Chapter 18
The Gargantua were equipped with radio equipment to talk amongst themselves, and each was equipped with a unique frequency emitter to allow them to be identified on the battlefield, but only the command machine was fitted to send long range messages. And the command machine was in Krasnytsya, alone and unsupported. Ferdinand had a board which told him where each vehicle was, but only for his information. His role was observational. He cursed.
“One of you will have to go back and fetch help,” he snapped to the pilots.
“Yes, my lord; I’ll go,” said the one who most rapidly realised that being out of the vehicle with an irascible Archduke was likely to be advantageous.
oOoOo
Sophie slid out with her ‘fishing tackle,’ and the officer who had been encouraging gave her a wink.
“The doctor is on his way,” he said. “I wonder what all that noise as about; our lads must be in battle.”
Sophie realised that the top of the mountain which had disappeared was not visible from this lower end of the village.
“I do not know, sir; but I am still bored, and people will still want to eat,” she said.
He laughed.
“True enough,” he agreed.
The mill was near the river, which ran along the railway line for a while; fortunately it flowed away from the mountain, so no large problems were caused. It filled a mill-pond rather than turning the wheel directly, since it was not a large river, and, apparently was known to run sluggishly in summer. The mill was a three-storey board building which had seen better days, and was apparently deserted. Sophie went exploring. The heat-ray eventually went under a pile of sacks full of old, sour flour, too old even to be worth stealing.
Sophie fixed a fly, and was soon pulling in trout, trapped in the mill pond, which had a flow of water through it constantly with the overflows, but the outlets were not large enough for them to swim through. Sophie was delighted; she had never considered herself much of a fisherman, though she would often accompany her father, usually doing lessons whilst he fished. The trout here really were bored enough to come up to play. Sophie wandered back up to the Gasthof with a string of half-a-dozen trout, and was rewarded with a thick piece of new bread and honey, a foaming mug of milk, and a kiss from the kitchen maid.
“Is it true that there’s gold in the mountains?” asked Sophie. “I thought I might get myself a spade, and a tent, and some good blankets if we are to be stuck here for any length of time, and see what I can find.”
“Who told you that nonsense?” asked the maid.
“Oh! Nobody, but I found a map in the mill, and it was marked ‘gold found here,’” so I thought I might go and look,” said Sophie. “It’ll keep me out from under Papa’s feet, you know.”
“Really?” the girl sounded excited.
“It may be nonsense, but someone took it seriously enough,” said Sophie. “Finder’s keepers, though, and I found it.”
She had constructed a map, crude enough not to be definite; and would leave it in her room. Someone was bound to copy it, and then, if the mountainside was flooded with gold diggers, it would hide their own efforts.
At least they still had their sleeping bags, one piece of equipment Dmitry had insisted they keep, rolled up together in a parcel of brown paper which might have been anything.
Sophie beamed at her friendly lieutenant.
“You were right, sir, they were glad of the fish, but you’ll never guess what I found in the mill!”
“A dead body?” suggested the officer humorously.
“Oh, I do not think I could be enthusiastic about that, unless it was a murder I could investigate,” said Sophie. “It was a treasure map! Now, sir, if you put it there to keep me out of trouble, I wish you will tell me.”
“I? no, not me,” said the lieutenant. “Though a treasure hunt is always an amusing pastime. What did it say?”
“That there’s gold in the mountains!” said Sophie, ecstatically. “I’m going to get a tent, and spade, and things, and go and dig. Papa said I might, he’s sick of me already. And the doctor says there is nothing wrong with Selma but her age, and growing too fast. He gave her some disgusting medicine, but she may come and help me.”
The lieutenant laughed.
“Gold! That’s a good one, but good luck to you, I hope you find some.”
Sophie purchased several ready-made suits of boys’ clothes, and slipped some men’s clothes in with them, a tent, and blankets. And a spade, prattling happily about her map. Pans and dried goods also made sense. She could not, of course, purchase too much, as it might be suspicious, but it was a start.
And then a messenger almost fell into the town, from further down the line, babbling of explosions, and how help was needed to rescue the crews of the Gargantua.
