Homeward Bound

: The Coming Conquest Of England

As Heideck had foreseen, the announcement of the victory was followed

by disastrous tidings for the English. Up to noon on the following day

Bombay had waited in vain for confirmation of the despatch and fuller

particulars. Very late in the evening, amidst a general feeling of

depression, the Governor published the following despatch from the

Commander-in-Chief:--



"The enemy having been reported in great orce yesterday to the north

of Delhi, our army took up a favourable defensive position, and a battle

was fought with great honour to the British arms. The Russians suffered

enormous losses. The approach of darkness preventing us from following

up the advantages we had gained, I ordered the main body of the army

to carry out a strategic retreat on Lucknow, chiefly along the railway.

Simpson's brigade remained behind to defend Delhi. The heavy guns of

the Sha, Calcutta gate, and north gate bastions were very effective.

All arms distinguished themselves, and deserve the highest praise. The

bridge over the Jumna is intact and affords direct communication with

General Simpson."



While Mr. Kennedy was sitting pondering over this despatch, Heideck came

up to him.



"A decisive defeat, isn't it, Mr. Heideck?" said he. "As a military man,

you can read between the line, better than I can. But I know Delhi. If

the Jumna bridge batteries have been firing, the Russians must be on the

point of capturing this passage. The north gate bastion is the head of

the bridge."



Heideck was obliged to agree; but he had read more in the despatch, and

drew the worst conclusions from the general's retreat on Lucknow.



No more despatches from the theatre of war were published during the

day, since the Governor was desirous of concealing the melancholy state

of affairs from the people. But Mr. Kennedy, who had been in Government

House, knew more. He told Heideck that the English army had fled in

complete disorder, having lost 8,000 killed and wounded, twenty guns,

and a number of colours and standards. The Government had already

abandoned all hope of saving Delhi, for General Simpson could not

possibly hold it. "We have lost India," sorrowfully concluded Mr.

Kennedy. "It is the grave of my last hopes."



. . . . . . .



The Caledonia was moored in Victoria Dock, which formed part of the

magnificent harbour on the east coast of the peninsula. In the midst

of a seething crowd the passengers were making their way on board.

Many wounded and sick officers and soldiers were returning on the fast

steamer to England, and filled the places intended for passengers. No

travellers to Europe on business or pleasure were to be seen. All the

women on board belonged to the families of the military. The general

feeling was one of extreme melancholy.



Before embarking Heideck had discharged his faithful servant. Morar

Gopal, with tears in his eyes, had begged him to take him with him, but

Heideck was afraid that the European climate would be the death of the

poor fellow. Besides, he would have been obliged to part with him on

active service. So he gave him a hundred rupees--a fortune for Morar

Gopal.



The great steamer moved slowly out of the basin of the harbour, past

English merchantmen and the white ships of war, which had brought troops

and war material.



As the Caledonia, continually increasing her speed, made her way through

the outer harbour, Heideck saw some twenty men-of-war in the roadstead,

including several large ironclads. English troops from Malta were being

landed in boats from two transports, the decks of which glistened with

arms.



The Caledonia proceeded with increasing rapidity into the open sea. The

city and its lighthouses disappeared in the distance, the blue mountains

of the mainland and of the island were lost in a floating mist. A long,

glittering, white furrow followed in the wake of the steamer.



It was a wonderful journey for all whom a load of anxiety had not

rendered insensible to the grandeur of Nature. Heideck, happy at being

at last on the way home, enjoyed the beauty of sea and sky to the full.

The uneasy doubts which sometimes assailed him as to his own and Edith's

future were suppressed by the charm of her presence. Her impetuosity

caused him perpetual anxiety, but he loved her. Ever since she had

declared that she would never leave him she had been all devotion

and tenderness, as if tormented by a constant fear that he might

nevertheless one day cast her off.



So they sat once again, side by side, on the promenade deck. The

azure billows of the sea splashed round the planks of the vessel. The

boundless surface of ocean glittered with a marvellous brilliancy, and

everything seemed bathed in a flood of light. The double awning over the

heads of the young couple kept off the burning heat of the sun, and a

refreshing breeze swept across the deck beneath it.



"Then you would land with me at Brindisi?" asked Heideck.



