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The War in the Air Chapter 4 Parts 6-9 · The H. G. Wells Library

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Speaker 1: Chapter four, Parts six, seven, eight, and nine of War
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Speaker 1: in the Air. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
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Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by William Tomko.
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Speaker 1: War in the Air by H. G. Wells, Chapter four,
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Speaker 1: Parts six, seven, eight, and nine. Part six. The Hakkiboren
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Speaker 1: Graf von Winterfeld was also a light sleeper that night,
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Speaker 1: But then he was one of these people who sleep
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Speaker 1: little and play chess problems in their head to while
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Speaker 1: away the time, and that night he had a particularly
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Speaker 1: difficult problem to solve. He came in upon Bert while
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Speaker 1: he was still in bed in the glow of the
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Speaker 1: sunlight reflected from the North sea below, consuming the rolls
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Speaker 1: and coffee a soldier had brought him. He had a
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Speaker 1: portfolio under his arm, and in the clear early morning light,
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Speaker 1: his dingy gray hair and heavy silver rimmed spectacles made
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Speaker 1: him look almost benevolent. He spoke English fluently, but with
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Speaker 1: a strong German flavor. He was particularly bad with his bees,
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Speaker 1: and his t h's softened toward weak z d's. He
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Speaker 1: called Bert explosively puteage. He began with some indistinct civilities, bowed,
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Speaker 1: took a folding table and chair from behind the door,
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Speaker 1: put the former between himself and Bert sat down on
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Speaker 1: the ladder, coughed dryly, and opened his portfolio. Then he
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Speaker 1: put his elbows on the table, pinched his lower lip
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Speaker 1: with his two forefingers, and regarded Bert disconcertingly with magnified eyes.
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Speaker 1: You came to us, Herr. Pudeeridge, against your will, he said,
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Speaker 1: at last, how do you make that out? Asked Bert,
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Speaker 1: after a pause of astonishment. I judge you by zimmaps
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Speaker 1: in your car they were all English, and your provisions
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Speaker 1: they were all picnic. Also your cords were entangled. You
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Speaker 1: have been tugging, but no good. You could not manage
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Speaker 1: zim balloon and anozer power than yours brought you to us,
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Speaker 1: Is it not so? Bert thought? Also, where is the
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Speaker 1: lady here? What lady? You started with? A lady? That
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Speaker 1: is evident you started for an afternoon excursion, a picnic.
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Speaker 1: A man of your temperament he would take a lady.
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Speaker 1: She was not with you in your balloon when you
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Speaker 1: came down at Doornhoff. No, only her jacket. It is
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Speaker 1: your affair. Still I am curious, Bert reflected, how do
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Speaker 1: you know that I judge by the nature of your
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Speaker 1: farious provisions. I cannot account, mister Putteridge, for Zi Laty
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Speaker 1: what you have done with her. Nor can I tell
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Speaker 1: why you should wear natured sandals, nor why you should
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Speaker 1: wear such cheap plue clothes. These are outside my instructions, trifles.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps officially they are to be ignored. Ladies come and go.
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Speaker 1: I am a man of the world. I have known
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Speaker 1: wise men wear sandals and even practiced vegetarian habits. I
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Speaker 1: have known men or at any rate, I have known
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Speaker 1: chemists who did not smoke. You have no doubt put
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Speaker 1: Zi Laty down somewhere. Well, let us get to business
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Speaker 1: higher power. His voice changed its emotional quality. His magnified
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Speaker 1: eyes seemed to dilate. Has brought you and your secret
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Speaker 1: straight to us, so his head so pe it. It
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Speaker 1: is the destiny of Chermany and my prince. I can
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Speaker 1: understand you always carries that secret. You are afraid of
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Speaker 1: roppers and spies, so it comes with you to us,
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Speaker 1: mister Petteridge. Chermany will pie it well, she she will,
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Speaker 1: said the secretary, looking hard at Bert's abandoned sandals in
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Speaker 1: the corner of the locker. He roused himself, consulted a
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Speaker 1: paper of notes for a moment, and Bert eyed his
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Speaker 1: brown and wrinkled face with expectation and terror. Chermany, I
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Speaker 1: am instructed to say, said the secretary, with his eyes
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Speaker 1: on the table and his notes spread out, has always
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Speaker 1: been willing to pie your secret. We have indeed been
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Speaker 1: eager to acquire it, very eager. And it was only
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Speaker 1: ze fear that you might be on patriotic grounds acting
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Speaker 1: in collusion with your Prittish war office SAT has made
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Speaker 1: us discreet in all offering for your marvelous invention through intermediaries.
