Calloways Code.docx

Calloways Code.docx

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CallowaysCode

Calloway'sCode

TheNewYorkEnterprisesentH.B.CallowayasspecialcorrespondenttotheRusso-Japanese-Portsmouthwar.FortwomonthsCallowayhungaboutYokohamaandTokio,shakingdicewiththeothercorrespondentsfordrinksof'rickshaws--oh,no,that'ssomethingtoridein;anyhow,hewasn'tearningthesalarythathispaperwaspayinghim.ButthatwasnotCalloway'sfault.ThelittlebrownmenwhoheldthestringsofFatebetweentheirfingerswerenotreadyforthereadersoftheEnterprisetoseasontheirbreakfastbaconandeggswiththebattlesofthedescendantsofthegods.ButsoonthecolumnofcorrespondentsthatweretogooutwiththeFirstArmytightenedtheirfield-glassbeltsandwentdowntotheYaluwithKuroki.Callowaywasoneofthese.Now,thisisnohistoryofthebattleoftheYaluRiver.Thathasbeentoldindetailbythecorrespondentswhogazedattheshrapnelsmokeringsfromadistanceofthreemiles.But,forjustice'ssake,letitbeunderstoodthattheJapanesecommanderprohibitedanearerview.Calloway'sfeatwasaccomplishedbeforethebattle.WhathedidwastofurnishtheEnterprisewiththebiggestbeatofthewar.Thatpaperpublishedexclu-sivelyandindetailthenewsoftheattackonthelinesoftheRussianGeneralonthesamedaythatitwasmade.Nootherpaperprintedawordaboutitfortwodaysafterward,exceptaLondonpaper,whoseaccountwasabsolutelyincorrectanduntrue.CallowaydidthisinfaceofthefactthatGeneralKurokiwasmaking,hismovesandlivinghisplanswiththepro-foundestsecrecy,asfarastheworldoutsidehiscampswasconcerned.Thecorrespondentswereforbiddentosendoutanynewswhateverofhisplans;andeverymessagethatwasallowedonthewireswascensored--withrigidseverity.ThecorrespondentfortheLondonpaperhandedinacablegramdescribing,Kuroki'splans;butasitwaswrongfrombeginningtoendthecensorgrinnedandletitgothrough.So,theretheywere--KurokiononesideoftheYaluwithforty-twothousandinfantry,fivethousandcavalry,andonehundredandtwenty-fourguns.Ontheotherside,Zassulitchwaitedforhimwithonlytwenty-threethousandmen,andwithalongstretchofrivertoguard.AndCallowayhadgotholdofsomeimportantinsideinformationthatheknewwouldbringtheEnterprisestaffaroundacablegramasthickasfliesaroundaParkRowlemonadestand.Ifhecouldonlygetthatmessagepastthecensor--thenewcensorwhohadarrivedandtakenhispostthatday!

Callowaydidtheobviouslyproperthing.Helithispipeandsatdownonaguncarriagetothinkitover.Andtherewemustleavehim;fortherestofthestorybelongstoVesey,asixteen-dollar-a-weekreporterontheEnterprise.Calloway'scablegramwashandedtothemanagingeditoratfouro'clockintheafternoon.Hereaditthreetimes;andthendrewapocketmirrorfromapigeon-holeinhisdesk,andlookedathisreflectioncarefully.ThenhewentovertothedeskofBoyd,hisassistant（heusuallycalledBoydwhenhewantedhim）,andlaidthecablegrambeforehim."It'sfromCalloway,"hesaid."Seewhatyoumakeofit."ThemessagewasdatedatWi-ju,andthesewerethewordsofit:

Foregonepreconcertedrashwitchinggoesmuffledrumourminedarksilentunfortunaterichmondexistinggreathotlybruteselectmootedparlousbeggarsyeangelincontrovertible.Boydreadittwice."It'seitheracipherorasunstroke,"saidhe."Everhearofanythinglikeacodeintheoffice--asecretcode?

"askedthem.e.,whohadheldhisdeskforonlytwoyears.Managingeditorscomeandgo."Noneexceptthevernacularthattheladyspecialswritein,"saidBoyd."Couldn'tbeanacrostic,couldit?

""Ithoughtofthat,"saidthem.e.,"butthebeginningletterscontainonlyfourvowels.Itmustbeacodeofsomesort.""Tryemingroups,"suggestedBoyd."Let'ssee--'Rashwitchinggoes'--notwithmeitdoesn't.'Muf-fledrumourmine'--musthaveanundergroundwire.'Darksilentunfortunaterichmond'--noreasonwhyheshouldknockthattownsohard.'Existinggreathotly'--noitdoesn'tpanoutI'llcallScott."Thecityeditorcameinahurry,andtriedhisluck.Acityeditormustknowsomethingabouteverything;soScottknewalittleaboutcipher-writing."Itmaybewhatiscalledaninvertedalphabetcipher,"saidhe."I'lltrythat.'R'seemstobetheoftenestusedinitialletter,withtheexceptionof'm.'Assuming'r'tomean'e',themostfrequentlyusedvowel,wetransposetheletters--so."Scottworkedrapidlywithhispencilfortwominutes;andthenshowedthefirstwordaccordingtohisreading--theword"Scejtzez.""Great!

"criedBoyd."It'sacharade.MyfirstisaRussiangeneral.Goon,Scott.""No,thatwon'twork,"saidthecityeditor."It'sundoubtedlyacode.It'simpossibletoreaditwithoutthekey.Hastheofficeeverusedaciphercode?

