,possibly by a few feet. More than once torpedoes, launched from thetubes mounted on the shore, tore past her, the trail of foam loomingwith a peculiar phosphorescence, showing how near they had been togetting home; while the shells that struck her, although inflictingconsiderable damage, failed to strike in any vital part.
Satisfied that no boom existed at Nagara, and that the Turkish cruisersand destroyers which were thought to have left the Sea of Marmora andhad taken shelter beyond Nagara were not in their expected anchorage,the Lieutenant-Commander of the _Calder_ ordered the helm to be puthard over.
Listing outwardly as she turned till her normal water-line showed threefeet above the water, the destroyer began her return journey. Beforeshe recovered her normal trim a 4-inch shell penetrated her thinplating, and, fortunately without exploding, missed one of the boilersby a fraction of an inch and disappeared out of the starboard side.
Then, as the destroyer steadied on her helm, the aperture a few secondspreviously clear of the water was now eighteen inches beneath thesurface. It poured a regular cascade that threatened to flood theengine-room.
In an instant one of the artificers saw the danger and acted promptly.Seizing a bundle of oily waste he thrust it into the irregular-shapedhole, and coolly sat with his broad shoulders hard against theimpromptu plug and kept it in position.
"There's the _Irwell_," suddenly exclaimed the Royal Naval Reserveofficer, who was looking through one of the slits in the conning-toweron the port side.
Dick also looked. At two cables' length from them was their consort,which, having circled to starboard, had closed in upon the _Calder_.Both were now running on parallel courses and at approximately the samespeed.
The _Calder's_ skipper also saw the other destroyer. He realized thedanger of the formation, for both craft were in a direct line of firefrom the forts.
"Hard-a-port!" he shouted.
The quartermaster heard in spite of the terrific din. Round spun thewheel of the steam steering-gear, and with a lurch that gave thosebelow the impression that she was turning turtle, the destroyer made acomplete circle. By the time she had steadied on her helm the _Irwell_was nearly a mile ahead.
A repetition of the terrible fire from Kum Kale greeted the _Calder_ asshe tore past the southern-most of the forts, badly mauled but still infighting trim. Her exploit had been successfully accomplished.
"Can anyone oblige me with a cigarette?" asked theLieutenant-Commander, as he was rejoined by the officers from theconning-tower.
The Royal Naval Reserve officer hastened to comply.
"Good heavens, sir!" he exclaimed. "You've been hit."
"Yes," assented the skipper coolly. "A piece of shell. It's spoilt mygreatcoat, I'm afraid, but what's worse, took my cigarette-case toblazes--and it was a presentation one, worse luck. That's why I had toask for something to smoke. No, it isn't a case for the medico; aMaltese jeweller will do a bit of business over this affair, I think."
Handing over the charge of the bridge to the second in command, theskipper went below to receive the reports of the surgeon, the chiefartificer-engineer, and the gunner as to the damage to personnel andhull and fittings. This done he retired to his cabin--which wasconsiderably draughty, owing to the attentions of a couple of Turkishshells which had passed completely through it without exploding--andproceeded to draft his report to the Admiral.
Presently Dick remembered that he had not seen anything of young Seftonduring the dash up The Narrows. Going in search of him, he found themidshipman busily engaged in helping the doctor, a surgeon probationerof the Royal Naval Reserve entered for service during the war. Therewas plenty to be done, for the casualties amounted to four menseriously wounded and about a dozen others suffering from slightinjuries.
"Can't say I liked the job at first, sir," remarked the midshipmanconfidently, "but the skipper told me to go below. It felt absolutelyrotten being boxed up without knowing what's going on. One thing iscertain: I'll take jolly good care not to specialize in engineering ifI can help it. I mean to go for the executive branch for all I'mworth."
"You've made yourself pretty useful, I hear," said Crosthwaite, who hadbeen told by the surgeon how the midshipman worked like a nigger.
"I suppose so," admitted Sefton modestly. "When you're helping topatch up a man who has been horribly knocked about, you f
orget what'sgoing on on deck. Where are we now, sir?"
"Making for the fleet off Tenedos," replied the Sub. "We'll be put onboard the old _Hammerer_ before another hour's up, unless somethingunforeseen occurs. My word, the wind is piping up! We're in for agood hard blow, I believe."
Without further incident the _Calder_ rejoined the rest of thesquadron. In answer to a signal a picket boat put off from the_Hammerer_ to take off the two missing officers, who parted from theirrescuers with thanks and promises to restore their borrowed garments atthe first available opportunity.
Next day it blew half a gale. Under these climatic conditionsoperations were hopeless, and the fleet remained in the open roadstead,rolling heavily in the terrific seas. In such weather even thesteadiest ship would be unable to use her guns with any degree ofaccuracy, while it was equally certain that none of the Turkishmine-laying vessels could come out to drop fresh mines in the place ofthose already removed by the British trawlers.
But, on the other hand, the Ottoman land forces were not handicapped bythe climatic conditions. They were doubtless hard at work throwing upnew trenches and batteries, and installing fresh guns from theapparently inexhaustible supply from the arsenals of their Teutonictaskmasters.
For three days it blew heavily, accompanied by a continuous deluge ofrain. The delay was galling, and increased the desire of the officersand men of the fleet to complete the good work that up to the presenthad progressed with every prospect of ultimate and speedy success.
"What do you think of that for confounded cheek, Crosthwaite?" askedBourne, handing the Sub a typewritten document which contained news ofthe war that had been received by wireless and distributed amongst thefleet. "A Turkish bulletin with German editing requires a lot ofswallowing."
Dick took the proffered paper and read:
"The Dardanelles Operations.--Berlin reports that on Monday theAnglo-French fleet made a desperate attack upon the southern forts ofthe Gallipoli Peninsula. In spite of a terrific artillery fire littledamage was done to the forts. A strong English landing-party wasrepulsed with heavy losses."
"If they call our demolition party a strong force, I pity them when wedo land a few army corps!" remarked Bourne. "However, the more peopleare fooled the more bitter the grim realization. Carry on."
"The same evening a number of enemy light cruisers and destroyersattempted to ascend The Narrows," read Dick aloud, for the benefit ofsome of the midshipmen. "Three cruisers and at least six destroyerswere observed to sink under the accurate fire of our Turkish allies.The Anglo-French fleet, apparently realizing the hopelessness of theoperations, has dispersed."
"To Tenedos, to pay another visit in a day or two," added Maynebrace."We'll be through in a fortnight. And I believe the wind's dropping.The glass has been rising steadily for the last three hours."
The midshipman's prognostics were correct, for on the following morningthe wind and sea had subsided considerably.
From the flagship a general signal was made. Its meaning was greetedwith an outburst of acclamation, for it was brief and to the point:
"The fleet will weigh and engage at close range."