Alexander Forbes

“ With explosive force the news spread through the Western world, like a titanic peal of thunder echoing from mountain crest to valley and reverberating throughout the land. The bells rang, and all the populace gave themselves to wild joy or solemn thanksgiving.
As soon as the surrender had been made, the Allied fleet proceeded to Gibraltar to take possession. At the first opportunity for shore liberty, Evans found Kendrick, and for hours they talked over the events since they had separated in the dark on the shore at Punta Delgada. ”

“ Evans did not take long to discern that, besides the charm which had attracted him, Fraser had a mind of unusual quality, clear and strong, well trained in his profession, but untrammeled by the fetters of tradition; a mind that could grasp quickly, think straight, and see with the vision that comes only with imagination—a quality without which no man can be a truly great naval or military leader. Evans found plenty of lines of approach to Fraser through questions of the fitness of the radio gear for the various tasks required in the team-work of the hunting squadron. ”

“ Just as the skill and wisdom of the gunnery officer direct the titanic force of the guns to the point where it is most telling, so the controlling mind, acting through communications, directs the force of the entire fleet; that’s the field where the minimum energy will yield the largest return; put your best efforts in there.”
“Don’t forget morale,” said Mortimer.
“Quite right,” said Evans; “morale is more than half the fight; without it no amount of skill or intelligence will avail; but without the aid of the mind morale is flung helpless at the mercy of superior skill in an opponent. ”

“ Then as they passed Daunt Rock and, forming their scouting line, plunged into the head seas that swept their narrow decks, there came the test of the sailor’s morale. To learn to live and carry on in their cramped quarters, rolling, pitching, and thrashing about till it seemed as if neither flesh and blood nor steel could stand it any longer, while the cold, gray rollers, washing over the ship from stem to stern, chilled the very soul, was a feat that seemed to call for even more than human powers of adaptation. ”

“ In a few days he was again at the wheel of his beloved boat, the sails pulling hard in the fresh southwest wind. Leaving New Bedford, he headed for the Maine coast. Once more alone in his seaworthy little ketch, he cruised along the coast by easy stages, northward and eastward, farther and farther from the crowded habitats of man, to the spruce-clad, rocky islands of Maine. Off Seguin he stood well out to sea, the gentle rocking of the boat on the ocean swell lulling him into a happy reverie as she glided along before the summer breeze. ”

“ And I was just crazy for the sight of the green hills of Ireland and the spires of Queenstown, the snug berth at the mooring buoy and the liberty party ashore. Then I waked up to the fact that the messages I had to copy in those tedious watches in the radio room were very close to the heart of our naval strategy; handling them mechanically like an automaton, I was losing a golden opportunity to read the controlling mind. I began to notice things, and I saw a wonderful evolution going on. Sailing orders which at first required long messages were later transmitted in a few brief signals. ”

“ With a blaze that lit the sky she burst into fragments, leaving nothing but oil and wreckage when the smoke cleared. Another, hit in a starboard boiler room, was unable to maintain speed, and, to avoid being pounded to pieces as she dropped astern past the entire battle-line of the Allies, turned sharply to port and escaped behind her own line of battleships. The remainder of the battle cruisers, battered and crippled, drew out of range while still they could, pursued by destroyers racing after like a pack of hungry greyhounds. ”

“ Looking round as he turned to enter the hotel, he saw dimly in the darkness a block away the form of a man; and though obviously too far off to warrant any valid judgment, Evans couldn’t escape the feeling that it was the same man that he and Lindsay had just noticed. At the same moment there flashed into his mind an uncomfortable feeling that it was the same man he had seen on Trinity Street in Cambridge when he was saying good-night to Heringham after their first talk. Evans laughed at himself for letting the darkness and the strange blue street lights make him wax superstitious. ”

“ The old Admiral’s all right, but he’s got to have a good chief of staff to swing this fleet.”
With feverish energy he wielded pliers and solder-iron till after midnight. Then he put down his things and said, “Well, I’ve got to sleep on this thing if I can,” and turned in.
His sleep was restless and full of stress and worry. He dreamt that he saw a miniature admiral in a cocked hat, standing on the deck of a frigate of the olden days, brandishing his sword. The ship was no bigger than a toy, but the little admiral, puffing with pride, strutted up and down. He looked like Captain Brigham. ”

“ Goss was my best friend in the world. No man was ever more faithful; never did a man face the dangers of that work more bravely or more cheerfully than he. If Commander Rich had stood by him, nothing on earth would have made me tell. Till yesterday I stood ready to keep my mouth shut even if you tortured me. But last night I learned how this cur had betrayed my friend and foully done him to death. And now I am ready and glad to tell you the truth. Goss never faltered. He was ever ready at the master’s bidding to risk discovery, tapping wires and impersonating others. ”

“ Evans spent much of his time in the radio room at the congenial pastime of discussing problems with the chief radio electrician and his operators, and helping them tinker with apparatus. A radio chief likes to discuss his set with any one who has a genuine interest, and it wasn’t long before the chief and all the operators were picking up innumerable hints on the newest engineering developments. The radio officer of the ship was an ensign named Lindsay, a youngster just out of Annapolis with a sunny disposition and a wholesome boyishness about him that won Evans’s heart. ”

“ The sunset colors were fading and the pink stucco buildings of Punta Delgada but dimly showing against the green hills behind the town as the great seaplane hovered over the battleship Delaware, answering her recognition signals, and then alighted at the entrance to the inner harbor.
Evans was now easier in his mind, for Rich was no more. But still he was terribly haunted by the fear that Rich or his agents had learned the secret of the code stolen by Wellman (alias Bela) , and revealed it to their superiors in Constantinople. ”

