*CHAPTER IV*
*A MIDNIGHT CONSULTATION*
The next moment the door burst open and two men in flying helmets andleathern coats entered the room, and saluted the Colonel. Without anyceremony the latter greeted them warmly, almost joyously, for theircheerful presence gave almost instant relief to his over-burdened mind.
"Good evening, Keane. Good evening, Sharpe," he exclaimed, steppingforward and gripping each of them warmly by the hand.
"Good evening, sir."
"Now, have you discovered anything?" began the chief, without waitingfor them to divest themselves of their heavy gear.
Keane looked at the Commissioner for a second or two and thenanswered:--
"Yes, and no, Colonel."
"H'm. That means something and nothing, I presume."
"Exactly, sir," continued Keane, who acted the part of spokesman. Then,speaking more solemnly, and in lowered tones, he continued, "We are upagainst something abnormal; I had almost said something supernatural.When you recalled us we were hot on the trail of the man who, in myopinion, is behind this conspiracy."
"You mean this Professor Weissmann?" added the chief of the aerialpolice.
Keane nodded.
"I thought so. This man is evidently an evil genius of very high mentalcalibre, and he has determined, out of personal revenge for the defeatof Germany, to thwart the Allies, and in particular Great Britain."
"He is a master-mind, and a highly dangerous personality; dangerousbecause he is so clever. And now that he has secured a few daringairmen for his tools, there is no end to the possibilities which hisevil genius may accomplish before he and his crew are run to earth,"replied Captain Keane.
"I know it, I know it--look here!" and the colonel handed him the batchof cables and wireless messages which showed how the _Scorpion_ hadalready got to work.
"H'm! and there will be worse to follow," added the airman after he hadglanced through the list.
"Now, tell me briefly what you have found, Keane, after which we mustget to work to devise some immediate plan to thwart these aerialbrigands. But first take off your flying gear, and sit by the fire, foryou must be hungry, tired and numbed after that cold night ride." Then,ringing for his attendant, he ordered up more strong coffee andsandwiches.
"Thanks, Colonel, I will not refuse. It was indeed a cold ride, and wehad no time to get refreshments before leaving the aerodrome at Colognethis evening," said Sharpe, as he divested himself of his heavy gear,sat by the fire and enjoyed the coffee which soon arrived.
A few moments later, the three men were engaged in serious conversation,although the hour of midnight had long since been tolled out by Big Ben.
"You sent me," Keane was saying, "to discover the whereabouts of thisgreat German engineer and man of science, this brain wave whoseperverted genius is likely to cost us so dear."
"And you were unable to find any trace of him?" interposed the chief.
"Well, we were unable to come into contact with him, for we found thatsince peace was concluded he had vacated his professorial chair atHeidelberg University, where he had been engaged for some considerabletime, not only on some mechanical production, but in an attempt todiscover some unknown force, evidently a new kind of highly compressedgas to be used for propulsive purposes."
"Had he been successful?"
"That, it was impossible to find out during our short stay over there,"replied Keane, "but I discovered from someone who had been in closetouch with him just about the time peace was signed, that he hadexpressed himself in very hopeful terms."
"Was he a very communicative type of man, then, did you learn?"
"No; on the contrary, he seldom spoke of his work, but on this occasion,when he communicated this information, he was very much annoyed at thedefeat of Germany, and considered that his country had been betrayedinto a hasty peace."
"And what happened to him after that?" asked the colonel.
"Shortly afterwards he disappeared completely, taking with him all theapparatus connected with his research work, also a highly skilledmechanic who had been specially trained by him for a number of years.But he left not a trace of himself or his work," said the captain,pausing for a moment to light a cigarette.
"Do you think he is acting under any instructions from his authorities?"
"No, certainly not; he distrusts his present Government entirely, andconsiders them traitors to the Fatherland."
There was another brief silence, whilst the three men, wrapt in deepthought, sat looking into the fire, or watched the rings of tobaccosmoke curling upwards to the ceiling. At last, Captain Sharpeobserved:--
"A powerful intellect like that did not suddenly disappear in this waywithout some ulterior motive, Colonel Tempest."
"Obviously not," returned the latter briefly, for he was deep incontemplation, and his mind was searching for some clue. At length heturned to the senior captain and said:--
"This silent engine theory, Keane, what do you think of it?"
Keane shook his head doubtfully, and the colonel handed to him once morethe recent wireless message from Delhi, adding merely:--
"Do you think it possible?"
"Scarcely," replied Keane carefully, "but with a master mind like this,one never knows. It will be necessary for you to consult the mosteminent professors of science and chemistry at once."
"I intend to visit Professor Verne at his house first thing to-morrow,or rather to-day, for it is already morning."
"But the aeroplane," added Sharpe, who had been perusing the Delhimessage, "this also must have been specially built for this new gas."
"Given the one, the other would naturally follow, and would be thelesser task of the two, for this man is a great engineer as well," saidKeane.
"It is a deep well of mystery," continued Tempest after another pause;"but something must be done at once. To-morrow the morning papers willbe full of it. Next day Parliament meets, and questions will be asked,and it will all come upon us. I shall have to meet the Home Secretaryas soon as I have interviewed Professor Verne, and Lord Hamilton willnot be easily satisfied. The public will also be clamouring forinformation on the subject, and they will have to be appeased andcalmed. The Stock Exchange will begin to talk also, and to demandcompensation for the companies whose properties have been damaged.Insurance rates, marine and otherwise, will be raised, and Lloyd'sunderwriters will not fail to make a fuss. Now, gentlemen, what stepscan we take to deal with these raiders in the immediate future?"
Send us after this mystery 'plane on fast scouts with plenty ofmachine-gun ammunition," urged Sharpe.
"I cannot spare you for that, but I have already ordered strong patrolsof aerial police to search for the brigands. I must have you here orsomewhere within call. At any rate, I cannot let you go further thanGermany. It may be necessary to send you there again."
"On what account, sir?" asked Keane.
"To find the aerodrome which this raider calls 'home,' for he must havea rendezvous somewhere if only to obtain supplies and repairs."
"And that secret aerodrome must be somewhere in Germany, hidden away insome out-of-the-way place," ventured Sharpe.
"But in what part of Germany?" asked the commissioner.
"Let me see," cried Keane, rising to his feet, and walking across theroom to where the large map of Germany hung upon the wall--"why, it mustbe in the Schwarzwald!"
"The Schwarzwald!" exclaimed the other two.
"Yes, it is by far the best hiding-place in the whole country. One maytramp for days and never see a soul. It must be somewhere in theSchwarzwald."
"Then to the Schwarzwald you must go to-morrow, adopting whateverdisguises you desire, and you must find this hidden spot where theconspiracy has been hatched," concluded the colonel.