The boys were on the docks bright and early the next morning, and were looking at the vessel1 in which they were expected to embark2 within the next hour for the trip down the Elbe to the sea.
As Billy had put it, the ship they were viewing was neither “low, long, nor rakish.” Herr Roque had not deceived them on that point, at least. It was a “trading vessel.” All of the crew in sight were of the roustabout class, except the captain, who was somewhat of a dandy, with a glazed3 cap, high collar, military blouse, and corduroy trousers.
“Hi, there!” he called to the boys in high-pitched German, “are you from Herr Roque?”
Henri advised in loud tone that such was the fact.
“Come aboard, then,” invited the boss of the deck.
The boys made short work of the rickety gangboard, and, aboard, cast an eye about for their host.
The captain said something in his way of speaking that meant “you’ll see him later.”
It was some time later—at the mouth of the Elbe, and late at night.
Before this happened, the boys, not experienced[230] as seamen4, were surprised to the limit at the ready transformation5 of that “trade vessel.” Tarpaulin6 coverings removed, like magic unfolding, revealed a funnel7, gunbeds, and guns in them, of the kind to raise the mischief8 with a hull9 at short range; spars were stripped of clumsy sails, and the craft generally departed from the peaceful classification in which it cleared from Hamburg.
“Oh, you pleasure trip!” Billy merrily commented.
“You surely didn’t swallow that story?”
“You know I didn’t, Henri,” returned Billy. “When is a dummy10 not a dummy? Answer: When someone thinks he is what he isn’t. How’s that, Henri?”
“As good grammar as could be expected on a trick ship,” acknowledged Henri.
The sailors even changed their faces with their clothes, their jaws11 fitting as tightly as their sea-going outfits12, and, as far as the captain himself, he was no longer set up in landscape style. Straight as a poker13 he stood on the newly discovered bridge like an image of lead.
“Wouldn’t jar me if Herr Roque showed up with horns on his forehead instead of in spectacle trimming.”
Billy was preparing for the next fall of the wand.
While the boys were watching the hoist14 of the anchor, following a curt15 command from the officer[231] on the bridge, and a distant chime was proclaiming the midnight hour, Billy was made aware that someone, not of the regular crew, was standing16 at his elbow.
The voice was that of Herr Roque, but the speaker could never for a single moment be materially taken for the late elderly spectacled merchant.
“How now, young sirs; is it well with you?”
Billy and Henri stared at the face showing in the pale gleam of a spar light. Clean-shaven, thin-lipped, hard-eyed, not a trace of the benevolent17 cast of countenance18 worn by the bland19 tradesman.
The line of talk was there, but not another line of the other assumed character.
“At your service, young sirs.”
“It all works like a play,” put in Henri.
“I hope not a tragedy, young sirs.”
“Would you mind cutting out the ‘young sirs’?”
For reasons of his own, the secret agent had no desire to blunt the edge of his selected tools in useless manner.
Then his mood changed with lack of leisure moments.[232] He was constantly on the alert and abrupt24 in word and action.
There was a sailor constantly in the crosstrees, sweeping25 the watery26 expanse with powerful glasses. The gunners were standing, watch about, in readiness for any emergency.
As a completing touch to this deck setting a runway had been rigged and the boys for the first time realized the part they were expected to play. There was a pair of monoplanes under cover, a waspish pair, of exquisite27 make and finish.
“Get to them and get them in shape,” sternly ordered Roque, “as if your lives depended on it—and” (grimly) “I guess they do.”
In this assignment Billy and Henri took the star r?les.
“Smoke ahead,” sang out the man up the mast.
“Whereaway?” demanded the captain.
“South by southeast,” floated back from the masthead.
“Get that?” The captain to the wheelman.
“Ay, ay, sir.”
“Hold her hard, then.”
Signal to the engine room: “Slow speed.”
Roque summoned the boys with imperious motion.
“Take the air; bring signal red, if English warship28; signal white, if French cruiser; and signal black, if channel steamer. Get away!”
[233]
Four sailors manned the runway—first Billy shot the chute; then Henri, a moment later. A clean leap, and off they went.
The steamer they left logged lazily, drifting, waiting.
The aviators29 guided the flight toward the thin spiral of smoke penciling a point on the horizon. The air was as clear as a bell.
With no fixed30 notion of what purpose they were serving, the aviators exulted31 only in the joy of air conquest. The machines were keyed up like a watch—that is, perfection—and could be directed to a hairline.
The smoke spiral was rope-sized, then body-round, then a column.
The aviators looked down for a fleeting32 moment on one of the large channel steamers, somewhat out of its course, and instantly whirled about, flying like the homing pigeon, and exactly as the compass set the lines.
Each monoplane trailed a black streamer.
The sailor at the masthead caught the color in his glasses.
It is a nice piece of work to drop an a?roplane upon the deck of a wave-rocked ship, and in this instance it was a nice piece of work nicely done.
There was a gleam of approbation34 in the cold[234] gray eyes of Roque, when the machines floated in and nested without strain or creak upon the foredeck.
“I see that I sized you about right,” he said, and it could be plainly inferred that he accepted the exhibit largely as a vindication36 of his own judgment37.
It was also evident that the color of the signal streamer was the one to his liking38, for, with a great flurry of orders, the vessel, under full head of steam, hastened its hunt for the big channel boat, as located by the aviators.
As they ran in course, the channel steamer was crossing the line followed by the fast-approaching German vessel. The latter, moving free, could easily overhaul39 the cargo-laden ship, straightway, and more surely in crossway.
The overhauling40 was soon accomplished41, and the unarmed channel boat hove to, to the tune42 of a round shot across her bow.
Billy and Henri were not included in the boarding party. They had served their turn, and beyond that were not expected to serve.
They could not imagine what Roque had in mind when all hands were hustling43 in the transfer of numerous canvas rolls to the German deck, all labeled “music machines.” They well knew of the Teuton[235] fondness for music, but here was a whole lot of trouble and expense to get what might have been easily and cheaply purchased in Hamburg.
Roque made no attempt to take prisoners or other plunder44 from the nonresisting commercial carrier.
The “music machines” were all he wanted, and, with a deck full of them, the German vessel broke its grapples and steamed away.
It never dawned upon the boys that the labels were not the true index of contents, until one of the parcels was broken open for inspection45.
The wrappings enclosed rifles—hundreds of them.
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1
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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3
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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4
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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5
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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tarpaulin
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| n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽 | |
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funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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8
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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9
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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10
dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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11
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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outfits
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| n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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14
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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15
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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16
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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17
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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18
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
nettled
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| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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22
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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26
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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27
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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warship
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| n.军舰，战舰 | |
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aviators
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| 飞机驾驶员，飞行员( aviator的名词复数 ) | |
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30
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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31
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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33
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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34
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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35
erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
vindication
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| n.洗冤，证实 | |
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37
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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38
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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39
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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40
overhauling
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| n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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41
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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42
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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43
hustling
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| 催促（hustle的现在分词形式） | |
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44
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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45
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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