A Royal Salute
: BOOK I.: Off On A Comet
"Then I take your bishop, major," said Colonel Murphy, as he made a move
that he had taken since the previous evening to consider.
"I was afraid you would," replied Major Oliphant, looking intently at
the chess-board.
Such was the way in which a long silence was broken on the morning of
the 17th of February by the old calendar.
Another day elapsed before another move was made.
game; it had, in fact, already lasted some months--the players being
so deliberate, and so fearful of taking a step without the most mature
consideration, that even now they were only making the twentieth move.
Both of them, moreover, were rigid disciples of the renowned Philidor,
who pronounces that to play the pawns well is "the soul of chess"; and,
accordingly, not one pawn had been sacrificed without a most vigorous
defense.
The men who were thus beguiling their leisure were two officers in the
British army--Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy and Major Sir John Temple
Oliphant. Remarkably similar in personal appearance, they were hardly
less so in personal character. Both of them were about forty years of
age; both of them were tall and fair, with bushy whiskers and mustaches;
both of them were phlegmatic in temperament, and both much addicted to
the wearing of their uniforms. They were proud of their nationality,
and exhibited a manifest dislike, verging upon contempt, of everything
foreign. Probably they would have felt no surprise if they had been
told that Anglo-Saxons were fashioned out of some specific clay, the
properties of which surpassed the investigation of chemical analysis.
Without any intentional disparagement they might, in a certain way,
be compared to two scarecrows which, though perfectly harmless in
themselves, inspire some measure of respect, and are excellently adapted
to protect the territory intrusted to their guardianship.
English-like, the two officers had made themselves thoroughly at home in
the station abroad in which it had been their lot to be quartered. The
faculty of colonization seems to be indigenous to the native character;
once let an Englishman plant his national standard on the surface of the
moon, and it would not be long before a colony was established round it.
The officers had a servant, named Kirke, and a company of ten soldiers
of the line. This party of thirteen men were apparently the sole
survivors of an overwhelming catastrophe, which on the 1st of January
had transformed an enormous rock, garrisoned with well-nigh two thousand
troops, into an insignificant island far out to sea. But although the
transformation had been so marvelous, it cannot be said that either
Colonel Murphy or Major Oliphant had made much demonstration of
astonishment.
"This is all very peculiar, Sir John," observed the colonel.
"Yes, colonel; very peculiar," replied the major.
"England will be sure to send for us," said one officer.
"No doubt she will," answered the other.
Accordingly, they came to the mutual resolution that they would "stick
to their post."
To say the truth, it would have been a difficult matter for the gallant
officers to do otherwise; they had but one small boat; therefore, it was
well that they made a virtue of necessity, and resigned themselves to
patient expectation of the British ship which, in due time, would bring
relief.
They had no fear of starvation. Their island was mined with
subterranean stores, more than ample for thirteen men--nay, for thirteen
Englishmen--for the next five years at least. Preserved meat, ale,
brandy--all were in abundance; consequently, as the men expressed it,
they were in this respect "all right."
Of course, the physical changes that had taken place had attracted the
notice both of officers and men. But the reversed position of east and
west, the diminution of the force of gravity, the altered rotation of
the earth, and her projection upon a new orbit, were all things that
gave them little concern and no uneasiness; and when the colonel and the
major had replaced the pieces on the board which had been disturbed
by the convulsion, any surprise they might have felt at the chess-men
losing some portion of their weight was quite forgotten in the
satisfaction of seeing them retain their equilibrium.
One phenomenon, however, did not fail to make its due impression upon
the men; this was the diminution in the length of day and night. Three
days after the catastrophe, Corporal Pim, on behalf of himself and his
comrades, solicited a formal interview with the officers. The request
having been granted, Pim, with the nine soldiers, all punctiliously
wearing the regimental tunic of scarlet and trousers of invisible green,
presented themselves at the door of the colonel's room, where he and
his brother-officer were continuing their game. Raising his hand
respectfully to his cap, which he wore poised jauntily over his right
ear, and scarcely held on by the strap below his under lip, the corporal
waited permission to speak.
After a lingering survey of the chess-board, the colonel slowly lifted
his eyes, and said with official dignity, "Well, men, what is it?"
"First of all, sir," replied the corporal, "we want to speak to you
about our pay, and then we wish to have a word with the major about our
rations."
"Say on, then," said Colonel Murphy. "What is it about your pay?"
"Just this, sir; as the days are only half as long as they were, we
should like to know whether our pay is to be diminished in proportion."
The colonel was taken somewhat aback, and did not reply immediately,
though by some significant nods towards the major, he indicated that he
thought the question very reasonable. After a few moments' reflection,
he replied, "It must, I think, be allowed that your pay was calculated
from sunrise to sunrise; there was no specification of what the interval
should be. Your pay will continue as before. England can afford it."
