*CHAPTER III*
*"TEMPEST" OF THE AERIAL POLICE*
Colonel John Tempest, D.S.O., M.C., etc., late of the Royal Air Force,and now Chief Commissioner of the British Aerial Police, sat before apile of papers in his office at Scotland Yard late one evening. He wasanxious and worried, for something had gone seriously wrong with hisplans.
It was his duty to investigate and track down all aerial criminals,whether brigands, smugglers or revolutionists of the Bolshevist type.For this purpose he had been appointed by the Government to the commandof the British Aerial Police, whose functions included the patrolling ofthe routes of the great aerial liners throughout the British Isles, andthe All-Red route to Egypt, India, and other British possessions, andthe careful guarding and watching of the aerial gateways and ports.
Some of the best scout pilots of the war, including two famous secretservice men, named Keane and Sharpe, were detailed to assist him in thisimportant and ever-increasing task, for aerial crime of twenty differentkinds was becoming more and more prevalent since the war.
So far his efforts had been conspicuously successful, and he had broughtmany of the offenders to justice, but at the present moment he had toconfess himself baffled--utterly baffled by a series of unfortunateoccurrences which it had been beyond his power to prevent.
"There is some master-mind behind all this," he exclaimed to himself,rising suddenly from his chair, and beginning to pace the room, much inthe same way that he used to pace his squadron office, in the old days,when, as commander of a squadron of scouts during the Great War, he hadattempted to outwit the daring of the German airmen.
"I wonder now--I wonder what happened to that missing German professor!"and Colonel Tempest suddenly halted, and placed his left hand to hisforehead, as some powerful, new idea had arrested his mental faculties.
Then, walking across the room swiftly, he switched on a shaded lightwhich illuminated a large map of Germany, showing the aerial routes, thelines of occupation by the Allies, etc.
"It is just possible," he murmured to himself, "that the two things areconnected--the disappearance of this eminent scientist and theappearance of this extraordinary flying machine." Then he switched offthe light, and returned to the sheaf of papers and documents on hisdesk. He sorted out one and placed it on top; it was a decoded message,received some days ago from one of his agents at Constantinople. It ranas follows:--
"Mysterious aeroplane, phantom-like in appearance, passed over hereyesterday flying at terrific speed. All our signals disregarded. Nonavigation lights showing. Our fast scouts gave chase but lefthopelessly behind. Came from direction of Adrianople, crossed theBosphorus, and disappeared rapidly flying south-east. Time shortly aftersunset.
AERIAL, CONSTANTINOPLE."
"That is three days ago," continued the Colonel, still thinking aloud,"and here are four similar messages from other sources showing quiteplainly the route taken. Great Heavens! if I were not tied to my deskin this place, I would take the fastest scout in the country and chasethis infernal night-wizard myself."
A soft tap at the door startled the Commissioner, for during the lastthree days he had become highly nervous; this affair was getting on hismind, but he recovered himself instantly and called out in a deepvoice:--
"Come in!"
The door opened softly and his confidential secretary entered, andannounced:--
"Two more cables and a wireless message, sir."
"Anything from Keane or Sharpe yet?" demanded the chief.
"Nothing, sir."
"Then what are these confounded things?"
"More about that aerial brigand, sir."
"Let me see them," and Jones handed the messages to his chief.
Consternation and alarm were both visible on the face of Tempest as heread the news.
"So the devil has already got to work, Jones," he remarked, quoting fromthe sheets, laconic phrases such as "Oil tanks at Port Said burning forthree days. Crew of mysterious aeroplane suspected." (Delayed intransit.) "Wireless station at Karachi utterly destroyed, after briefvisit by strange airmen." The third was a wireless message which provedmost disconcerting of all to the Commissioner. It announced that asilent aeroplane, showing no distinctive marks whatever, passed overDelhi "this afternoon" at a speed estimated at not less than threehundred miles an hour.
The chief of the aerial police leaned back in his chair and groaned.
