He sipped a glass of plain water which Lehr had brought him, thanked him, then turning from Soane to Lehr:
“To get arms and munitions into Ireland in substantial quantities requires something besides the U-boats which Germany seems willing to offer.
“That was fully discussed to-night. Not that I have any doubt at all that Sir Roger will do his part skilfully and fearlessly——”
“He will that!” exclaimed Soane, “God bless him!”
“Amen, Soane,” said Murtagh Skeel, with a wistful and involuntary upward glance from his dark eyes. Then he laid his hand of an aristocrat on Soane’s shoulder. “What I came here to tell you is this: I want a ship’s crew.”
“Sorr?”
“I want a crew ready to mutiny at a signal from me and take over their own ship on the high seas.”
“Their own ship, sorr?”
“Their own ship. That is what has been decided. The ship to be selected will be a fast steamer loaded with arms and munitions for the British Government. The Sinn Fein and the Clan-na-Gael, between them, are to assemble the crew. I shall be one of that crew. Through powerful friends, enemies to England, it will 169 be made possible to sign such a crew and put it aboard the steamer to be seized.
“Her officers will, of course, be British. And I am afraid there may be a gun crew aboard. But that is nothing. We shall take her over when the time comes—probably off the Irish coast at night. Now, Soane, and you, Lehr, I want you to help recruit a picked crew, all Irish, all Sinn Feiners or members of the Clan-na-Gael.