"Then the sooner the better," rejoined the Commander-in-Chief.
Admiral Hobbes touched a bell and a marine orderly entered the cabin.
"Pa.s.s the word for Mr. Watterley."
The marine orderly saluted and doubled along the half-deck, nearly bowling over the staff-surgeon and the first lieutenant who were already on their way to make their report to the captain.
"What"s this? Mr. Hythe frightened by something he saw beneath the surface?" demanded Vice-Admiral Hobbes.
"No, sir," replied Doctor Hamworthy. "He is suffering from a shock to the nervous system; the symptoms are almost identical with those resulting from a severe electric shock."
"You don"t mean to say that Mr. Hythe is the victim of a submarine discharge?"
"I do not a.s.sert, sir; I merely stated my opinion based upon observations."
"And how is he now?" asked the Vice-Admiral impatiently.
"Fairly fit; he could be judiciously cross-examined," replied the staff-surgeon. "But, unless absolutely necessary----"
"It is absolutely necessary," interposed Admiral Hobbes; then turning to the first lieutenant he continued:--
"And what were the other men doing? I understand that there were two seamen sent down. Were they injured?"
"They saw nothing unusual, sir," replied Mr. Watterley. "I subjected them to a strict examination. They walked in opposite directions from the shot-rope, athwart the tide, while Mr. Hythe went dead against the current. The water was very muddy. The men said they could see about ten yards in front of them. Banks, after the question was repeated, said he fancied he felt a cross-current that might have been the following-wave of a submerged vessel moving at high speed----"
"By the by," interposed Sir Peter Garboard. "I suppose you ascertained that none of our submarine flotilla were manoeuvring at Spithead?"
"Oh, no, sir; or rather, I mean yes, sir," replied the hara.s.sed lieutenant. "We signalled to Fort Blockhouse and in reply were informed that F 1, 3, 7, and 9 of the 2nd Flotilla went out at 7 this morning for exercise off the Nab. Those were the only submarines under way from this port. I also asked them to communicate with the Submarine Depots at Devonport, Dover, Sheerness, Harwich----"
"I hope you didn"t give the reason, by Jove!" exclaimed Sir Peter vehemently. "If the papers get hold of the news there"ll be a pretty rumpus."
"I shouldn"t be surprised if the Press hasn"t received more information than we have," remarked Rear-Admiral Maynebrace. "It pa.s.ses my comprehension how they manage it. One thing, it"s no use trying to hush the matter up. We cannot expect to muzzle nearly five thousand men."
"Wish to goodness I could!" snapped Sir Peter. Then addressing Mr.
Watterley, he added: "Oh, first lieutenant, will you please send for Mr.
Hythe, so that we can hear his version of the business."
Five minutes later Sub-Lieutenant Hythe was shown into the Admiral"s cabin. The young officer was still pale. His iron nerves had received a severe shock, but thanks to Doctor Hamworthy"s attentions he was able to pull himself together sufficiently to give a fairly full account of what had occurred.
"How would you describe the submarine that pa.s.sed so close to you?"
asked Captain Warborough.
"She was quite unlike any of our types, sir. I noticed she was almost wall-sided, with a very flat floor. Instead of tapering to a point fore and aft she had a straight stem and, I believe, a rounded stern, cut away so as to protect the propellers."
"How many propellers?"
"Two, I think, sir. I distinctly saw the starboard one revolving. The eddy from it prevented my seeing anything more."
"H"m. By the by, had she a conning-tower?"
"I could not see, sir. Her upper deck must have been quite twelve feet above my head."
"What colour was she painted?"
"That, sir, I can hardly describe. I can only liken the sides to a huge mirror that reflected objects without reflecting the sunlight at the same time. As it was I could only see that portion of her that pa.s.sed immediately in front of me. I could not even give an estimate as to her length, or even the speed at which she was travelling."
"You were capsized, I believe. Did anything strike you?"
"An under-water wave, sir, hurled me backwards. Nothing actually struck me, but I felt a strange paralysing sensation in my limbs, so that I could not make my way back to the shot-rope. All I could do was to signal to be hauled up."
"Then how do you account for the fact that this submarine craft pa.s.sed close to you, and yet was unseen by Banks who was farther from the ship than you were?"
"I regret, sir, I cannot hazard an opinion," replied the sub.
"That will do, Mr. Hythe," said the Commander-in-Chief, indicating that the interview was at an end.
"Oh, by the way, Doctor," he continued, after the sub had left the cabin, "I suppose you have no doubt that this young officer actually _did_ see this submarine? Is it possible that he was the victim of a hallucination?"
"From Mr. Hythe"s medical sheet, and from my personal knowledge of his physical and mental condition, I have every reason to reply in the negative to both your questions, sir."