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Speaker 1: We have no hesitation what either. Now I am instructed
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Speaker 1: in agreeing to your proposal of a hundred thousand pounds cranky,
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Speaker 1: said Bert, overwhelmed. I beg your pardon just a twinge,
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Speaker 1: said Bert, raising his hand to his bandaged head. Ah. Also,
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Speaker 1: I am instructed to say that, as for that noble
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Speaker 1: unrightly accused lady, you have championed so briefly against Brittish
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Speaker 1: hypocrisy and coldness, all'ss chivalry of Chermany is on her site, lady,
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Speaker 1: said Bert faintly, and then recalled the great Butteridge love story.
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Speaker 1: Had the old chap also read the letters. He must
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Speaker 1: think him a scorcher if he had. Oh that's all right,
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Speaker 1: he said about er. I hadn't any doubt about that.
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Speaker 1: I he stopped. The secretary certainly had a most appalling stare,
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Speaker 1: it seemed ages before he looked down again. Well, the laity,
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Speaker 1: as you please, she is your affair. I have performed
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Speaker 1: my instructions as the title of paron sat also can
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Speaker 1: be done. It can all be done here putteerage. He
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Speaker 1: drummed on the table for a second or so, and resumed.
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Speaker 1: I have to tell you, sir, that you come to
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Speaker 1: us at a crisis in whuelt politic. There can be
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Speaker 1: no harm. Now for me to put our plans before
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Speaker 1: you before you leave this ship again. They will be
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Speaker 1: benifest to all the world. War is perhaps already declared.
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Speaker 1: We go to America. Our fleet will descend out of
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Speaker 1: the air upon the United States. It is a country
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Speaker 1: quite unprepared for war everywhere everywhere they have always relied
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Speaker 1: on the Atlantic and their navy. We have selected a
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Speaker 1: certain point. It is at present the secret of our commanders,
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Speaker 1: which we shall seize. And then we shall establish a depot,
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Speaker 1: a sort of inland Gibraltar, it will be what will
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Speaker 1: it be? An eagle's nest? There? Our airships will gazzer
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Speaker 1: and repair, and thence they will fly to and fro
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Speaker 1: offers a United States terrorizing cities, dominating Washington, levying what
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Speaker 1: is necessary until the terms we dictate are accepted. You
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Speaker 1: follow me, go on, said Bert. We could have done
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Speaker 1: all these with such lufft shift and drachenflagger as we possess.
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Speaker 1: But see, accession of your machine renders our project complete.
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Speaker 1: It not only gives us a better drachenflagger, but it
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Speaker 1: removes our last uneasiness as to Great Britain Without you, sir,
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Speaker 1: Great Britain is the land you luffed so well, and
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Speaker 1: that has requited you so ill, That land of pharisees
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Speaker 1: and reptiles can be nausing nazing you. See, I am
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Speaker 1: perfectly frank with you. Well, I am instructed that Chermany
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Speaker 1: recognizes all this. We want you to place yourself at
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Speaker 1: our disposal. We want you to become our chief head
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Speaker 1: flight engineer. We want you to manufacture. We want to
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Speaker 1: equip a swarm of hornets under your direction. We want
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Speaker 1: you to direct this force, and it is at our
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Speaker 1: depot in America. We want you, so we offer you,
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Speaker 1: simply and without haggling. Is the full terms you demanded
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Speaker 1: weeks ago. One hundred thousand pounds in cash, a salary
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Speaker 1: of three thousand pounds a year, a pension of one
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Speaker 1: thousand pounds a year, and the title of paron as
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Speaker 1: you desired. These are my instructions. He resumed the scrutiny
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Speaker 1: of Bert's face. That's all right, of corse, said Bert,
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Speaker 1: a little short of breath, but otherwise resolute and calm.
