The Double Emperor. A story of a vagabond Cunarder

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THE DOUBLE EMPEROR IE FIRED EVERY ONE OF HIS PORT GUNS AT THE PIRATE. [Frontispiece (see page 162), THE DOUBLE EMPEROR A STORY OF A VAGABOND CUNARDER BY W. LAIRD CLOWES AUTHOR OF 'The Captain of the "Mary Rose,"' 'The Great Peril,' etc. ' Attali Ignotui hœres regiam occupavi' Hor. Carm. II. 18. LONDON EDWARD ARNOLD 37 BEDFORD STREET STRAND, W.C. [All rights reserved] CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE BURDEN OP GREATNESS - - 1 II. AN IMPERIAL TATTOO - - - - 20 in. bolter's gun - - - - - 39 IV. THE NEW AIDE-DE-CAMP - - - 59 V. KIDNAPPED - - - - - 80 VI. MR. HOODLUM IS SURPRISED - - - 101 VII. INCONSISTENCY ----- 123 VIII. THE TRIUMPH OF COLONEL SNAGGS - - 144 IX. COLONEL SNAGGS'S DISAPPOINTMENT - - 166 X. ADRIFT ------ 188 XI. HOME ------ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ' HE FIRED EVERY ONE OF HIS PORT GUNS AT THE pirate ' - - - - - Frontispiece the emperor meets von dalhoff - To face p. 22 THE BOLTER GUN EXPERIMENT - ,,56 KIDNAPPED ! - - - - „ 84 OUT OF THE MIST CAME H. M.S. 'TOURMALINE' „ 146 FINDING THE DOLLARS - - ,, 164 THE LAST OF THE 'PHILISTIA' - ,, 210 ' THE WHOLE AFFAIR OCCUPIED LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS' - - - - ,, >>*•

Chapter I. The Burden Of Greatness

' Say what you will,' declared the Emperor, as he cracked an egg, ' it is a dog's life, or little better.' ' Only that in this case,' suggested the Field-Marshal, ' the dog, if I may borrow your Majesty's expression, is able to experience the satisfaction that arises from duty done; and that is surely the greatest reward of existence.' ' I grant you that,' said the Emperor. ' The ordinary dog does not perhaps enjoy that satisfaction. Yet my work, even apart from my responsibilities, is terribly, painfully wearing. To properly fill my position I ought to have two bodies and four hands at least ; to be able to thrive on a couple of hours' sleep a night; to be able to dispense with all regularity of meals and exercise ; to possess the digestion of an ostrich, the strength of an elephant, the courage of a lion, and the cunning of a serpent — to have all or any of these under perfect and continuous control ; to be indifferent to sport, pleasure and the delights of friendly intercourse, and to con tentedly sacrifice every intellectual enjoyment.

I have no time to study even those things which would conduce to my greater usefulness. To indulge any natural affec tion for the arts and sciences is almost impossible. Each day seems to end ere it has fairly dawned, and to leave me with more than half my day's work undone. I tell you again, Count, it is a dog's life.' It was Carl, King of Ruhland and Lusatian Emperor, who, breakfasting with his old friend and military tutor Count Stark, made these dissatisfied remarks. No one who knew him only as a public character would have readily believed that the young monarch could find his magnificent position a seriously irksome one ; for did not the Emperor possess nearly everjthing that the mind of man could desire ? and did it not look as if almost all things which he did not actually possess were within his grasp ?

Twenty-four years of age, the inheritor of a kingdom the history of which was a record of bravery, devotion and patriotism, and the wearer of an imperial crown which symbolized the unity of one of the most capable races in the world, he was strikingly handsome, strong, healthy, and beloved by his people. His ministers were as able as they were loyal, the com merce and finances of his country were flourishing ; there was no cloud on the horizon of foreign affairs, and socialism and anarchy, though introduced here and there among the Lusatians, found little whereon to batten, and caused no anxieties as to the present and small fears as to the future. THE BURDEN OF GREA TNESS 3 Nor were the Emperor's domestic surroundings in any sense unenviable. He was still, it is true, a bachelor, but he was suitably betrothed to the lovely Princess Griselda of Stormarn, who, in her turn, was devoted to him ; and in the meantime he enjoyed the society of his only sister, the Princess Nannette, a clever and beautiful girl of nineteen, who was scarcely less the idol of the empire than she was the idol of her brother, and who in song and story was known as the Pearl of Ruhland.