""JustwhatIwasasking,"saidthem.e."Hustleeverybodyupthatoughttoknow.Wemustgetatitsomeway.Callowayhasevidentlygotholdofsome-thingbig,andthecensorhasputthescrewson,orhewouldn'thavecabledinalotofchopsueylikethis."ThroughouttheofficeoftheEnterpriseadragnetwassent,haulinginsuchmembersofthestaffaswouldbelikelytoknowofacode,pastorpresent,byreasonoftheirwisdom,information,naturalintelligence,orlengthofservitude.Theygottogetherinagroupinthecityroom,withthem.e.inthecentre.Noonehadheardofacode.Allbegantoexplaintotheheadinvesti-gatorthatnewspapersneveruseacode,anyhow--thatis,aciphercode.OfcoursetheAssociatedPressstuffisasortofcode--anabbreviation,rather--but--Them.e.knewallthat,andsaidso.Heaskedeachmanhowlonghehadworkedonthepaper.NotoneofthemhaddrawnpayfromanEnterpriseenvelopeforlongerthansixyears.Callowayhadbeenonthepapertwelveyears."TryoldHeffelbauer,"saidthem.e."HewasherewhenParkRowwasapotatopatch."Heffelbauerwasaninstitution.Hewashalfjanitor,halfhandy-manabouttheoffice,andhalfwatchman--thusbecomingthepeerofthirteenandone-halftailors.Sentfor,hecame,radiatinghisnationality."Heffelbauer,"saidthem.e.,"didyoueverhearofacodebelongingtotheofficealongtimeago-aprivatecode?

Youknowwhatacodeis,don'tyou?

""Yah,"saidHeffelbauer."SureIknowvatacodeis.Yah,apoutdwelforfifteenyearagoderofficehadacode.Derrebortersindercity-roomhafithere.""Ah!

"saidthem.e."We'regettingonthetrailnow.Wherewasitkept,Heffelbauer?

Whatdoyouknowaboutit?

""Somedimes,"saidtheretainer,"deykeepitinderlittleroombehindderlibraryroom.""Canyoufinditaskedthem.e.eagerly."Doyouknowwhereitis?

""MeinGott!

"saidHeffelbauer."Howlongyoudinkacodelive?

Derreborterscallhimamaskeet.Butvondayhebuttmithisheaddereditor,und--""Oh,he'stalkingaboutagoat,"saidBoyd."Getout,Heffelbauer."Againdiscomfited,theconcertedwitandresourceoftheEnterprisehuddledaroundCalloway'spuzzle,con-sideringitsmysteriouswordsinvain.ThenVeseycamein.Veseywastheyoungestreporter.Hehadathirty-two-inchchestandworeanumberfourteencollar;buthisbrightScotchplaidsuitgavehimpresenceandcon-ferrednoobscurityuponhiswhereabouts.Heworehishatinsuchapositionthatpeoplefollowedhimabouttoseehimtakeitoff,convincedthatitmustbehunguponapegdrivenintothebackofhishead.Hewasneverwithoutanimmense,knotted,hard-woodcanewithaGerman-silvertiponitscrookedhandle.Veseywasthebestphotographhustlerintheoffice.Scottsaiditwasbecausenolivinghumanbeingcouldresisttheper-sonaltriumphitwastohandhispictureovertoVesey.Veseyalwayswrotehisownnewsstories,exceptthebigones,whichweresenttotherewritemen.Addtothisfactthatamongalltheinhabitants,temples,andgrovesoftheearthnothingexistedthatcouldabashVesey,andhisdimsketchisconcluded.VeseybuttedintothecircleofcipherreadersverymuchasHeffelbauer's"code"wouldhavedone,andaskedwhatwasup.Someoneexplained,withthetouchofhalf-familiarcondescensionthattheyalwaysusedtowardhim.Veseyreachedoutandtookthecablegramfromthem.e.'shand.UndertheprotectionofsomespecialProvidence,hewasalwaysdoingappallingthingslikethat,andcoming,offunscathed."It'sacode,"saidVesey."Anybodygotthekey?

""Theofficehasnocode,"saidBoyd,reachingforthemessage.Veseyheldtoit."ThenoldCallowavexpectsustoreadit,anyhow,"saidhe."He'supatree,orsomething,andhe'smadethisupsoastogetitby,thecensor.It'suptous.Gee!

Iwishtheyhadsell,me,too.Say--wecan'taffordtofalldownonourendofit.'Foregone,preconcertedrash,witching'--h'm."Veseysatdownonatablecornerandbegantowhistlesoftly,frowningatthecablegram."Let'shaveit,please,"saidthem.e."We'vegottogettoworkonit.""IbelieveI'vegotalineonit,"saidVesey."Givemetenminutes."Hewalkedtohisdesk,threwhishatintoawaste-basket,spreadoutflatonhischestlikeagorgeouslizard,andstartedhispencilgoing.ThewitandwisdomoftheEnterpriseremainedinaloosegroup,andsmiledatoneanother,noddingtheirheadstowardVesey.Thentheybegantoexchangetheirtheoriesaboutthecipher.IttookVeseyexactlyfifteenminutes.Hebroughttothem.e.apadwiththecode-keywrittenonit."IfelttheswingofitassoonasIsawit,"saidVesey."HurrahforoldCalloway!

He'sdonetheJapsandeverypaperintownthatprintsliteratureinsteadofnews.Takealookatthat."ThushadVeseysetforththereadingofthecode:

Foregone-conclusionPreconcerted-arrangementRash-actWitching-hourofmidnightGoes-withoutsayingMuff