NE 4 The Baldwin Library opie) Ri 7 1B Flerida Frathlern ‘room Teleoe The Victory_of the Flag, (P. 304,) Frontispiece. FOR THE FLAG PROV GAE FRENCH OF JULES VERNE BY MRS. CASHEL HOEY ILLUSTRATED LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY Limited St. Sunstan’s House FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C. 1897 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE HEALTHFUL HOUSE CHAPTER II. COUNT D’ARTIGAS 21 ! CHAPTER III. A DOUBLE ABDUCTION 5 : : : : ; 5 ego CHAPTER IV. THE SCHOONER “ EBBA” 56 CHAPTER V “ WHERE AM |?” 81 CHAPTER VI. On DECK 5 = : 2 3 3 i i ‘ A OT CHAPTER VII. Two Days aT SEA 3 : : 5 : i : : SAL CHAPTER VIII. BACKcuP ; : : ; : : : : ; : 133 CHAPTER IX. INSIDE ; ‘ : : : : : : » 153 vi CONTENTS CHAPTER xX. KER KARRAJE CHAPTER XI. FIVE WEEKS CHAPTER XII. THE ADVICE OF SERK6 THE ENGINEER CHAPTER XIII. “A DIEU VAT!” CHAPTER XIV. THE “SWORD” IN CONFLICT WITH THE TUG . CHAPTER XV. EXPECTATION CHAPTER XVI. SOME Hours LATER CHAPTER XVII. ONE AGAINST FIVE CHAPTER XVIII. ON BoarD THE ‘ TONNANT” PAGE L170 . 189 . 205 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The victory of the flag . Heathful House An inventor The inventor with a craze The keeper and his charge A private view Pavilion 17 5 The landing is effected . The abduction On board the schooner £da Boarded . Lifting the buoy The submerged cargo Gaydon in prison The man at the helm Under constraint Count d’Artigas on his quar‘er-deck Signalling on board the £dda Land in sight _ Backcup 6 : Bain The tug alongside The hidden creek . In the interior of the island | The pirates’ store-houses PAGE frontis piece 5 9 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The “ hétel” of Count d’ Artigas Ker Karraje . 6 . The inventor in a frenzy A sperm whale in the lagoon A hearer unseen An explosion . Casting news upon the waters The Sword Under the lagoon . Captain Spade on the alert Cross-examination . — : The look-out from the pirates’ den The squadron is sighted Ex-patient and ex-keeper The end is at hand The inventor’s preparation For the flag PAGE » 173 POR LHE FiAnG CREAR TE Riis HEALTHFUL HOUSE. A CARD was handed to the Principal of Healthful House onacertain 15th of June, which bore simply the name, without escutcheon or coronet : Count ad’ Artigas. Above this name, on a corner of the card, the following address was written in pencil: “On board the schooner £dda, at anchor at Newburn, Pamlico Sound.” The capital of North Carolina—one of the forty-four states of the Union at that period—is the rather important town of Raleigh, one hundred and fifty miles from the ccast in the interior of the province. On account of its central position that city had become the seat of the legis- lature; for others—Wilmington, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Edenton, Washington, Salisbury, Tarboro, Halifax, New- burn—equal or surpass it in commerce and manufactures B 2 FOR THE FLAG Newburn is situated at the farther end of the estuary of the Neuse, which flows into Pamlico Sound, a vast salt- water lake protected by a natural breakwater of islands and islets along the Carolina coast. The Principal of Healthful House would not have guessed the reason of this civility had not the card been accom- panied by a note in whtch the Count asked permission to visit the establishment. The stranger hoped that the Principal would be kind enough to grant this favour, and he proposed to call during the afternoon with Captain Spade, the commander of the Libha, A desire to view the famous health resort, then so much frequented by rich invalids in the United States was, of course, natural on the part of a stranger. Others had already visited it who could not boast so great a name as Count d’Artigas, and they had not been sparing of their eulogies. The Principal gladly gave the desired authoriza- tion, and replied that he should feel honoured by receiving his noble visitor. Healthful House, served by an excellent staff, and assured of the co-operation of the leading physicians, was a private institution. Independent of all control or super- vision, save that of the State, it afforded the requisite conditions of comfort and salubrity in an establishment destined for the reception of wealthy patients. It would be difficult to find a more agreeable situation than that of Healthful House. The building, sheltered at the back by a hill, was surrounded bya park of two hundred HEALTHFUL HOUSE 3 acres, planted with timber of those magnificent species which abound in that portion of North America which lies in the same latitudes as the Canaries and Madeira. At the lower edge of the park stretched the wide estuary of the Neuse, perpetually refreshed by the breezes of Pamlico Sound, and the ocean winds coming from afar. At Healthful House, where the wealthy patients were nursed under: excellent hygienic conditions, cures were numerous. But although in general the establishment was reserved for the treatment