"At Brindisi, or Aden, or Port Said--where you like."



"I think Brindisi will be the most suitable place. Then we can travel

together to Berlin."



Edith nodded assent.



"But I don't know how long I shall stay in Berlin," continued Heideck.

"I hope I shan't be sent to join my regiment at once."



"If you are I shall go with you, wherever it may be," she said as

quietly as if it were a matter of course.



"That would hardly be possible," he rejoined, with a smile. "We Germans

make war without women."



"And yet I shall go with you."



Heideck looked at her in amazement. "But don't you understand, dear,

that it would be something entirely novel, and bound to create a

sensation, for a German officer to take the field with his betrothed?"



"I am not afraid of what people think. I don't care what the Kennedys

may say if I leave the ship at Brindisi and go with you. Of course it

will be a sad downfall for me. They would look on me as a lost woman

from that moment. But I care nothing about that. I have long been cured

of the foolish idea that we must sacrifice our happiness to what the

world may say."



Of course Heideck refused to take her words seriously. He did not

believe she meant to accompany him to the field, and seized the

opportunity of making a proposal which he had already carefully

considered.



"I should think the best thing for you to do, my dear Edith, would be to

go to my uncle at Hamburg and stay there till the war is over. Then--if

Heaven spare my life--there will be nothing to prevent our union."



As she made no answer Heideck, who wanted to give her time to think,

hastened to turn the conversation.



"Look how beautiful it is!" he said, pointing to the water.



A long succession of white, foaming waves kept pace with the vessel on

either side. The keel seemed to be cutting its way through a number

of tiny cliffs, over which the sea was breaking. But closer inspection

showed that they were no cliffs, but countless shoals of large fish,

swimming alongside the ship, as if in order of battle. From time to time

they leaped high out of the water, their bright, scaly bodies glistening

in the sun.



"I should like to be one of those dolphins," said Edith. "Look, how free

they are! how they enjoy life!"



"You believe in the transmigration of souls?" said Heideck jestingly;

"perhaps you have once been such a dolphin yourself."



"Then certainly I have made no change for the better. There is no doubt

that our higher intellectual development prevents us from properly

enjoying our natural existence. But it teaches us to feel more deeply

the sorrows, which are far more numerous than the joys of human life."



. . . . . . .



The journey through the Indian Ocean took six days, and Heideck

frequently had an opportunity of hearing the views of English officers

and officials on the political situation. All blamed the incapacity of

the Government, which had brought England into so perilous a situation.



"The good old principles of English policy have been abandoned," said a

Colonel, who had been severely wounded and was returning home invalided.

"In former times England made her conquests when the continental Powers

were involved in war, or she carried on war with allies, to enlarge her

possessions. But she has never allowed herself to be so disgracefully

surprised before. Of course we shall beat France and Germany, for it is

a question of sea power. But even when they are beaten, we shall still

have the worst of it; the loss of India is as bad for England's health

and efficiency as the amputation of my left leg for me. I am returning

to England a cripple, and my poor country will only be a cripple after

she has lost India."



"Quite true," said Mr. Kennedy; "I am afraid it will be

difficult--impossible, to recover India. We were able to rob the French,

the Dutch, and the Portuguese of their Indian possessions, since their

only connexion with India was by sea; but the Russians will annex the

peninsula to their Empire and, even in case of a defeat, will be able

to send fresh troops without number overland. I can already see them

attacking Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, occupying the harbours built

with our money, and building a fleet in our docks with the resources of

India."



"We have no right to blame the continental Powers," continued the

Colonel, "for using our defeats for their own aggrandisement. There

is no Power at whose expense we have not grown great. We took all

our possessions by force of arms from the Spaniards, the Dutch, the

Portuguese, and the French; we have always opposed Russia, since she

began to develop her power. We supported Turkey, we invaded the Crimea

and destroyed Sebastopol, we suffocated her fleet in the Black Sea. But

this time we are out of our reckoning. We have allowed the Japanese to

attack Russia; but if our ministers believed that Japan would fight for

any one but herself, they have made a great mistake. Russia is making us

pay for her losses in the Far East."



