Messrs. Skeets and Shale4 were no mere5 novices6 in crime, and their daring coup7 of defrauding8 the United Trusts Banking10 Company of the round sum of ￡30,000, and their subsequent disappearance11, had both mystified and astonished the British public by its audacity12, and had completely baffled the greatest detective experts of Scotland Yard.
Skeets had lived up to his disguise very thoroughly13. Even the subsequent engagement of Miss Olive Baird had been undertaken solely14 with the idea of elaborating the smaller but by no means unnecessary details of his disguise. Since there was no reliable description of Mr. Joseph Shales15, who was the unseen partner in the deal with the banking firm, it was a fairly simple matter for him to get out of the country under the guise2 of the husband of "Mrs. Shallop".
It had been the intention of the precious pair to leave the West Barbican at Cape16 Town; hence Mrs. Shallop's anxiety to get a wireless17 message through as soon as the ship came within radio range of Table Bay. But the absence of a reply from Skeets's confederate at Cape Town had so startled the fugitives19 that they decided20 to go on until they found a convenient port, preferably in India, where they could lie low and live on their ill-gotten plunder21.
The foundering22 of the West Barbican had upset their calculations. Practically the whole of the pair's booty went down with the ship. Mr. Shallop, otherwise Shales, having no further use for his destitute23 partner, went off in one of the ship's boats which was eventually picked up. Arriving at Cape Town he took the ill-advised step of looking-up a pal24. The latter was already languishing25 in a South African penal26 establishment, and Mr. Shales, upon making inquiries27, was enlightened by an acquaintance of the convict, who chanced to be an astute28 detective.
The outcome of this meeting was that Mr. Shallop, under the mellow29 influence of strong waters, said more than he would have done had he been in his sober senses. Recovering from his maudlin30 state he found himself in custody31.
Having no belief in the worn proverb concerning honour amongst thieves, and perhaps fully32 convinced that his partner in crime had been lost in the disaster to the West Barbican, Joseph Shales confessed to a minor33 part in the United Trusts Bank frauds, at the same time laying the blame upon the missing Benjamin Skeets.
The immediate34 result was that directly the news was cabled that more survivors35 from the West Barbican, including Mrs. Shallop, had been landed at Pangawani, the Kilba Protectorate Police were instructed to arrest the much-wanted Benjamin.
Before Mostyn left to go on board the Quilboma he had an opportunity of saying farewell to Olive, and at the same time telling her of the astounding36 news.
"And to think that she—or, rather, he—bluffed the whole jolly lot of us," he added. "Even the Old Man and Doctor Selwyn were taken in completely."
"Not all of us, Peter," rejoined the girl softly. "I knew—but not at first."
"By Jove!" ejaculated the astonished Mostyn. "You did? When did you?"
"Not until the West Barbican was sinking," replied Olive. "I found it out then: I couldn't help it. Of course, I didn't know exactly what to do, and I knew nothing whatever of the crime she—I mean, he—had committed. But I meant to tell you some day, Peter."
"We are well rid of him," remarked Mostyn.
"Yes," agreed the girl thoughtfully. Then, after a pause, she added frankly37. "But if it had not been for Mrs. Shallop I might never have met you, Peter."
Mostyn departed radiantly upon the voyage on which depended the fate of the Brocklington Ironworks Company's contract.
It was not until the day following that Davis, in his official capacity, completed the inspection38 of the dhow. When he came to knock off the lid of the box in which Mostyn had nailed up the gold and silver coins, he found that, although the seals were intact, the money had vanished.
Davis gave a low whistle.
"That stuff's been lifted before the dhow put into Pangawani," he declared to his assistant. "The seals being intact proves that."
His companion laughed.
"After sneaking39 ￡30,000 friend Skeets wouldn't scruple40 to lift that little lot," he remarked.
"S'pose so," conceded Davis. "We'll go and report the loss; but I'm afraid that Mrs. Shallop has got well away with it this time."
Which was exactly what had happened. As far as the authorities at Pangawani were concerned Benjamin Skeets had vanished, seemingly into thin air. Although the daily train from Pangawani up-country had been rigorously searched at every intermediate station, soon after the flight of the much wanted man was made known, no one unable to give a good account of himself or herself had been discovered. With the exception of the Quilboma no vessel41 had left the port during the previous twenty-four hours. Native police and trackers had scoured42 the bush for miles in the vicinity of Pangawani without picking up any traces of the fugitive18.
*****
Meanwhile Peter Mostyn was speeding south on board the S.S. Quilboma. From the moment the harbour launch had placed him on the deck of the tramp outside Pangawani bar, he was entirely43 cut off from news of the rest of the world. The Quilboma was not fitted with wireless, her owners, since the relaxation44 of Board of Trade regulations on the termination of the war, having dispensed45 with what they considered to be an unprofitable, expensive, and unnecessary outfit46.