Nor did he lack faithful friends and admirable servants. He had been wisely brought up among the most distinguished men of the nation. Not only the Lusatian statesmen, generals and admirals, but also the poets, the scientists, the artists, the philosophers, the novelists and even the journalists of the country, had from his early youth been admitted to his familiarity ; and, though court etiquette in Ruhland was as strict as it was any where, it may be truly said that the monarch was in complete touch with all the most worthy and the most representative of his subjects, and, in addition, with no small number of distinguished foreigners. Typical, as regards ability and devotion, of hundreds of the Emperor's trusted counsellors and servants, was the old war-wolf, Leonhard, Count Stark, who sat with him at breakfast that morning.

The Count had fought and bled for his majesty's father and grandfather, and, though upwards of seventy, would have been delighted to fight and bleed for the Emperor Carl also. A little, well-preserved, ruddy-cheeked, keen -eyed man, he looked, save for his uniform, more like a tenant-farmer than a great soldier ; and even in his conversation, which was free, desultory, and humorous, there was little to recall the Lusatian officer. Indeed, there was about him something which, once or twice in his history, short-sighted people had mistaken for want of dignity. Not until they had ventured, in consequence, to presume had they discovered their error, and learnt too late that the good-humoured little man's kindness was reserved only for those who did not abuse it, and that behind it lay a frowning and absolutely impreg nable fortress, barring every advance on the part of impudence and impertinence.

The only other breakfaster in the Emperor's private apartments in the royal palace in Sandburg was the Princess Nannette ; and if mature wisdom was well represented by the Field-Marshal, and manly strength by the Emperor, the fresh charms of girlhood were as favourably personified in the Pearl of Ruhland. Blue eyed and fair-haired like the traditional damsels of Lusatia, she was very far, nevertheless, from possessing the lack of colour and expression that has often been attributed as a characteristic to the daughters of her race. Her wealth of hair had in it all the shades of gold ; her eyebrows were dark and well-marked ; her eye lashes also were dark, and long as well ; dimples played over her rounded cheeks, and her complexion, like that of her brother, suggested health and high vitality, though it was at the same time exquisitely soft and delicate as the sunny side of a peach.

In her simple dress of white, the Princess conveyed much the same kind of impression as is conveyed to most people by the newly-opened hedgerow flower from which the dew of morning has not yet been shaken. There was that about her which was essentially natural, wholesome and pure. It did one good and seemed to make one nobler to look upon her. ' It is all because the Emperor is so terribly energetic,' said the Princess ; ' he insists upon working by night as well as by day, and I'm sure that cannot be really necessary.' ' Life is very short, your Royal Highness,' replied the Count, ' and one must get into it as much as one may. I have over seventy years to look back upon. The days I have wasted rise up like ghosts behind me. I wish I had fewer such ghosts ; unhappily, I have very many. May his Majesty, when he, too, is old, be less tormented than I am by the memories of the past.' ' Thanks, Count,' said the Emperor. ' I shall have to work hard, indeed, if your prayer is to be fulfilled.

I assure you it is not the hard work that I mind ; it is the useless work, the formal work, the unproductive work, the merely mechanical work, which could be done as efficiently by a well-constructed automaton, that I regard as a burden. Why, the ceremonial work alone takes half my time.' ' Surely you busy yourself too much with details,' suggested the Princess. ' Not I ! Every man ought to attempt to master details if he would properly understand generalities. It is the formality of having to listen to the reading of some address which 1 have already perused and sanc tioned ; it is the farce of having to sign certain docu ments when any secretary's signature, or a mere seal or stamp, would suffice ; it is especially the indignity of having to pose so often as a doll in uniform, that I object to.

