British Secret Service During the Great WarEveritt, Nicholas
History
British Secret Service During the Great War
Everitt, Nicholas
Secret service -- Great Britain; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- Great Britain
The waiter was obviously avaricious, and the mention of so much money
made his fingers itch and his mouth water at the thought of the glorious
times he could secure with such vast wealth.
Whilst I was watching the various changes of his face as these ideas
chased one another through his narrow brain, it flashed upon me how easy
it would be for anyone to capture me and to take me back across that
narrow little strip of sea-water whence I had so recently come. A pinch
of some drug in one's food or in one's drink. A slight tap on the head.
A little chloroform on a pocket-handkerchief. All simple applications,
so easy to administer, and so easy to explain away: that one's friend or
brother had merely taken a little more alcohol than was good for him, or
had been unexpectedly taken ill and now a little help was necessary to
get him aboard his ship or boat, so he could be taken home to the dear
old Fatherland, where he could be well and properly attended to!
These lightning-like reflections sent a cold shiver down the very marrow
in my spine. I drained my mug of porter at a gulp and hastened the
waiter away for more.
Whilst he was so occupied I decided what to do. On his return I told
him, with all seriousness, that I had seen a strange-looking dude on the
quay less than an hour ago whom I was certain was English, and if he
could find and present me to the two Germans and I got the reward I
would give him a share of it for telling me all about it. To show him I
was in earnest I treated him to a bottle of porter. After consuming our
drinks he arranged matters, and we left to hunt up the would-be German
scalp-hunters.
About an hour afterwards we found them hanging round a very primitive
moving-picture show which seemed to thrive on free films supplied by the
Hun propagandists. We all four adjourned to another _kro_ for drinks and
important conference.
The description they gave me of the man wanted tallied exactly with the
man I said I had seen. Now that was quite an extraordinary coincidence,
and I impressed it on them. Only my waiter friend had sense enough to
cross-examine further into my statement, so I had to order more drinks
to stop the possibility of still deeper inquiries. Before I agreed to
make a move I wanted to have a bargain in writing giving me half the
reward. This the Germans would not agree to. They suggested one-third,
and my friend the waiter hinted at a possible fourth share for himself.
When I said I would not be satisfied with three thousand marks on the
risks run they explained that a third share would exceed eight thousand
marks. "It had been ten thousand," they said, "but quite recently the
reward had been increased to twenty-five thousand marks," which had made
them very active and anxious to try and secure it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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