THE DAY: OR, THE PASSIM OF A THRONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15930, 29 May 1915, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE DAY: OR, THE PASSIM OF A THRONE.

BY FRED M. WHITE, v author of "The Nether Millstone." "The Corner House," "The Slave of Silence," "Craven Fortune,". "The Scales of Justice." etc. etc.

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPT'ER~XXXVI.-KContinuedl).~~ "It's nothing very illuminating, after all," he said. "It is evidently intended for those fishing smacks, or perhaps for any submarine that happens to be on the look-out. Ho says that the- mines are ready, but before anything is done the people in this house would like to have a few words with the captain of the D 3. I take it that this is a submarine."

"'But you will not leave it at that!" von Kemp suggested. " We are not ready, Mr. Hallett. What we want is to gain time. " It is evident that" there are mines somewhere in the neighbourhood, and I should not be surprised to find that they are concealed somewhere on shore. Probably they have been hidden here for years. If we-could keep the enemy hanging about for a day or two we might discover all sorts of things. Therefore I beg to suggest that you alter the signal before we sleep. And suppose we give the sign of danger and order the fishing smacks and the German submarine to lie off and wait. It is well to be cautious."-

Hallett was disposed to fall in with the suggestion. He. was master of the situation now, he had the enemy's citadel in his hands, and the rest if the infamous gang on the East Coast had not the least idea of it. If he could once break the chain, then sooner or later all the links of it must fall into his hands. He must get one or two of the crew of the trawlers safely landed in gaol and persuade them to speak. He had the poorest opinion of the mean traitor who was prepared to sell his country for gold, he knew .what cowards such men were and how ready they were to betray their companions to save their own miserable skins.

" You are quite right," he said. "We will go and make the necessary alterations and leave the foe out there in the darkness to make the beat he can of it. Then we will get my man to keep the light on till midnight and go back to the castle and get some sleep. I don't mind admitting that lam quite done up. I have had no sleep to speak of for two nights, besides we are doing no good here now." The desired alteration was made in -the signal, then HaUett and the rest made their way along the cliffs in the direction of the castle. Hallett detained von Kemp a moment and took him by the arm.

" I have not had .an opportunity of thanking you before," he said. "But it was a good day for us, when we met you that night in that startling fashion in St. Paul's Cathedral."

" It was a good thing foi me, too," von Kemp said. ~ ;.. "Well, let's call it mutual. At any rate you have done us a great service and without you I doubt very. much if wo should have come upon the track of this great conspiracy. You have done England a glorious service, von Kemp, and at the ' same time you have struck a shrewd blow for your German [Republic. I will see that you are properly rewarded when the time comes." Von Kemp protested in all sincerity that he needed no reward. He was quite sure that there were thousands of his fellow-countrymen who felt as he did and who held that they were the true patriots and not 'those*• who were howling ; for Prussian military supremacy. They were still discussing this when the castle was reached, and they walked through the great hall towards the '% diningroom, where -a cold supper'was laid out for them. Inchcliffe sniffed ( suspiciously. if..|. " Who . has ' been smoking cigarettes here?" he asked. "And my best ciearettes, too.' Hello!" ', ,'< £v*'-| A "figure sat before the • fire smoking calmly, Haliett - broke into an'; exclamation of delight and hurried, forward,,with outstretched hand and a welcome gleaming in his eyes. '~,<. ; ' . .'■'■,'.< "Eosslyn!". he cried. "Kosslyn, by all that's glorious!" v • £; , > ?-..'