A buzz of approval burst involuntarily from all the men, but military
discipline and the respect due to their officers kept them in check from
any boisterous demonstration of their satisfaction.
"And now, corporal, what is your business with me?" asked Major
Oliphant.
"We want to know whether, as the days are only six hours long, we are to
have but two meals instead of four?"
The officers looked at each other, and by their glances agreed that the
corporal was a man of sound common sense.
"Eccentricities of nature," said the major, "cannot interfere with
military regulations. It is true that there will be but an interval of
an hour and a half between them, but the rule stands good--four meals
a day. England is too rich to grudge her soldiers any of her soldiers'
due. Yes; four meals a day."
"Hurrah!" shouted the soldiers, unable this time to keep their delight
within the bounds of military decorum; and, turning to the right-about,
they marched away, leaving the officers to renew the all-absorbing game.
However confident everyone upon the island might profess to be that
succor would be sent them from their native land--for Britain never
abandons any of her sons--it could not be disguised that that succor
was somewhat tardy in making its appearance. Many and various were the
conjectures to account for the delay. Perhaps England was engrossed
with domestic matters, or perhaps she was absorbed in diplomatic
difficulties; or perchance, more likely than all, Northern Europe had
received no tidings of the convulsion that had shattered the south. The
whole party throve remarkably well upon the liberal provisions of the
commissariat department, and if the officers failed to show the same
tendency to embonpoint which was fast becoming characteristic of the
men, it was only because they deemed it due to their rank to curtail any
indulgences which might compromise the fit of their uniform.
On the whole, time passed indifferently well. An Englishman rarely
suffers from ennui, and then only in his own country, when required to
conform to what he calls "the humbug of society"; and the two officers,
with their similar tastes, ideas, and dispositions, got on together
admirably. It is not to be questioned that they were deeply affected by
a sense of regret for their lost comrades, and astounded beyond measure
at finding themselves the sole survivors of a garrison of 1,895 men,
but with true British pluck and self-control, they had done nothing
more than draw up a report that 1,882 names were missing from the
muster-roll.
The island itself, the sole surviving fragment of an enormous pile of
rock that had reared itself some 1,600 feet above the sea, was not,
strictly speaking, the only land that was visible; for about twelve
miles to the south there was another island, apparently the very
counterpart of what was now occupied by the Englishmen. It was
only natural that this should awaken some interest even in the most
imperturbable minds, and there was no doubt that the two officers,
during one of the rare intervals when they were not absorbed in their
game, had decided that it would be desirable at least to ascertain
whether the island was deserted, or whether it might not be occupied by
some others, like themselves, survivors from the general catastrophe.
Certain it is that one morning, when the weather was bright and calm,
they had embarked alone in the little boat, and been absent for seven or
eight hours. Not even to Corporal Pim did they communicate the object
of their excursion, nor say one syllable as to its result, and it could
only be inferred from their manner that they were quite satisfied with
what they had seen; and very shortly afterwards Major Oliphant was
observed to draw up a lengthy document, which was no sooner finished
than it was formally signed and sealed with the seal of the 33rd
Regiment. It was directed:
To the First Lord of the Admiralty,
London,
and kept in readiness for transmission by the first ship that should
hail in sight. But time elapsed, and here was the 18th of February
without an opportunity having been afforded for any communication with
the British Government.
At breakfast that morning, the colonel observed to the major that he was
under the most decided impression that the 18th of February was a royal
anniversary; and he went on to say that, although he had received no
definite instructions on the subject, he did not think that the peculiar
circumstances under which they found themselves should prevent them from
giving the day its due military honors.
The major quite concurred; and it was mutually agreed that the occasion
must be honored by a bumper of port, and by a royal salute. Corporal Pim
must be sent for. The corporal soon made his appearance, smacking his
lips, having, by a ready intuition, found a pretext for a double morning
ration of spirits.
"The 18th of February, you know, Pim," said the colonel; "we must have a
salute of twenty-one guns."
"Very good," replied Pim, a man of few words.
"And take care that your fellows don't get their arms and legs blown
off," added the officer.
"Very good, sir," said the corporal; and he made his salute and
withdrew.
Of all the bombs, howitzers, and various species of artillery with which
the fortress had been crowded, one solitary piece remained. This was a
cumbrous muzzle-loader of 9-inch caliber, and, in default of the smaller
ordnance generally employed for the purpose, had to be brought into
requisition for the royal salute.
A sufficient number of charges having been provided, the corporal
brought his men to the reduct, whence the gun's mouth projected over
a sloping embrasure. The two officers, in cocked hats and full staff
uniform, attended to take charge of the proceedings. The gun was
maneuvered in strict accordance with the rules of "The Artilleryman's
Manual," and the firing commenced.
