The grocer appeared to be getting still more uneasy.
“But you won’t take me before the court-martial?”
“That remains to be seen. I can promise you nothing. Everything will depend on the information which Herr Amelungen gives me about you, and on your future behaviour. I will now have Brandelaar down again, and you will remain silent while I speak to him.”
“Of course, I will do everything the Herr major tells me.”
Brandelaar having been summoned to the cabin, Heideck addressed him as follows:—
“Listen to me, Maaning Brandelaar. I know everything, and I need not tell you that it is more than enough to put your neck in danger according to martial law. But I will show you a way to save yourself. Go to-morrow to Ternenzen and wait there till you hear from me. I will make it easy for you to execute your commission; I will write the answers to Admiral Hollway’s questions myself. You can then take them to Dover to your customer. But at the same time I will give you a number of questions, to which you will bring me trustworthy answers at Flushing. If you carry out this mission to my satisfaction, I will pay you 3,000 marks on your return. As you will also have your fee from the Admiral, you will make a very good thing out of it. But beware of attempting to betray me; it would turn out an extremely bad job for you. I know where I can catch you, and you would be imprisoned as soon as you showed yourself anywhere on the Dutch coast. So you had better think it over carefully.”
The skipper’s broad countenance had gradually brightened, and at these words a cunning grin overspread his features.
“Three thousand marks! If that’s a bargain, Herr major, you can count upon my serving you honourably.”
“Perhaps it isn’t so much a matter of your honour as of your cleverness. Unless the information you bring me corresponds with my expectations, of course the payment will suffer accordingly. The price depends upon the quality of the goods.”
“Oh, you will be satisfied with me. I have connexions over there, and if you want anything else, you shall see what Brandelaar can do.”
“Good! It will be to your own interest to serve me well and faithfully.”
Suddenly the skipper again looked thoughtful.
“There is still one thing that troubles me, Herr major.”
“What is that?”
“My men have seen an officer and soldiers visit my ship. Suppose they talk about it over in England and the Admiral should suspect me?”
“He will have no reason to do so, if he is convinced that your information is correct. He will have other sources of information besides yourself, and if he finds your statements confirmed, he will have complete confidence in you.”
These words did not allay Maaning Brandelaar’s uneasiness.
“Yes, but—you don’t mean to give me correct information?”
“Certainly I do. Everything I write for you will be perfectly correct.”
This reply was clearly too much for the skipper to understand. He stared in speechless amazement at Heideck, who proceeded quietly—
“The Admiral wants to know the strength of the German army at Antwerp, and I will tell you the condition of affairs. We have 120,000 men in Holland and the small portion of Belgian territory which we have occupied round Antwerp. In the fortress itself there are 30,000 men; on the island of Walcheren only 5,000, in occupation of Flushing and other important points. These are entirely trustworthy facts.”
The Captain shook his head.
“If it were not disrespectful, I should think you were making a fool of me.”
“No, my friend, I have no reason to do so; you can go bail for everything I write, and your fee will be honourably earned. It would be somewhat different with the news you might take over to the Admiral on your own responsibility.”
Brandelaar nodded.
“I understand, Herr major, and I will act accordingly. But I must certainly get a fresh crew; these men know too much; that is bad, and they might make it unpleasant for me.”
“No, no, that would be quite a mistake. Keep your men and make no fuss. When I get to Ternenzen, I will have you and the crew arrested. You will be examined by me and in a few days set at liberty.”
The skipper did not seem to relish this prospect.
“But suppose you should change your mind in the meantime, and take me before the court-martial?”
“You may confidently trust my word. It will only be a sham examination to prevent your men getting unprofitable ideas into their heads and betraying anything which might arouse suspicion across the water. On the contrary, it will look as if you had had to endure all kinds of dangers and disappointments; and if my estimate of you is correct, my worthy Brandelaar, you will not lose the opportunity of extracting an extra fee from the Admiral to make up for the anxiety you have suffered.”
XXVI
CAMILLE PENUROT
When Heideck and his prisoner, Penurot, reached the Gefion he found the Commander on deck, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. He reported himself, and asked him to treat Penurot as a guest.
“I was getting anxious about you,” said the Captain, “and was on the point of sending the steam pinnace after you. Have you found out anything important?”
“I believe I have. The two rascals whom I caught there don’t seem to belong to the ordinary class of spies. They are the skipper Brandelaar and the man I have brought with me.”
“Didn’t you arrest the skipper as well?”
“I intend to use them in our interest, and hope that Admiral Hollway will find himself caught in his own net.”
“Isn’t that rather a risky game? If the fellows have betrayed Admiral Hollway, you may rely upon it they will do the same by us.”
“I trust to their fears and selfishness more than their honour. To take information about us to the English they must return here again, and so I hold them in my hand.”
“But the converse is true. I confess I have very little faith in such double-dealing spies.”
“Of course, I feel the same; but I believe I have at last found the way to the headquarters of the English system of espionage. In order to get to the bottom of the matter I cannot do without the aid of the two spies.”
“The headquarters?”
“Yes. The underlings who risk their lives are always of subordinate importance. It is, above all, necessary to find out the persons of higher rank who prudently contrive to keep themselves in the background.”
“I wish you success.”
“Before going to Antwerp, whither M. Penurot is to accompany me to-morrow, I should like to make a report to the Imperial Chancellor. May I ask you to let me have a boat to-morrow morning to go to Flushing?”
“Certainly. You can have any boat you like.”
“Then I should like the steam pinnace.”
“Perhaps you know whether the Chancellor intends to stay long at Flushing?”
“I cannot say. In many ways Antwerp would certainly be a better place; but he has gone to Flushing to make a demonstration.”
“To make a demonstration?” repeated the Commander in a tone of astonishment.
“The English, of course, know that he is there, and his presence at Flushing is bound to strengthen their belief that our main base of operations will be the mouth of the Schelde.”
“Is it not surprising that our Chancellor is always at the centre of operations, though he is neither a general nor an admiral?”
“We have seen the same before in the case of Bismarck. If we follow the history of the wars of 1864, 1866, and 1870-71 we get the impression that Bismarck was in like manner the soul of all the operations, although his military title was only an honorary one.”
“That is true; but the circumstances are essentially different. Bismarck was a trained official, diplomatist, ambassador, before he became Chancellor. His authority was great in military matters, independently of the generals; but our new Chancellor comes from quite a different sphere.”