CHAPTER XXXVII. - '■< 'it '■ BROTHERS IN ARMS. _ ; "' So far Rosslyn had successfully performed his mission. It,was something to remember, something to speak of, in the days to come, though it was beyond, the power of mortal man to paint in \ cold words the awful spectacle that ho could see benuath him. It was as if the whole world was in flames, as if a great, crater' had been opened belching widespread destruction from one 1 side of Europe i to another. It was too great to last long, and almost as speedily as' they had arisen the flames subsided, and Rosslyn found himself enveloped in a whirl of, black smoke so dense that he could only breathe with difficulty, and so overpowering' that' he utterly lost control of his machine! He was like a migrating bird carried on by blind instinct and wondering where he would emerge. Ho'was unconscious of the fact that he was travelling ill wide circles and gradually getting closer to the ground. He -was sick and giddy, ; ; it was almost impossible to think coherently, and his eyes were smarting terribly. ,- ; -• '•' . '•,.,*">•'•' And it seemed to him that the fog was lifting, though in reality he had dropped beneath that blinding blanket, and beforo he knew what had happened one of the wings of the plane camo in contact with the branch of a tree and brought the machine to the. ground, -;. "> Here was a new and unexpected peril. Rosslyn was badly shaken but not hurt, and after a few breathless moments he had sufficiently recovered himself to stagger to his feet and investigate the damage. So far as ho could see there was not much harm done,, merely a rent in one of the wings, which he could repair in an hour or two. The engine was. all right, and there was enough petrol in the tanks to carry him to London if necessary. He had no notion of where he was, and he would have given a good deal to know whether he had fallen in the British or German lines. It would be prudent perhaps to hide himself till daybreak and get the machine undercover. This was not a difficult matter, for the spot where Rosslyn had fallen was littered with straw-covered- hurdles, which no doubt had been used by the troops as temporary shelters. He folded ' up his machine and piled some hurdles upon it. Then he moved forward cautiously, and a moment later fell headlong over a barbed wire entanglement and came down heavily in a trench, where about half-a-do2;en nuen were keeping a fitful wateh. Rosslyn would have turned and -roads a fight of it directly he caught a glimpse of the blue-grey uniforms by the fitful light of the lantern, but just in time he recollected his disguise. He had fallen in with the Germans, and for the time being at any rate he must play his part. Therefore Vie smiled as a bayonet touched Vis Weast ana intimated that he was a friend. It was boldly and swiftly done, for the bayonet at any rate ■ was dropped, and Rosslyn was subjected instead to many searching questions. These were easily parried, for he knew a good deal about the German private and his ways. He spoke haughtily and with the manner of a man who carried authority behind him. He wanted to see an officer, he had important information which ■ must be delivered without May. For a moment or two the men whispered together, then one of them climbed grumblingly out of the trench and asked. Rosslyn to follow him. They came presently to a kind of hut' formed of thatched hurdles and lighted by a solitary candle- Here was a tall officer in Bavarian uniform poring over a map. He looked" thin' and worn as if his bones were struggling "to jret through his flesh. Over him there' brooded a profound melancholy, his dark eyes wore hopeless, and his mind seemed to be far away. It took him some little time to grasp, what the soldier, was sayins, "" * .■•.-, • ■■ [ :m

"Oh, that's it, is' it?" he said. "A spy undoubtedly. ; Take him out and shoot him."' '' V'" ■•"■ '•*"; -'■/..- .-■ •■ :

.; : "I am no-spy,*', Rosslyn said boldly.. ' For the first time the melancholy officer looked at him.: Rosslyn's German was good enough to pass anywhere, and his disguise was intact. By this time lie liar, made up his mind what to do and kmto act. He could see that Iris bold manner and excellent German were not without their effect upon the Bavarian, and this gave him courage. " Don't you think you had better hear what I have to say, captain ?" ho suggested. "I came here to-night on important business connected with your petrol supply." " We have no petrol supply,", the office*: growled. " weii, iff, not my fault that I am too late," Rosslyn went on. "Send your man away, what I have to say is not for his ears. If you refuse to listen to me you will find yourself in serious trouble. Have you ever seen this handwriting before or this seal ?"