Not unmindful of the warning he had received, the corporal was most
careful between each discharge to see that every vestige of fire was
extinguished, so as to prevent an untimely explosion while the men were
reloading; and accidents, such as so frequently mar public rejoicings,
were all happily avoided.
Much to the chagrin of both Colonel Murphy and Major Oliphant, the
effect of the salute fell altogether short of their anticipations. The
weight of the atmosphere was so reduced that there was comparatively
little resistance to the explosive force of the gases, liberated at the
cannon's mouth, and there was consequently none of the reverberation,
like rolling thunder, that ordinarily follows the discharge of heavy
artillery.
Twenty times had the gun been fired, and it was on the point of being
loaded for the last time, when the colonel laid his hand upon the arm of
the man who had the ramrod. "Stop!" he said; "we will have a ball this
time. Let us put the range of the piece to the test."
"A good idea!" replied the major. "Corporal, you hear the orders."
In quick time an artillery-wagon was on the spot, and the men lifted
out a full-sized shot, weighing 200 lbs., which, under ordinary
circumstances, the cannon would carry about four miles. It was proposed,
by means of telescopes, to note the place where the ball first touched
the water, and thus to obtain an approximation sufficiently accurate as
to the true range.
Having been duly charged with powder and ball, the gun was raised to an
angle of something under 45 degrees, so as to allow proper development
to the curve that the projectile would make, and, at a signal from the
major, the light was applied to the priming.
"Heavens!" "By all that's good!" exclaimed both officers in one breath,
as, standing open-mouthed, they hardly knew whether they were to believe
the evidence of their own senses. "Is it possible?"
The diminution of the force of attraction at the earth's surface was so
considerable that the ball had sped beyond the horizon.
"Incredible!" ejaculated the colonel.
"Incredible!" echoed the major.
"Six miles at least!" observed the one.
"Ay, more than that!" replied the other.
Awhile, they gazed at the sea and at each other in mute amazement. But
in the midst of their perplexity, what sound was that which startled
them? Was it mere fancy? Was it the reverberation of the cannon still
booming in their ears? Or was it not truly the report of another and
a distant gun in answer to their own? Attentively and eagerly they
listened. Twice, thrice did the sound repeat itself. It was quite
distinct. There could be no mistake.
"I told you so," cried the colonel, triumphantly. "I knew our country
would not forsake us; it is an English ship, no doubt."
In half an hour two masts were visible above the horizon. "See! Was
I not right? Our country was sure to send to our relief. Here is the
ship."
"Yes," replied the major; "she responded to our gun."
"It is to be hoped," muttered the corporal, "that our ball has done her
no damage."
Before long the hull was full in sight. A long trail of smoke betokened
her to be a steamer; and very soon, by the aid of the glass, it could be
ascertained that she was a schooner-yacht, and making straight for the
island. A flag at her mast-head fluttered in the breeze, and towards
this the two officers, with the keenest attention, respectively adjusted
their focus.
Simultaneously the two telescopes were lowered. The colonel and the
major stared at each other in blank astonishment. "Russian!" they
gasped.
And true it was that the flag that floated at the head of yonder mast
was the blue cross of Russia.
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At precisely eight o'clock that evening, a knock was again heard at the door of the Wise home, and Droop was admitted by the younger sister. She did not speak, and her face was invisible in the dark hall. The visitor turned to the right and entere... A Voyage
The sun was up when Felix awoke, and as he raised himself the beauty of the Lake before him filled him with pleasure. By the shore it was so calm that the trees were perfectly reflected, and the few willow leaves that had fallen floated without dr... A Voyage Of Discovery
It would be altogether impossible for me to give any idea of the utter astonishment which overcame the Professor on making this extraordinary discovery. Amazement, incredulity, and rage were blended in such a way as to alarm me. During the whol... A Walk On The Bottom Of The Sea
This cell was, to speak correctly, the arsenal and wardrobe of the Nautilus. A dozen diving apparatuses hung from the partition waiting our use. Ned Land, on seeing them, showed evident repugnance to dress himself in one. "But, my worthy Ned,... A Woman's Courage
Thus ended this memorable seance. That conversation threw me into a fever. I came out of my uncle's study as if I had been stunned, and as if there was not air enough in all the streets of Hamburg to put me right again. I therefore made for the bank... A Woman's Treachery
According to the agreement with Heideck, Brandelaar, on his return from Dover, was to put in at Flushing, and the Major had instructed the guardships at the mouth of the West Schelde to allow the smack to pass unmolested without detention. But he ... A World Called Crimson
When the starship Star of Fire collided with a meteor swarm six parsecs stellar north of the galactic hub in the year A.D. 2278, it lost its atmosphere within forty-five minutes. At first it was thought that every man, woman and child of the fou...