Episode Transcript
1
0:00:00,000 --> 0:00:05,000
Greetings This is a reading of the book The Airship Golden Hind
2
0:00:05,000 --> 0:00:17,000
Some of the language in this book has not aged well and is indeed no longer politicly correct Take caution when listening to this visual audio-book
3
0:00:17,000 --> 0:00:21,000
Footage and photography are provided by Photations
4
0:00:21,000 --> 0:00:34,000
At Photations we believe that the world would be a better place if people spent their time being creative Join us in practicing art so we all can be The Master of Art
5
0:00:34,000 --> 0:00:49,000
Fine Art Prints available at our store W W W dot Photation Store Dot com Keep our Artwork alive by making a donation at Photations Donations Dot com
6
0:00:49,000 --> 0:00:52,000
The Airship Golden Hind By
7
0:00:52,000 --> 0:00:55,000
Percy F Westerman
8
0:00:55,000 --> 0:00:58,000
CHAPTER 10 UNDER EXAMINATION
9
0:00:58,000 --> 0:01:00,000
'I’m all right, I tell you
10
0:01:00,000 --> 0:01:04,000
Hang it all, can’t a fellow know when he’s all right '
11
0:01:04,000 --> 0:01:28,000
Thus Kenyon rather resentfully resisted all efforts on the part of the men to keep him in his bunk He came from an indomitable stock that never readily admits defeat, and on this occasion he steadfastly refused to recognise the fact that his physical strength had been well-nigh sapped
12
0:01:28,000 --> 0:01:38,000
Donning his leather coat, he made his way to the navigation-room, staggering slightly as he passed along the narrow alley-way
13
0:01:38,000 --> 0:01:43,000
'Wireless message just received, sir,' reported Jackson
14
0:01:43,000 --> 0:01:44,000
'’From T B
15
0:01:44,000 --> 0:01:47,000
D _Zeebrugge_ to ’Golden Hind
16
0:01:47,000 --> 0:01:51,000
’ Am proceeding in search of you Show position lights
17
0:01:51,000 --> 0:02:01,000
Will tranship Sir. Reginald Fosterdyke and Mr. Bramsdean as soon as possible Make necessary arrangements
18
0:02:01,000 --> 0:02:03,000
’ We’re steering N by W
19
0:02:03,000 --> 0:02:08,000
¼ W , but we haven’t sighted the destroyer yet
20
0:02:08,000 --> 0:02:10,000
' 'Very good,' concurred Kenyon
21
0:02:10,000 --> 0:02:12,000
'Carry on '
22
0:02:12,000 --> 0:02:27,000
He consulted the altimeter and the speed indicator The former showed that the airship had descended to two thousand feet, and the speed was two thousand revolutions, or approximately thirty miles an hour
23
0:02:27,000 --> 0:02:37,000
The 'Golden Hind' had by this time retraced a good portion of her drift, and was now three or four miles from Ceuta
24
0:02:37,000 --> 0:02:55,000
Ten minutes later a masthead flashing lamp was seen blinking at a distance of about six miles The light came from the destroyer _Zeebrugge_, which, pelting along at twenty-five knots, was on the lookout for the errant airship
25
0:02:55,000 --> 0:02:58,000
Kenneth Kenyon was now on his mettle
26
0:02:58,000 --> 0:03:27,000
For the first time he was in command of a large airship about to make a descent As officer of the watch he had already had opportunities of observing the handling of the huge vessel, but now he found himself confronted with the problem of bringing her close to the surface of the sea so as to enable the destroyer to manoeuvre sufficiently enough to establish direct communication
27
0:03:27,000 --> 0:03:32,000
'Hope I don’t make a bog of it,' he soliloquised
28
0:03:32,000 --> 0:03:39,000
'I must admit I feel a bit rotten after that little jamboree just now Still, I’ll stick it
29
0:03:39,000 --> 0:03:55,000
' Although he was not aware of the fact, Leading Hand Jackson was keeping a sharp eye on his superior officer, ready at the first sign to 'take on' should Kenyon’s physical strength fail him
30
0:03:55,000 --> 0:04:00,000
For the next ten minutes the greatest activity prevailed
31
0:04:00,000 --> 0:04:24,000
