CHAPTER XVI
The Battle of Moon Sound
With the least possible delay the Hon. Derek escorted the Russianbelow. As the sea-plane again rose in the air the submarine dived;not a moment too soon, for already half a dozen German patrol-boatswere making towards the spot in an attempt to solve the mystery ofthe nocturnal signals.
Deputing Lieutenant Macquare to con the submerged vessel, theLieutenant-Commander, accompanied by Fordyce, entertained the pilotin the little ward-room. Although the Sub could speak Russian, theconversation was maintained in French, since the Hon. Derek and thepilot could exchange ideas without the somewhat cumbrous medium of aninterpreter.
The Russian was Naval Lieutenant Rodsky, a tall, full-faced man withpronounced Tartar features. He was obviously ill at ease whenStockdale asked him concerning affairs in the Russian navy. He was inrather a difficult position, as were most of the officers who hadsworn allegiance to the Tsar of all the Russias. Under the new regimeof equality and ultra-democracy the Russian seamen were seething withunrest. Discipline was lax; the men, partly held by the traditions ofthe Imperial navy and partly dominated by the highly-unstableRevolutionary Government, were literally "at sixes and sevens". Tornby internal dissensions and threatened from the outside by anonslaught of the German High Seas Fleet, the Russian navy was littlebetter than a collection of disorganized ships awaitingdestruction--unless the men responded to the trumpet-call of truepatriotism.
It was ill news that Lieutenant Rodsky brought. On land the Huns weresweeping nearer towards Petrograd, meeting with little oppositionfrom the disorganized Russians. At sea the Russian fleet was indanger of being cornered and annihilated in the intricate channelknown as Moon Sound.
Internally things were in a deplorable condition. The Revolutionistswere divided amongst themselves. There was street fighting andrioting in Petrograd and other large cities and towns. Deserters fromthe front were arriving in thousands to swell the ranks of theExtremists; others, under the impression that there was to be ageneral partitioning of land, were hurrying back to their villages toshare in the promised distribution. Munition factories were idle; thestock of shells had fallen almost to nothing. Labour demanded andobtained fabulous rates of payment that availed the men but little,since there was little or no food to be bought.
"By Jove, I feel sorry for that fellow, sir!" remarked Fordyce, afterRodsky had been shown to the cabin temporarily given up to him. "He'slike a toad under a harrow. You noticed how guarded he was ineverything he said; yet I believe he's simply longing to speak hismind."
"And I feel sorry for Russia," replied the Hon. Derek. "There's notthe faintest possible shadow of doubt that she's out of it. She'llhave to stew in her own hash, and by the time the Huns have finishedwith her she'll heartily wish for the old order of things. But thefact remains that an additional burden is thrown upon ourshoulders--the Allies', I mean. There's one thing I hope for, andthat is, that we'll be able to get a smack at the Huns before weclear out. Unless I'm much mistaken, we'll find ourselves in a prettykettle of fish if this threatened armistice does come off."
At eight bells (midday) Fordyce turned out to "take his trick".Throughout the night R19 had been under way, running awash when shehad put a reasonable distance between herself and the Riga patrolvessels.
Going on deck, the Sub found that there was a considerable"chop"--short, steep-crested waves slapping the submarine's hull,and occasionally breaking over the entire forepart of the vessel.Overhead the sky was heavy with rain-clouds moving slowly, yetbetokening plenty of wind before many hours had passed.
"Can you hear gun-fire?" asked Macquare, after he had given hisrelief the course.
Fordyce listened. Above the plash of the waves he could hear a faint,continual rumble.
"Yes," he replied. "Too hot for ordinary practice."
"Rather!" agreed the Lieutenant. "We're in luck, Fordyce. The Hunsare hammering the Russians, and we've got their battleships betweenus and our allies. Keep her as she is, and report to the skipper themoment you see anything."
An hour later the main body of the hostile fleet was sighted away tothe nor'east. The battleships in two divisions were engaged inlong-range firing, although from the submarine's deck nothing couldbe seen of the nature of their objective. On either flank of thedouble line were light cruisers and torpedo-boats; overhead a coupleof Zeppelins and a swarm of sea-planes were engaged in scouting andobservation-work.
Just as Lieutenant-Commander Stockdale was about to give the order tosubmerge, the enemy formation underwent a change. One division headedtowards the comparatively narrow entrance to Moon Sound, firingheavily as it went; the other bore up in a north-westerly direction,with the evident plan of steaming half-way round the islands of Osseland Dago, and taking the retreating Russians in the rear.
Stockdale acted with praiseworthy caution. The presence of a numeroustorpedo-boat flotilla in the rear of the battleship division, and thescouting planes overheard, made it a matter of extreme risk for R19to draw within effective torpedo range. In the comparatively shallowand clear water her submerged hull would be clearly visible from aheight. Directly the long-drawn northern twilight set in, thesubmarine's opportunity would arrive.
The Russian ships were resisting fiercely. Occasionally a Germanbattleship would fall out of line, more or less damaged. Thedestroyers of the Republic, too, were far from inactive. On fourseparate occasions groups of them made desperate "hussar strokes"upon their powerful foes. In each case the plucky boats were sent tothe bottom under a heavy concentrated fire, but not before theirtorpedoes had "got home" against the enormous hulls of theiropponents.
Suddenly a rain-squall swept the sea, blotting out the light-greyhulls of the German ships. It was Stockdale's chance, and he took it.
"Action stations! Launch home all tubes!"
Under the hail-swept waves R19 plunged, submerged to 18 feet, andheaded straight for the centre of the enemy division.