Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. CL, April 26, 1916Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. CL, April 26, 1916
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
* * * * *
A NIGHT OUT WITH A ZEPPELIN.
BY KARL VON WEEKEND
(HYPHENATED NEUTRAL).
(_Concluded._)
Beneath us--beneath, in a manner of speaking, the iron heel of the
all-conquering Fatherland--lay perfidious England. I, as a mere
layman, had, of course, not the vaguest idea as to precisely what
vital portion of the doomed island was immediately below us. Not so my
host, the Captain Sigismund von Münchhausen, who suddenly snapped
together the stethoscope through which he had been gazing and rapped
out a monosyllabic order down the speaking tube at his right hand.
"We are now," he said, turning courteously to me, "diametrically above
the entrenched camp of Little Tillingham-under-Hill." A fearful crash
sounded from the depths below and a voice muttered something through
the speaking tube. "A hit!" cried the Captain without emotion.
"Ober-Leutnant von Dachswurst reports that the Arsenal, three
munitions factories and two infant schools are in flames. Ah! Now we
have reached Birmingham!" Another crash rent the abysm. "Now Glasgow!"
A third terrific explosion was audible.
"But," I cried, "we can't have got from Birmingham to Glasgow in
thirty-five seconds." For a moment the Captain's eyes flashed angrily.
He clenched his feet, and, remembering the horrible fate of the
seasick sailor, I crouched against the bulwark. With an effort,
however, the man mastered himself. I was relieved to see an enigmatic
smile overspread his countenance.
"It is plain," he said, in the voice of one patiently rebuking a
child, "that you do not know what a German airship can do. Ah! ha!
There goes Bristol!" he added, as further detonations smote upon our
ears.
And so the hideous carnage proceeded. Grasmere, Aberystwith,
Stratford-on-Avon, Freshwater Bay and the Lizard--with dreadful
precision these teeming hives of English industry were laid waste,
incinerated, scattered to the winds in fine impalpable dust. I thought
sadly of the brave men in khaki that were being cut off by the
thousand in their prime (for the gallant Captain had taken the utmost
precaution not to drop any of his bombs in the neighbourhood of
non-combatants). But, after all, I mused, they will soon be replaced
by intelligent Germans, a blessing that civilization will not be slow
to appreciate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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