The Rival Submarines
Page 3
CHAPTER III.
THE MAN WHO WALKED OUT OF THE SEA.
Before night the news of the event that caused the manoeuvres to behurriedly abandoned had been published in the papers. Most of thejournals contented themselves with a brief account of what hadtranspired, based upon reports that had been obtained from men servingin the Fleet; for although liberty men were not landed communicationwith the shore had to be maintained. Other papers enlarged on the actualfacts, and announced in double-leaded columns that a foreign submarinehad attempted to fix mines to the hulls of the ships at Spithead.
Never had there been such conjectures since the time when some yearspreviously an airship of unknown nationality had sailed over Chatham andSheerness. People asked what was the use of making elaborate defencesagainst aircraft when a submarine could unseen enter the most stronglyfortified roadstead in the world and coolly tamper with the moorings ofthe Fleet?
Meanwhile the Naval authorities at Portsmouth, who regarded CaptainRestronguet's visit as a slur upon their capabilities, lost no time inprosecuting their investigations. A stupendous obstruction, formed ofseveral old torpedo nets fastened together, was thrown across theNeedles Channel between Cliff End Fort in the Isle of Wight and HurstCastle on the Hampshire shore; while a similar defence net was placedbetween the seaward extremities of the two new breakwaters on theeastern side of Spithead. All homeward bound shipping was forbidden tomake for any of the ports within these obstructions, while an embargowas 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 formine-sweeping, as well as all the dockyard hopper-barges fitted withappliances for "creeping" were kept busily at work, till hardly a squareyard of the bottom of the Solent was left unexplored, and not until thisparticular work was completed did the authorities agree that themysterious submarine might have left these waters almost as soon asCaptain Restronguet had left his new-fangled cards upon the officerscommanding H.M. ships at Spithead.
While these dragging operations were in progress the force of the tidethrough the Needles Channel, which often exceeds seven knots, tore awaythe nets thrown across that passage. Two days later the easternmostnetdefence was removed, and it was then found that a rent thirty feet inlength had been made in the steel meshes. Whether this was done by humanor natural agency could not be determined, a minute examination of thefracture ending in nothing but heated arguments between the experts whohad been called in to make a report.
On the same day that the torpedo net defences were removed the master ofSS. "Barberton Castle" reported sighting two submarines lying motionlesson the water, about fifteen miles S.S.E. of the Lizard. He stated thatowing to the submarines being against the light he was unable to seethem at all distinctly, yet he felt certain that they were of a totallydifferent type from those of the British and French navies. They wereso close together that the bows of one overlapped the quarters of theother, and thinking that they were in distress, he ordered the"Barberton Castle's" head to be turned in their direction. Directly thetramp answered to her helm both submarines dived simultaneously, andwere lost to view.
The next morning Reuter's published a telegram from their agent atCherbourg, announcing that the mysterious Captain Restronguet hadbrought his submarine into the harbour and at high tide had placed threedummy mines at the entrance to the docks in the naval arsenal. To eachof the mines was a tablet on which was painted "Avec les assurances dema plus parfaite consideration--Restronguet, capitan de sous-marin."
With the fall of the tide, that here exceeds twenty feet, thesedisquieting evidences were discovered, and within a few hours CaptainRestronguet was the talk of all the cafes of Paris. The French, pioneersin submarine warfare, were now at a loss to explain how a submergedcraft could, in broad daylight, enter the breakwater-enclosed harbourand run alongside the caissons of the docks without being discovered,while to deposit three bulky "mines" in water of not more than threefathoms in depth was an exploit that required a lot of explanation as tohow it was done.
The transference of Captain Restronguet's attentions to the other sideof the Channel relaxed the tension on the British shore. But, bearingin 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 passed. The First Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet stillremained at Spithead, although under orders to proceed to the Nore at anearly date.
At 11.15 one morning a startling incident occurred that, rightly orwrongly, was attributed in some manner to Captain Restronguet.
It was on Southsea beach, almost midway between the pier and the castle.The beach and parade were thronged with people, mostly visitors who hadtaken advantage of the Fleet's presence to enjoy the view of the ships.The sea was perfectly smooth, being unruffled by the light off-shorebreeze; the tide was, however, running very strongly, for it was aboutthe fourth hour of the ebb.
Suddenly a succession of shrieks from a group of children paddling inthe water attracted the attention of persons in the vicinity, and to theastonishment of every one the head and shoulders of a man encased in adull green metal helmet emerged from the waves.
For a few moments the man hesitated, then staggered out of the water.At the edge of the beach he sat down and began to remove his head-dress,that the onlookers noticed was unprovided with air-tube or life-line.He was apparently quite independent of an outside air-supply.
Surprise had hitherto kept the spectators at a respectful distance,although their numbers were momentarily increased by others, until adeep semicircle of gaping onlookers hedged the diver in on the landwardside. But as soon as he began to take off his helmet the crowd swayednearer and nearer.