The tramp was only of 1500 tons gross register, and with a speed of nine knots. Her engines were of an antiquated47, reciprocating48 type, while her coal consumption was out of all proportion to her carrying capacity. Had she been plying49 in home waters she would never have passed the official re-survey; consequently her owners, one of whom was her skipper, took good care to confine the Quilboma's activities to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
In fine weather, and aided by the current constantly setting southward through the Mozambique Channel, the Quilboma was actually making between eleven and a half and twelve knots "over the ground". Three days after leaving Pangawani she arrived at the entrance to Bulonga Harbour.
Six hours elapsed before she was berthed50 alongside the rotting wharf51, to dry-out in a bed of noxious52 mud as the tide left her.
Mostyn got to work promptly53, and with his accustomed enthusiasm. He had the good luck to find the Portuguese54 agent on the spot. The preposterous56 storage charges were discussed, haggled57 over, and settled; gangs of native workmen were hired, and the task of loading up the Quilboma with her bulky but precious cargo58 began.
It was now that Peter met with a sudden and unexpected check, for, on inspecting the metalwork, he found that even in a comparatively short time the moist, tropical atmosphere had attacked the steel in spite of the coating of oxide59 it had received before leaving England.
To deliver it in this state meant a possible, nay60, probable rejection61 by the consignees; but fortunately the skipper of the Quilboma rose to the occasion.
"I've a couple o' kegs of oxide aboard," he announced. "Put the niggers on to it, and let 'em give the stuff another coat."
"Over the rust9?" queried62 the conscientious63 Peter,
The Old Man winked64 solemnly.
"Who's to know?" he asked. "Paint's like charity: covers a multitude of defects."
"That won't do for me," declared Peter. "I'll have every bit of the scale chipped off before the least flick65 of paint is put on."
The skipper shrugged66 his shoulders but refrained from audible comment. Although in his mind he considered his charterer to be a silly young owl67, especially as he was bound to a time limit, he had to confess that Mostyn was doing the right thing.
It took the native workmen two days of unremitting toil68 (Peter and the Portuguese agent took care that it was unremitting) to clean the steelwork and recoat it with oxide. Then the loading commenced.
With the perspiration69 pouring down his face, Mostyn supervised the removal of the ponderous70 girders from the enclosure, the Chief Mate being responsible for the storage of the material in the hold.
Presently the Old Man, puffing71 like a grampus, hurried up to Mostyn.
"Those four long bits won't stow," he announced. "Our main hold ain't long enough, not by five feet."
"Will they stow on deck?" asked Mostyn.
"And capsize the old hooker in the first bit o' dirty weather we run into?" rejoined the skipper caustically72. "You don't catch me doing that, my dear sir. We'll have to leave 'em behind, and the Thylied can pick 'em up. She's about due to leave Port Elizabeth, and ought to be here in a week's time."
"Look here, Skipper," said Peter firmly. "You contracted to bring this consignment73 from Bulonga to Pangawani. I gave you the dimensions of the longest girders before we came to terms, and you declared to me that you could stow the whole of the consignment. And you'll have to do it."
"It ain't a matter of life an' death," expostulated the Old Man. "I'll make a liberal abatement74 in the freightage charges and—
"You won't," declared Mostyn firmly. "You won't, because you've got to ship every bit of that steelwork; so get busy."
The skipper of the Quilboma was one of those easy-going, obliging sort of fellows who can rarely make up their minds and act unless dominated by a person of strong, individual character. He was inclined to let things drift, and would assuredly choose the line of least resistance regardless of the consequences. As a navigator he was passable; as a seaman75 he lacked the alertness and decision necessary to shine at his profession. For years he had been in command of the Quilboma, and not once in that time had he found himself in a really tight corner. It was luck—pure luck—which might at a very inopportune moment let him down very badly.
"What do you suggest then?" he growled77.
"I suggested deck cargo," replied Peter. "You turned it down. I don't question your authority or your wisdom on that point. The rest is up to you."
"A' right," rejoined the Old Man. "You just hang on here and keep these niggers up to scratch. I'll fix it up somehow."
And "fix it up somehow" he did; for when at sundown Mostyn returned to the ship he found that the long, heavy girders were stowed. The Old Man had had the bulkhead between the main hold and the boiler78-room cut through—it did not require much labour, so worn and rusty79 were the steel plates of that bulkhead—with the result that one end of each of the troublesome girders was within six inches of the for'ard boiler.
At length the loading-up was completed. Steam was raised in the wheezy boilers80; the Portuguese customs officials were "suitably rewarded", and clearance81 papers obtained; and at four in the afternoon the Quilboma crossed the bar of Bulonga Harbour, starboarded helm, and shaped a course for Pangawani.