"Well, well, gentlemen," exclaimed Sir Peter, "we have a great task in front of us, with very little data to work upon. We have reason to suppose that there is a mysterious submarine commanded by an equally mysterious Captain Restronguet--a name that suggests that the fellow is French. We have definite evidence that by some unknown means that Captain Restronguet is able to execute extensive and fairly intricate work, namely, fixing those painted boards to the fluke of the anchors of the Fleet. How it was done has to be proved, and it must be proved up to the hilt, for even though no hostile act has been committed it is quite evident that the ships at Spithead were quite at the mercy of this unknown submarine. As far as the safety of the Fleet at Spithead is concerned, you, my dear Hobbes, are responsible. I, for my part, must take due precautions to prevent this submarine from entering the harbour, and I venture to a.s.sert, gentlemen, that when our preparations are complete, this Captain Restronguet and his submarine will be neatly trapped."
CHAPTER III.
THE MAN WHO WALKED OUT OF THE SEA.
Before night the news of the event that caused the manoeuvres to be hurriedly abandoned had been published in the papers. Most of the journals contented themselves with a brief account of what had transpired, based upon reports that had been obtained from men serving in the Fleet; for although liberty men were not landed communication with the sh.o.r.e had to be maintained. Other papers enlarged on the actual facts, and announced in double-leaded columns that a foreign submarine had attempted to fix mines to the hulls of the ships at Spithead.
Never had there been such conjectures since the time when some years previously an airship of unknown nationality had sailed over Chatham and Sheerness. People asked what was the use of making elaborate defences against aircraft when a submarine could unseen enter the most strongly fortified roadstead in the world and coolly tamper with the moorings of the Fleet?
Meanwhile the Naval authorities at Portsmouth, who regarded Captain Restronguet"s visit as a slur upon their capabilities, lost no time in prosecuting their investigations. A stupendous obstruction, formed of several old torpedo nets fastened together, was thrown across the Needles Channel between Cliff End Fort in the Isle of Wight and Hurst Castle on the Hampshire sh.o.r.e; while a similar defence net was placed between the seaward extremities of the two new breakwaters on the eastern side of Spithead. All homeward bound shipping was forbidden to make for any of the ports within these obstructions, while an embargo was placed upon all merchant vessels about to leave Southampton, Portsmouth and Cowes, and their outlying ports. It was a drastic order, and quite unnecessary, but the country was almost in a state of panic.
Into the enclosed area every available trawler suitable for mine-sweeping, as well as all the dockyard hopper-barges fitted with appliances for "creeping" were kept busily at work, till hardly a square yard of the bottom of the Solent was left unexplored, and not until this particular work was completed did the authorities agree that the mysterious submarine might have left these waters almost as soon as Captain Restronguet had left his new-fangled cards upon the officers commanding H.M. ships at Spithead.
While these dragging operations were in progress the force of the tide through the Needles Channel, which often exceeds seven knots, tore away the nets thrown across that pa.s.sage. Two days later the easternmost netdefence was removed, and it was then found that a rent thirty feet in length had been made in the steel meshes. Whether this was done by human or natural agency could not be determined, a minute examination of the fracture ending in nothing but heated arguments between the experts who had been called in to make a report.
On the same day that the torpedo net defences were removed the master of SS. "Barberton Castle" reported sighting two submarines lying motionless on the water, about fifteen miles S.S.E. of the Lizard. He stated that owing to the submarines being against the light he was unable to see them at all distinctly, yet he felt certain that they were of a totally different type from those of the British and French navies. They were so close together that the bows of one overlapped the quarters of the other, and thinking that they were in distress, he ordered the "Barberton Castle"s" head to be turned in their direction. Directly the tramp answered to her helm both submarines dived simultaneously, and were lost to view.
The next morning Reuter"s published a telegram from their agent at Cherbourg, announcing that the mysterious Captain Restronguet had brought his submarine into the harbour and at high tide had placed three dummy mines at the entrance to the docks in the naval a.r.s.enal. To each of the mines was a tablet on which was painted "Avec les a.s.surances de ma plus parfaite consideration--Restronguet, capitan de sous-marin."
With the fall of the tide, that here exceeds twenty feet, these disquieting evidences were discovered, and within a few hours Captain Restronguet was the talk of all the cafes of Paris. The French, pioneers in submarine warfare, were now at a loss to explain how a submerged craft could, in broad daylight, enter the breakwater-enclosed harbour and run alongside the caissons of the docks without being discovered, while to deposit three bulky "mines" in water of not more than three fathoms in depth was an exploit that required a lot of explanation as to how it was done.
The transference of Captain Restronguet"s attentions to the other side of the Channel relaxed the tension on the British sh.o.r.e. But, bearing in mind that Cherbourg is only a few hours" distance from Portsmouth, the naval authorities at the latter port were still on tenter-hooks.
A week pa.s.sed. The First Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet still remained at Spithead, although under orders to proceed to the Nore at an early date.