Thats quite true, Claude, Roseye declared. At Hendon and elsewhere there are, I know, a number of men intensely jealous of your success, and of the one or two ideas which you have patented, and which are now adopted in the construction of our military aeroplanes.
Its really astonishing how many enemies one makes quite unintentionally! declared Teddy, leaning against the bench. Claude has more than I have, I believe and I never disguise from myself that Ive got a really fine crop.
Only the other day, when Lionel dined with us, he was speaking to dad about spies, Roseye said. He told us that he felt sure that we had men in our air-service who sent every new development and idea to Germany. Do you think thats really a fact?
A fact! I echoed. Why, dearest, of course it is! Weve seen the result of it many times. As soon as we had that integral propeller the Germans knew, and copied us; the secret of Jack Pardons new dope was known in a few days, and the enemy are using it on every one of their machines to-day. Nothing is secret from those brutes.
But who does all this? asked Roseye.
Why, what I call the Invisible Hand, was my reply. The Invisible Hand was established in our midst in about 1906, when the Kaiser sat down and craftily prepared for war. He saw himself faced by the problem of the great British power and patriotism, and knew that the Briton would fight every inch for his liberty. Therefore the All-Highest Hun the man who will be held up to universal damnation for all time proceeded to adopt towards us the principle of dry-rot in wood. He started a system of sending slowly, but very surely, his insect-sycophants to burrow into the beam of good British oak which had hitherto supported our nation. That beam, to-day, is riddled by these Teutonic worms insects which, like the book-worm, are never seen, yet, directed by the Invisible Hand, are only known by their works.
Then you think there really are spies at Hendon?
Of that Im quite certain, was my reply. We all know that there are spies at every aerodrome while in the higher ranks those who control our air-services, though patriotic enough, seem to suffer by reason of the still higher control which divides responsibility.
Have any spies been lurking about here to-night? asked Roseye very anxiously.
That is my firm conviction, was Teddys reply to her. I believe that there have been two strangers here. One was, perhaps, gazing through his glasses at the pole and, seeing in the darkness the sparking over the insulators set in the steel guys, ejaculated the natural expression of surprise that I overheard. But they got away noiselessly, and all my search failed to discover them.
Well we must be very wary, my dear Teddy, I repeated. They must not get at this secret of ours, otherwise from the gondola of a Zeppelin they will be able to use the invisible force against any of our aeroplanes in a stronger and greater degree than we could ever hope to do it. Then we ourselves would be destroyed by the secret power we have invented.
They shall never know the secret from me, was my friends fierce reply. Only we three know it while Theed has, of course, learnt something. That could, not be helped.
We must not forget the words I read out to you the other day from the Berliner Tageblatt, I replied. That paper said: The fires and devastation caused by our Zeppelin squadron in England represented a victory greater and more important than could be achieved in a single battle. That, I added, is the triumphant boast of Major Moraht, Germanys most prominent military critic.
Yes, and it went further, exclaimed Teddy, turning to Roseye. The paper declared that if the Germans were as brutal as they were accused of being, their naval airship squadron could long ago, in memory of the Baralong, have set London afire at all four of her corners.
Thats just what we intend to prevent, I declared very emphatically. That is what, notwithstanding the efforts of prowling strangers who are seeking to know in what direction our experiments are being conducted, we intend to achieve. To-night, Roseye, we have made one great and astounding discovery a discovery which has placed within our hands a power which Germany, with all her science and investigation, little dreams. We now know the true secret which will eventually prove the undoing of the Kaiser and his barbarous hordes.
Yes, dear, was my well-beloveds reply. At all hazards, no spy of Germany must be allowed to wrest this secret from us.
But they are clever devilishly cunning and entirely unscrupulous. The Invisible Hand, well provided with money, lurks everywhere, ready to grasp what it can in the interest of our octopus enemies, I declared warningly. Therefore let us be ever on the alert ever watchful and mindful, in order to avert the relentless talons with which this unknown and Invisible Hand is furnished.
Chapter Five
The Raid on London
It was the night of the fourteenth of October, in the year 1915.
Sir Herbert and Lady Lethmere, with Roseye who looked charming in pink were dining en famille in Cadogan Gardens. The only two guests were Lionel Eastwell and myself.
Terrible is it not? Lady Lethmere remarked to me, as I sat on her right. We were at the Lyric Theatre when the Zeppelins came last night. We heard the guns firing. It was most alarming. They must have caused damage in London somewhere. Isnt it too awful?
And at other places, I fear, remarked Sir Herbert, a fine outspoken, grey-haired, rather portly man, who had crowned his career as a Sheffield steel manufacturer by receiving a knighthood. He spoke with the pleasant burr of the north country.
Well, the noise of the guns was terrific, his wife went on. Fortunately there was no panic whatever in the theatre. The people were splendid. The manager at once came on the stage and urged us all to keep our seats and most people did so. But it was most alarming wasnt it, Herbert?
Yes, dear, it really was, replied her husband, who, turning to me, asked: What were you doing at that time, Munro?
Well, Sir Herbert, to tell the truth I happened to be out at Hendon with my friend Ashton, preparing for a flight this morning. I got hold of a military biplane which had just been finished and had only had its last tests that afternoon, but as I had no bombs, and not even a rifle, I was unable to go up.
And if you had gone? Eastwell chimed in. I fear, Claude, that you would never have reached them in time. They flew far too high, and were, I understand, moving off before our men could get up. Our Flying Corps fellows were splendid, but the airships were at too great an altitude. They rose very high as they approached London according to all reports.
And the reports are pretty meagre, I remarked. I only know that I was anxious and eager to go up, but as I had not the necessary defensive missiles it was utterly useless to make the attempt.
Nevertheless, I believe our anti-aircraft guns drove them off very quickly, didnt they? Lionel asked.
Not before theyd done quite enough damage and killed innocent old persons and non-combatants. Then they went away, and bombed other defenceless towns as they passed the brutes! said Lady Lethmere.
And writers in to-days papers declare that all this is really of no military significance, remarked Sir Herbert, glancing fiercely across the table, a stout, red-faced man, full of fiery fight.