Part 34 (1/2)
”Konstantin Volnow, of the Imperial a.r.s.enal at Petersburg, brings the message from the Tsar in writing.'
”His Majesty's messenger is welcome. Come alongside.”
The _Ariel_ ran ahead until her prow touched the rail of the hurricane deck, and the Professor advanced with the Tsar's letter in his hand, and gave it to the Admiral, saying--
”You are acquainted with me, Admiral Prabylov. Though I bear it unwillingly, I can vouch for the letter being authentic. I saw his Majesty write it, and he gave it into my hands.”
”Then how do you come to be an unwilling bearer of it?” asked the Admiral, scowling and gnawing his moustache as he read the unwelcome letter. ”What are these terms, and with whom were they made?”
”Pardon me, Admiral,” interrupted Mazanoff, ”that is not the question. I presume you recognise his Majesty's signature, and see that he desires the air-s.h.i.+p to be given up.”
”His Majesty's signature can be forged, just as Nihilists' pa.s.sports can be, Mr. Terrorist, for that's what I presume you are, and”--
”Admiral, I solemnly a.s.sure you that that letter is genuine, and that it is really his Majesty's wish that the air-s.h.i.+p should be given up,” the Professor broke in before Mazanoff had time to reply. ”It is to be given in exchange for nine war-balloons which these air-s.h.i.+ps captured before daybreak this morning.”
”How do you come to be the bearer of it, sir? Please answer me that first.”
”I am a prisoner of war. I surrendered to save the a.r.s.enal and perhaps Petersburg from destruction under circ.u.mstances which I cannot now explain”--
”Thank you, sir, that is quite enough! A pretty story, truly! And you ask me to believe this, and to give up that priceless air-s.h.i.+p on such grounds as these--a story that would hardly deceive a child? You captured nine of the Tsar's war-balloons this morning, had an interview with his Majesty, got this letter from him at Custrin--more than five hundred miles away, and bring it here, and it is barely two in the afternoon!
”No, gentlemen, I am too old a sailor to be taken in by a yarn like that. I believe this letter to be a forgery, and I will not give the air-s.h.i.+p up on its authority.”
”That is your last word, is it?” asked Mazanoff, white with pa.s.sion, but still forcing himself to speak coolly.
”That is my last word, sir, save to tell you that if you do not haul that flag you are masquerading under down at once I will fire upon you,” shouted the Admiral, tearing the Tsar's letter into fragments as he spoke.
”If I haul that flag down it will be the signal for the air-s.h.i.+ps up yonder to open fire upon you, so your blood be on your own heads!”
said Mazanoff, stamping thrice on the deck as he spoke. The propellers of the _Ariel_ whirled round in a reverse direction, and she sprang swiftly back from the battles.h.i.+p, at the same time rising rapidly in the air.
Before she had cleared a hundred yards, and before the flag of truce was hauled down, there was a sharp, grinding report from one of the tops of the man-of-war, and a hail of bullets from a machine gun swept across the deck. Mazanoff heard a splintering of wood and gla.s.s, and a deep groan beside him. He looked round and saw the Professor clasp his hand to a great red wound in his breast, and fall in a heap on the deck.
This was the event of an instant. The next he had trained one of the bow-guns downwards on the centre of the deck of the Russian flags.h.i.+p and sent the projectile to its mark. Then quick as thought he sprang over and discharged the other gun almost at random. He saw the dazzling green flash of the explosions, then came a shaking of the atmosphere, and a roar as of a hundred thunder-claps in his ears, and he dropped senseless to the deck beside the corpse of the Professor.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”There was a sharp, grinding report from one of the tops of the man-of-war.”
_See page 232._]
CHAPTER x.x.xI.
A RUSSIAN RAID.
Mazanoff came to himself about ten minutes later, lying on one of the seats in the after saloon, and all that he saw when he first opened his eyes was the white anxious face of Radna bending over him.
”What is the matter? What has happened? Where am I?” he asked, as soon as his tongue obeyed his will. His voice, although broken and unsteady, was almost as strong as usual, and Radna's face immediately brightened as she heard it. A smile soon chased away her anxious look, and she said cheerily--
”Ah, come! you're not killed after all. You are still on board the _Ariel_, and what has happened is this as far as I can see. In your hurry to return the shot from the Russian flags.h.i.+p you fired your guns at too close range, and the shock of the explosion stunned you.
In fact, we thought for the moment you had blown the _Ariel_ up too, for she shook so that we all fell down; then her engines stopped, and she almost fell into the water before they could be started again.”