Gongs were clanging, crisp orders were issued through various voice-tubes, gas was being withdrawn from various ballonets, the motors were constantly being either accelerated or retarded according to the conditions demanded The white flashing lamp signals were being exchanged with the T
32
0:04:24,000 --> 0:04:26,000
B D
33
0:04:26,000 --> 0:04:26,000
, which had now circled sixteen degrees to starboard and was steaming slowly dead in the eye of the wind
34
0:04:26,000 --> 0:04:46,000
In the floor of the bow compartment of the 'Golden Hind' the large trap-hatch had been opened Close by crouched men ready to lower away a wire rope, at the end of which a small electric bulb glowed to enable the destroyer’s crew to locate the line in the dark
35
0:04:46,000 --> 0:05:00,000
Throughout the manoeuvre neither the 'Golden Hind' nor the _Zeebrugge_ made use of their searchlights, since the dazzling rays might baffle the respective helmsmen and result in a collision
36
0:05:00,000 --> 0:05:22,000
Slowly and gracefully the airship dropped until her fuselage was thirty feet from the surface of the sea She was now dead in the wake of the destroyer, and the task that confronted Kenyon was to bring her ahead sufficiently for the bows to overlap the _Zeebrugge’s_ stern
37
0:05:22,000 --> 0:05:30,000
An error of judgment at that low height would result in the airship’s bows fouling the destroyer’s mast
38
0:05:30,000 --> 0:05:40,000
Foot by foot the 'Golden Hind' gained upon the destroyer until a shout from the latter’s deck announced that the wire rope had been made fast
39
0:05:40,000 --> 0:05:52,000
Instantly the airship’s six motors were declutched She was now moving merely under the towing action of the _Zeebrugge_, which was forging ahead at a bare four knots
40
0:05:52,000 --> 0:06:03,000
From the trap-hatch in the airship’s bows a rope-ladder was lowered, its end being held by a couple of bluejackets on the T
41
0:06:03,000 --> 0:06:04,000
B D
42
0:06:04,000 --> 0:06:11,000
Without loss of time Fosterdyke swarmed up the swaying ladder, and was followed by Bramsdean
43
0:06:11,000 --> 0:06:16,000
'Cast off, and thank you ' shouted the baronet
44
0:06:16,000 --> 0:06:23,000
'All gone,' came an answering voice from the _Zeebrugge_, followed by a hearty 'Best of luck to you
45
0:06:23,000 --> 0:06:32,000
' Released, the 'Golden Hind' leapt a full five hundred feet into the air before the propellers began to revolve
46
0:06:32,000 --> 0:06:34,000
'Cheerio, Kenyon
47
0:06:34,000 --> 0:06:44,000
' exclaimed Fosterdyke, as he joined Kenneth in the navigation-room 'All’s well that ends well, but you gave me a pretty bad turn
48
0:06:44,000 --> 0:06:46,000
What happened '
49
0:06:46,000 --> 0:06:51,000
'Hardly know, sir,' replied Kenyon 'Our wire rope didn’t part
50
0:06:51,000 --> 0:06:58,000
Possibly the shackle on the buoy gave But we found a man hanging on the end of the wire
51
0:06:58,000 --> 0:07:00,000
' 'You did, eh
52
0:07:00,000 --> 0:07:04,000
' exclaimed the baronet, sharply 'What sort of man
53
0:07:04,000 --> 0:07:08,000
' 'You’ll see him, sir,' replied Kenneth
54
0:07:08,000 --> 0:07:10,000
'He’s laid out below '
55
0:07:10,000 --> 0:07:15,000
'H’m ' ejaculated Fosterdyke, and relapsed into silence
56
0:07:15,000 --> 0:07:20,000
He was deep in thought for some moments, then turned to Kenyon again
57
0:07:20,000 --> 0:07:26,000
'We’re making an official start in a few minutes’ time,' he announced
58
0:07:26,000 --> 0:07:41,000
'We have to pass over the Rock and display three red and three white lights to the official observer on Signal Hill When we see a similar signal made from the Rock that will be the actual starting time
59
0:07:41,000 --> 0:07:45,000
Pass the word for Jackson to get the lamps in position '
60
0:07:45,000 --> 0:08:00,000