For certain functions of State, a mechanical Emperor, to be wound up every morning, or to be driven by steam, or to be set in action by the placing of a coin in a convenient slot, would do capitally. In the mean time the living Emperor might be either doing useful work for others or improving himself. What a blessing a double would be to me !' 'He might be a curse also,' laughed the Princess Nannette. ' Recollect the history of Srnerdis, of Lam bert Simnel and of Demetrius.' ' Oh, of course I should be careful to have him marked,' said the Emperor, ' so that there would be no danger of confusion. But until this wonderful double turns up, I must, I take it, continue to do as best I can, and to waste myself, with as good grace as possible, for the supposed welfare of Lusatia.' He glanced at a paper which lay beside him and made a wry face. ' Is to-day a very bad one, then ?' asked the Princess. ' About as unsatisfactory as usual.

But you can judge for yourself.' And the Emperor picked up the paper, and read from it the following record of the day's engagements : ' 8.30, meeting of the military cabinet ; i).30, inspection of the guard ; 10.15, audience of the Spanish Ambassador ; 11, audience of tho Chinese Envoy ; 11.30, audience of the burgomaster of Sandburg; 12, laying of the foundation-stone of the Aeronautical Institution; 1.15, interview with the Chancellor; 2, interview with the President of the Council of Ministers ; 3, inspection of the new barracks at Horn ; 4, dinner with the officers at Horn ; 5.15, witness trials of a new military balloon at Horn ; 6, sign various papers, com missions, orders, etc. ; 6.20, receive deputation from the Society for the Extension of Lusatian Industries ; 7, review procession of students from the balcony of the palace ; 8, family dinner — if I can find time for it ; 9, sign more papers, etc. ; 9.45, go by special train to — well, never mind whither — to alarm the garrison.

And I imagine,' continued the Emperor, ' that I shall not get back until breakfast-time to-morrow, and that, if I get any sleep at all, it will be in the railway-carriage going and coming.' ' Thank Heaven that I am not an Emperor !' ejaculated the Princess. ' You well may, my dear sister. In my daily pro gramme there is, I notice, no provision for regular meals, or for going to bed. I am theoretically supposed, it seems, to be always up, and to be able to change my uniform with the rapidity of lightning. A woman can sit up all night, but she cannot change her costume in an instant, so that our law has rightly laid down that no woman can succeed to the throne of Ruhland and the Lusatian Empire. You understand now how wise is this provision of the Constitution.' ' I am glad that at least you have time to be frivolous,' said the Princess, who rose, went round to the back of her brother's chair, and kissed him on the forehead. ' When a man can be frivolous things are well with him.

Is it not so, Count ?' ' Your Royal Highness is right,' replied the Field- Marshal. 'And bright spirits can pull a man out of many a difficulty. Yet there is no doubt that his Majesty is overworked. Your Royal Highness must persuade him to spare himself.' ' I need no persuasion,' declared the Emperor. ' I only want to be convinced that if I spare myself nothing else will suffer. Now, the Chinese Envoy comes here to-day. It is true that we cannot converse without the assistance of an interpreter, and that, for all practical purposes, he might settle his business with the Chancellor, or even with some subordinate Foreign Office official. But if I don't receive him he will consider himself slighted. Again, I have to lay the foundation-stone of the Aeronau tical Institute. Any bricklayer can lay it better than I. Yet if I do not officiate the matter will not be fully noticed in to-morrow's papers, and the desired publicity — which is to attract subscriptions— will not be secured.

I ought later to drive in the park, but, as I shall not have time, the people will be disappointed. Then, as to the alarming of the garrison. An army corps com mander, or you, Count, might do it ; but you know that the Emperor is supposed to see things that ordinary critics do not notice, no matter whether he be sleepy or not ; and that iny sudden apparition will produce a much greater degree of promptness, smartness, and general IHE BURDEN OF GREATNESS 9 tension than even yours would, and this in spite of all your experience and reputation, and of the merited enthusiasm with which my whole army regards you.' The veteran bowed deprecatingly. ' Sire,' said he, ' I am only an honoured servant of your Majesty.' ' Say, rather, my dear friend and counsellor. But, Nannette, look how selfish I am.