"It is not Russia, but Germany, that is our worst enemy," contradicted

Mr. Kennedy. "Russia has only been our enemy since we let Germany grow

so powerful. I remember how our ministers exulted when Prussia was

at war with France and Austria. The continent of Europe again seemed

paralysed for a long time by internal disruption. But our triumph was

short-lived! No one had suspected that Prussia would prove so strong.

Then the first defects in our policy became apparent. After the first

German victories on the Rhine, England ought to have concluded an

alliance with France and declared war against Prussia. Great political

revolutions require considerable time, and a clever government should

always look ahead. Bismarck slowly prepared England's defeat. Thirty

years ago we had a presentiment of this; it threatened us like a

storm-cloud, but our Government had not the courage to look things in

the face and lacked the energy."



A general, who had hitherto said nothing, took up the conversation. He

belonged to the engineers, and was on his way to take over the command

of Gibraltar.



"We talk about the loss of India," said he; "but who knows whether we

have not to fear an invasion of England herself?"



"Impossible!" exclaimed all the gentlemen present; "England will never

allow her men-of-war to be driven out of the Channel."



"I hope so too, but I don't know whether you gentlemen remember how

close the danger of Napoleon landing an army on English soil once was."



"And if it had made its appearance, it would have been smashed to pieces

by British fists!" cried Mr. Kennedy.



"Perhaps. But why have we never consented to the Channel Tunnel being

made? All military authorities, especially Wolseley, are absolutely

opposed to opening a road so convenient for traffic and trade. They have

always declared that England must remain an island, only accessible

by sea. This is certainly the first and most essential condition of

England's power."



"Well, then," said Mr. Kennedy, "as England is still an island, and we

have always adhered to the principle of keeping a fleet superior to that

of the two strongest naval powers, where is the danger?"



"Danger? There is always a danger, when one has enemies," replied the

General. "I maintain that at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it

was a toss up whether Napoleon crossed or not; and I don't believe that

we should have been a match for our great opponent, if he had once got a

firm footing on our coast."



"His plan was a visionary one and therefore impracticable."



"His plan only failed because it was too complicated. If he had had

modern telegraphic communication at his disposal, this would not have

been the case. He could have directed the operations of his fleet by

cable. If Admiral Villeneuve had sailed to Brest (instead of Cadiz) as

he was ordered and joined Admiral Gantaume, he would have had fifty-six

ships of the line to cover Napoleon's passage from Boulogne to the

English coast. No, gentlemen, you must not think England's strategical

position unassailable. I am as confident of the superiority of our naval

forces as you are, but in these days of steam and electricity England is

no longer as safe as she was when the movement of ships depended on the

wind and orders had to be given by mounted messengers and signals."



"So you really think, General, that Napoleon's plan would have been

practicable?"



"Most certainly. Napoleon had no luck in this enterprise. In the

first place, his greatest misfortune was the death of Admiral

Latouche-Treville. If he had been in Villeneuve's place, he would most

likely have proved a competent commander. He was the only French naval

officer who could have opposed Nelson. But he died too soon for France,

and his successor, Villeneuve, was his inferior in ability. But there

are other special circumstances, more favourable to a landing in England

than in Napoleon's day. For instance--to say nothing of cable and

steam--the fact that modern transports can carry an enormously larger

number of troops. Napoleon had to fit out 2,293 vessels to transport his

army of 150,000 men and to protect the transports, had 1,204 gunboats

and 135 other armed vessels at his disposal, in addition to the

transports proper. As nearly all his ships were constructed to land

men, horses, and guns on the level beach without the aid of boats, they

wanted calm weather for crossing the Channel. They would have taken

about ten hours, with a calm sea, to reach a point between Dover and

Hastings. It is different now. The large French and German companies'

steamers are at the disposal of their Admiralties."



"And yet things are just the same as before," said Mr. Kennedy. "Victory

on the open sea turns the scale. No hostile fleet will be able to show

itself in the Channel without being destroyed by ours."



"Let us hope so!" said the General.



On the way to Aden the Caledonia only met a few ships--all English.

Several transports with troops on board and a few men-of-war passed

her; as she travelled on the average twenty-two knots an hour, no vessel

overtook her. On the morning of the sixth day the reddish brown rocks of

Aden appeared, and the Caledonia cast anchor in the roadstead. A number

of small vessels darted towards her. Naked, black Arab boys cried for

money and showed their skill in diving, fishing up pieces of silver

thrown from the ship. As the Caledonia had to coal, those passengers who

were able to move went ashore in boats rowed by Arabs.