At an altitude of three thousand feet, or fifteen hundred feet above the summit of the Rock of Gibraltar, the 'Golden Hind' received her official send-off at 3 35 A
61
0:08:00,000 --> 0:08:05,000
M , eighteen hours after the Hun-owned Z64
62
0:08:05,000 --> 0:08:10,000
Evidently there was not a minute to be wasted
63
0:08:10,000 --> 0:08:31,000
The contest had developed not merely into a voyage round the world within the space of twenty days, but a race in which the British competitor had to make good her formidable handicap of eighteen hours or approximately three thousand five hundred miles
64
0:08:31,000 --> 0:08:51,000
With the wind abeam on the port side the 'Golden Hind' opened out to one hundred and forty miles an hour During the earlier stages of the race Fosterdyke rather wisely decided to keep below the maximum speed, rather than overtax the motors by running 'all out
65
0:08:51,000 --> 0:09:03,000
' Within a few minutes of receiving her official permit to depart the airship lost sight of the lights upon the Rock of Gibraltar She was now steering E
66
0:09:03,000 --> 0:09:13,000
by S --a course that would take her over the northern part of Algeria and Tunis and within a few miles of Malta
67
0:09:13,000 --> 0:09:15,000
At 4 A
68
0:09:15,000 --> 0:09:32,000
M Kenyon, who had modestly refrained from giving any details of the part he had taken in the rescue of Enrico Jaures, and had concealed the fact that he had been temporarily out of action, was relieved by Peter Bramsdean
69
0:09:32,000 --> 0:09:42,000
As he turned to go to his cabin Kenneth saw that the baronet was standing in a corner of the navigation-room and studying a nautical almanac
70
0:09:42,000 --> 0:09:46,000
'Sleep well, Kenyon,' exclaimed Fosterdyke
71
0:09:46,000 --> 0:09:49,000
'You’ve some arrears to make up '
72
0:09:49,000 --> 0:09:53,000
'Rather, sir,' agreed Kenyon 'But we’ve forgotten something
73
0:09:53,000 --> 0:09:54,000
' 'Eh, what
74
0:09:54,000 --> 0:10:02,000
' 'That fellow we found hanging on to the wire rope, we didn’t put him on board the destroyer
75
0:10:02,000 --> 0:10:05,000
' 'No,' agreed Fosterdyke, grimly
76
0:10:05,000 --> 0:10:07,000
'We didn’t I saw to that
77
0:10:07,000 --> 0:10:21,000
Unless I’m much mistaken our unwanted supernumerary can and must give us certain information that will rather astonish us I’ll see him later on, by Jove
78
0:10:21,000 --> 0:10:23,000
' Kenyon nodded knowingly
79
0:10:23,000 --> 0:10:37,000
Evidently Fosterdyke had learnt something However, as far as he, Kenyon, was concerned, other things of a more pressing nature demanded his attention--food and sleep
80
0:10:37,000 --> 0:10:44,000
At eight o’clock Fosterdyke ordered his involuntary guest to be brought before him
81
0:10:44,000 --> 0:10:55,000
'There’s something fishy about the breaking adrift business,' he observed to Bramsdean as the two sat at a table in the after-cabin awaiting Enrico’s appearance
82
0:10:55,000 --> 0:10:57,000
'Where’s Jackson
83
0:10:57,000 --> 0:11:01,000
We’ll want him No, don’t disturb Kenyon
84
0:11:01,000 --> 0:11:04,000
he had a pretty sticky time '
85
0:11:04,000 --> 0:11:17,000
'More than you imagine, sir,' added Peter, and proceeded to tell the baronet the part Kenneth had played in the aerial rescue of the imperilled Rock Scorpion
86
0:11:17,000 --> 0:11:28,000
'Kenyon didn’t say a word about it,' he added on the conclusion of the narrative 'He was as mute as an oyster over it all
87
0:11:28,000 --> 0:11:31,000
Frampton and Col. lings told me It was----'
88
0:11:31,000 --> 0:11:37,000
A knock on the cabin door interrupted Bramsdean’s explanation
89
0:11:37,000 --> 0:11:40,000
'Come in ' exclaimed Fosterdyke
90
0:11:40,000 --> 0:11:52,000
In answer to the invitation entered Leading Hand Jackson, followed in single file by one of the crew, Enrico Jaures, and two other members of the 'Golden Hind’s' company
91