Young and strong, I nevertheless consider how I can spare myself, while I take no thought for the Field-Marshal, whom, on these nocturnal garrison-alarming expeditions, I always need at my side. I must spare you, Count, in the future, and endeavour to get assistance from an officer to whom these exertions will be less trying.' ' Sire,' exclaimed the Count, ' a soldier who cannot mount his horse at all hours, who cannot sleep in a cattle-truck or do without sleep now and then, and who cannot follow his chief, should be granted his demission. Thank God, I am not, I believe, an invalid ; but if there be any doubt in your Majesty's mind as to my continued usefulness, I pray your Majesty to graciously permit me to spend my last days where my weaknesses and ailments can be suitably nursed.' ' I beg your pardon,' said the Emperor, frankly extend ing his hand and pressing that of the Field-Marshal. ' But because a regiment is the best in the army we do not march it off its legs ; and because an officer is the best in the world we do not kill him with work.

Do not be angry with me. You shall accompany me so long as you will. And now we must attend the meeting of my military cabinet, for it is half-past eight. Adieu, Nan nette, until Providence and duty let me see you again.' The Princess sprang to her brother's side as he rose from the table, took both his hands in hers, stood affectionately before him, and then smiled happily as he pinched her cheek and turned away. It is unnecessary to follow the Emperor through all the duties of that well-filled day. His work was a continued struggle against time on the one hand, and superficiality on the other. His Excellency the Spanish Ambassador had been allotted three-quarters of an hour for his audience. He had important affairs to talk about, but he was so courtly in his speech and so deliberate in his methods that he allowed half an hour to elapse ere he fairly attacked his subject.

In order to avoid having to bow out the grandee before he had finished his business, the Emperor, instead of merely listening, suddenly inter rupted his visitor, and, putting a few curt and searching questions, speedily made himself master of the various points, and even then had time to return a suitable reply. With the Chinese Envoy he was driven to pursue much the same course. In fact, he habitually pursued it with diplomatists ; but, though he thus economized time, he gained a notoriety for brusqueness and sharpness that caused many, who did not know him ultimately, to re gard him as lacking in the more trifling of conventional decencies. His ministers, who had greater experience of him, upon the whole rather liked the Emperor's habits in this respect. The interview with the Chancellor was that day, as usual, little more than an examination of the THE BURDEN OF GREATNESS 11 subject by the sovereign.

The Emperor, as he entered the room, nodded his greeting, and at the same moment put a question ; and, as he received replies, he continued to put questions until his curiosity was satisfied. His last question was generally, 'And is there anything else?' And, as a rule, his previous questions had been so per tinent and so anticipatory of all that the minister had desired to relate, that there was ' nothing else.' There upon it was the Emperor's practice to quickly and con cisely issue his orders and to end the interview. ' If,' as he once said to Count Stark, ' it be a business of getting lemon-juice, the right method, depend upon it, is to squeeze your lemon. There may, of course, be other ways, but there is no way more obvious or more effectual ; and when your lemon is anxious to yield its juice, it is surely unkind not to expedite the yield by squeezing promptly.' By dint of adhering strictly to his time-table, the Emperor was able to enjoy his family dinner-party at the palace at eight o'clock.

It was called the ' family dinner,' because it had always been called so. His Majesty's father and grandfather had utilized the meal as an occasion for meeting all their near relatives. The Emperor Carl, having very few near relatives except the Princess Nannette, had changed the character of his ' family dinner, ' and had chosen to make it an occasion for meeting not so much the members of his family as his more intimate friends in all walks of life. It was his chief, and, indeed, almost his only regular recreation, and, although it was generally somewhat hurried, it was invariably a bright and pleasant function ; for, for at least an hour after eight o'clock every evening, the Emperor, when he dined at home, threw aside the cares of State and became the private gentleman at the head of his table.