Heideck joined the Kennedy family.



When the boat reached the deeply indented harbour, which with its

numerous bends between fortified heights afforded a safe shelter for a

whole fleet, Heideck saw some twenty English men-of-war, and at

least three times that number of French and German and a few Russian

merchantmen, which had been captured by the English. Several cruisers of

the three Powers at war with England also lay in the harbour. They had

been captured in the Indian Ocean at the outbreak of war by superior

English naval forces.



As the party had the whole day at their disposal, Mr. Kennedy took

a conveyance, and Heideck drove with the family to the town, which,

invisible from the roadstead, lay embedded between high, peaked

mountains. The road went past a large, open space, on which thousands

of camels and donkeys were exposed for sale. Here Heideck had the

opportunity of admiring, close at hand, the mighty fortifications which

the English had constructed on the important corner of the mountain

commanding the sea since the capture of Aden by them from the Turks

on the 9th of January, 1839. They also inspected the remarkable tanks,

those famous cisterns which supply Aden with water, some fifty basins

said to hold 30,000,000 gallons of water, whose origin is lost in the

hoary mist of antiquity. They are said to have been constructed by the

Persians.



About seven o'clock in the evening the passengers were again on board.

While the Caledonia continued her journey, they were absorbed in the

perusal of the English, French, and German newspapers which they had

bought at Aden. The papers were ten days old, certainly, but contained

much that was new to the travellers.



It was very hot in the Red Sea, and most of the first-class passengers

slept on deck, as they had done just before they reached Aden. Part of

the deck, over which a sail had been stretched, was specially reserved

for ladies.



The Caledonia, having again coaled at Port Said, where a number of

English men-of-war were lying, resumed her journey, with unfavourable

weather and a rather rough sea, into the Mediterranean. Passing along

the south of Crete, the steamer turned northwest in the direction of

Brindisi, where she was due on the eighth day after leaving Aden. On the

morning of the seventh day a ship was seen coming from the north side

of Crete, whose appearance caused the captain of the Caledonia the

liveliest anxiety, which soon communicated itself to the passengers. All

the telescopes and field-glasses were directed towards the vessel, whose

course was bound to cut across that of the Caledonia. She soon came near

enough to be recognised. She was the small French cruiser Forbin, and

was bound to meet the Caledonia if the latter continued her course.



The Forbin was a third-class cruiser, not so fast as the Caledonia (the

officers estimated her speed at twenty-one knots), which could have

beaten her in a race; but if the Caledonia made for Brindisi, she was

bound to meet the Frenchman, and could only expect to be captured.

Accordingly, the captain altered his course and turned westwards towards

Malta, without heeding the signal to stop or the shots that were fired,

one of which only went through the rigging, without doing any damage

worth mentioning.



"It is now noon," said Heideck. "We ought to be in Brindisi to-morrow.

Instead, we shall be in La Valetta, unless the captain changes his

course again and trusts to the speed of the Caledonia to reach Brindisi

in spite of the Forbin."



Then a loud shout was heard. The look-out man reported a ship on the

port side, and in a few minutes two other vessels suddenly appeared.



One of them afterwards proved to be the French second-class cruiser

Arethuse; the others were the protected cruiser Chanzy and a

torpedo-destroyer.



The Caledonia could not possibly get past the French in the direction of

Malta, for the destroyer was much faster and capable of making, at

full speed, twenty-seven knots an hour. The captain had no choice; he

accordingly turned round, and began to make for Alexandria again.



While the great vessel was wheeling round, those on board perceived that

the French had seen her and had started in pursuit.



Meanwhile the Forbin had approached considerably nearer and was

attempting to cut off the Caledonia. The captain accordingly gave orders

to steer further south.



Heideck, standing with Edith on the promenade-deck, followed the

movements of the vessels.



"What would happen to us if the French overtook us?" asked Edith.

"Surely they would not fire on an unarmed ship?"



"Certainly not. But they would call upon us to discontinue our journey,

and then they would take the Caledonia to the nearest French port."