of chronic illness, the adminis- tration did not refuse to admit patients afflicted with mental disorders, when these were not of an incurable kind. Now, just at that time—a circumstance likely to attract attention to Healthful House, and perhaps the motive of the visit of Count d’Artigas—a personage of great notoriety had been detained there for eighteen months under special observation. This personage was a Frenchman named Thomas Roch, aged forty years. That he was under the influence of a mental malady could not be dcubted, but up to the present the doctors had not pronounced him positively insane. That he was wanting in common sense in the most simple acts of life was only too certain. Still, his reason remained clear, powerful, incontestable, when an appeal was made to his genius—and who does not know that “great wits to madness often are allied”? It is true his affective and sensorial. faculties were seriously disordered. When these were called into action, they manifested themselves in delirium and incoherence. Then the man was merely B2 4 FOR THE FLAG an unreasoning being, bereft of that natural instinct which is present even in the lower animals—even of self-preser- vation—and he had to be treated like a child. In Pavilion No. 17, which he occupied in the park of Healthful House, it was his keeper’s duty to watch him day and night. Ordinary madness, when it is not incurable, can only be cured by moral means. Medicine and therapeutics are impotent, and their inefficacy has long been recognized by specialists. Were moral means applicable in the case of Thomas Rech? This was doubtful, even with the peaceful and healthy-surroundings of Healthful House. The symp- toms—restlessness, varying moods, irritability, eccentricities of character, melancholy, apathy, repugnance to either amusement or serious occupation, were distinctly marked. No doctor could be mistaken, no treatment promised to be efficacious in either removing or reducing them. It has been justly said that madness is an excess of subjectivity, that is to say, a state in which the mind devotes itself too much to its interior working, and not enough to impressions from the outside. In Roch this indifference was almost absolute. He lived only within himself, a prey to a fixed idea whose obsession had brought him to his present state. Would something happen; a shock which should “exteriorize” him—to employ a sufficiently exact word? It was improbable, but not impossible. Let it now be related under what circumstances Thomas Roch had left France for the United States, and why the Federal Government had deemed it prudent and necessary Healthful House. HEALTHFUL HOUSE 7. to confine him in this retreat, where every word that escaped him unconsciously during his paroxysms was noted with the utmost care. Eighteen months previously the Minister of Marine at Washington had received a request from Thomas Roch for an audience on the subject of a communication which the latter wished to make. Although he was aware of the nature of the communica- tion and what demands would accompany it, he did not hesitate, and the audience was immediately granted. In fact, Thomas Roch was so notorious a personage, that the interests in his charge forbade the Minister to hesitate to receive the applicant in order to learn the pro- positions to be laid before him. Thomas. Roch was an inventor—an inventor of genius. Important discoveries had alrcady brought his name before the world. Thanks to him, problems until then merely theoretic had received a practical application. His name was known in science, he occupied a prominent place in the learned world, and we shall see after what vexations, what mortifications, what insults even, lavished upon him by the shallow jesters of the press, he had been driven into the fit of insanity that led to his detenti¢n at Healthful House. His latest invention in engines of war was called the Roch Fulgurator. This apparatus, if he were to be believed; was so much superior to all others that the State which should: secure it would be absolutely sovereign over sea and land, 8 FOR THE FLAG Everyone knows that inventors have to contend with formidable difficultics, especially when they endeavour to procure the adoption of their devices by ministerial com- missions. Many well-known examples of this fact exist, but it is useless to dwell on them, for such transactions present difficulties inexplicable to the outsider. However, in the case of Thomas Roch, it may be admitted that, like those of the majority of his predecessors, his demands were So excessive, an 1 he rated his new engine at so exor- bitant a value, that it was almost impossible to treat with him. This arose, it must be observed, from his having been audaciously imposed upon in the matter of preceding inventions, which had been adopted with most valuable results. His temper had been soured, and his mind em- bi.tered, by his failure to obtain the profit legitimately