Andrew took his gla.s.ses from his nose slowly, glanced sideways at the letter, and then direct at the Major. There was a puzzled look upon his face, a polite enquiry as much as to say, "Well, my dear sir, I don"t understand. What has your friend Charlie to do with us? He"s in Adrianople; so are scores of others. There"s a British consul there, no doubt. Why should we go to this besieged city?"
Commander Jackson coughed; similar thoughts were pa.s.sing through his quick brain also, though he gave his soldier friend credit for astuteness and common sense. "Must be something behind this letter," he said aloud.
"Certainly; Charlie knew that many eyes would see it before I received his hurried lines," said the Major. "But let me explain what it is that I gather by the reading of that letter. First, that Charlie is hemmed in in this besieged city. Next, that he has information which he cannot send through the post, or by means of a runner escaping from or permitted to leave the city. In fact and in short he has information of value, value to our mutual friends, who, I may further explain, happen to be the Government."
"Ah, I suspected something of the sort! What next?" asked Andrew.
"I will be frank," came the answer. "For the past three years Charlie and I have been engaged in some extremely delicate and important investigations in and around the Balkans. Pardon me if I am not more explicit on this matter. I left for London some two months ago, having lost all trace of Charlie. Now I know him to have obtained the information which we sought, information which, owing to the sudden onset of war and the siege of Adrianople, he is unable to impart. Well, Mr. Provost, that information is wanted by the Government at once. Delay is positively dangerous. I ask you in the name of this country to risk a visit to Adrianople and there attempt to pick up my friend and fellow investigator."
There was silence for perhaps two minutes, while the various people present in the saloon glanced at one another curiously, to see if possible what their fellows thought. Then Andrew spoke briskly and with marked decision.
"There will be guns about Adrianople?" he asked; "guns capable of sending sh.e.l.ls high into the air? Mortars, in fact?"
"Precisely; there will be siege batteries. The Bulgars are wonderfully equipped. The Turks also, hemmed in in Adrianople, have some marvellous pieces."
"Any one of which, by exploding a sh.e.l.l within distance of us, could wreck the ship?"
The Major nodded. "True enough," he said coldly. "The risk would be great. If you are seen, a thousand rifles will be pointed at you. A hundred guns will be manoeuvred so as to aim into the sky. The risk will be very great; I do not deny it."
"And the service will be equally great. You tell us that this matter is of urgent importance for England?"
Andrew asked his question sharply, as if he were cross-examining the Major. "You tell us that England has great need of this service? I ask for no details. Anyone can see that we are discussing a delicate matter.
I merely ask again as to its importance."
"And I reply that the service is of the greatest. More than that, I will explain that the War Office had appointed another officer to this ship, and only changed their selection at the last moment. I was given precise instructions to bring this request before you at the earliest instant.
You ask me how great is the importance of this matter, and I reply without hesitation that, even if this wonderful ship and her crew were destroyed in the successful effort to gain this information, then great, overwhelming as the loss would undoubtedly be, it would be but a small price to pay for the news which Charlie has gathered. As for Charlie, that is but a _nom de plume_. The writer happens to be an officer high up in the British army."
The Major slowly surveyed his comrades, while he spoke deliberately.
Then he drew a cigarette from his case, placed it between his lips and set a flaring match to it, with a nonchalance one had perforce to admire. For obviously enough Andrew"s decision was of the utmost moment to him. Equally clearly it was borne upon the minds of those who listened that this mission, the barest details of which could be discussed, was of unusual importance. If Andrew and his nephew refused to jeopardize the safety of the airship by taking her into such a danger zone, then one could guess that particulars of the utmost moment would be lost entirely, or, what amounted to the same, their delivery would be so delayed that they would be useless.
"Well?" asked the Major, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "Your answer. I ask no favour. I have pointed out the risk."
"And I thank you heartily," cried Andrew. "Gentlemen, we will take the all-red route for this world tour, looking in at as many dependencies of the British crown as possible. And we will willingly take the risk of a visit to Adrianople. If there are any here who have no desire for this adventure, then we will set them down wherever they wish. Now, let us be moving."
It may be readily imagined that not one of those present in the brightly-lighted saloon had any qualms as to this projected visit, for to all of them was promised a novel situation. The Major and the Commander might hope, indeed, to witness a modern siege in actual operation, while no doubt the successful manoeuvring of this fine vessel would be of sufficient interest to Joe and Andrew. For d.i.c.k and Alec there was, of course, a decided attraction in the suggestion.
"Who knows, there might be a rumpus of some sort," declared the former.
"We might get to see a bit of the fighting. How"d you like that?"
"How"d you?" Alec grinned back at him. "You"re the one to answer, for you"re a man of war. You"re in the Navy."
"I"ll tell you. If there"s just the merest chance of getting down into the city I mean to take it," said d.i.c.k. "Then there"s no knowing what may happen. How is the Major going to find this fellow Charlie? That"s what beats me, for Adrianople is a big city. And how is he to bring him or his news aboard without descending? I tell you this ship"ll have to be steered right over the armies. She"ll have to drop to easy distance of the city, and then--supposing a sh.e.l.l did happen to come our way--well----"
"You"d find yourself in the city precious quick, and so have your dearest wish fulfilled in a minute," laughed Alec. "We"d blow up, eh!
There"d be a fine old crash on the roofs of Adrianople."
Joking apart, the danger was not likely to be small and the risk run by the crew of the airship was perhaps greater than had been antic.i.p.ated.