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Speaker 1: And it seemed to him that now was the time
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Speaker 1: to bring his nocturnal scheming to the issue. The Secretary
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Speaker 1: contemplated Bert's collar with sustained attention. Only for one moment
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Speaker 1: did his gaze move to the sandals and back. Jes
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Speaker 1: let me think a bit, said Bert, finding the stair debilitating.
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Speaker 1: Look here, he said at last, with an air of
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Speaker 1: great explicitness. I got the secret, Yes, but I don't
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Speaker 1: want the name of Butteridge to appear. See, I've been
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Speaker 1: thinking that over a little delicacy. Exactly, you buy the secret,
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Speaker 1: leastwise I give it to you from bearer. See. His
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Speaker 1: voice failed him a little, and the stair continued I
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Speaker 1: want to do the thing anonymously. See still staring, Bert
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Speaker 1: drifted on like a swimmer caught by a current. Fact
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Speaker 1: is I'm going to adopt the name of small Ways.
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Speaker 1: I don't want no title of baron. I've altered my
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Speaker 1: mind and I want the money quiet like I want
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Speaker 1: a hundred thousand pounds paid into banks, thirty thousand into
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Speaker 1: the London at County Bank branch at bun Hill in Kent,
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Speaker 1: directly I and over the plans twenty thousand into the
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Speaker 1: Bank of England Arf, the rest into a good French bank,
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Speaker 1: the other AARF the German National Bank. See, I want
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Speaker 1: it put there right away. I don't want it put
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Speaker 1: in the name of Butteridge. I want it put in
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Speaker 1: the name of Albert Peter Smallways. That's the name I'm
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Speaker 1: going to adopt. That's condition one go on, said the secretary.
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Speaker 1: The next condition, said Bert, is that you don't make
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Speaker 1: any inquiries as to title. I mean what English gentlemen
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Speaker 1: do when they sell or let you land. You don't
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Speaker 1: arst how I got it. See here I am. I
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Speaker 1: deliver you the goods. That's all right. Some people have
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Speaker 1: the cheek to say this isn't my invention, see it is.
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Speaker 1: You know, that's all right, But I don't want that
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Speaker 1: gone into I want a fair and square agreement. Saying
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Speaker 1: that's all right, see his sea faded into a profound silence.
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Speaker 1: The Secretary sighed at last, leaned back in his chair
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Speaker 1: and produced a toothpick and used it to assist his
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Speaker 1: meditation on Bert's case. What was that name? He asked
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Speaker 1: at last, putting away the toothpick. I must write it down,
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Speaker 1: Albert Peter Smallways, said Bert in a mild tone. The
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Speaker 1: Secretary wrote it down, after a little difficulty about the
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Speaker 1: spelling because of the different names of the letters of
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Speaker 1: the alphabet in the two languages. And now, mister schmall Vase,
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Speaker 1: he said, at last, leaning back and resuming the stare,
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Speaker 1: tell me how did you get hold of mister Poteridge's balloon?
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Speaker 1: Part seven. When at last the gravon Winterfold left Bert Smallways,
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Speaker 1: he left him in an extremely deflated condition. With all
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Speaker 1: his little story told, he had, as people say, made
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Speaker 1: a clean breast of it. He had been pursued into details.
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Speaker 1: He had had to explain the blue suit, the sandals,
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Speaker 1: the desert dervishes, everything for a time scientific zeal consumed
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Speaker 1: the secretary, and the question of the plans remained in suspense.