duc to him; he became distrustful, determined to treat only on his own terms, however unacceptable to other parties, and in every case he demanded so considerable a sum of money, even previous to any tests, that his requirements seemcd inadmissible. In the first instance Roch, as a Frenchman, offered the Fulgurator to France. He. informed the commission nominated to receive his communication of its purpose. It was a sort of auto-propulsive engine of quite special fabrication, charged with an explosive composed of new substances, which produced its effect only under the action of a new deflagrator, also of his own invention. When this engine, however it might have been pro- entor. An inv HEALTHFUL HOUSE é If pelled, exploded, not by striking the object aimed at, but at a distance of some hundreds of yards, its action on the atmospheric strata was so great that every structure, either detached fortress or man.of-war, within a space of ten thousand square yards, must be annihilated. The principle was the same as that of the ball projected by the Zaluski pneumatic cannon, which had been already tested at that period, but with results multiplied at least a hundred times. If the invention of M. Roch really possessed this power, then superiority, either offensive or defensive, was secured to his country. Yet might not the inventor have ex- aggerated, even though he had tested it against other machines of well-established credit? Only experiments could demonstrate it, and Thomas Roch refused to consent to such trials until after payment of the millions at which he valued his Fulgurator. It is certain that his mind had already lost its balance. He had no longer entire possession of his brain power, but was on the path which would gradually lead to madness. No government could condescend to treat with him under the conditions he imposed. The French commission had to break off all negotia- tions, and the newspapers, even those of the Radical opposition, were obliged to admit the difficulty of pro- ceeding with the matter. The proposals of Thomas Roch were rejected, and without any fear that another State would consent to accept them. With that excess of subjectivity which went on increasing in the shaken mind of the inventor, it is not surprising I2 FOR THE FLAG that the chord of patriotism, becoming unstrung by degrees, soon ceased to vibrate. For the honour of human nature, it must be repeated that by this time he was no longer accountable. His mind was inert, except on the subject of his invention; in that one particular it retained its power. But in all that concerned the most ordinary details of existence, his mental collapse became more marked daily, and deprived him of complete responsibility for his actions. His offer, then, was declined. Perhaps it would have been better to prevent him from taking his invention elsewhere. This was not done, however, which was a mistake. The inevitable happened. Under his increasing irrita- bility, the sense of patriotism which is the essence of the citizen—who belongs to his country before belonging to himself—became numbed in the mind of the disappointed inventor. He turned his thoughts to other nations; he crossed the frontier, he forgot the never-to-be-forgotten past, and he offered the Roch Fulgurator to Germany. There, after learning the inventor’s exorbitant demands, the Government refused to receive his proposal. More- over, a new ballistic engine had just been tested in the war, and the authorities thought they might dispense with the French invention. Then the Frenchman’s rage increased to hate—an in- stinctive hatred against mankind—specially after his approaches to the Admiral'y of Great Britain had failed. The English keing a practical people, the Admiralty did not repulse him all at once—they dallied, temporized, and circumvented him. Roch would listen to nothing. His The inventor with a craze, HEALTHFUL HOUSE 15 secret was worth millions; those millions he would have, or no one should obtain his secret. Finally the Admiralty gave him up. It was under these circumstances, his mental state growing daily worse, that he made a last attempt with America—about eighteen months before the opening of this story. : The Americans, being even more practical than the English, did not haggle about the Roch Fulgurator, on which they placed an exceptional value, because of the French chemist’s reputation. They rightly looked upon him as a man of genius, and took measures which were justified by his mental condition, with the intention of making an equitable settlement with him afterwards. As Thomas Roch gave proofs beyond dispute of mental disturbance, the administration, in the interest even of his invention, considered it expedient to place him under restraint. As it has already been said, he was not placed in a lunatic asylum. Healthful House offered every guarantee for the treatment of his malady. But although he had received the most assiduous