Adventure, December 1914 — page 93: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Lancing of the Whale —even the senior engineers—were all ashore, Why worry? Dick’s orders were given so silently that only the company officers gathered round him could hear them. The fifty men whom Yussuf Ali had been told to leave behind were left now in charge of the horses, and company by company the rest were led in silence to the shore, where they hid in deep shadows. Fifty men were sent to cut the wires again; for now it was Dick’s turn to wishsecrecy. Fifty more men laid down their arms and went in search of small boats. It was two hours after dark when the keel of the last small boat discoverable grounded between reeds and a voice said—, “All ready now, bahadur!” With a little splashing and oar-bumping, which made Dick and the company com- manders curse but did not disturb the drowsy gunboat-crews, the five advanced units of Russia’s Caspian fleet were sur- rounded one by one. Dick blew a whistle, and at once the small boats all headed in- ward. An alarm was shouted, long too late. The bigger gunboat’s siren screamed, and her search-light flickered and then flared, full-on. But by that time Dick was up the side of her—on deck with his sword drawn, and each of the other gunboats was in like predicament. “Below with you! Get below!’ com- manded Dick, and the thinned-out crews obeyed. They showed less resentment and more curiosity than the military—more dis- position to change masters without troub- ling themselves about it. Dick knew—as every other man knows who has seen or read or listened—that of all the trained forces in the world, those of so- called ‘minor powers” not excepted, the Russian navy is the most mutinous and has the greatest cause to be. Half of the Rus- sian fleet is used to compel the other half, and the consequent resentment works like the swing of a pendulum when the first half mutinies. The Russian jails are crowded with her sailors. There are some mines in Siberia that are worked exclusively by men who mutinied on one or other of the Czar’s steel ships. But even Dick, who knew what to expect, was surprised at the readiness with which he was obeyed. The eng‘ne-room crews were utterly outnumbered, and in the bow- els of the biggest of the gunboats—that on which Dick held the wheel—there was gI grim, tremendous Andry with a rifle in his hand to see that the bridge-signals were an- swered instantly; but there was no opposi- tion anywhere; the men on the other four gunboats obeyed the orders of Dick’s deputies as readily, and got up anchor with- out waiting for a taste of force. Threats were sufficient. The story that Russia gave the world a few days later was correct so far as it went. The Bureau of the Interior gave out, and the newspapers repeated, that a storm had swept the Caspian and the loss to shipping had been very great. It was singularly great for, contrary to rule, the loss was nearly all the Government’s. A part of the story that was missing was to the effect that once, when Francis Drake set out to singe the King of Spain’s beard, and did singe it in Vigo Bay, there were two Anthonys on board his leading ships. The ventures of the ‘Three Red Anthonys” of those days would more than fill a book; but the memory of that happening in Vigo Bay was foremost in Dick’s mind that night, and ancient history had more to do with Russia’s loss than men who are not dreamers, such as Dick was, would believe. LAST of the “Red Anthonys” of Mae Arran, and by no means least of “= them, he led the way on the biggest of five gunboats through the winding shoal of Astrabad Bay and out to open water while the city behind him stared at the row of watch-fires he had left dancing before up-. turned wagons. Before midnight he was out of sight of land, steering by compass, and very closely followed by the rest in single line ahead. Some of his Persians were already sea- sick, for there was a strong swell running; but he had brought four hundred with him, knowing well that half of them were likely to be useless; there were plenty left. His eye was on the black clouds that raced be- fore him; his ears were wide open for the roar of water that precedes a Caspian hurri- cane; his brain was busy working out the course the Russians must have taken, judg- ing by that little map he had. Before the storm burst he was sure that there was only one anchorage protected from a south wind that would be wide enough to hold the Russian gunboat fleet. And though he knew that Russians could do with their gunboats at least as much as he :with his NOOK C©