Arthur D. Howden Smith

“ She’ll stand up to anything that a destroyer can live through, and a dozen men can handle her. Will you take command?”
“Umph,” grunted McConaughy.
“As to your cruise, you can make your own arrangements,” Lord Claragh went on. “There is just one request I should like to make—as a personal favor. I want my son to go along as a volunteer. I can’t let him go into khaki. It would not be right for my son and the man who will succeed to the Claragh Line to fight through this war on land. You see the point, I’m sure? I ask you, as a sailor, Captain McConaughy.” ”

“ Miss McNish drew intricate patterns on her desk-pad.
“Lord Claragh did not tell you his real reason for the enterprise,” she said suddenly. “He is deathly afraid his son will have to join the army. Anything would be better than that, and he looks upon his cruise as a sop to the authorities. If they will permit him to lend Mr. Tibbotts for occasional sea-forage he will be satisfied.”
“The more ye say, the less prejudiced I am for the mattherr,” barked McConaughy. ”

“ Trawlers and destroyers of the submarine patrol, charged with keeping the North Channel free from the German commerce raiders, were the only craft they met. So vigilant was the patrol that there was little danger from the elusive under-sea boat, but McConaughy judged precaution wise, and he traveled at twenty miles an hour, an easy clip for the Mona, with lookouts fore and aft and his machine guns uncased and ready. ”

“ Herbert bringing up the rear. As they ran down the street of tents and barracks, German soldiers commenced to pour out. At first the little file of running men was not noticed in the confusion. Then the prisoners of the guard house joined their comrades, and rifles began to crack through the storm of the blazing ammunition-dump and bullets flicked the heels of the Mona's crew.
McConaughy dropped back to the rear, urging every man who passed him to make rapid progress for the beach. Jock caught up with him at the first gulley between the dunes. ”

“ Here they turned east and bore off on a course toward Skallingen on the Jutland coast. McConaughy kept a man in the bow with the lead going, and found, as the charts were marked, a depth of sixty feet close in the lee of the reef.
Bearing in mind his instructions to look for mines, he spent the remainder of the afternoon switching back and forth across the waters south of the reef, a heavy trawling-net overside. Once or twice they raised the dingy sails of a Danish fishing-boat, but the Danes fled with ludicrous fear at first sight of the dreaded ensign flapping at the Saucy Mona’s stern. ”

“ Often they heard the echoes of firing to the southwest, far out in the North Sea, but otherwise the war meant nothing to them. They were as remote from it, as if they lived on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
By dusk, McConaughy was back on board the Saucy Mona, and summoned a council of war. It was arranged that they should start before midnight, make a quick run down to a point off the Island of Röm, and then land a party in the dory to spy out the shore defenses and pick up what information they could.
“We’ll mount a machine gun i’ the dorry’s bow,” said McConaughy to the Hon. Herbert. ”

“ Jock deposited his burden and sank down beside McConaughy in the sand, cuddling his rifle to his cheek and making every shot tell in the crowd that swarmed over the dunes on their trail.
“Wh-why d-don’t you g-go on?” chattered the Hon. Herbert miserably. “I d-don’t think my governor would like this. Really, I don’t.”
“All right,” said McConaughy. “Jock, they’ll be checked. Come on.”
Jock motioned toward their companion.
“Nonsense,” said McConaughy. “He’ll be a grrown man. He’d scorrn your aid. Come wi’ us, Mistherr Tibbotts.” ”

“ That morning they hoisted the imperial German naval ensign, for as McConaughy said, there was slim chance of their encountering Allied warships and more than a little risk of running into a stray German destroyer—in which latter case their only hope would be to elude conversation or get into shoal water where the enemy could not follow or else make the Danish coast. ”

“ He was an old man, but a man still possessed of boundless vitality, whose gray eyes smoldered under heavily-thatched, white eyebrows, whose rumpled, frosty hair grew thick all over his massive head, whose huge, big-boned figure was held erect by the indomitable will that refused to submit to three-score and ten. ”

“ The Admiralty wish to know for certain if the Germans have established themselves in any way on the Island of Fano, if they have planted mines in any of the Danish territorial waterways, where submarine bases could be located and where there are depths of water close inshore in which submarines might operate.
“For many reasons this work can not be done by a regular naval craft. Also, it requires a man of unusual ability and initiative, rather above the standard of the destroyer cub. It is dangerous, of course. Much more dangerous than periscope-potting off the Dogger Bank. ”

“ McConaughy shrugged his shoulders.
“I will na worrry about the navy’s thoughts,” he answered. “They ha’ suddenly discoverred they know nothin’ about something they should know all about. So they send us to discoverr it for ’em. That’s the navy’s way, an’ as it is exactly what I should expect ’em to do, I see no prroblem to be solved.”
“Good,” rumbled a deep voice behind them. “There’s a man who isn’t afraid to speak what he thinks.”
McConaughy turned slowly to face Lord Claragh, who was accompanied by Miss McNish and his son. ”

“ And horror of horrors, he slapped McConaughy on the back. Jock and Evan gasped openly, expecting to see the rash youth hurled into the sea. But McConaughy only smiled again, a trifle constrainedly this time, it is true.
“Ye ha’ a grrand conception o’ humorr, young man,” he said. “I canna mind I e’er hearrd a man crack so mony jokes as ye do in a day’s time. Ye must ha’ a noble intellect.”
The Hon. Herbert looked puzzled.
“Intellect? Intellect?” ”