care, the object had not hitherto been attained. However irrational he was in all else—this point must be insisted upon once more—the inventor was completely himself when he was set going on the topic of his discoveries. He became animated, he spoke with the decision of a man sure of himself, and with an authority which impressed his hearers. He eloquently 16 FOR THE FLAG described the marvellous qualities of his Fulgurator, and the truly extraordinary effects which would result from it. But, upon the nature of the explosive, and of the deflag- rator, the elements that composed it and their fabrication, and the manipulation it required, he maintained invincible reserve. Once or twice at the height of a paroxysm it was thought that the secret of his invention was about to escape him, and every precaution was taken. .. . All was in vain; though Thomas Roch no longer possessed the instinct of self-preservation, he took good care to preserve his secret. Pavilion 17, in the park of Healthful House, stood in a garden surrounded by quickset hedges, where the patient might take exercise under the supervision of his keeper. This attendant lived in the same pavilion with him, slept in the same room, watched him night and day, and never left him for an hour. He watched his least words during the ravings which generally occurred in the intermediary state between waking and sleeping, and he even listened to his muttering in his dreams. The man’s name was Gaydon. Shortly after the inven- tor’s sequestration, having learned that an attendant who spoke French was wanted, he had presented himself at Healthful House and was accepted in the capacity of keeper to the new patient. In reality the so-called Gaydon was a French engineer, named Simon Hart, who had been for several years in the employ of a firm of manufacturing chemists in New Jersey. He was forty years old, his forehead was large and marked HEALTHFUL HOUSE I7 with the straight line of the observer ; his resolute bearing denoted energy and tenacity combined. Simon Hart was well versed in the various questions connected with the perfecting of modern armament, and those inventions which might affect its power. He knew thoroughly all that had been done in the matter of explosives—over eleven hundred existed at that time—and he was essentially the man to appreciate Thomas Roch. Believing in the power of the Fulgurator, he was convinced that Thomas Roch was in possession of an engine capable of changing the conditions of war, either offensive or defensive, on land andonsea. Having heard that the man of science had been respected by the malady which had invaded him on all other sides, that in the partly deranged brain still burned a light, a flame, the flame of genius, Hart bethought him that if the secret were to escape Roch ina moment of frenzy, his invention might be used for the benefit of a foreign power. Thereupon he resolved to become the inventors keeper, by passing himself off as an American who spoke the French tongue fluently. Under pretext of a voyage to Europe he resigned his post, and changed his name. Circumstances were in his favour, the proposal he made to the Principal was accepted, and for fifteen months he had fulfilled all the duties of keeper to Thomas Roch, at Healthful House. Such resolution denoted rare unselfishness and noble patriotism, for the service to be undertaken necessitated work of a kind repulsive to a man of Simon Hart’s class and education. But—this must not be forgotten—the Cc 18 FOR THE FLAG engineer did not intend to despoil his charge. If indeed his secret escaped him, Thomas Roch should have all the gain when he recovered his reason. Thus did Simon Hart, or rather Gaydon, live for fifteen months with the lunatic, observing, watching, even questioning, without gaining any information. The more he heard the inventor talk of his discovery, the more was he convinced of its extraordinary importance, and he dreaded above all things that the partial derangement of the faculties of his charge might develop into complete insanity, or that.a fatal crisis might carry away his secret with his life. Such was Simon Hart’s situation, such was the mission to which he had sacrificed himself in the interest of his country, However, the patient’s physical health did not suffer, thanks to his vigorous constitution. The nervous vitality of his temperament enabled him to resist all these de- structive causes. Of medium height, with a massive head, a well-developed forehead, well-shaped skull, grey hair, eyes haggard at times, but bright, fixed, impcrious when his dominant thought flashed from them, a thick moustache under a nose with readily-heaving nostrils,a mouth with tight lips as though closed upon a secret, a thoughful countenance, the attitude of a man who had striven long, and was determined still to strive—such was the inventor, Thomas Roch, confined in one of the buildings of Healthful House, not conscious perhaps of