CHAPTER X
THE FUTURE
On the way back to the saloon a further truth began to dawn uponRuxton. Nor did he lose a moment in challenging his host when theyreached the luxurious apartment.
"You have brought those cylinders away. May I ask why?" he enquired.
The Prince had seated himself, and was in the act of lighting a cigar.He desisted, and held his case out towards his guest. Ruxton helpedhimself and waited.
The other stared thoughtfully at the cigar which remained poised in hislean fingers. Then he raised his brilliant eyes, and the Englishmanrealized that the moment of lightness, of almost schoolboyish delightat the sense of danger had entirely passed. The eyes shonepassionately, and reminded him sharply of the expressive eyes of thewoman who had appealed for humanity with him on the brink of theYorkshire cliffs.
"Why? Because I have convinced you of my submersible. Because for thatreason I have determined to deprive the German Government of the use ofmy U-rays for an indefinite period. Perhaps forever. Listen, there isonly one man knows that I have an installation of that light on my shipbesides ourselves, and that man is--Ludovic. I have installed it withmy own hands. The installation on the submersible dreadnought which yousaw was the first effort in that direction, and the Government believeit to be purely experimental. Well, the experiment has--failed. That isall." He shrugged.
"But you will be forced to try again."
"And it will fail--again. Ach, so! I would rather unship my plant, andfling my models to the bottom of the sea, where they may help to lightup the world of crabs, than that my Government should acquire onesingle added threat against humanity."
The next few moments were silently occupied in lighting their cigars.Ruxton had no words with which to answer him. He was thinking deeply,comparing this man's attitude towards the country which claimed himwith his own feelings for his island home. He wondered what hisattitude would have been had their positions been reversed; if he, asan Englishman, had been such a power, through his discoveries, foraiding his country. To his shame he was forced to the conclusion thatthis white-haired Pole was a greater man than he could ever hope to be.
The difference between them lay in the difference between a perfervidpatriotism, and the Prince's overwhelming love of humanity inspired bythe abyss of horror into which a blind devotion to his country hadflung him. This man had passed the great dividing line where theuplifted spirit renounces the claims of earthly passion in favor of thecall of the voice of the soul. The cause of humanity now dominatedevery other emotion. Somehow his own fervor of patriotism sufferedseverely by the comparison, and so he found himself with no words inwhich to answer.
The old man rose from his chair and passed into his private stateroom.A few moments later he returned with two rolls of papers, neatlysecured by tapes and seals.
He had closed the door. He was about to cross over to his guest. But ina moment he was held rigid where he stood. A dull boom roared outsomewhere overhead and vibrated down the entire length of the vessel.
His eyes were wide and attentive. But there was no fear in them. Ruxtonstarted up from the lounge on which he had been sitting. A thrillingexcitement shone in his eyes.
"Is it a--mine?" he cried sharply.
The Prince shook his head.
"There would be nothing of us left at this moment," he said. "Wait! Youcan feel the steady throb of the engines. No, it was a gun. It was abursting shell from one of the silent guns. They can see our periscope,and are firing across us--to heave to. Hark! There goes another."
Again came a terrific detonation. But the vessel ploughed on.
"Presently they will fire to hit our periscope and make us rise to thesurface. Von Salzinger has gone further than I had dared to hope."
"Hope?"
"He will pay for this with his position."
"But if they hit our periscope?"
The Prince shrugged.
"It will make no difference. We shall not rise till it suits us. Wehave the light. Already we must be nearly through the mine-field. Oncewe are through the mines Ludovic could make the journey seawardsblindfold."
The Prince crossed over to his chair, and laid the sealed rolls on thetable beside him. He did not speak. He was obviously listening.
Presently another sharp explosion sounded overhead, and his eyes lit.
"Ah, I thought Von Salzinger would not resist it. You see, he is aPrussian." He smiled, but his eyes had lost their humor. "That wasshrapnel," he went on. "Its bursting is unmistakable. But he will nothit the periscope."
Again silence fell between them, and both smoked on with every sensealert. There was another explosion overhead. Then another and another.Still the vibrations of the engines continued. The two waited some timefor the next explosion, but it was delayed. At last the Prince rosefrom his seat and passed out of the room. He was away for some moments.During his absence Ruxton never stirred a muscle. His cigar had goneout. He was still listening acutely.
