10 - Blake of the "Rattlesnake" - Our Base of Operations

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter ten of Blake of the Rattlesnake. This is a
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This recording is by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina.

(00:21):
Blake of the Rattlesnake by Frederick T. Jane, Chapter ten,
Our base of operations. Some two hours after my conversation
with Blake, I noted a small shore boat making for us,
and an inspection through glasses soon revealed to me the
forms of my stockbroking friends. I hastily informed the skipper,

(00:45):
and he came on deck in time to be there
when they came alongside. We wished to see the captain,
the red headed one cried. As soon as they were within,
Hail I am, The captain replied Blake politely, What can
I do for you? Oh, We'll get on the ship
and tell you presently. The remark was offhand enough, and

(01:06):
doubtless due to their noticing Blake's war worn uniform. We
were certainly all of us a disreputable lot to look
at war service, and a destroyer is bad for clothes.
The skipper allowed them to come on board and down
into the ward room, where they sat down and soon
made themselves at home. My name is Green, said the

(01:28):
redheaded one, patronizingly as I thought. And my friend here
is called Fergus, a very well known man in the city.
Very well known, indeed, I may say we are both
men of substance there, commanding as we do, a large
amount of capital. My name is Blake, and my friend
here is called Bovary, replied the skipper. I believe he

(01:51):
was half inclined to add very well known on board
the Rattlesnake, but checked himself. Blake remarked, mister Fergus, I
seem to know the name. Had a clerk of that
name once, very smart fellow, any relation, I'm afraid I
haven't the honor, Blake answered with a slight cough. Well,

(02:14):
what do you want of me? My time just now
is rather occupied, so if you will kindly state your business,
it will be a convenience, he continued. Ah, yes, said Green,
just so well. The fact of the matter is that
my friend, mister Fergus, and myself are much incommoded by
the fashion in which you have destroyed the telegraph here,

(02:36):
which you know is public property. However, we are willing
to believe that you did it with some reason that
may explain it satisfactorily, quite satisfactorily. So if you can
see your way to just running us over to Glasgow
or Arderson at your earliest convenience, well we will promise
that you will get into no trouble over it on

(02:57):
our account. Well, if you want to go over to Glasgow,
why don't you go, asked the skipper, with an assumption
of innocence that amuse me mightily go? Why? Because we can't.
That's why you appear to have stolen bought, I mean,
all the boats in the place, which was a clever move,

(03:18):
very clever, and I'm sure we admire it. However, you
can name your own terms. You know. I expected to
see Blake turn purple with rage, but he controlled himself.
Well I don't quite follow you, he said, But I'm
afraid it will be quite three weeks before you can
leave erin. You may as well out with it, Green

(03:41):
put in, mister Fergus. The fact is, mister Blake, you're
one too many for us. However, you've got your exclusive
information and have of course sold accordingly. Ere this but
it's a little hard that you should keep us from
it too. It doesn't make any odds to you, you
know not. The slightest was the reply. However, I'm quite

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sure that you won't be able to leave Lamblash for
quite three weeks or more. Moreover, any attempt to leave
the island would result in your getting shot. Good day.
You're an unprincipled scoundrel, that's what you are, cried Green,
completely losing his temper, and by Heaven, I'll be even
with you. Yet, the country hasn't got to quite such

(04:28):
a state that a man can steal boats, destroy government property,
and threaten murder, actually murder with impunity. This from a
public servant who runs away from his fleet in order
to rig the money market. Humph. They may well say
the country is going to the devil. They may. But
here Fergus, who seemed the more level headed of the two,

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interrupted him. Don't be a fool, Green, You'll be getting
chucked overboard or something of that sort if you don't
take care, he added in a half a side Blake
and I burst out laughing. We really couldn't help it.
I'm not sure that they wouldn't have preferred us to
be indignant, but the whole thing was such an absurd

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farce it was impossible to get angry about it or
treat it seriously. Bidding us a stiff good day, they
went off, and we saw no more of them for
a while. Dash those idiots, said Blake, when his merriment
had subsided. It's all very well to laugh at them,