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Speaker 1: He even went into speculation about the previous occupants of
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Speaker 1: the balloon. I suppose he said that lady was the lady.
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Speaker 1: But that is not our affair. It is very curious
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Speaker 1: and amusing. Yes, but I am afraid the Prince may
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Speaker 1: be annoyed. He acted with his usual decision. Always he
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Speaker 1: acts with wonderful decision, like Napoleon. Directly he was told
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Speaker 1: of your descent into the camp at Dornhoff, he said,
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Speaker 1: bring him, bring him. It is my star, his star
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Speaker 1: of destiny. You see, he will be thwarted. He directed
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Speaker 1: you to come, as Herr poteradge, and you have not
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Speaker 1: done so. You have tried, of course, but it has
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Speaker 1: been a poor try. His chudgments of men are fairy,
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Speaker 1: just and right, and it is better for men to
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Speaker 1: act up to them completely, especially now, particularly now. He
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Speaker 1: resumed that attitude of his With his underlip pinched between
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Speaker 1: his forefingers, he spoke almost confidentially. It will be awkward.
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Speaker 1: I tried to suggest some doubt, but I was overruled.
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Speaker 1: The Prince does not listen. He is impatient in the
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Speaker 1: high air. Perhaps he will think his star has been
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Speaker 1: making a fool of him. Perhaps he will think I
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Speaker 1: have been making a fool of him. He wrinkled his
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Speaker 1: forehead and drew in the corners of his mouth. I
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Speaker 1: got the plans, said Bert, Yes, there is that. Yes,
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Speaker 1: But you see the Prince was interested in her Peuterridge
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Speaker 1: because of his romantic zight. Here Puterridge was so much
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Speaker 1: more ah in the picture. I am afraid you are
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Speaker 1: not equal to controlling the flying machine department of our
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Speaker 1: aerial park as he wished you to do. He had
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Speaker 1: promised himself that, And there was also the prestige, the
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Speaker 1: world prestige of peuterage with us. Well, we must see
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Speaker 1: what we can do. He held out his hand, give
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Speaker 1: me the plans. A terrible chill ran through the being
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Speaker 1: of mister Smallway's. To this day, he is not clear
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Speaker 1: in his mind whether he wept or no, but certainly
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Speaker 1: there was weeping in his voice. Ere I say, he protested,
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Speaker 1: Ain't I to have nothin for him? The secretary regarded
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Speaker 1: him with benevolent eyes. You do not deserve any zing,
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Speaker 1: he said, I might have tore him up. They are
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Speaker 1: not yours. They weren't butteridges, no need to pay anything.
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Speaker 1: Bert's being seemed to tighten towards desperate deeds. Gaw, he said,
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Speaker 1: clutching his coat. Ain't there be gm said the secretary. Listen,
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Speaker 1: you shall have five hundred pounds. You shall have it
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Speaker 1: on my promise. I will do that for you, and
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Speaker 1: that is all I can do. Take it from me,
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Speaker 1: Give me the name of that bank. Write it down,
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Speaker 1: so I tell you. The Prince is no choke. I
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Speaker 1: do not think he approved of your appearance last night. No,
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Speaker 1: I can't answer for him. He wanted puturage and you
16:01
Speaker 1: have spoilt it. The Prince I do not understand quite.
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Speaker 1: He is in a strange state. It is the excitement
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Speaker 1: of the starting and this great soaring in the air.
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Speaker 1: I cannot account for what he does. But if all
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Speaker 1: goes well, I will see to it. You shall have
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Speaker 1: five hundred pounds. Will that do? Then give me the plans,
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Speaker 1: old beggar, said Bert as the door clicked. Gaw, what
16:28
Speaker 1: an old beggar sharp? He sat down in the folding
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Speaker 1: chair and whistled noiselessly for a time. Nice old swindle
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Speaker 1: for him. If I tore him up, I could have
16:41
Speaker 1: he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Thoughtfully, I gave
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Speaker 1: the whole blessed show away. If I'd just keep quiet
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Speaker 1: about being anonymous. Gah, too soon, Bert, my boy, too
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Speaker 1: soon and too rushy. I'd like to kick my silly self.