“ Wholesome and vigorous, with a boyish enthusiasm and a genuine frankness about him, he at once inspired in Evans a strong liking, and, more than that, a confidence that he was a real man. He saw at once that Fraser was in earnest, and open-mindedly seeking any and every means that human ingenuity could devise to get the enemy. Fraser took Evans for what he was, regardless of rank, and eagerly discussed with him the problem of utilizing all the gear on his ship to the best advantage. ”

“ Surmounting the rest of the garden high up on the slope is an ancient watch-tower commanding a view of the sea. Crumbling steps overgrown with weeds lead up the side to its summit. Beside it stands a majestic and venerable tree, a conifer of the cedar or cypress group, which must have stood there for centuries casting its deep shade on the old watch-tower. Framed under its great lichen-covered branches, the wide expanse of the blue ocean makes the fairest of pictures—one on which the eye can rest and never tire. ”

“ Before nine they were on their way again, dropping the islands and promontories of the Nova Scotia coast behind them at a rate of ninety miles an hour. As they passed over the heel of Cape Cod, flying high, Evans could make out the long white line of Monomoy Island with its sandy ocean beach. The memory returned to him of the same white line when last he had seen it over the roaring breakers, showing dimly through the rain from the Petrel’s cockpit, on his adventurous sail with Mortimer. ”

“ The adventurous nature of Heringham’s mission took such a hold on Evans’s imagination that he became absorbed in the planning of it with the eagerness of a boy building some new castle in the air. It was only with effort that he turned his attention to what was nominally his own mission, the consultation with British radio experts on technical matters. He managed, nevertheless, to confer with the best men in this field in England, and to compare notes with them on recent progress. ”

“ Fraser thought a moment.
“But to get back to your placing battleship divisions by radio compass,” he said at last; “don’t you think it would be too complicated and uncertain to rely on in all the stress of a naval action?”
“Not if it’s worth doing,” answered Evans. “It’s no more complicated or difficult than director firing or torpedo work or several other things you rely on in battle, that have been perfected by intensive effort and labor. It’s just a matter of insisting that the gear shall be in working trim, and then everlastingly drilling the men in the use of it.” ”

“ Meanwhile a maneuver had been commenced by the net-laying ships and chasers together, whereby the ends of the net were slowly drawn in toward the center of the circle, in order to reduce the area to be swept.
More telltale bombs behind the chasers sent up their signal fountains, and two more barrages brought up their gruesome wreckage. The ocean shook and seethed with the tumult.
“It’s a grim business,” muttered Evans, looking on solemnly. Never before had he stood by in cold blood and watched such a horror of war being enacted. ”

“ All of the gang would be there but the lone officer who “had the deck.” He, standing on the bridge, alert and watchful, directed the man at the wheel and the quartermasters as they moved swiftly about, performing the duties of the ship’s nerve center. He held the lives of all on board in his hands while the others made merry below. And whenever it was not Jackson’s turn as officer of the deck during the eight-to-twelve watch, he would “break out” his mandolin, and harmony would reign in the cheery little wardroom. ”

“ Had a nice trip across the Bay, didn’t you?”
“Beautiful; those destroyers glide along like a dream. This is a cozy little boat you’ve got, Jim; where’s your crew?”
“You’re my crew to-day,” said the skipper. “Lord! I don’t want a crew killing time about the deck. That’s the advantage of this size and rig; I can handle her alone, and yet she’s big enough for comfortable cruising, and safe in any sea there is. I couldn’t afford a crew if I wanted one; so I’m glad I don’t. Take your valise below and have a look round, don’t you want to? Take the port bunk, my gear’s on the starboard.” ”

“ It is a great thing for the morale of the fleet to have such a man at the head. He has a good military personality, but he is a bit old-fashioned, and is rather short on imagination. He doesn’t adapt himself readily to new conditions, but, of course, that’s hard for any man of his age. He will do the obvious very well; but I wish he had a little keener perception. Now this stuffed club, Brigham, is the finest ever at keeping up good military form and appearances; the flagship is a very ‘smart ship’ to look at. ”

“ Many a problem in the borderland of science and strategy which harassed him in the turmoil of life aboard ship yielded a solution to his mind unfettered and free as it was when he sat on the watch-tower.
The Borge garden was inhabited by numerous small birds that sang melodiously among the trees and shrubs, and so doing enhanced immeasurably the charm of the place. Evans was no ornithologist, but he was a lover of all wild life, and especially of birds. ”

“ Descending the basket mast, he shouted to Captain Fraser as he passed the conning tower, “All ready to use,” and hastened below to the radio room where he found the generator already humming again at its task of supplying the power to carry the voice from the conning tower far over the turbulent waters. And as he watched the metres on the panel he knew that the transmitter was again carrying the messages that were directing the work of the fleet. But his heart was sick with the haunting picture of the flame shooting from Lindsay’s turret. ”

“ A man in charge of a thing like this radio compass, for example, is apt to think it’s the most important thing in the whole navy, and everything else should give way before it. I believe a man should see the problem as a whole. Now take my case: I’m in charge of radio, but it would be silly of me to fancy that radio was the most important thing in the whole organization. I recognize that Admiral Bishop has a much wider vision, that radio is only one small part of a colossal machine, and I am ready to defer to the needs of gunnery and the like when occasion demands. ”

“ This channel isn’t buoyed, and the chart helps.”
Even with only the mizzen and jib the Petrel made good speed; and now with the stiff wind and east-running tide, the whitecaps were increasing to good-sized breakers. Then the dark clouds to windward gathered themselves into a huge black knot, black as ink and roughly funnel-shaped. Like a giant projectile this black mass approached, coming at an astounding speed.
“This is going to be a good one,” said Evans. “It’ll be thick in a minute, I wouldn’t mind seeing a landmark ahead. ”