(05:33):
as we've got them boxed up in the island, But
all the same, they'd smash up all our plans for
the sake of their infernal stocks and shares if they
got but half a chance. However, since they can't let
them sit and curse us all day long if it
pleases them. The next day, the third after our arrival,

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smoke was visible on the horizon beyond King's Cross, and
by and by the Niche with two torpedo boats in tow,
came into harbor. In the course of the next day
or so, we were joined by several more catchers, destroyers
and torpedo boats, all of which had deserted as soon
as practicable after the receipt of Blake's telegrams, and one

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of the destroyers, the Hornet, brought a welcome edition in
the shape of the Collier Lily, which it had been
her duty to escort somewhere or other. The indignation of
Captain Higgs of the Lily had at first been intense,
but later, on learning what was in the wind, he
had come too like the patriotic Briton that he was,

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and refused to take any compensation for the great inconvenience
Blake's plan compelled him to undergo. Although we were safe
at Lamlash so far as news of our whereabouts being carried,
thence was concerned. We were daily exposed to the danger
of discovery by a hostile cruiser, or even by an

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English one not in the sea. To minimize this danger,
our ships were disguised as much as possible, and anchored
in very irregular fashion. But our skipper, or commodore, as
I should now call him, was anxious to mine the
entrances to the harbor, which would guard us safely from
any foe, and better still, enable us to save coal

(07:21):
by drawing fires. Hitherto we had lain with steam up,
and there seemed little prospect of our being able to
discontinue it, for we needed the explosive in our torpedoes
for its own work, and such gunpowder, as we were
able to collect ashore, was totally insufficient for our purposes.
We got what protection we could by putting our torpedo

(07:43):
boats at the entrances, but there was always the risk
that a cruiser seeing them would either be able to
sync them before they could get within striking distance, or
else turn tail and be off to get her friends
the moment she spotted them. And the enemy were well
to bring up enough ships to shut us in altogether
had they wished to. Altogether, we were at our wits end.

(08:08):
And then it was that Captain Higgs proved himself of
inestimable service. Running over in his collier to Glasgow, where
he was well known, he managed somehow to obtain a
quantity of dynamite and blasting powder, as well as a
few other things we needed. Returning by a roundabout course
so as to avoid suspicion, he brought the news that

(08:31):
the city was in a panic. Business was practically suspended,
visits from enemy's cruisers were hourly expected. He also brought
us newspapers, wherefrom we learned how a French army corps
had landed on the south coast and taking Portsmouth in
the rear transformed it into a naval and military base

(08:52):
for further operations. And all the other events that I
need not recapitulate here. Captain Higgs did us another service too,
by giving out to the Glasgow folk that a French
cruiser had been at Lamblash and bombarded the place. This
explained the destruction of telegraphic communication and prevented any attempt

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to repair it, for fear the enemy was still lying there.
The dynamite was gladly welcomed by Blake, and soon we
had electrically fitted mines at both ends of Holy Island,
worked from a camera obscura situated on the top of
the hill, and after this we felt safer. We were
none too soon with our minds. For ere we had

(09:35):
everything complete. A French cruiser making in the direction of Glasgow,
headed for our harbor, training our guns and torpedo tubes
in her direction. We waited breathlessly for results. She seemed
in no hurry whatever she was at, and after steaming
to within a few yards of our outermost mines withdrew again.

(10:00):
Had anything suspicious been noted? And was she going off
to alarm her consorts? After a weight that seemed to
last for hours, but could not really have been very long.
Back she came again, steaming slowly and cautiously. Lieutenant Orchardston,
who had charge of the minefield, eagerly watching the plate

(10:21):
of our extemporey camera Obscura, saw the pictured warship pass
phantom like over one of the circles marked thereon to
indicate the radius of destruction, And as she did so,
he pressed a button. A huge column of water enveloped
the enemy. With it came a wave that rolled all
our vessels till the sea broke over their decks, And

(10:44):
when we looked again there was nothing but troubled water
left where the cruiser had been. The dasher, which alone
of us had steam up, went out to the spot,
but no survivors were found. The annihilation of the enemy
had been as complete as it had been instantaneous. End

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of chapter