“ He shook his head sadly. “Put I tell ye t’e truth, Skipperr, I caannot taake t’e responsipility o’ engines I to not know.”
“Don’t fash yourself, Evan,” returned McConaughy quietly. “I ha’ seen to that. Claragh’s own engineer goes along. He’ll be under ye, but ma thought is that ye’ll let him do all the worrk. I’ll want ye an’ Jock to help me in more imporrtant mattherrs. We’ll tak’ a picked crew. There’s room for no more than twenty, an’ the men we ha’ will be busy all the time.”
“She’ll hae machine guns fore an’ aft, I see,” commented Jock.
“Ay. Young See-the-worrld is theirr keeperr.” ”

“ Captain Craven’s ruddy face flamed with resentment. But the tinkling of a bell beside his desk cut off his hot rejoinder, and he disappeared in the direction of the managing director’s office. In a minute he was back, still glowering.
“She’ll see ye, now,” he announced curtly. ”

“ Jock an’ I will tak’ care o’ the raid worrk. Two men will be enough for ye, the rest will come wi’ us.”
THEY split up, Evan approaching the ammunition-dump, McConaughy and the others advancing at a trot upon the guard-house, their feet making no sound in the soft sands. Outside this building McConaughy halted again. He looked in at a window. Half-a-dozen soldiers sat or lay about a wood-stove—a sergeant scratched at a heap of papers at a desk. McConaughy turned to his party.
“Smarrtly, men,” he ordered. “Rifles at the ready, shoot any man that raises a hand. ”

“ Evan nodded wisely.
“Ye say truth, Skipper. A Gotless life he must hafe lifet, py whaat ye hafe tolt us. Atverrsity will pe goot for him. T’ere is naught prings religion to a man like t’e scourrge o’ pain an’ haart’ship. T’e young man is lucky.”
“I hope he thinks so,” remarked McConaughy grimly.
“An’ wull there be fechtin’?” queries Jock with a wistful note in his voice.
“I canna say more than I ha’, Jock. If the Germans do not be plain fools an’ incompetents—an’ ma observations so farr do not stamp ’em such—we must ha’ some chance at ’em.” ”

“ I lost ma own ship, the William an’ Mary, out o’ their dodderrin’ self-suffeeciency that wouldna admit a Gerrman Dutchman could outwit them.”
“Captain McConaughy has strong views on this subject,” interposed Miss McNish hastily. “He had an unfortunate experience early in the war. You may have heard.”
Lord Claragh chuckled again.
“The Bad Samaritan story, eh?” he said. “I heard. Well, a man with your record is entitled to his own opinion on naval matters. I’ll not try to gainsay you. But what would you say if you were told the navy wanted your help?”
“Say?” snorted McConaughy. ”

“ Herbert. “It isn’t right, you know. Why, it isn’t done. Really, I assure you, you have quite the wrong conception of your duties. Laying aside all question of class, and quite as man to man——”
“Bill Tibbotts’ son talkin’ o’ class an’ class,” muttered McConaughy, with a shake of his head. “Young man, ye ha’ much to learrn—more than I ha’ time to teach ye at this time. ”

“ I’m not so young as I was—the women all tell me that. Sometimes it seems it would be good to have a man to lean on.”
“Ay, but not to supporrt,” protested McConaughy. “If ye would ha’ a man, lassie, tak’ one will not expect ye to think for him. Ye’re an extraorrdinarr’ likely crreaturre, if ye will not mind ma sayin’ so, an”tis plain rridiculous to suppose ye are required to bind yourself wi’ a monkey in a paper-collarr.” ”

“ I’ll tak’ twenty o’ ma own crew.”
The Hon. Herbert Tibbotts returned from a saunter up the dock in the interests of diversion, in time to overhear this last statement.
“I say, governor,” he volunteered, “don’t you think the old tub would do better if we had a navy man or two along? No offense to you, Mr.—that is, Captain—Captain McHoneybee.”
McConaughy’s teeth showed for an instant between his tight-drawn lips, but otherwise he restrained the sudden murderous impulse that took possession of him.
“No, Herbert,” Lord Claragh said firmly. “I see no reason for employing navy officers. ”

“ Herbert a chance to ask questions. “There’s no time to be lost. Be carefu’ how ye step, though. I’ll brain the man that stumbles.”
It required more time for the larger party to gain the foot of the dune whereon the sentry was perched. Here McConaughy left them again, and taking only Jock with him, circled the dune in order to come up on the other side. ”

“ Jock began.
McConaughy cut him short.
“The young leddy will neverr be mentioned in connection wi’ the incident,” he commanded. “Rememberr that, the two o’ ye. ’Twas the forrtune o’ war. I willna call it the misforrtune.”
“Tit ye”—Evan lowered his voice, at once discreetly and significantly.
“I did not, I’m thankfu’ to say. I was rready to trrip him at need or bind him an’ hand him overr to the Germans; but mattherrs worrked out betther than I dared hope for. The laddie lost himself. Hecht, I thought from the starrt all we would need to do would be leave him by his lone i’ the darrk. ”