RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_.
_August_ 21, 1907.
Our meeting on the subject of National Defence, held this afternoon, wentoff well. We were five in all, for with permission of the Voivode andthe two fighting-men, naval and military, I brought Teuta with me. Shesat beside me quite quietly, and never made a remark of any kind till theDefence business had been gone through. Both Sir Colin and Admiral Rookewere in perfect agreement as to the immediate steps to be taken fordefence. In the first instance, the seaboard was to be properlyfortified in the necessary places, and the navy largely strengthened.When we had got thus far I asked Rooke to tell of the navy increasealready in hand. Whereupon he explained that, as we had found the smallbattleship _The Lady_ of an excellent type for coast defence, acting onlyin home waters, and of a size to take cover where necessary at manyplaces on our own shores, we had ordered nine others of the same pattern.Of these the first four were already in hand, and were proceeding withthe greatest expedition. The General then supplemented this by sayingthat big guns could be used from points judiciously chosen on theseaboard, which was in all so short a length that no very great quantityof armament would be required.
"We can have," he said, "the biggest guns of the most perfect kind yetaccomplished, and use them from land batteries of the most up-to-datepattern. The one serious proposition we have to deal with is the defenceof the harbour--as yet quite undeveloped--which is known as the 'BlueMouth.' Since our aerial journey I have been to it by sea with AdmiralRooke in _The Lady_, and then on land with the Vladika, who was born onits shores, and who knows every inch of it.
"It is worth fortifying--and fortifying well, for as a port it ispeerless in Mediterranean seas. The navies of the world might ride init, land-locked, and even hidden from view seawards. The mountains whichenclose it are in themselves absolute protection. In addition, these canonly be assailed from our own territory. Of course, Voivode, youunderstand when I say 'our' I mean the Land of the Blue Mountains, forwhose safety and well-being I am alone concerned. Any ship anchoring inthe roads of the Blue Mouth would have only one need--sufficient lengthof cable for its magnificent depth.
"When proper guns are properly placed on the steep cliffs to north andsouth of the entrance, and when the rock islet between has been armouredand armed as will be necessary, the Mouth will be impregnable. But weshould not depend on the aiming of the entrance alone. At certainsalient points--which I have marked upon this map--armour-plated sunkenforts within earthworks should be established. There should be coveringforts on the hillsides, and, of course, the final summits protected.Thus we could resist attack on any side or all sides--from sea or land.That port will yet mean the wealth as well as the strength of thisnation, so it will be well to have it properly protected. This should bedone soon, and the utmost secrecy observed in the doing of it, lest theso doing should become a matter of international concern."
Here Rooke smote the table hard.
"By God, that is true! It has been the dream of my own life for thismany a year."
In the silence which followed the sweet, gentle voice of Teuta came clearas a bell:
"May I say a word? I am emboldened to, as Sir Colin has spoken sosplendidly, and as the Lord High Admiral has not hesitated to mention hisdreaming. I, too, have had a dream--a day-dream--which came in a flash,but no less a dream, for all that. It was when we hung on the aeroplaneover the Blue Mouth. It seemed to me in an instant that I saw thatbeautiful spot as it will some time be--typical, as Sir Colin said, ofthe wealth as well as the strength of this nation; a mart for the worldwhence will come for barter some of the great wealth of the BlueMountains. That wealth is as yet undeveloped. But the day is at handwhen we may begin to use it, and through that very port. Our mountainsand their valleys are clad with trees of splendid growth, virgin forestsof priceless worth; hard woods of all kinds, which have no superiorthroughout the world. In the rocks, though hidden as yet, is vastmineral wealth of many kinds. I have been looking through the reports ofthe geological exports of the Commission of Investigation which myhusband organized soon after he came to live here, and, according tothem, our whole mountain ranges simply teem with vast quantities ofminerals, almost more precious for industry than gold and silver are forcommerce--though, indeed, gold is not altogether lacking as a mineral.When once our work on the harbour is done, and the place has been madesecure against any attempt at foreign aggression, we must try to find away to bring this wealth of woods and ores down to the sea.
"And then, perhaps, may begin the great prosperity of our Land, of whichwe have all dreamt."