Finally the Prince returned, and Ruxton's eyes put their questionplainly.
"We have completely passed the mine-field. We are also completelysubmerged," said the Prince. "We need no longer concern ourselves withVon Salzinger."
Ruxton drew a deep breath. He relit his cigar, while the other seemedto dismiss the subject from his mind entirely. The excitement of theescape had passed, and with the passing of it, it had robbed him of alllightness. His large eyes darkened, and a frowning of his bushy browsgave him an appearance of depression.
Ruxton, watching him, wondered what next was to be the display of thisextraordinary creature. Nor had he long to wait.
"You have seen at--Borga?" he demanded.
"More--than I was prepared for, in spite of all you and the Princesshad told me."
"Yes. Tell me. Tell me about it."
Ruxton drew his feet up on the lounge. His dark eyes were on thewhite-whiskered face of his host, but they had become deeplyintrospective.
"I wonder how many years we have before it--comes."
"Perhaps--ten."
"Ten? Yes, I suppose so." The Englishman's eyes were full of a deeppondering. "And then war. War upon Britain alone. The rest of the worldcajoled into quiescence through self-interest, and the memory of thehorrors of the late war. Yes, a sudden and swift descent upon ouroverseas commerce. The wholesale wrecking, and terrorizing byslaughter. Every ship bound for our shores must be captured or sunk.This must occur simultaneously in all parts of the world. Then thecomplete ringing round of these islands, and a naval warfare against uswith this new type of battle-ship, the submersible dreadnought. From anaval point of view, with our own submarine vessels, doubtless it iscalculated that we might hold our own. But meanwhile our islands wouldbe starved, and our country brought to its knees. All our defencesagainst submarine attack in the past would be rendered useless by theU-rays light. It is certainly a picture to intimidate the stoutestheart. And then? What lies behind this? I can see it in your eyesthat--there is more behind it all."
The Prince leant forward with that swiftness of action which indicatesa tumultuous stream of thought surging to find expression.
"Ach, that is so. That is all so. But you are right. There ismore--much more," he cried, his lean hands tenaciously grasping thepolished arms of his chair. "You have all talked world domination. Youhave all vaguely known that that was Germany's object in the last war,and in which she failed. No one knows better than Germany why shefailed. It does not need the Englishman to remind her. Since then shehas changed her whole plans, and now they are more far-reaching thanever. She has abandoned Napoleonic for the ancient Roman methods.Germany, once she has wrested sea power from Britain, will live in astate of war with the whole world. The procedure will be an attackupon, and annexation of, every small state in turn. And each smallstate so acquired will pay its own bill. She will consolidate eachterritory as she possesses it, and so long as her war methods continuethey will be bled white. So she will build up in every corner of theearth, and in the process
she will prosper exceedingly, as did thegreat Roman Empire. And throughout this reign of terror, while theoutward seeming of civilization will increase a hundredfold, allspiritual life, and the culture of the human soul, will go back sometwo thousand years. We are this moment at the world's greatest crisis.One slip, one wrong move, and the great structure of the human soulwill fall with a crash to the bowels of an abyss two thousand yearsdeep. For the moment every seeing eye looks to Britain. For the moment,at this terrible crisis, Britain alone stands a bulwark that can savethe human race from its tragedy. Salvation lies in the supremacy of theseas, which, thank God, is still in the keeping of your country.Britain must keep it. She must hold to it with all the bulldog tenacityfor which she is famous. She must keep that mastery, not alone for herown security, but for the security of the whole human race!"
The man ran his lean fingers through his shock of white hair. And theaction was an expression of relief from tension. A great light wasshining in his eyes, a light which told Ruxton Farlow of the hot soulburning within. He knew, had known before, the truth of all this manhad just stated, and the corroboration of his own knowledge, throughthe lips of another, fell with added weight.
He shifted his position. The urgency of all that had been said, all hehad witnessed, now, as such things always did, drove him toconsiderations which bore actively upon the situation.
"Yes," he said, without emotion, "you have drawn a true picture. Apicture which we, who care, have held in our imagination ever since thesigning of that disastrous peace. Now I have witnessed for myself allthat Germany is preparing." He paused, in deep thought, and the otherwaited anxiously.