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Speaker 1: I couldn't have kept up. After all, it ain't so
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Speaker 1: very bad, he said, after all, five hundred pounds. It
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Speaker 1: isn't my secret anyhow. It's just a pick up on
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Speaker 1: the road. Five hundred Wonder what the fare is from America?
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Speaker 1: Back home? Part eight And later in the day, in
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Speaker 1: extremely shattered and disorganized, Bert small Ways stood in the
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Speaker 1: presence of the Prince Karl Albert. The proceedings were in German.
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Speaker 1: The Prince was in his own cabin, the end room
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Speaker 1: of the airship, a charming apartment furnished in wicker work,
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Speaker 1: with a long window across its entire breath. Looking forward.
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Speaker 1: He was sitting at a folding table of green baize,
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Speaker 1: with von Winterfeld and two officers sitting beside him, and
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Speaker 1: littered before them was a number of American maps and
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Speaker 1: mister Butteridge's letters and his portfolio, and a number of
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Speaker 1: loose papers. Bert was not asked to sit down and
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Speaker 1: remained standing Throughout the interview, Von Winterfeld told his story,
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Speaker 1: and every now and then the words balloon and puteerage
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Speaker 1: struck on Bert's ears. The Prince's face remained stern and ominous,
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Speaker 1: and the two officers watched it cautiously or glanced at Bert.
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Speaker 1: There was something a little strange in their scrutiny of
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Speaker 1: the Prince, a curiosity, an apprehension. Then presently he was
18:26
Speaker 1: struck by an idea, and they fell discussing the plans.
18:30
Speaker 1: The Prince asked Bert abruptly in English, did you ever
18:34
Speaker 1: see this thing go up? Bert jumped saw it from
18:38
Speaker 1: bon Ill, Your Royal Highness. Von Winterfeld made some explanation.
18:44
Speaker 1: How fast did it go? Couldn't say, your Royal Highness?
18:48
Speaker 1: The papers leastways the Daily Courier set eighty miles an hour.
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Speaker 1: They talked German over that for a time. Could it
18:58
Speaker 1: stand still up in the air? That is what I
19:01
Speaker 1: want to know. It could hover, your Royal Highness like
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Speaker 1: a wasp, said Bert Field besser Dichtoir, said the Prince
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Speaker 1: to von Winterfeld, and then went on in German for
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Speaker 1: a time. Presently they came to an end, and the
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Speaker 1: two officers looked at Bert one rang a bell and
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Speaker 1: the portfolio was handed to an attendant, who took it away.
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Speaker 1: Then they reverted to the case of Bert, and it
19:28
Speaker 1: was evident the Prince was inclined to be hard with him.
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Speaker 1: Von Winterfeld protested. Apparently theological considerations came in, for there
19:37
Speaker 1: were several mentions of Gott. Some conclusions emerged, and it
19:42
Speaker 1: was apparent that von Winterfeld was instructed to convey them
19:46
Speaker 1: to Bert. Mister schmalveass, you have obtained a footing in
19:51
Speaker 1: this airship, he said, by disgraceful and systematic lying hardly systematic,
19:58
Speaker 1: said bert. I. The Prince silenced him by a gesture,
20:02
Speaker 1: and it is within the power of His Highness to
20:05
Speaker 1: dispose of you as a spy. Here I came to
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Speaker 1: sell sh said one of the officers. However, in consideration
20:14
Speaker 1: of the happy chance that mate you the instrument under
20:17
Speaker 1: got of this putter rich flying machine reaching His Highness's hand,
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Speaker 1: you have been spared. Yes, you are the perer of
20:26
Speaker 1: good tidings. You will be allowed to remain on this
20:29
Speaker 1: ship until it is convenient to dispose of you. Do
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Speaker 1: you understand we will bring him, said the Prince, and
20:37
Speaker 1: added terribly with a terrible glare Al's ballast. You are
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Speaker 1: to come with us, said Winterfeld, as pallasd do you understand?