The villagers had no desire to be co-opted into helping the Gargantua crews, and moreover, tales of gold were spreading. Soon there was no spade or pickaxe to be had, nor tents, nor cooking pots.
And Sophie and another ‘boy’ she had met in the inn went prospecting; and so too did a pair of rough, bearded men, Dmitry and Karol having darkened their stubble and hair, as well as neglecting to shave it. With the strangers in town, nobody gave them a second glance. And half the village was soon off to the area marked by the boy who had found the map.
The soldiery had entrenching tools, for what they were worth; but mostly they found themselves with the back-breaking work of moving big rocks. Some of the Gargantua crew had managed to get out, and were helping; others were wounded, and needed to be helped out. Others needed to be dug out. Those still alive were crying out and demanding aid on the radios. One of the pilots who could get his machine out of the rubble started using the feet to dig into avalanche, as much as he was able, and used his heat ray on a large rock, to warm the wounded. The Archduke scarcely noticed his ingenuity, as he was busy complaining. One of the railwaymen took a hand-cranked vehicle down the line with blankets – those not already sold to would-be prospectors – and hot drinks in Dewar vacuum flasks – those not already sold to would-be prospectors.
“Good, you can take me back to the village right away, and Slabinysky as well. He has a broken arm and of course, I must go with him,” said the archduke.
Two of the casualties quietly expired whilst the precious pair were being transported, who might have been saved if got to warm beds quickly; but neither Ferdinand nor Slabinysky actually cared about this. Naturally, they were given the best rooms in the Gasthof, which would have displaced the supposed Herrs Müller had they not already left quietly, looking like peasant propectors.
Naturally, there was a lot of fighting over who was going to dig where, and Dmitry, Karol, Sophie, and Svetelina quietly moved further up the mountain from the region marked as ‘gold found here’ in the foothills.
Once Slabinysky’s arm was set, he demanded to meet the elderly gentleman and his family.
“But, my lord, you are in their room; I must take such luggage as they had away, and tell them they will have to share a room, because of your honours, perhaps they can share with the little boy.”
“Well, find them quickly; and the little boy!” demanded Slabinysky.
“Oh, you won’t see the little boy for a while, your honour,” said owner of the Gasthof, whose name was Manfred. “Though you’ll be eating the salmon he caught for your dinner, some fine fish! But he found a treasure map and he has gone off digging for gold.”
Ferdinand snorted.
“So much for your belief that the young boy was the English girl; no girl is going to be able to actually catch fish,” he said. “But what is this ‘digging for gold’ business?”
“He was indiscreet, which was foolish, of course, and I hope the poor child is not hurt by it,” sighed Manfred. “But now, the whole town has gold fever, and must go off digging for it, and half those delayed by your honour’s magnificent machines, as well. Why, there’s not a spade or mattock or pick to be had in the whole town! Everyone is in the hills, and half the soldiery who were stationed here as well.”
Ferdinand went an interesting shade of purple.
“They must be brought back!” he screeched.
“How?” demanded Slabinysky.
“Send the soldiers after them!” screeched Ferdinand.
“The soldiers are digging out the Gargantua,” said Slabinysky.
Ferdinand indulged in a nasty fit of temper, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, fists clenched in rage, screaming incoherently.
“Perhaps you could telephone the capital and ask for more soldiery,” suggested Slabinysky, who was sore, himself, at a theory which seemed to be incorrect.
This calmed Ferdinand enough to manage to put through a call to the General Headquarters.
oOoOo
Sophie and Svetelina headed away from the general crowd of prospectors, and found a region of flattish ground on which to set up their tent. It was going to be cramped, but they could always take it apart to use the canvas. Sophie got the fire going, whilst Svetelina cleaned the salmon that Sophie had not taken to the Gasthof. Cooked in fresh goats’ milk with an onion and with fresh bread, it would be a delicious meal.
The men joined them.
“That smells good,” said Dmitry. “We have extra coats for when we go higher. We also picked up the weapon, and thought we might hide it in the tent poles.”