"Let us consider now the risks and dangers of the moment," Ruxton wenton again presently. He glanced up at the ceiling. The artificial lightswere still shining. "We are still submerged. Therefore we are not yetin the open sea. A very real threat still hangs over us--over you. Itwill still hang over you when I am safely landed on my Yorkshire coast."
The shining light of the Prince's eyes was passing. His interest wasnot in his own safety. He shrugged.
"There is no danger for me. With Van Salzinger it is different."
"But you have broken the most vital of Borga's regulations. _Can_ theGerman naval authorities overlook that? Will there be no question? Willyou not be forced to produce your nephew to be confronted by--VonSalzinger?"
A look of doubt crept into the old man's eyes, and Ruxton knew that hiswarning had struck home.
"That possibility had not occurred to me," he said, with undisturbedsimplicity.
For some moments Ruxton watched him in silence.
"How will you meet--that?" he demanded at last.
The man shrugged again.
"I must think of it. There will be a way."
"Just so. There is a way, Prince," said Ruxton, suddenly bestirringhimself. "It is simple. Your real cause is the cause of humanity. Whynot defy the claims of Germany? Abandon her, and yield your life to thecause so dear to your heart. Will you not land on the Yorkshire coastwith me? A great welcome will await you. And--your daughter--she is inEngland already."
Having launched his appeal, Ruxton sat back in his seat and waited witha tense patience. Vast affairs were hanging in the balance, waitingupon the decision of this man, who was perhaps the mechanical genius ofthe country which claimed him.
After a while the Prince slowly shook his head. And the lack of impulsehe displayed warned the other that his decision was irrevocable.
"No," he said. "To do so would be to destroy all the possibilities ofthe future for our cause. You will see. It is equally simple. Were I toabandon my work for Germany in the manner you suggest, they would knowthat I had betrayed them--and their secrets. All we have gained by theknowledge of their secrets would be lost. Then--though it mattersnothing to me, for I do not value it beyond the help I can give tohumanity--my life would be destroyed as sure as day follows night. No.I go back to my shops, and to my work. I will meet every emergency asit arises. Should I fall to this man Von Salzinger I can always beatthe authorities, and--make my escape."
"You are sure?"
"Ach, yes."
"Then prepare from this moment for that escape. You will have to makeit. Of that I am equally--sure."
Ruxton's eyes were smiling, but without lightness. And the two mensmiled into each other's eyes for some silent moments.
The Prince was the first to break the spell. It was with a glance up atthe skylight overhead.
"See," he cried, not without satisfaction. "There comes the daylight.We are on the high seas. All danger is past."
"Immediate danger," corrected Ruxton.
"Ach, so. Yes, 'immediate.'"
The old man turned to the two rolls of paper on the table beside him.He picked them up and fondled them tenderly with his long fingers. Theywere to him something very precious, and--he was about to part fromthem.
Suddenly he held them out towards his guest. The shining light hadreturned to his eyes. Again had mounted to that splendid brain the hotdesire to speak from the bottom of his heart.
"Take them! Take them!" he cried passionately. "They are my children. Igive them for the world. They must grow, and do for the world all thatI have dreamed of into their creation. They are the plans, drawn andwritten in English by my own hands. No eyes but mine have seen them,and there are no others in existence. They are the plans of the U-rayslight, which, by taking from them the cylinders you brought away, Ihave robbed Germany of the use of, and the plans of this submersible.Safeguard them as you would your life, and lose not a moment in forcingyour slow country to construct. We have agreed that you have ten years,and in ten years you can do much, if you do not let your countrymeanwhile sleep."
Ruxton took the proffered rolls and held them a moment while his eyesrested introspectively upon the seals.
"And the price?" he demanded, in a firm voice.
"The price! Himmel, the price!" The Prince threw up his hands in agesture of dismay. "The price!" he repeated. "The price when humanitystands at the threshold of disaster! Ach! You are a true Englishman."
He rose from his seat and moved hurriedly across to his stateroom. Atthe door he paused and turned.
"There is no price," he said, and his big eyes were alight with awhimsical smile.