20:48
Speaker 1: Bert opened his mouth to ask about the five hundred pounds,
20:51
Speaker 1: and then a saving gleam of wisdom silenced him. He
20:55
Speaker 1: met von Winterfeld's eye, and it seemed to him the
20:58
Speaker 1: Secretary nodded slightly. Go, said the Prince, with a sweep
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Speaker 1: of the great arm and hand towards the door. Bert
21:07
Speaker 1: went out like a leaf before a gale. Part nine.
21:14
Speaker 1: But in between the time when the Graf von Winterfeld
21:16
Speaker 1: had talked to him and this alarming conference with the Prince,
21:20
Speaker 1: Bert had explored the Vaterland from end to end. He
21:24
Speaker 1: had found it interesting. In spite of grave preoccupations. Kert,
21:28
Speaker 1: like the greater number of the men upon the German
21:31
Speaker 1: air fleet, had known hardly anything of aeronautics before his
21:34
Speaker 1: appointment to the new flagship. But he was extremely keen
21:38
Speaker 1: upon this wonderful new weapon Germany had assumed. So suddenly
21:42
Speaker 1: and dramatically he showed things to Bert with a boyish
21:45
Speaker 1: eagerness and appreciation. It was as if he showed them
21:49
Speaker 1: over again to himself, like a child showing a new toy.
21:54
Speaker 1: Let's go all over the ship, he said with zest.
21:57
Speaker 1: He pointed out particularly the lightness of everything, the use
22:01
Speaker 1: of exhausted aluminum tubing of springy cushions inflated with compressed hydrogen.
22:07
Speaker 1: The partitions were hydrogen bags covered with light imitation leather.
22:11
Speaker 1: The very crockery was a light biscuit, glazed in a
22:14
Speaker 1: vacuum and weighed next to nothing. Where strength was needed,
22:19
Speaker 1: there was the new Charlottenburg alloy German steel, as it
22:23
Speaker 1: was called, the toughest and most resistant metal in the world.
22:28
Speaker 1: There was no lack of space. Space did not matter
22:32
Speaker 1: so long as load did not grow. The habitable part
22:35
Speaker 1: of the ship was two hundred and fifty feet long,
22:38
Speaker 1: and the rooms in two tiers. Above these one could
22:41
Speaker 1: go up into remarkable little white metal turrets with big
22:45
Speaker 1: windows and airtight double doors that enabled one to inspect
22:48
Speaker 1: the vast cavity of the gas chambers. This inside view
22:52
Speaker 1: impressed Burt very much. He had never realized before that
22:56
Speaker 1: an airship was not one simple continuous gas bag containing
23:00
Speaker 1: nothing but gas. Now he saw far above him the
23:03
Speaker 1: backbone of the apparatus and its big ribs like the
23:07
Speaker 1: neural and hemel canals, said Kurt, who had dabbled in biology, rather,
23:14
Speaker 1: said Bert appreciatively, though he had not the ghost of
23:17
Speaker 1: an idea what these phrases meant. Little electric lights could
23:22
Speaker 1: be switched on up there if anything went wrong in
23:24
Speaker 1: the night. There were even ladders across the space. But
23:28
Speaker 1: you can't go into the gas, protested Bert. You can't
23:32
Speaker 1: breathe it. The lieutenant opened a cupboard door and displayed
23:36
Speaker 1: a diver's suit, only that it was made of oiled silk,
23:39
Speaker 1: and both its compressed air knapsack and its helmet were
23:43
Speaker 1: of an alloy of aluminum and some light metal. We
23:46
Speaker 1: can go all over the inside netting and stick up
23:48
Speaker 1: bullet holes or leaks, he explained. There's netting inside and out.
23:53
Speaker 1: The whole outer case is rope ladder, so to speak.
