Once again we are beholden to the current executors of the Knolly estate for letting us publish this, the second package of the great man's journals and memoirs.

I explained briefly to Hobbes my discovery regarding the shortage of armaments within the armoury and then asked to be handed over to Bertie.

'Isn’t this clever Knolly!' He seemed to beam with delight down the telephone wires, 'Miles away and I’m talking to you as if you are standing next to me.'

I let him rattle on for a bit longer and then his scientific delight just got too much to bear.

'Bertie, please be quiet for at least a minute. The armoury on “The Train” is as good as empty and we need to come up with an alternative source of weapons in case Hobbes can’t convince Chief Meeds of the urgency of our mission.'

There was a pause from Bertie, 'Well what do we need then?'

'Whatever you can get I think, try Wallopers’ Gymnasium, he should be able to get his hands on some cold steel and possibly a couple of revolvers, I’ve still got my Service issue one at home and you still have your Elephant gun.'

'Righty ho! Oh, we’ve, well Louis anyway, has started work on your automobile, young fellow couldn’t wait.'

'Oh, good show!' I had to show willing even though I was thinking otherwise.

Meeds had silently crept up behind me and now I could hear him breathing down my neck.

'Bertie, put Hobbes back on, I think Chief Meeds would like a word.'

I turned and handed a suddenly very uncomfortable Chief the earpiece.

'It’s for you!'

I watched Meeds face pull various contortions whilst he tried to get a word in and his glass eye didn’t make the picture any better. Hobbes was quite obviously not happy with the affair although even when angry he was quiet, a disturbing and unnerving trait I recall from my school days.

After a few minutes of visible squirming Meeds handed me back the earpiece.

'I’ll have everything ready for you in time sir, just as Mr Hobbes has requested.'

He added a 'Sir' as an afterthought, saluted and made his way to the door.

'Hello Hobbes, what on Earth did you say to him, he has gone a very odd colour?'

'Never you mind that young man.' He was obviously still in school master mode and I instantly felt about twelve years old and a lot shorter. 'The important thing is that the armoury will be properly kitted out, yes Bertie you can still get the sabres or whatever.'

I heard Bertie continue to mutter in the background.

'Yes I had hoped though for a machine gun too' answered Hobbes.

'A machine gun!'

'Quiet let me finish… The Navy it seems will not let anyone get their hands on one regardless of who they are, or their rank. So I shall need you to pay a call on my friend Maxim, he lives not far from you and Elspeth, West Norwood way and owes me one or two favours and I know has a habit of taking his work home with him from the factory at Crayford.'

'Um…, are you sure about this?'

'Oh yes, I’ll get just find his address and I’ll let him know you’ll be popping along in the next day or so late afternoon or early evening is usually the best time to catch him.'

I was struggling for words a bit now and kept thinking 'A machine gun… A machine gun!'

'Knolly, are you still there? You’ve gone very quiet'

'Bertie, oh good. Is Hobbes all right? He has just suggested I pop along to a friend of his to collect a machine gun.'

'Yes I know, it was my suggestion, excellent rate of fire and we can mount it on your automobile too.'

'Bertie, this is supposed to be an undercover operation, we are not at war with anyone.'

'I know… just being prepared for any eventuality.'

'Hmm… the fact that you just want to get your hands on one has nothing to do with it, I trust?'

'Thought never entered my mind… Now, must dash.'

'Indeed, yes. Elspeth will be on her way home by now and I need to get on. Toodle pip.' And with that I hung up the call.

I shook my head as I mad my way to the door and out of the carriage. Would a machine gun really be necessary, I‘d seen first hand the devastation they could cause and read various reports of their increasingly common usage around the Empire. I deeply hoped that we would not need to use it, but, as Bertie pointed out moving it around would not be a problem. Of Chief Meeds there was no sign and so I had to leave the carriage unlocked. There was still a lot of noise and commotion coming from the screened off area and I toyed with the idea of taking a peek and then my stomach made a loud growling noise. The thought of a hot meal at home got the better of me; I checked my watch, five minutes after five. If I got a move on I could be home with Elspeth by seven and enjoying whatever cook had prepared, it was on the whole a very simple decision to make and so I quickly left the basement train station and its secrets for the streets of London.

In retrospect perhaps I shouldn’t have rushed home to my darling wife, and perhaps I should have nosed around bit. Would it have made any difference to what lay before us in years to come? Who can say? Well, Dr Roux possibly as he is often pontificating about time being like trouser legs or something along those lines, maybe it is coat sleeves?

The temperature had dropped a few degrees as I stepped out of the Admiralty building and I made a mental note to myself to ensure we all had thermal underwear with us for the trip to Scotland. Bertie and I had made that mistake once before and it was not a pleasant experience. I waited outside for a few minutes to see if my new found fragrant follower would put in an appearance, but the thought of additional work seemed to have made the decision for him/her/it. And so, with the cold air, I headed off in the direction of Whitehall where I was certain I would be able to hail a cab home.

The walk kept me warm and gave me time to get my thoughts in order. Things were certainly shaping up. We would be in Scotland within three or four days time, fully equipped and ready to find out what was really going on in and around Loch Ness. With luck Conan Doyle’s message would get to that fellow carrying out the scientific surveys in the area and we can use him to provide us with bit of a cover story with the locals.

Yes indeed, the plan was taking shape, though exactly what shape it was I couldn’t rightly say.

The Great Knolly Archive

The Shepherd and
huzzah4knolly

29.11.07 Front Page

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