0:11:52,000 --> 0:11:58,000
The Scorp was still labouring under the effects of his narrow escape
92
0:11:58,000 --> 0:12:05,000
He looked, to quote Bramsdean’s words, 'as if the stuffing had been knocked out of him '
93
0:12:05,000 --> 0:12:16,000
Fosterdyke’s handling of the situation was a bold one Without any preliminaries, without even asking the fellow’s name, he demanded sternly:
94
0:12:16,000 --> 0:12:22,000
'How much did Count Karl von Sinzig promise you for last night’s work '
95
0:12:22,000 --> 0:12:35,000
Jaures gave an involuntary start, but almost immediately relapsed into his imperturbably passive attitude Then with a slight shrug of his shoulders he replied:
96
0:12:35,000 --> 0:12:38,000
'Me no spik Englis '
97
0:12:38,000 --> 0:12:52,000
'Try again,' said Fosterdyke, contracting his bushy eyebrows and looking straight at the man 'All I can say is that if you don’t speak English it’s a case of won’t, not can’t
98
0:12:52,000 --> 0:12:56,000
' 'Me no spik Englis,' reiterated Jaures
99
0:12:56,000 --> 0:13:02,000
Without speaking, Fosterdyke looked straight at the fellow for a full thirty seconds
100
0:13:02,000 --> 0:13:12,000
During that period Enrico attempted three times to meet the searching gaze of his inquisitor
101
0:13:12,000 --> 0:13:16,000
'Now ' exclaimed the baronet at length
102
0:13:16,000 --> 0:13:19,000
Enrico Jaures maintained silence
103
0:13:19,000 --> 0:13:26,000
Fosterdyke slowly and deliberately unstrapped his wristlet watch and placed it on the table
104
0:13:26,000 --> 0:13:30,000
'I give you thirty seconds,' he said in level tones
105
0:13:30,000 --> 0:13:44,000
'Thirty seconds in which to make up your mind either to answer or refuse to answer my question Might I remind you that we are now eight thousand feet above the sea, and it is a long drop
106
0:13:44,000 --> 0:13:48,000
Jackson, will you please remove that hatch '
107
0:13:48,000 --> 0:14:05,000
'Of course the Old Man was only kiddin’,' remarked Jackson when he related what had transpired to his companions after the affair was over 'but, bless me, even I thought he meant to do the dirty sweep in
108
0:14:05,000 --> 0:14:10,000
He looked that stern, that it put the wind up the bloke straight away '
109
0:14:10,000 --> 0:14:28,000
Absolutely disciplined, the Leading Hand obeyed orders promptly Throwing back the aluminium cover in the centre of the cabin floor, he revealed to the gaze of the thoroughly terrified Jaures a rectangular opening six feet by four
110
0:14:28,000 --> 0:14:34,000
Far below, glittering in the sunshine, was the blue Mediterranean
111
0:14:34,000 --> 0:14:38,000
'Five seconds more ' announced Fosterdyke, calmly
112
0:14:38,000 --> 0:14:47,000
Of the occupants of the after cabin Enrico Jaures now seemed to be the least interested in the proceedings
113
0:14:47,000 --> 0:15:07,000
His furtive glances had given place to an expression of lofty detachment, as if he were utterly bored by the whole transaction Bramsdean found himself deciding that either the fellow was an imbecile or else he was a past master in the art of dissimulation
114
0:15:07,000 --> 0:15:09,000
'Time
115
0:15:09,000 --> 0:15:11,000
' declared Fosterdyke
116
0:15:11,000 --> 0:15:13,000
Enrico Jaures positively beamed
117
0:15:13,000 --> 0:15:17,000
'Me no spik Englis,' he babbled
118
0:15:17,000 --> 0:15:27,000
Sir. Reginald eyed the accused sternly, but even his piercing glance seemed of no avail The Rock Scorp continued to smile inanely
119
0:15:27,000 --> 0:15:33,000
'Take him away,' ordered Fosterdyke with asperity
120
0:15:33,000 --> 0:15:41,000
He waited till the door had closed upon the involuntary guest, and then gave a deprecatory shrug
121
0:15:41,000 --> 0:15:48,000
'The fellow’s scored this time, Bramsdean,' he remarked, 'but I’ll get to windward of him yet
122
0:15:48,000 --> 0:15:49,000
'