"Is that the rule of naval warfare? Is the general law of nations so

defective that a passenger steamer can be captured? The Caledonia is not

a combatant. She is taking home wounded men and harmless passengers."



"Our captain doesn't seem to have much confidence in the laws of naval

warfare or nations in this case," said Heideck. "In fact, nothing is

more uncertain than these definitions. Strictly speaking, there is no

such thing as international law; the stronger does what he likes with

the weaker, and the only check on the arbitrariness of the victor is the

fear of public opinion. But this fear does not weigh much with him who

has might on his side, especially as he knows that public opinion can be

bribed."



"Then," said Edith, with a pitiful smile, "international law is very

like the law which is generally practised amongst human beings on land."



"Besides, the French would not make a bad catch if they brought in the

Caledonia," continued Heideck. "Of the eight hundred passengers about

three hundred belong to the army, and I have heard that there are large

sums of money on board."



The promenade-deck was full of first-class passengers, who anxiously

followed the movements of the ships. The second-class and steerage

passengers were equally anxious. In the most favourable circumstances,

if the Caledonia escaped her pursuers, her passage would, of course, be

considerably delayed. But it was hardly to be expected that she would

reach Alexandria; for though the Chanzy (travelling about twenty-two

knots) was obviously outpaced, the destroyer kept creeping up and the

Forbin was dangerously near.



Then a fresh surprise was reported. Two steamships were coming towards

the Caledonia. All glasses were directed to where the tiny pillars of

smoke appeared above the surface of the water, and it was soon seen

beyond doubt that they carried the British flag.



The second officer informed the passengers that they were the

first-class cruiser Royal Arthur and the gunboat O'Hara. He expressed

his hope that the Caledonia would reach their protection before the

French overtook her.



The water was fairly calm. Sky and sea had ceased to shine and sparkle

since the Caledonia had left the Suez Canal and emerged into the

Mediterranean. The grey colouring, peculiar to European latitudes, was

seen instead, and streaky clouds scudded over the pale-blue sky. The

movements of the ships could be closely followed by this light.



The English vessels approached rapidly. When the distance between the

Royal Arthur and the French destroyer was about two knots and a half

the cruiser opened fire from her bow-guns upon the destroyer, which only

stood out a little above the surface of the water. One of the heavy shot

whizzed so closely past the Caledonia, which was now between the two,

that the passengers could plainly hear the howling noise of the shell as

it cut through the air.



The Frenchman, without returning the fire, slackened speed, to wait till

the Chanzy came up. Meanwhile the Forbin advanced from the north

and opened fire from its bow-guns upon the British gunboat, and soon

afterwards the Chanzy fired its first shot. The position of the vessels

was now as follows: the gunboat lay broadside opposite the Forbin, the

two cruisers were firing with their bow-guns on each other, while the

destroyer kept in the background. In the meantime the Caledonia had

advanced so far that she was completely protected by the British guns.



If the captain had now continued his course he would probably have

reached Alexandria in safety. But he wished to avoid the delay, which

would have been considerable, and the entreaties of the passengers,

who, greatly excited, begged him to remain near the scene of action,

coincided with his own wishes.



Accordingly the Caledonia slackened speed, and took up a position to the

south-east of the field of battle, whence she could make for Brindisi or

Alexandria as soon as the result was decided.



For some time neither side gained the advantage. The Chanzy and Royal

Arthur had turned broadsides to each other and fired, but the effect was

not visible from the Caledonia.



Suddenly the Royal Arthur began to move in a northerly direction, firing

upon the enemy from her stern-guns.



"It almost looks as if he meant to help the O'Hara," said Heideck to

Edith, who was standing by his side with a field-glass. "The gunboat

is clearly no match for the Forbin, and has perhaps been hopelessly

damaged."



In fact, the Royal Arthur continued her course northwards, maintaining

an incessant fire upon the Chanzy and the destroyer, which still kept on

the watch in the rear, and made for the Forbin, on which she immediately

opened fire with her bow-guns.



As the scene of action thus shifted further and further north, the

captain of the Caledonia resolved to turn westwards again. It did not

seem advisable to call at Malta, but assuming that the Royal Arthur

could hold the French ships for a considerable time, he might fairly

hope to reach Brindisi, his original destination.