this sequestration, and in the charge of Simon Hart the engineer, known as Gaydon the keeper. The keeper and his charge, CHAPTER IL. COUNT D’ARTIGAS. Wuno was this Count d’Artigas? A Spaniard, as his name seemed to indicate. Yet the stern of the schooner bore in letters of gold the name £ééa, and that was pure Norwegian. Had he been asked the name of the Eéda’s captain, he would have answered, “Spade,” and Effondat the boatswain, and Selim the cook—all singularly dis- similar names, which suggested various nationalities. It would be difficult to deduce any plausible theory from the appearance of Count d’Artigas. While the colour of his skin, his very black hair, and the grace of his movements, might proclaim a Spanish origin, his general appearance offered none of the racial characteristics of the natives of the Iberian peninsula. — He was of more than medium height, very strongly built, and at most forty years of age. With his calm and haughty bearing he resembled a Hindoo prince in whom was blended the blood of the superb Malayan types. If his were not a cold complexion, the same could not be said of his imperious gesture and abrupt speech. The language which he and his crew spoke was one of those dialects common in-the islands of the Indian Ocean and 22 FOR THE FLAG the surrounding seas. Yet when his voyages landed him on the shores of the old or the new world, he expressed himself with remarkable ease in English, betraying his foreign birth by a slight accent only. What had been Count d’Artigas’ past, the divers inci- dents in a most mysterious existence? What was his present, from what source did he draw his fortune ?— evidently considerable, since it permitted him to live like a gentleman of fine tastes and fastidious habits. Where was his home; at least, what was the schooncr’s port of destination ? No one could say, and no one dared inter- rogate him on this point, so reticent was he. He did not look like a man who would give himself away in an interview—even for the benefit of American reporters. All that was known of him was simply what was said in the newspapers when the presence of the Edda was armounced in some port, specially in the ports on the east coast of the United States. There, in fact, the schooner came at almost fixed periods to take in all sorts of supplies for a long voyage. Not only did she revictual in pro- visions, flour, biscuits, preserves, salt meat and fresh, live sheep and oxen, wines, beers, and alcoholic liquors, but also in clothing, tools, luxuries, and necessaries, all paid for at a high rate, either in dollars, or guineas, or other coinage of various countries. Hence, although little or nothing was known of the Count’s private life, he himself was well known in the various ports of the American coast from the peninsula of Tlorida to New England. COUNT D’ARTIGAS 220k It was not therefore surprising that the Priacipal of Healthful House should feel himself honoured by the Count’s request. This was the first time the schooner £4da had put into the port of Newburn; and it could be only the owner’s whim which led him to the mouth of the Neuse. What had brought Count d’Artigastothis place? To revictual ? No; for Pamlico Sound could not offer him the resources he would find in other ports such as Boston, New York, Dover, Savannah, Wilmington in North Carolina, and Charleston in South Carolina. In the estuary of the Neuse, in the insignificant market of Newburn, what merchan- dise could the Count d’Artigas get in exchange for his piastres and his bank-notes? This “chief-place” of the County of Craven did not contain more than from five to six thousand inhabitants. Trade meant merely the ex- portation of grain, pigs, furniture, and naval stores. Besides, some weeks before, during a stay of ten days at Charleston, the schooner had taken in a complete cargo for a destina- tion which, as usual, was unknown. Had this enigmatic individual, then, come for the sole object of visiting Healthful House? Perhaps there was nothing very surprising in this, since the establishment enjoyed a very real and very just celebrity. It might also be that the Count had a fancy for meeting Thomas Roch. The wide-spread fame of the French inventor would certainly justify his curiosity ; for was not Roch a mad genius, whose inventions promised to revolutionize the methods of modern military art ! FOR THE FLAG 24 In the afternoon, as he had arranged by letter, Count d’Artigas presented himself at Healthful House, accom- panied by Captain Spade, commander of the Edda. In accordance with the orders given, they were instantly admitted, and conducted to the presence of the Principal. The latter gave the Count an effusive welcome, placed himself at their service—for he would relegate to no inferior the honour of being their cicerone, and Count d’Artigas accepted the kind offer gratefully. They began by visiting the general sitting-rooms and the private apartments. The Principal dwelt