CHAPTER II
An Ultimatum
Confronted with the mysterious problem Sub-Lieutenant Fordyce madehis way to a secluded part of the sea-front. With a true sailor'sinstinct he paced up and down, debating with himself as to the courseof action he should pursue.
If only he had a witness to the conversation. He racked his brains toformulate a scheme whereby he could discuss the matter again withCouncillor Mindiggle, this time with a third person unseen but withinearshot. Failing that there was little use in reporting the matter.As the fellow said, it was one man's word against another's, and thecharge would appear so preposterous that it would stand no possiblechance of being substantiated.
For similar reasons he dismissed the idea that he should report thecase to his skipper, the Hon. Derek Stockdale, Lieutenant-Commanderof R19. Mindiggle's statement that the Sub had informed him of thevessel's date of departure and destination would be an awkward factorin the matter.
So, rightly or wrongly, Noel Fordyce resolved to keep secret theinterview with Councillor Mindiggle, at least for a time. Meanwhilehe would fight to the bitter end to save Flirt from the lethalchamber.
Having shut the front door on his caller, Councillor Mindigglereturned to his study. As far as the rest of his household wasconcerned he was free from interruption. He had no wife; hishousekeeper was stone deaf; the servant who had shown Fordyce intothe room was going out for the evening.
It would have been a great surprise to Fordyce if he had known thatthere had been a third person within earshot, but such was a fact.Unlocking a door leading into an inner room Mindiggle released a manwho, although he looked an Englishman, spoke in Russian.
"Don't you think, comrade, that you were much too rash?" he askedanxiously.
"Not at all, Boris Platoff," replied Mindiggle coolly. "On thecontrary, I have hopes that we shall be relieved of a considerableamount of bother and danger. The diamonds will be in Petrograd beforethe great day. That young man will consent to my terms. It'swonderful what a hold one has over an Englishman who owns a favouritedog. Inform the police--bah! He would not dare risk the ridicule hisaction would bring upon him. Those diamonds will go in the submarine,you mark my words."
"Let us hope so," rejoined Platoff. "Then, either they will reachComrade Klostivitch or else it will be an end to R19. It dependslargely on the temperature in the Baltic, eh?"
Both men laughed softly.
"Supposing," continued the Russian--"Supposing--and we must considerpossibilities--this English officer takes the diamonds and then handsthem over to the authorities?"
"I'll have to take the risk of being convicted as a smuggler,comrade," replied Mindiggle.
"But if they are subjected to a test?"
"They will discover nothing. I defy the efforts of the world'slaboratories to analyse the stuff," declared Mindiggle. "Acid, heat--nothing will avail."
"Except cold," added Boris Platoff.
"Then it will be what the ancient Egyptians call Nirvana," said theother grimly.
Boris Platoff was a Leninist, a member of the ultra-extremist partyin Russia. Having, under German influence, taken a prominent part inwrecking the Russian Empire as a fighting-machine, he was doing hisbest to supplant the Kerensky regime by one of red-hot anarchy. Whileon a mission to the Russian Anarchist colony in London he had beengiven an introduction to a member of the World's Workers--arevolutionary society the object of which was the social democracy ofevery nation under the sun. This member's name was simply given asComrade Ivan, known outside the brotherhood as Mr. John Mindiggle.
While posing both as an Englishman and a Russian, John Mindiggle wasneither. He was a German--a Secret Service agent--whose work wasentirely for the futherance of Kaiserism. During twenty years ofpractically continuous residence in Great Britain Ernst vonVerbrennungsraum had been working unostentatiously, yet deliberately,for the Fatherland, for the day when Germany would become themistress of the World and when freedom would be denied to all othernations large or small.
Von Verbrennungsraum's chance came when Russia took the suicidal stepof exchanging the yoke of Czardom for that of unbridled "liberty".The first revolution that resulted in the abdication of the CzarNicholas was a step in the right direction so far as Germany wasconcerned, but it was not far enough. The new republic stillmaintained an army on its Austro-German frontier--an army in whichbravery and cowardice existed cheek by jowl. Utter internal chaos waswhat was desired in order to remove a menace to Germany's easternfrontier and thus enable her to throw thousands of troops into othersectors of battle.
To compass the downfall of the Kerensky regime the anarchists were toresort to a favourite device--explosives. In a secret laboratory wasmanipulated a new and extremely powerful chemical, which, in itsfinal state, resembled, and could hardly be distinguished from, cutdiamonds. It was a sample of this diabolical stuff that Mindiggle wasin hopes of sending to Petrograd through the agency of Noel Fordyce.
Impossible to detonate by combustion, friction, or the application ofheat, the explosive was perfectly safe to handle until thetemperature fell below -5? C. The moment the mercury dropped to thatpoint the explosive would simultaneously and spontaneously act.
In his attempt to induce Fordyce to convey the "diamonds" to Russiathe German agent was employing a double-barrelled weapon. If thestuff did get to Petrograd well and good. If, on the other hand, thetemperature on board the submarine should fall below -5? C. whilerunning awash towards the port of Cronstadt, it meant utterannihilation to R19 and terrific damage to everything within a mileof the source of the explosion.
And, confident in his ability to make use of Flirt as the decidingfactor, von Verbrennungsraum duly applied for and obtained a summonsagainst Noel Fordyce.