The party always consisted of ten all told, and was usually made up chiefly of men. On this particular evening it was a characteristic one, and may, therefore, be briefly described. On the Emperor's right sat an English Princess ; next to her was the Russian Ambas sador ; next to him was M. Alphonse Puget, the dis tinguished French engineer ; and between him and the Princess Nannette was Count Stark, a frequent guest at these dinners. On the Princess's right sat Baron Stoll, the great African traveller ; next him came Madame Watzka, the Hungarian novelist and poetess ; on her right was Mr. Esek Hoodlum, of New York ; and on the Emperor's left was Vice-Admiral Spott, of the imperial Lusatian navy. Precedence and ceremony were little observed ; everyone was at his ease ; and, although some of the gentlemen wore uniform, they only did so because they seldom wore anything else.

The Ambas sador, Puget, Stoll, and Hoodlum, were in plain evening dress. Indeed, it was the rule of these dinners that every guest was to appear as he would appear if he were dining in his own house. The Court newsman never mentioned the names of those present ; and neither in the room and appointments, nor in the service, was there anything to remind the observer that the host was not some private Lusatian gentleman enjoying the society of THE BURDEN OF GREA TNESS 13 friends of his own rank. Once only in the course of the evening did the routine of proceedings differ from that of an ordinary dinner-party. It was when, at a recognised moment, the host rose, bowed to the Princess Nannette, and, glass in hand, said : ' My dear sister, let us drink to our Fatherland.' And it was the custom for the guests thereupon to rise and drink tbe toast in silence, turning meanwhile first to the Emperor and then to the Princess.

Of those present on this particular evening the only one requiring more description than he has already received is Mr. Esek Hoodlum, of New York. Mr. Hoodlum was a young man of the Emperor's age, and his intimacy with the Emperor dated from the time when both had been students at the University of Rostock. A restless traveller, he made Sandburg his headquarters whenever he was on the continent of Europe, and, while there, always saw a good deal of the Emperor, who valued the American bluntness and out spoken honesty of his friend, and found in Hoodlum's unconventional ways a pleasant relaxation from the stiffness and formality of ordinary Court and military life. There are Americans and Americans, and, although the assertion may not be in accordance with the received opinion in Europe, it is nevertheless a fact that, among Americans of the better sort, there is a large class the characteristics of which are not over-reaching ' smartness,' vulgar impertinence, and unscrupulous acuteness.

Its characteristics are honesty, straightforwardness, and extreme simplicity. Hoodlum belonged to this class, or he would scarcely have been honoured with the Em peror's friendship ; and he was a man who, unlike many of the Emperor's friends, was absolutely independent and disinterested. But, though he possessed some ability and much native common-sense, his very openness and simplicity rendered him perhaps a rather dangerous associate for a monarch who had in his hand the keeping of the world's peace and the secrets of a dozen cabinets. A great personal admirer of the Emperor, Hoodlum seldom let pass an occasion for sounding the praises of his hero. All his friends knew that he was much in the Emperor's confidence ; and the American probably saw no more reason for disguising the fact than for dis guising his intimacy with any other man of character and reputation.

Had all men been as honest as he, no harm would have resulted. But, unfortunately, although for four-and-twenty years Esek Hoodlum had lived in the midst of the great world, and had even managed to see much of it, he failed to realize that it is a scheming and, indeed, a very wicked world, against which the really prudent man should ever be on his guard. ' By the way, when do you sail, Hoodlum ?' asked the Emperor, as dinner was nearing its conclusion. 'I go to England the day after to-morrow, sir, and shall leave Liverpool for New York on Monday,' replied the American. ' Well, recollect that we shall be glad to see you back again. You must be here in the autumn, if you can, for the Grand Manœuvres. They are to be held this year somewhere on the coast, so that, in addition to two army corps, the fleet may take part.

Is not that what we want to arrange, my dear Admiral '?' ' That is what I venture to hope, sire,' said Admiral Spott. ' It will teach both branches of your Majesty's service some useful lessons concerning co-operation.' ' You hear, Hoodlum '?' laughed the Emperor. ' That is Spott's way of saying that if you come and bring your camera you will find plenty to do. Take care, though, that we don't arrest you as a spy. Be here by the third week in September, and you will be in time. Imme diately after the manœuvres there will be something else for you to see, for October the 20th is to be my wedding-day. I invite you to be present.' ' I shall come with pleasure, sir,' said Hoodlum simply. ' In the meantime I heartily wish you every happiness in life.' ' I am sure you do, my dear fellow,' returned the Emperor. ' And now, do you feel inclined to come to night and see me wake up the garrison of Bomberg ?