upon the care bestowed on the sufferers —far greater, if he were to be believed, than they could have received in theirown homes; truly exceptional treat- ment, he repeated, and its results had gained weil-merited success for Healthful House. Count d’Artigas listened in his usual phlegmatic way, and appeared interested in the Principal’s inexhaustible loquacity, probably the better to disguise the real object of his visit. However, after an hour thus spent, he ventured to ask: “ Have you not a patient who has been greatly discussed of late—who has attracted the attention of the public to Healthful House?” “T think you are alluding to Thomas Roch, Count,” said the Principal. “Ves; the Frenchman—the inventor whose mind seems to be unhinged.” “Very much so, sir; and perhaps it is just as well it should be so. To my mind, mankind can gain nothing by A private view. COUNT D’ARTIGAS 27 those inventions which increase the means of destruction which are too numerous already.” “That is well said,” remarked the Count, “and I agree with you. True progress does not lie in that direction, and I look upon all such efforts as malevolent. But has this man entirely lost the use of his mental powers ?” “Entirely? No, Count, only as far as the things of ordinary life are concerned. In regard to these he has neither understanding nor responsibility. Yet his in- ventive genius has remained intact, it has survived the mental collapse, and if his absurd demands had been admitted, I have no doubt he would have produced a new engine of war—of which there is not the least need.” “Certainly not, certainly not,” repeated the Count.. And Captain Spade looked approval. “You may judge for yourself, sir. Here we are at the pavilion where M. Roch lives. Though his detention is necessary for the safety of the public, he none the less receives all the attentions due to him, and the care neces- sary to his condition. Besides, he is out of reach of those who might wish to—” The Principal finished his sentence by nodding his head significantly. This brought an imperceptible smile to the lips of his guest. “ But,” the Count asked, ‘‘is M. Roch never alone?” “Never, sir. He has a keeper, in whom we have complete confidence, in constant attendance. In case he should by some means or other let fall any suggestion relating to his discovery, his words would. be immediately 28 FOR THE FLAG taken down, and it will be seen what use shall be made of themin yy At that moment Count d’Artigas glanced quickly at Captain Spade, who answered by a gesture which seemed to say, “ I understand.” Anyone who had watched the said Captain Spade during the visit would have remarked that he examined with special minuteness that portion of the park surround- ing Pavilion 17, and the various openings that led to it —probably carrying out a plan previously arranged. The garden of the pavilion was bounded by the outer wall of the property. Outside, the wall enclosed the base of the hill whose sides sloped gently down to the right bank of the river. The building consisted of a ground floor with a terrace after the Italian style. It contained two rooms and a hall, with windows secured by iron bars. Beautiful trees, then in all their summer luxuriance of foliage, sur- rounded the house on all sides. There were lovely green, velvety lawns, dotted all over with shrubs of various kinds, and richly-tinted flowers in full bloom. The whole space covered about half an acre, and was réserved to the ex- clusive use of Thomas Roch, who was free to come and go about the garden under the eyes of his keeper. When Count d’Artigas, Captain Spade, and the Principal reached this enclosure, they caught sight of Gaydon, the keeper, at the door of the pavilion. The Count instantly fixed his cyes on the attendant, whom he appeared to examine with special interest un- COUNT D’ARTIGAS 29 \ remarked by the Principal. This was not, however, the first time that strangers had come to visit the occupant of Pavilion 17, for the French inventor was justly considered the most interesting inmate of Healthful House. Never- theless Gaydon’s attention was attracted by the singular appearance of these two, whose nationality he could not ascertain. Although Count d’ Artigas’ name was not unknown to him, he had never had the opportunity of meeting that rich gentleman during his visits to the eastern ports, and he was not aware that the schooner Edda was at that moment anchored off the bank at the boundary of Healthful House. “Gaydon,” said the director, “where is M. Roch?” “ There,” said the keeper, pointing to a man who was walking meditatively under the trees behind the pavilion. “Count d’Artigas has received permission to visit Healthful House, and he did not wish to leave without having seen our patient who has been so much talked of recently.” “And he would have been still more talked of if the Federal Government had not taken the precaution of shutting him up in this establishment.” «