Part 36 (1/2)

Grauble sat thinking for a moment. ”Yes,” he said, ”there is one way we might do it. We could shave his beard and clip his hair, dress him in a machinist's garb and smear his hands and face with grease. Then I could drug him and we could carry him off at the lock and put him in a cell. I would report that one of my men had gone raving mad, and I had drugged him to keep him from doing injury to himself and others. It would create no great surprise. Men in this service frequently go mad; and I am provided with a sleep producing drug for just such emergencies.”

”Then go ahead,” I said.

”But you will lose the satisfaction of delivering him prisoner to your government,” smiled Grauble.

”I have no love for the Admiral,” I replied, ”but I think his punishment will be more appropriately attended to in Berlin. When our escape is known he will indeed have a rather difficult time explaining to His Majesty.”

This suggestion of the pompous Admiral's predicament if thus left behind seemed to amuse Grauble and he at once led the way back to his own cabin.

Von Kufner was lying very quietly in his bonds and glared up at us with a weak and futile rage. Grauble smiled cynically at his prostrate chief.

”I had thought to take you along with us,” he said, ”but I am afraid the excitement of the voyage would be unpleasant for you so I have decided to leave you at the lock to take our farewell back to His Majesty.”

Von Kufner, helpless and gagged was given no opportunity to reply, for Grauble, unlocking his medicine case took out a small hypodermic syringe and plunged the needle into the prisoner's thigh.

In a few minutes the Admiral was unconscious. The Captain now brought a suit of soiled mechanic's clothes and a clipper and razor, and in a half hour the prim Admiral in his fancy uniform had been reduced to the likeness of an oiler. His face roughly shaved, but pale and sallow, gave a very good simulation of illness of mind and body.

”He will remain like that for at least twelve hours,” said Grauble. ”I gave him a heavy dose.”

Again we went out, locking the unconscious Admiral in the cabin. ”You may go and keep the Princess company,” said Grauble, ”while I talk with my men and give them an inkling of what we are planning. If there is any trouble at the lock it is better that they comprehend that hope of freedom is in store for them.”

Amid tears of joy Marguerite now told me of her belated conception of the desperate plan to induce von Kufner to bring her to the docks to see us depart, and how she had pretended to disbelieve that I was really going and bargained to marry him within sixty days if she could be a.s.sured by her own eyes that I had really departed for the Arctic.

As we waited feverishly for the first nerve-racking part of the journey to be over, we spoke of the hopes and dangers of the great adventure upon which we were finally embarked. And so the hours pa.s.sed.

At last we felt the rumble of the motors die and knew that the movement of the vessel had ceased.

~6~

The voice of the mate spoke at the door: ”Remain quiet inside,” he said, and a key turned and clicked the bolt of the lock. The tense minutes pa.s.sed. Again the key turned in the door and the mate stuck his head inside. ”Come quick,” he said to me.

I followed him into Capt. Grauble's cabin, but saw Grauble nowhere.

”Remove your clothing,” said the mate, as he seized a sponge and soap and began was.h.i.+ng the blackened oil from the hands and face of the unconscious Admiral. ”We must dress him in your uniform. The Commander of the Lock has orders to take you off the vessel. We must pa.s.s the Admiral off for you. He will never be recognized. The Commander has never seen you.”

Obeying, without fully comprehending, I helped to quickly dress the unconscious man in my own clothing. We had barely finished when we heard voices outside.

”Quick, under the bunk,” whispered the mate. As I obediently crawled into the hiding place, the mate kicked in after me the remainder of the oiler's clothing which I had been trying to put on and pulled the disarranged bedding half off the bunk the better to hide me. Then he opened the door and several men entered.

”I had to drug him,” said Grauble's voice, ”because he was so violent with fear when I had him manacled that I thought he might attempt to beat out his brains.”

”Let me see his papers,” said a strange voice.

After a brief interval the same voice spoke again--”These are identical with the description given by His Majesty's secretary. There can be no doubt that this is the man they want, but I do not see how an enemy spy could ever pa.s.s for a German, even if he had the clothing and identification. He does not even look like the description in the folder. The chemists must be very stupid to have accepted him as one of them.”

”It is strange,” replied the voice of Capt. Grauble, ”but this man was very clever.”

”It is only that most men are very dull,” replied the other voice. ”Now I should have suspected at once that the man was not a German. But he shall answer for his cleverness. Let him be removed at once. We have word from the vessel outside that they are short of oxygen, and you must be locked out and clear the pa.s.sage.”

With a shuffling of many feet the form of the third bearer of Karl Armstadt's pedigree was carried from the cabin, and the door was kicked shut.