L.P.M. : The End of the Great WarBarney, J. Stewart (John Stewart)
Science
L.P.M. : The End of the Great War
Barney, J. Stewart (John Stewart)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
“Dip my colours and then run them up to the peak again. Display a white
flag. Tell Captain Lee to call all hands, and get under way at once.
Drop to within four hundred feet, man the rail, and circle the
Palace. Haul down my colours and run up the German Imperial Ensign and
fire a national salute of twenty-one guns, and then run at top speed and
take a position over the Gotzen See at a point which I shall indicate.”
The ceremony was executed faultlessly, as he directed, and when the
Little Peace Maker, just skirting the tops of the buildings, cast the
shadow of its nine hundred feet of steel as it came between the sun and
the Imperial city, its big guns booming the national salute, the people
of Berlin must have been impressed, for when she circled at about four
knots they cheered. But when she changed her speed, and at one hundred
and eighty knots disappeared from sight, they must have been relieved.
At such speed it was only a few minutes before they were hovering
quietly over the old ruin on the banks of the lake, and they settled
down to spend the afternoon as they would have, had they been anchored
in Frenchman’s Bay off of Bar Harbour in the month of August on board
the _Storm Queen_.
It was a beautiful and quiet summer scene, and like a big trout in a
limpid pool the Little Peace Maker lay perfectly still basking in the
warm sunshine. Most of the ports were open and the men were lying around
enjoying the relaxation of the first dog-watch.
Although it was with difficulty that Edestone could keep Lawrence still
long enough, he forced him to join in a game of chess, which was
Edestone’s favourite form of relaxation. Lawrence, however, kept
continually breaking in with the suggestion that they go below and take
a walk among the ruins of the home of one of the ancient Barons of
Prussia.
From time to time, while waiting for Lawrence to move, Edestone would
consult his watch, and as the fatal hour of five approached, although
perfectly calm he was anxious.
With the finish of the game, Lawrence, who had chafed under the
confinement, insisted upon going on deck and talking with the officers
and men.
When next he saw his friend, Edestone was walking up and down the
general living-room with an expression of great anxiety on his face. It
was half-past five o’clock, and although Lawrence had entirely forgotten
it, he suddenly thought of the ultimatum.
“Well what did they answer?” he asked.
“Nothing,” said Edestone.
“And what are you going to do?”
“I am going to Kiel to sink one of their largest battleships, and see if
that will wake them up. We shall be under way in ten minutes and should
be there by eight-thirty o’clock. I have ordered ‘Specs’ to get under
way as soon as possible.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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