She stopped, all vibrating, almost choked with emotion. We were allmoved. For myself, I was thrilled to the core. Her enthusiasm wasall-sweeping, and under its influence I found my own imaginationexpanding. Out of its experiences I spoke:
"And there is a way. I can see it. Whilst our dear Voivodin wasspeaking, the way seemed to clear. I saw at the back of the Blue Mouth,where it goes deepest into the heart of the cliffs, the opening of agreat tunnel, which ran upward over a steep slope till it debouched onthe first plateau beyond the range of the encompassing cliffs. Thithercame by various rails of steep gradient, by timber-shoots andcable-rails, by aerial cables and precipitating tubes, wealth from overground and under it; for as our Land is all mountains, and as these towerup to the clouds, transport to the sea shall be easy and of little costwhen once the machinery is established. As everything of much weightgoes downward, the cars of the main tunnel of the port shall returnupward without cost. We can have from the mountains a head of waterunder good control, which will allow of endless hydraulic power, so thatthe whole port and the mechanism of the town to which it will grow can beworked by it.
"This work can be put in hand at once. So soon as the place shall beperfectly surveyed and the engineering plans got ready, we can start onthe main tunnel, working from the sea-level up, so that the cost of thetransport of material will be almost nil. This work can go on whilst theforts are building; no time need be lost.
"Moreover, may I add a word on National Defence? We are, though old inhonour, a young nation as to our place amongst Great Powers. And so wemust show the courage and energy of a young nation. The Empire of theAir is not yet won. Why should not we make a bid for it? As ourmountains are lofty, so shall we have initial power of attack or defence.We can have, in chosen spots amongst the clouds, depots of waraeroplanes, with which we can descend and smite our enemies quickly onland or sea. We shall hope to live for Peace; but woe to those who driveus to War!"
There is no doubt that the Vissarions are a warlike race. As I spoke,Teuta took one of my hands and held it hard. The old Voivode, his eyesblazing, rose and stood beside me and took the other. The two oldfighting-men of the land and the sea stood up and saluted.
This was the beginning of what ultimately became "The National Committeeof Defence and Development."
I had other, and perhaps greater, plans for the future in my mind; butthe time had not come for their utterance.
To me it seems not only advisable, but necessary, that the utmostdiscretion be observed by all our little group, at all events for thepresent. There seems to be some new uneasiness in the Blue Mountains.There are constant meetings of members of the Council, but no formalmeeting of the Council, as such, since the last one at which I waspresent. There is constant coming and going amongst the mountaineers,always in groups, small or large. Teuta and I, who have been about verymuch on the aeroplane, have both noticed it. But somehow we--that is,the Voivode and myself--are left out of everything; but we have not saidas yet a word on the subject to any of the others. The Voivode notices,but he says nothing; so I am silent, and Teuta does whatever I ask. SirColin does not notice anything except the work he is engaged on--theplanning the defences of the Blue Mouth. His old scientific training asan engineer, and his enormous experience of wars and sieges--for he wasfor nearly fifty years sent as m
ilitary representative to all the greatwars--seem to have become directed on that point. He is certainlyplanning it all out in a wonderful way. He consults Rooke almost hourlyon the maritime side of the question. The Lord High Admiral has been awatcher all his life, and very few important points have ever escapedhim, so that he can add greatly to the wisdom of the defensiveconstruction. He notices, I think, that something is going on outsideourselves; but he keeps a resolute silence.
What the movement going on is I cannot guess. It is not like theuneasiness that went before the abduction of Teuta and the Voivode, butit is even more pronounced. That was an uneasiness founded on somesuspicion. This is a positive thing, and has definite meaning--of somesort. We shall, I suppose, know all about it in good time. In themeantime we go on with our work. Happily the whole Blue Mouth and themountains round it are on my own property, the portion acquired long agoby Uncle Roger, exclusive of the Vissarion estate. I asked the Voivodeto allow me to transfer it to him, but he sternly refused and forbade me,quite peremptorily, to ever open the subject to him again. "You havedone enough already," he said. "Were I to allow you to go further, Ishould feel mean. And I do not think you would like your wife's fatherto suffer that feeling after a long life, which he has tried to live inhonour."
I bowed, and said no more. So there the matter rests, and I have to takemy own course. I have had a survey made, and on the head of it theTunnel to the harbour is begun.