"Three hundred miles an hour!" he gasped; "but the silent aeroplane ideais a fallacy. It is impossible with any type of internal-combustionengine. It must either have been too high up for the good people ofDelhi to hear it, or its engines must have been shut off, or wellthrottled down. Bah! I know too much about aeroplanes to swallowthat." Then rounding upon Jones, who was standing by awaitinginstructions, he said sharply:--
"Did that second message go out to Keane?"
"Yes, sir."
"And there's still no reply from him?"
"Nothing whatever, sir."
"H'm. I cannot understand it. Send it out again by wireless telephone;he may be on his way back by aeroplane now, and possibly within reach."
"Right, sir," and Jones disappeared to stab the ether waves again insearch of Keane. At that moment the telephone bell on the Commissioner'sdesk rang. It was the Home Secretary asking for Colonel Tempest, forthe same messages concerning the aerial brigand had reached him.
"Hello, Tempest; is that you?"
"Yes; who is that?"
"Lord Hamilton, speaking from the Home Office."
"Oh, yes, my lord."
"I say, Tempest, what is this news just to hand about aerial highwaymenromping half round the British empire, destroying wireless stations, andburning out the big oil tanks along the All-Red Route? I thought youhad all these aerial criminals well in hand. There'll be a deuce of arow about all this when Parliament meets in two days' time."
"Well, er--we're doing our best to deal with it, sir, but it will taketime to lay these fellows by the heel, I fear."
"Have you got the matter in hand?"
"Yes, sir."
"What have you done? I shall be bombarded with questions shortly; infact, the Colonial Secretary's here now. He's complaining that theroutes are not sufficiently well patrolled. What steps have you takento deal with these marauders?"
"I've wirelessed to all the aerial stations, to get their fastest scoutsout all along the line at once to look for these bandits, and I'mstaying on here all night expecting news every moment."
"Very well. Keep me informed of everything that happens. It's becomingvery serious. You have full powers to deal effectively with thesecriminals, and they may be shot down at sight if they don't respond tosignals."
Then, as the angry minister rang off, another tap was heard at the door,and the imperturbable Jones entered once more, and announced:
"Message from Keane and Sharpe came in whilst you were speaking on thetelephone, sir."
"Good!" ejaculated Tempest, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow,for he had expected something much worse from the Home Secretary. "Whatdoes the message say?"
"They received my last message, sir, and are on their way home by thefastest aeroplane. They are due at Hounslow aerodrome at midnight."
"Excellent! What time is it now, Jones?"
"It wants ten minutes to midnight, sir, and I have sent out the fastestcar to meet them and bring them straight here. They should be here inhalf an hour, sir."
"Have you told them at Hounslow?"
"Yes, sir, and they have already got out the coloured lights and theground flares."
"You have done well, Jones, but you had better not leave the officeto-night. I'm very sorry, but I may want you. This is urgent business;we're up against something this time, and unless Keane and Sharpe havefound something out, we're going to be beaten."
"I'll stay, sir, but what about you? This is your third night-sitting,and you've had nothing since lun
ch. Shall I order supper for you?"
"Oh, thanks, Jones, but I'd forgotten. Yes, you may order me coffee anda sandwich, and get something for yourself. You're getting the strainas well, and I don't want you to break down."
When left alone, Colonel Tempest once more began to pace thesoft-carpeted room, much as a captain paces the bridge when his thoughtsare unduly disturbed by some untoward event during the watch of thesecond officer. Every other minute he consulted his watch, and wonderedwhy the time passed so slowly. Twice he rang down to the lobbyattendant and asked if Captain Keane had arrived, and twice the sameanswer was returned.
Then he looked at the maps on the wall, and followed with his finger thetrail of the All-Red Route which the aerial liners followed, linking upthe empire and half the world. Now and again he would glance shrewdlyat the large map of Germany, as a skipper eyes the weather quarter whena storm is brewing. Occasionally he would murmur half aloud:--
"A silent engine ... three hundred miles an hour. Gee whiz! but theyhave beaten us two to one. We shall never catch them."
Then a slight sound caught his ears from outside the great building.The soft purr of an approaching Rolls-Royce motor and the sharp blast ofa Klaxon horn followed.
"At last!" he cried. "Here they come!"