23:57
Speaker 1: Aft of the habitable part of the airship was the
24:00
Speaker 1: magazine of explosives, coming near the middle of its length.
24:04
Speaker 1: They were all bombs of various types, mostly in glass.
24:07
Speaker 1: None of the German airships carried any guns at all,
24:10
Speaker 1: except one small palm Pom to use the old English
24:13
Speaker 1: nickname dating from the Boer War, which was forward of
24:16
Speaker 1: the gallery upon the shield at the heart of the
24:19
Speaker 1: eagle from the magazine amidships, a covered canvas gallery with
24:24
Speaker 1: aluminum treads on its floor and a hand rope, ran
24:27
Speaker 1: back underneath the gas chamber to the engine room at
24:30
Speaker 1: the tail. But along this Bert did not go, and
24:34
Speaker 1: from first to last he never saw the engines. But
24:37
Speaker 1: he went up a ladder against a gale of ventilation,
24:40
Speaker 1: a ladder that was encased in a kind of gas
24:43
Speaker 1: tight fire escape, and ran right athwart the great forward
24:47
Speaker 1: air chamber of the little lookout gallery with a telephone,
24:51
Speaker 1: that gallery that bore the light pom pom of German
24:53
Speaker 1: steel and its locker of shells. This gallery was all
24:57
Speaker 1: of aluminum magnesium alloy. The tight front of the airship
25:01
Speaker 1: swelled cliff like above and below, and the black Eagle
25:05
Speaker 1: sprawled overwhelmingly gigantic, its extremities all hidden by the bulge
25:10
Speaker 1: of the gas bag. And far down under the soaring
25:14
Speaker 1: eagles was England, four thousand feet below, perhaps and looking
25:18
Speaker 1: very small and defenseless. Indeed, in the morning sunlight, the
25:24
Speaker 1: realization that there was England gave Bert sudden and unexpected
25:28
Speaker 1: qualms of patriotic compunction. He was struck by a quite
25:31
Speaker 1: novel idea after all, he might have torn up those
25:35
Speaker 1: plans and thrown them away. These people could not have
25:38
Speaker 1: done so very much to him, And even if they did,
25:41
Speaker 1: ought not an Englishman to die for his country. It
25:45
Speaker 1: was an idea that had hitherto been rather smothered up
25:48
Speaker 1: by the cares of a competitive civilization. He became violently depressed.
25:54
Speaker 1: He ought he perceived to have seen it in that
25:57
Speaker 1: light before. Why hadn't he seen it in that light before? Indeed,
26:03
Speaker 1: wasn't he a sort of trader? He wondered how the
26:06
Speaker 1: aerial fleet must look from down there, tremendous, no doubt,
26:10
Speaker 1: and dwarfing all the buildings. He was passing between Manchester
26:15
Speaker 1: and Liverpool. Kurt told him a gleaming band across the
26:19
Speaker 1: prospect was a ship canal and a weltering ditch of
26:22
Speaker 1: shipping far away ahead the Mercy Estuary. Bert was a Southerner.
26:28
Speaker 1: He had never been north of the Midland counties, and
26:30
Speaker 1: the multitude of factories and chimneys, the latter, for the
26:34
Speaker 1: most part obsolete and smokeless, now superseded by huge electric
26:38
Speaker 1: generating stations that consumed their own reek old railway viaducts,
26:44
Speaker 1: mono rail networks, and goods yards, and the vast areas
26:48
Speaker 1: of dingy homes and narrow streets spreading aimlessly, struck him
26:53
Speaker 1: as though Camberwell and rotherhithe had run to seed here
26:58
Speaker 1: and there, as if caught at Annette were fields and
27:01
Speaker 1: agricultural fragments. It was a sprawl of undistinguished population. There were,
27:07
Speaker 1: no doubt, museums and town halls, and even cathedrals of
27:11
Speaker 1: a sort to mark theoretical centers of municipal and religious
27:14
Speaker 1: organization in this confusion, but Bert could not see them.