But Andrew and his nephew made light of any trouble, and indeed undertook this work with a keenness that did them credit. It followed, therefore, that within a dozen hours the airship floated high up above the besieged city. It was night-time, clouds floated thickly in the sky, while not a light showed aboard the vessel. Down below a few flickering lamps could be seen in the direction of the city, though the greater part was plunged in darkness. But away to the north and south, and on either hand, there were rows and rows of tiny blazing circles, the camp fires of the investors.
"Holding every outlet," said the Major. "Not a man can enter or leave the city. If they could, Charlie would have bade farewell to it long ago. But entrance from the air is another question altogether."
"And you propose to descend to the city?" asked Andrew.
"With your help, certainly. There is a huge mosque in the heart of Adrianople, and that is the place I shall aim for. There, or in the immediate neighbourhood, I shall find Charlie."
"And--and supposing anything should happen to prevent your returning, supposing you were apprehended by the Turks," suggested Andrew.
"Then the airship goes on her way again. It will be a misfortune, of course, but that is all. You have risked all to bring me here, and I shall not grumble if I am discovered."
In the darkness of the engine-room it was impossible to observe the Major"s face, but at that moment it was stern and peculiarly determined.
For without a shadow of doubt the descent into the city would be exceedingly dangerous. If he were seen by one of the besieged as likely as not he would be shot down on the instant. If not that, then he would be apprehended as a spy, perhaps; and short shrift was given, he knew well enough, to men of that description. But there was not so much as a tremor about him as, an hour later, he stepped upon the platform from which the lift ran, sat himself in the sling by which Commander Jackson had descended to the water on the occasion of d.i.c.k"s misadventure, and whispered to his friends to let him go.
"Adieu!" he called gently. "Watch for a flare amongst the buildings to-morrow night. If you do not see one, then return again the following night. If still there is no sign, sail on and leave me. Adieu!"
The motor above hummed a low-pitched song, the sling at the end of the rope bearing this gallant officer upon it dropped from the platform and went shooting down under the airship.
"Good luck!" whispered Andrew. "Ah! There goes a very gallant fellow.
Now, gently with that tackle. The barometer places us five hundred feet above the city. We shall have to lower very carefully when we have let out four hundred feet of the line."
In the inky darkness of the night the ship had slowly descended till she was suspended at the height mentioned above this besieged city. And now those aboard her slowly paid the rope out over the motor, letting it go foot by foot once they guessed that the burden they were lowering was nearing the ground. Perhaps ten minutes had pa.s.sed before they found that the line hung slack. A pull upon it disclosed the fact that the Major must have left it.
"Haul in!" commanded Andrew. "Now, we will rise again, and sail right away from the city. Let us hope that our plucky friend will be successful."
The following morning found the ship hovering at a great height over a deserted stretch of country, where she lay inert in the air, as if resting after her long trip from England. But that night the motors hummed again, and presently she was back over Adrianople.
"Now, all hands set to work to watch for a flare," Andrew commanded.
"We"ll divide the city into various portions, and so make sure by giving a different part to each one of us that the Major"s signal cannot go undetected."
But though the eyes turned upon the dark surroundings of the beleaguered city never left their object, there was no flare to attract their attention, and presently the first signs of dawn warned Andrew and his comrades that the time had come to depart. A loud detonation in the far distance, and a streaming flame of fire, hastened their decision, and they rose at once and headed away from the city followed by the noise of artillery in action. In fact, a fierce attack had begun upon Adrianople, and though the huge airship put many miles between her and the contending armies, the dull m.u.f.fled roar of guns still reached them on occasion. But towards evening the battle slackened, and that night, when once more over the city, there was not a sound to disturb the silence; not a note came to the ears of the listeners above to tell them of the armies beneath them.
"Fine and clear, but dark enough for our purpose," said Joe, straining his head over the rail of the observation platform of the vessel. "Let us hope that we shall see the signal this evening, for I confess that I shall be glad to get away from those guns. Did you see the sh.e.l.ls bursting as we left in the morning?"
"Guess I did," came Andrew"s emphatic answer. "And a nice little mess they"d make of this ship if one hit us."
"Or came within a hundred yards of hitting us," said Joe decidedly. "If a sh.e.l.l were to burst within easy distance, the chances are that the concussion would break the framework and cause the gas to explode. So let"s hope we shan"t be long in such an unpleasant neighbourhood."
But the night pa.s.sed again without so much as a flicker from the city.
Major Harvey made no sign of his presence. Was he captured, or shot? or had he merely failed to discover Charlie?
"Captured or shot," said Andrew promptly, when they began to discuss the matter. "If he had merely failed to discover his friend he would have sent us a signal, and on returning to us would have made other plans to recover this information. There is no signal. That means that the Major cannot make it. In fact, he is dead, or he is a prisoner."
"While we are left helpless above the city," Joe added. "What"s to be done? We"d never think of leaving the place till we are quite sure what has happened."
"Never," declared Andrew with energy. "Besides, there"s another important matter to consider and to keep us here. The Major distinctly told us that Charlie possessed information of vital importance to the British Government. Then we have two reasons for remaining, one being the safety of our friend the Major, and the other being the need to discover Charlie. That seems to me to present unheard-of difficulties.
For Charlie is merely a name. We haven"t even a description of this officer incarcerated in Adrianople. Come, Commander, help us. This is a real difficulty."
It was more than that. It was a dilemma, for how could Andrew and Joe and his friends help the Major, seeing that they were high in the air?
And how could they discover a man in the city of Adrianople of whose appearance they had no knowledge?