The removal of the metal head-dress revealed the features of a man ofabout thirty years of age, clean-shaven and with closely-croppeddark-brown hair that had a tendency to curl. Without speaking a wordthe unknown drew a knife from his belt and began to hack rapidly at somecontrivance at the back of his helmet. As soon as he had severed thepart he was attacking he stood up and hurled it far into the sea. Thisdone he calmly began to strip off the stiff fabric that composed hisdiving suit.
By this time the coastguard on duty at the look-out hut had noticed thecrowd congregate, and through his glass saw that something unusual washappening and that a diver had come ashore. Since there were noGovernment diving boats anywhere in sight he naturally thought that itwas a case for investigation, and the detachment of coastguards waspromptly turned out.
"Here, sir, what's the meaning of this?" demanded the chief officer,forcing his way through the crowd. "Who are you, and how did you manageto get ashore here?"
"That I can easily explain," replied the unknown. "I am an inventor,and this diving-dress represents the result of seven years' work. Iwalked into the sea at Gosport a couple of hours ago, but, gettingcaught in the strong current running out of Portsmouth Harbour, I wasswept a great distance until I managed to regain my feet. By walking ina direction due north as shown by my watertight compass I came ashorehere. Needless to say I do not look for publicity, and all I wish is topack up my discarded gear and go."
The chief officer looked at the stranger with mingled astonishment,admiration, and doubt. Never before had he known of a diver covering adistance of more than two miles, and that without the assistance of aboat containing the necessary apparatus for supplying the submerged manwith air.
"Hanged if I know what to make of it, Smithers!" he said in an aside tohis leading petty officer. "Perhaps he's a spy, or one of that bloomingCaptain Restronguet's crowd. This beats all creation!"
"Can't we detain him on suspicion?" asked Smithers. "I'll swear he's upto no good."
"I've half a mind to," replied the chief officer dubiously. "But, yousee, they'll come down on me like
a hundred of bricks if I exceed myduty."
"Invite him to the station, friendly-like," suggested the petty officer,"then, while he's there, you can telephone for instructions."
"I'll try it, by smoke!" ejaculated the chief officer, and approachingthe unknown he asked if he would like to dry his clothes at thecoast-guard station, since his ordinary garments, owing to the exertionin a confined space, were dripping with moisture.
"No, thank you," replied the submarine pedestrian. "All I want is toget a taxi, and make myself scarce. The attentions of so large a crowdare really embarrassing, and I am a man of a very retiring disposition.Had I expected this reception I should have vastly preferred to havelanded in a more secluded spot."
With that he ignored his questioners and began to roll his diving suitinto as small a compass as possible.
The coastguards were on the horns of a dilemma. They feared to make anunlawful arrest, while they might be severely brought to book forallowing the stranger to slip through their fingers, but there wasnothing in the King's Regulations to prevent a man landing on a publicbeach, whether from a boat, hydro-aeroplane, or otherwise.
Just at that instant a policeman strolled leisurely up, and scenting acharge, produced his notebook and pencil.
"Hi! What's this you're up to?" he demanded, but the unknown totallyignored him.
"Can't he speak English?" asked the policeman of the coastguard officer.
"Rather," asserted the other emphatically; then in a lower tone headded, "Look here, we want to detain the man, but we cannot name acharge."
"I'll see about that," retorted the policeman. "Now, sir, your name andaddress, please."
"Allow me to inform you, constable, that my name is not 'Hi.' Since youaddressed me as such you must not be surprised that your question wasignored."
A titter went up from the crowd, which had the effect of rousing the ireof the representative of the Law.
"Now, sir, your name and address, please."
"What for, constable?"
"For bathing off a public beach in prohibited hours."
"Don't talk rot!" exclaimed the unknown indignantly.
"Very good; since you refuse I have no option--I arrest you. Anystatement you make may be used as evidence against you. Come along withme."
Attended by the surging crowd the policeman escorted his charge to theroad, where a cab was hailed. The chief officer of coastguards wasrequested to accompany the prisoner as a witness, and the three enteredthe vehicle and were driven to the police-station.
Here, in order to gain time, the prisoner was formally charged withunlawful bathing, and as the Court was still sitting at the Town Hall hewas ordered to be taken there at once. The chief officer meanwhilecommunicated with the naval authorities by telephone, expressing hisopinion that the diver was a member of the mysterious CaptainRestronguet's submarine.
But the prisoner never arrived at the Town Hall. When the cab stoppedoutside the court a policeman was found insensible on the seat. Thefloor had been violently ripped up, and unknown to the driver and theconstable on the box the suspect had got clean away. By someinexplicable agency the unknown had deprived his captor of his senses,and the mystery of Captain Restronguet had entered into another phase.