But the course of events disappointed his hopes. A ship was reported

ahead, which proved to be the Arethuse, bearing down straight on

the Caledonia. To avoid meeting her the captain immediately headed

northwards. This brought the Caledonia closer to the scene of action

than had been intended, so close that a British shell, discharged at the

destroyer lying to the east, flew over the low French vessel, and fell

into the sea right before the bows of the Caledonia, raising great jets

of water.



A few seconds later the French destroyer moved rapidly in the direction

of the Royal Arthur, and the passengers of the Caledonia, and all the

sailors on the now more restricted field of operations, witnessed a

fearful sight. The destroyer had seized the right moment to attack, and

from one of its tubes had launched a torpedo with splendid aim against

the enemy. In the centre of the Royal Arthur, just above the water-line,

a tiny cloud of smoke was seen, and then a large column of water

spurting up. At the same time a dull, loud report was heard that shook

the air for a considerable distance round and drowned the thunder of the

guns.



It looked as if the cruiser was being torn asunder by the hands of

giants. The enormous hull split in two. Slowly the prow leaned

forwards, the stern backwards. Immediately afterwards both parts righted

themselves again, as if they would close up over the gaping breach. But

this movement only lasted a few seconds. Then the weight of the water

rushing in drew the gigantic hull into the depths. The Royal Arthur sank

with awe-inspiring rapidity. Now only her three funnels were seen above

the surface of the water; a few minutes later nothing was visible save

the top of the mast and the top-pennants hoisted for battle. Then a

mighty, foaming billow rose on high, and only the breaking of the waves

marked the spot where the proud cruiser lay.



The guns had ceased firing, and deep silence reigned on all the ships.

The passengers were paralysed by overwhelming horror. The captain

ordered all the boats to be launched to go to the assistance of the crew

of the Royal Arthur. The Chanzy also was seen to be letting down boats.

The O'Hara fled, to avoid falling into the hands of the superior French

forces, and withdrew from the scene of action in an easterly direction,

pursued by the Forbin, which sent shot after shot after her. If the

captain of the Caledonia had abandoned all idea of flight, he was not

only following the dictates of humanity, but obeying the signals of the

destroyer, ordering him to bring to. He knew that there was no longer

any chance of escape for the steamer entrusted to his care, since the

shells of the Royal Arthur had ceased to threaten the enemy.



The struggles of the unhappy men, who had reached the surface from the

gloomy depths, and were now making desperate efforts to save themselves,

presented an affecting sight. Those who could not swim soon went under,

unless they succeeded in getting hold of some floating object. Every

second more of the numerous heads, which had been seen above the water

immediately after the sinking of the cruiser, disappeared, and there was

no doubt that the crews of the boats, though working heroically, would

only be able to save a small part of the crew.



Meanwhile the commander of the Chanzy's gig lay to at the gangway of the

Caledonia. The first officer, with four marines and a non-commissioned

officer, boarded the steamer and saluted the captain with naval

politeness.



"I greatly regret, sir, to be compelled to inconvenience you and your

passengers. But I am acting under orders, and must ask you to show me

your papers and to allow me to search the ship."



"It is yours to command, as things are," replied the Englishman

gloomily.



He then went down with the Frenchman into the cabin, while the

non-commissioned officer remained with the soldiers on the gangway. The

proceedings lasted nearly two hours, during which the work of rescuing

the crew of the Royal Arthur was continued unremittingly. A hundred and

twenty soldiers and sailors and five officers, besides the commander,

were saved. Most of the officers and crew were lost.



Unusual steps were taken to secure the prize. The captain, with the

first and second officers, was taken on board the Chanzy. The first

officer of the Chanzy took command of the ship, and two lieutenants

and fifty men were transferred to the Caledonia. These precautions were

sufficiently justified by the great value of the cargo. According to

the ship's papers, the Caledonia carried no less than 20,000,000 rupees,

some in specie, others in silver bars, consigned from Calcutta to

England. The French commander was naturally very anxious to take so

valuable a cargo safely to Toulon.



A further triumph fell to the lot of the French. The British gunboat,

flying the tricolour in place of the Union Jack, was brought back to the

scene of action by the Forbin. All four French ships accompanied the two

captive vessels on the voyage to Toulon--full steam ahead.