"He went out for a walk this afternoon," said Tiel drily, "and happened to call at the manse to see if he could get a cup of tea--a very natural thing to do. Come--the coast is clear."
He led the way downstairs and I followed him, not a little excited, I confess. How my mission was going to develop, I had no clear idea when I set forth upon it, but though I had imagined several possible developments, I was not quite prepared for this. To have an officer of the Grand Fleet actually a.s.sisting at our councils was decidedly unexpected. I began to realise more and more that Adolph Tiel was a remarkable person.
In the front parlour an officer rose as we entered, and the British and German uniforms bowed to each other under circ.u.mstances which were possibly unique. Because, though Ashingtons do exist and these things sometimes happen, they generally happen in mufti. I looked at our visitor very hard. On his part, he looked at me sharply for a moment, and then averted his eyes. I should certainly have done the same in his place.
He was a big burly man, dark, and getting bald. His voice was deep and rich; his skin shone with physical fitness; altogether he was a fine gross animal, and had his spirit been as frank and jovial as his appearance suggested, I could have pictured him the jolliest of company in the ward-room and the life and soul of a desperate enterprise. But he maintained a frowning aspect, and was clearly a man whose sullen temper and sense of injury had led him into my friend"s subtle net.
However, here he was, and it was manifestly my business not to criticise but to make the most of him.
"Well, gentlemen," began Tiel, "I don"t think we need beat about the bush. Captain Ashington has an idea, and it is for Lieutenant von Belke to approve of it or not. I know enough myself about naval affairs to see that there are great possibilities in the suggestion, but I don"t know enough to advise on it."
"What is the suggestion?" I asked in a very dry and non-committal voice.
Captain Ashington, I noticed, cleared his throat before he began.
"The fleet is going out one evening next week," he said; "probably on Thursday."
"How do you know?" I demanded.
He looked confidentially at Tiel.
"Mr Tiel knows the source of my information," he said.
"I should like to know it too," said I.
"I can vouch for Captain Ashington"s information," said Tiel briefly.
There is something extraordinarily decisive and satisfying about Tiel when he speaks like that. I knew it must be all right; still, I felt it my duty to make sure.
"Have you any objections to telling me?" I asked.
Tiel stepped to my side and whispered--
"I told you about his brother."
I understood, and did not press my question. Whether to respect the man for this remnant of delicacy, or to despise him for not being a more thorough, honest blackguard, I was not quite sure.
"Well," I said, "suppose we know when they are going out, they will take the usual precautions, I presume?"
Ashington leaned forward confidentially over the table.
"They are going out on a new course," he said in a low voice.
I p.r.i.c.ked up my ears, but all I said was--
"Why is that?"
"On account of the currents. The old pa.s.sage hasn"t been quite satisfactory. They are going to experiment with a new pa.s.sage."
This certainly sounded all right, for I knew how diabolical the tideways can be round these islands.
"Do you know the new course at all accurately?" I inquired.
Captain Ashington smiled for the first time, and somehow or other the sight of a smile on his face gave me a strongly increased distaste for the man.
"I know it exactly," he said.
He took out of his pocket a folded chart and laid it on the table. The three of us bent over it, and at a glance I could see that this was business indeed. All the alterations in the mine-fields were shown and the course precisely laid down.
"Well," said Tiel, "I think this suggests something, Belke."
By this time I was inwardly burning with excitement.
"I hope to have the pleasure of being present just about that spot," I said, pointing to the chart.
"Or there," suggested Ashington.
"Either would do very nicely, so far as I can judge," said Tiel. "How many submarines can you concentrate, and how long will it take you to concentrate them?"
I considered the question.
"I am afraid there is no use in concentrating more than two or three in such narrow waters," I said. "Squadronal handling of submarines of course is impossible except on the surface. And we clearly can"t keep on the surface!"
Captain Ashington looked at me in a way I did not at all like.
"We run a few risks in the British navy," he said. "D--n it, you"ll have a sitting target! I"d crowd in every blank submarine the water would float if I were running this stunt!"
"You don"t happen to be running it," I said coldly.
Tiel touched me lightly on the shoulder and gave me a swift smile, pleasant but admonitory.
"The happy mean seems to be suggested," he said soothingly. "There"s a great deal to be said for both points of view. On the one hand you risk submarines: on the other hand you make the battle-fleet run risks.
One has simply to balance those. What about half a dozen submarines?"
I shook my head.
"Too many," I said. "Besides, we couldn"t concentrate them in the time."
"How many could you?"
"Four," I said; "if I can get back to my boat on Monday, we"ll have them there on Thursday."
Tiel produced a bottle of whisky and syphons and we sat over the chart discussing details for some time longer. It was finally handed over to me, and Captain Ashington rose to go.
"By the way," I said, "there is one very important preliminary to be arranged. How am I to get back to my boat?"
"That will be all right," said Tiel confidently; "I have just heard from Captain Ashington that they have arrested the wrong man on suspicion of being the gentleman who toured the country yesterday. The only thing is that they can"t find his cycle. Now I think if we could arrange to have your motor-cycle quietly left near his house and discovered by the authorities, they are not likely to watch the roads any longer."
"I"ll fix that up," said Captain Ashington promptly.