The Field-Marshal and I start almost immediately. You only need a warm coat, plenty of cigars, and a flask of brandy ; and if you haven't them in the palace, I dare say we can lend you them.' ' I should immensely like to come,' replied Hoodlum eagerly. The Emperor rose and bowed to each of his guests. ' Ladies and gentlemen,' he said, 'I regret that some of us must leave you. We have business to attend to. But I beg you not yet to depart. My sister the Princess will be charmed to be favoured a little longer with your society. You, gentlemen, will later, I do not doubt, find your way to the billiard-room. The Admiral here plays a strong game. I bid you good-night, and thank you heartily for your company.' And with a bow to all in general he turned towards the door, which, however, he did not reach before the Princess Nannette caught him up and bade him good-night.

The Emperor's nocturnal garrison - alarming expedi tions were romantic affairs, and, as is often the case with romantic affairs, decidedly uncomfortable. It was rain ing hard ; but it was the Emperor's practice, when starting on these journeys, always to walk to the station, for he feared lest the passage of his well-known carriage through the streets of the capital might arouse people to a consciousness of what he was about to do, and so lead to the despatch in the threatened directions of warning telegrams, which might neutralize the value of the projected surprise. Through the pelting rain, therefore, the party trudged. The Emperor and the Field-Marshal, muffled up in their uniform greatcoats, betrayed no signs of rank that were likely to attract the attention of casual observers, and Hoodlum, bearing an umbrella and walking with them, was not in any way remarkable.

They had a mile to walk, and when at length they reached the Eastern Station, they were all decidedly damp. The Emperor led the way at once to the stationmaster's office, and entering, confronted that alarmed dignitary with the pithy announcement : ' The usual train must be ready in ten minutes. Secrecy must be observed. The destination is Bomberg, and all traffic must, if necessary, be stopped.' Then, throwing open his coat, his Majesty took up a position with his back to the stove, opened his cigar-case, offered it to the Field-Marshal and to Hoodlum, and lighted a cigar for himself. ' We don't indulge ourselves much on these occasions,' he said to the American. ' If I ordered out my saloon carriage everyone in the station would know of my being here, so we take sometimes a third-class carriage, some times a horse-box, and sometimes — only sometimes, remember — an ordinary first-class.

It is always interest ing to speculate upon what our excellent and judicious friend the stationmaster will deem most suitable. We leave it to his judgment, and I must say that he usually makes us sufficiently uncomfortable. But even when he sends us in a horse-box, he invariably provides plenty of clean straw; and the Field-Marshal will tell you that clean straw is the healthiest of all materials for sleeping upon.' ' Oh, we generally fare very well,' laughed Count Stark. ' In real campaigning, you know, the straw, as often as not, is not clean. Frequently, too, there is no straw at all, and there is generally no horse-box. Yet I have slept very soundly on the bare ground under the stars, and I remember, also, to have seen his Majesty's royal father very soundly asleep in the manger of a ruined cowshed.

It is chiefly the idle who cannot sleep anywhere.' The stationmaster, who had gone out to make the requisite arrangements, returned, watch in hand. ' The train,' he said, ' will, if your Majesty pleases, start in four minutes.' ' And what is it to-night ?' asked the Emperor, laughing. ' Your Majesty will, if it pleases your Majesty, travel in a horse-box. It is a new one, may it please your Majesty, and it has not yet been used.' ' I told you how it would be, Hoodlum,' said the Emperor, as he buttoned his coat again and knocked off the ash of his cigar against the stove. ' But we are un usually favoured in having a new horse-box. Lead on, stationmaster.' The official, taking up a lantern from the floor, led the way through the great station to an uncovered and ill-lighted siding, into which an express engine was at that moment backing the selected horse-box, to which was also attached a break-van.