“That makes sense; and at least we can take it further. Did you get more provisions?” asked Sophie.
“What we could get,” said Karol. “You started something, you know; the town’s gone insane for gold. And half the soldiery up in the hills as well.”
“I recalled reading about gold fever in the Klondike, and in California in America,” said Sophie. “Nothing turns a man’s brain off half so well as the prospect of gold in huge quantities beyond the dreams of avarice.”
“She has a point,” said Karol. “A beautiful woman can make a man act crazily but there’s something about the very word, ‘gold,’ that sets the heart racing, and appeals to the little boy inside, the explorer, and other very basic urges.”
“Well, with the soldiery digging as well, that should manage to divert any pursuit,” said Dmitry. “Because that reduces those soldiers available; but if they send in officers to drag them back, it’s likely to get ugly. Mad with gold fever, they will see it as their God-given right to prospect and better themselves, and resentments over officers giving orders, normally resentments which are swallowed and accepted, will come under the reduced inhibitions of men infected with treasure hunting. In short, there will be fights.”
“The peasantry will fight, too, for the gold being in their hills,” said Sophie.
“I have to say, it was absolutely brilliant, my love,” said Dmitry. “How did you come up with it?”
“Well, fishing is a bit boring,” said Sophie. “And I was wishing there was a way I could get everyone out of the Gasthof; and then, I thought, where do you hide a pebble, save on the beach? And then that wandered into thoughts, between my piscine endeavours, of just how would I get all the men out of the village. I considered tales of plague, but I didn’t want to panic anyone, or cause real distress. And the thought ‘fever’ led on to ‘Gold fever,’ and there we were.”
oOoOo
In Krasnytsya, General Rikard Von Hönen and his crew had been stunned by the force of the blast, and were coming to. He became aware that the British Ironclad was hovering very close to him, with a six-pounder and several Hotchkiss rotating cannons trained on him.
He fired the heat-ray at ‘Thunderchild.’
The armour heated up, and the deck crew with the guns fell back at the general heat.
“Take him out, lads,” said Thorndyke. “He’s fired his best shot; knock his legs out from under him.”
The six-pounder fired, and the giant machine lurched to one side and fell, as the skilful gunnery of the British tar operating it took out one mighty kneecap. Or whatever one might call that backwards bend in the leg.
Von Hönen lurched sideways with his vehicle.
“I hate to tell you this, old boy, you don’t have a leg to stand on,” said Thorndyke, over the radio. “Do surrender, it will be much less messy.”
“Messy! I’ll show you messy!” screamed Von Hönen. He managed to pull himself up to go to the engine compartment.
“The hell will I let you destroy us!” screamed his pilot, and pulled his firearm, shooting the general. He pulled out his handkerchief, and waved it frantically at the window. “That wasn’t even their major armament! And the fire from the heat ray is already out!”
A team of Royal Marines soon had the crew in the brig, and Von Hönen guarded on the orlop.
“You won’t be able to steal the heat-ray, though, it’s destroyed by being used,” gloated Von Hönen.
“Goodness, old boy, did you think we cared about such a feeble thing?” said Thorndyke.
It was a shame, but a one-use weapon was not something Thorndyke considered worth emulating, in any case.
“We will have an improved version soon, on the new prototype, and then you will tremble!” threatened the general.
“Goodness me, old boy, have you ever considered watching your blood pressure?” said Thorndyke.
It was unwelcome news, but the more he disparaged the thing, the more this bumptious, sneering fellow would boast.
“Your man, Ónodi, will never get the new prototype out of the country; and now you have blocked the only way out,” gloated Hönen. Thorndyke bit off the urge to ask ‘Who the hell is Ónodi?’ and smiled enigmatically.
“You’re assuming that our agent hasn’t already left,” he said.
His prisoner fell apart at that.
“I will say no more,” he said, grumpily.
“Well, well, that is your right,” said Thorndyke.
He went to check with damage control that the fire did not get a good hold, and to arrange to patrol the ridge of the border.
With the border cut off, the prince and his companions might need a little bit of help.