As he spoke Rosslyn took from his pocket the letter which he had had from the Kaiser and showed it to the Bavarian. The latter started, and then curtly dismissed Rosslyn's escort. "I beg your pardon," he said. "I begin to see that I have made a mistake. But at tiiues like these one cannot be too careful. Apparently you are here on behalf of the Emperor, 'and that letter should go to my general at once. But I fear that, is impossible. We were pushed forward to guard the petrol supply without supports, and we are entirely cut off by the enemy's cavalry. They will find it out in the course of a few hours, and out of the three thousand of us not ono will b.? alive to-morrow night." The Bavarian spoke with the air o! a man who had lost all hope and confidence and who had seen his fate before him from the' first. It was impossible, lie said, to get the dispatch through, though he might be able to signal it. Had Rorslyn any idea what it .contained ? Did he feel justified in laying rude hands on that sacred envelope? "I don't think so," Rosslyn said, for he had no intention of parting with his precious safeguard; "As a matter of fact it is too late. The whole dispatch refers to the petrol supply. That has now been destroyed and my errand here is in vain. But I don't feel in the least disposed to ' part with the Emperor's envelope. You see I came hero from Berlin at a great personal risk, and I don't want to end up by being shot as a common spy." The gloomy Bavarian nodded approvingly. Rosslyn . wondered if every commissioned officer thfire along the Prussian frontier was in the same state of collapse and dejection. > "Are things going badly with you?'' he ventured. ~'\ \ A bitter laugh broke from the lips of the Bavarian officer. "Are they going well in Berlin," hecountered. "Sit down, my friend, and I will give you a cigar. Now as to Berlin. We hear rumours sometimes that all is not, gay in i the capital. They say that the socialist brotherhood is busy." As the officer spoko he made the sign of the Brotherhood, and Rosslyn lost no time in responding. "So you are one of us too the Bavarian said. " Well, >I , have... fought none the less sincerely because .1 hate this strife and because it should never have' f taken place. There'are; thousands of us who would turn our backs .• to-morrow. upon it if we could." V> . / "That does not sound like a Prussian officer,",; Rosslyn smiled. s „. v ' "Ah, that is your little joke. -.You" know perfectly well that I do not belong to the r Prussian caste. % But Hanover, Saxony, and Bavaria,, ah, that is another matter. ; , To hell with Prussia, I say. 14 is the pride and arrogance of those brutes. that has.' brought 1 this about; In Germany' proper : 'we" 'are : more ' enlightened and - peaceably disposed. And what .has made Germany? Her trade and her cummerce. . We : have sweated and slaved so that all• *- ■our money may be taken by Prussia and' spent in arms.', Our life's blood is.drained by those" tyrants. And so it always has been. Who r bore the brunt of the fight-, ing in' the Franco-Prussian war? ( ; , ! The .; Bavarians; *a«d //why f^Sol that Prussia might be saved i 'dp in case we f revolted - against Wilhelm ;I.\ of y:Prussia. • being crowded -Emperor of Germany. At ihe v . ,end of > thai) ..war we were exhausted and ;. Prussia /waa'/fresK;/ -/■; And that was the birth of ~ the German Empire brpugbS about by Bismarck." -/; <•, ■■■> //. ,//;:^ , . ..The. Bavarian ?.. spat :;;• furiously ; on. „the ~ 4 floor. ' - - j ■'• •.,,:., . *. ~. ~--- "I was quite ready to fight," he went V on. A man might hates the war ?,'jd his /." rulers who brought it ' about I ,';but; when; he '■; . sees that his'.country.' is going to he de->>-.--, stroyed there is only one thing to be. done. I tell you that .the bulk of Germany, hates- - j Prussia. If we could only break through | the iron ring we should be at th'eir'ithroata '. ..-': to-morrow. Ah, Bavaria does not' forget. Ludwig ll.'was the one man who fought! » to vstay, outside the federation 'in 1870.They called :liim'. mad- •' He was ' no more mad than. you are. Tho whole' thing was. t-. a vile conspiracy got up by Bismarck with ■..'/ the connivance of Lnitpoid, who afterwards became Regent. Th;y say that Ludwig V committed suicide, but really "■?.«' he was drowned whilst escaping from" his \. asylum. /T> am'telling you no secret, for the true ; story, is , known to thousands of * • Bavarians. But our day will come. When . this .war. is over and Prussia smashed" - under the heel of the allies, yon will see.//, that Bavaria'will be glad. If you live long enough you will see Bavaria a nation - yet." r <; ' S Rosslyn listened with respectful attention. 'Still' this was a. strange confession ■' to hear from the lips; of a German officer within /sight of the enemy's lines. ■■>. Arid/;/ : yet they were the words of 'a patriot * l *% the thinker working and striving in the :■•; best interests of his own country.,:.-. /•../' ". "Are; there : many - in/ the /army who ! think and speak like ?".'Roßslyn asked. / "I am learning things to-night.' .- ■•//.. The Bavarian: 6miled {,:.'imly. - y /-:,

"To-morrow 'I may' he i able .to show; you,"« he said. .' "That'is, .of , course, if the i. enemy gives us a chance. §> Now tell mc something about ■ Berlin. It is montts since wo heard a' : word.from/the cap : " It was jpthe Bavarian's ' turn •to listen ■■ now.' R(fislynitold'him all he' knew ,with J regard to the progress of the Brotherhood and their efforts in ! the , direction 7 of ; the German Republic, -and "the other ''men smiled approvingly as he listened. ' It was good to know that at last the Emperor was taking the- new movement seriously and that'there was no great danger* of further bloodshed in Berlin. ri - v. ;

"It was bound to come," the Bavarian said, thoughtfully. "It'will bo a blessing in disguise; it will prevent anarchy and eternal revolution. / We have nearly shot our bolt; tho great war machine :i? crumbling. All oar boasts 1 have been in vain. Our press romancers say Germany can put 11 million men in the field. Rubbish ! There are not more than 30 million males in the country, and' half of these are children and old men. Take out the physically unfit and the delicate men, and add to these the millions necessary for the upkeer* of the country, and you will find that the utmost limit we can place in the field is five million. You could not run a country like Germany with less than 10 million men. Those of us who took the trouble to think saw clearly from th* first that this was going to be a war of exhaustion. For every capable soldier we con turn out the allies can produce five. ■Ik is a swph matter of arithmetic, awl even the Kaiser cannot alter the laws ftal govern mathematics." ~„ . . „ But Rosslyn was no longer listening. He was tired and worn out now, and slept the sleep of utter exhaustion on the litter of straw that lined the Hut. It seemed to him that he had only S)>ent a few minute:! before lie came to himself and the know ledge that the Bavarian was leaning over him. He saw that it was already broad daylight; he could hea" the commotion in the lines and the harsh words of command. ~. But on the whole it seemed strangely .'■ peaceful there and far remote from war : until Rosslyn : ventured outside. On the hills a mile or two away,' clear cut against-iy..' I: the sky. Rosslyn could see a .great body ' ,; of cavalry moving. His heart gave a'-•■ ; . leap and a. thrill of : prido filled him as he . recognised the Indian Horse. ;.They, swept :?i . albnff easily and swjftlv, deploying : -over •-,,. the "shoulder of 'the hill till they were . lost in tho valley, below.- Then then cam<» other troops,' dusky sons of'the East, ill there eager to strike a blow for the- Em* pire, . - a(To'be continued or iWcdaeadaj: »**->- .