27:19
Speaker 1: They did not stand out at all in that wide,
27:21
Speaker 1: disorderly vision of congested workers houses and places to work,
27:25
Speaker 1: and shops and merely conceived chapels and churches. And across
27:31
Speaker 1: this landscape of an industrial civilization swept the shadows of
27:34
Speaker 1: the German airships like a hurrying shoal of fishes. Kurt
27:39
Speaker 1: and He fell talking of aerial tactics, and presently went
27:43
Speaker 1: down to the under gallery in order that Bert might
27:45
Speaker 1: see the drakenflagger that the airships of the right wing
27:48
Speaker 1: had picked up overnight and were towing behind them, each
27:52
Speaker 1: airship towing three or four. They looked like big box
27:57
Speaker 1: kites of an exaggerated form at the ends of invisible chords.
28:02
Speaker 1: They had long, square heads and flattened tails with lateral propellers.
28:08
Speaker 1: Much skill is required for those much skill. Rather pause.
28:16
Speaker 1: Your machine is different from that, mister Butteridge, Quite different,
28:19
Speaker 1: said Bert, More like an insect and less like a bird.
28:23
Speaker 1: And it buzzes and don't drive about. So what can
28:27
Speaker 1: those things do? Kurt was not very clear upon that himself,
28:32
Speaker 1: and was still explaining when Bert was called to the
28:34
Speaker 1: conference we have recorded with the Prince. And after that
28:38
Speaker 1: was over, the last traces of Butteridge fell from Bert
28:41
Speaker 1: like a garment, and he became small ways to all
28:44
Speaker 1: on board. The soldiers ceased to salute him, and the
28:48
Speaker 1: officers ceased to seem aware of his existence, except Lieutenant Kurt.
28:54
Speaker 1: He was turned out of his nice cabin and packed
28:57
Speaker 1: in with his belongings to share that of Lieutenant Kurt,
29:00
Speaker 1: whose luck it was to be junior, and the bird
29:03
Speaker 1: headed officer, still swearing slightly and carrying straps and aluminum
29:08
Speaker 1: boot trees and weightless hair brushes and hand mirrors and
29:12
Speaker 1: palmade of his hands, resumed possession. Bert was put in
29:17
Speaker 1: with Kurt because there was nowhere else for him to
29:19
Speaker 1: lay his bandaged head in that close packed vessel. He
29:24
Speaker 1: was to mess, he was told with the men. Kurt
29:28
Speaker 1: came and stood with his legs wide apart, and surveyed
29:32
Speaker 1: him for a moment as he sat despondent in his
29:34
Speaker 1: new quarters. What's your real name, then, said Kurt, who
29:39
Speaker 1: was only imperfectly informed of the new state of affairs.
29:43
Speaker 1: Small ways. I thought you were a bit of a fraud,
29:47
Speaker 1: even when I thought you were a butteridge. You're jolly lucky.
29:50
Speaker 1: The Prince took it calmly. He's a pretty tidy blazer
29:54
Speaker 1: when he's roused. He wouldn't stick a moment at pitching
29:57
Speaker 1: a chap of your sort overboard if he thought fit. No,
30:01
Speaker 1: they've shoved you on to me. But it's my cabin,
30:05
Speaker 1: you know I won't forget, said Bert. Kurt left him,
30:10
Speaker 1: and when he came to look about him, the first
30:12
Speaker 1: thing he saw pasted on the padded wall was a
30:15
Speaker 1: reproduction of the great picture by sick Fried Schmals of
30:19
Speaker 1: the War God, that terrible trampling figure with the Viking
30:23
Speaker 1: helmet and the scarlet cloak, wading through destruction sword in hand,
30:28
Speaker 1: which had so strong a resemblance to Carl Albert the Prince.
30:32
Speaker 1: It was painted to please. End of Chapter four, Parts six, seven, eight,
30:40
Speaker 1: and nine. Recording by William Tomkoe