Head winds and an adverse82 current made a vast difference to the speed of the old tramp. She had taken but three days to run south; five days still found her plugging ahead with Pangawani a good fifty miles off.
The Quilboma was now making bad weather of it. Her foredeck was constantly under water, as she pitched and wallowed against the head seas. The glass was falling rapidly. Unless the ship made harbour before the threatened storm broke, it would be impossible to cross the bar until the weather moderated.
The Old Man began to look anxious.
At midday Peter was with the skipper on the bridge when the Chief Engineer approached the Old Man.
"Coal's running low," he reported without any preliminaries.
"How long can you carry on for, Mr. Jackson?" inquired the captain.
"For five hours; less maybe," was the reply. "She's simply mopping up coal on this run. Goodness knows why, 'cause I haven't been pressing her overmuch."
The Old Man nodded. He quite understood. To run the antiquated engines at anything approaching full speed ahead might easily result in the patched-up boilers refusing duty altogether.
"Five hours'll about do," he declared. "Keep her at it, Mr. Jackson."
The Chief Engineer departed. He was not so sure that he could "keep her at it". Under normal conditions the coal taken on board at Pangawani ought to have been more than enough for the round trip. Unaccountably the consumption was much above the average, with the awkward result that the bunkers were nearly empty.
"Pangawani ain't Barry Roads," remarked the Old Man to his charterer. "There isn't a tug55 at Pangawani; but I'd bet my bottom dollar that, if we were this distance from Cardiff, there'd be a round dozen o' tugs83 buzzing round an' clamouring to give us a pluck in. No, laddie, we'll have to do it on our own, and we'll jolly well do it, too!"
"Evidently the Old Man's got a 'do or die' spasm," thought Peter, bearing in mind his previous experience with the weak-willed master of the S.S. Quilboma. "Let's hope it will last."
By four in the afternoon the Old Man sang to a different tune76. The Quilboma was now within ten miles of Pangawani; but so low was the pressure in her steam-gauges that she was making a bare five knots.
"I'll signal the first old hooker we fall in with and get her to give us a tow," he decided.
"Not much chance of sighting a vessel off Pangawani, is there?" asked Mostyn.
"You never know your luck," quoted the Old Man sententiously, as he stared apprehensively84 at the storm clouds banking up to wind'ard.
A few minutes later the skipper of the S.S. Quilboma underwent another change of character.
He blew the whistle of the engine-room voice-tube.
"How goes it, Jackson? Last shovelful85 out of the bunker? How are you off for oil? Yes, any sort. Fair amount—good. Well, stand by: I'll fix you up."
The threatening storm had completely roused the Old Man to definite, practical action. He surpassed himself, and, incidentally, surprised himself and others into the bargain.
Shouting to some of the hands he ordered them to bring axes and to smash up one of the quarter-boats.
"Don't stand there lookin' into the air," he bawled86 angrily. "Lay aft and do what you're told. I know what I'm doin'. Carve up that blank boat and pass the dunnage down to the stokehold, and be mighty87 slick about it."
The men, realizing the object of what had previously88 seemed to be a wanton act of destruction, set to work with a will. In a very few minutes the quarter-davits on the port side were looking very gaunt and forlorn, while a good five hundredweights of wood soaked in crude oil helped to feed the ravenous89 furnaces.
Half an hour later another boat shared the fate of the first, while, in addition, the crew collected various inflammable gear and passed it below, where sweating firemen threw the impromptu90 fuel into the furnaces. Bales of cotton waste soaked in oil were added to leaven91 the whole lump, until the Quilboma's stumpy, salt-rimed funnel92 threw out volumes of smoke that spread for miles astern like a grimy, evil-smelling pall93.
The Quilboma was now within sight of her goal. Broad on the port bow could be discerned the long, low beach fringed with a quavering line of milk-white foam94 and backed by the waving coco-palms and the picturesque95 bungalows96 of Kilba's principal port.
"How long will that little lot last you, Mr. Jackson?" inquired the Old Man per voice-tube. "Forty minutes? Ay, I'll see to that."
He pointed97 to one of the lifeboats. The deck-hands, grasping the significance of this display of dumb-show, threw themselves upon the boat. Axes gleamed and fell with a succession of mingled98 thuds and crashes. Planks99, timbers, knees, breast-hooks, thwarts100, masts, and oars—all went below to the still insatiable maw of the devouring101 element.
The skipper of the Quilboma made no attempt to signal for a pilot. For one reason, he knew the dangerous entrance intimately; for another, it was doubtful whether the pilot could come out and board the vessel. Yet another: the ship could not afford to wait, with her steam pressure falling and the storm perilously102 close.
"Starboard—meet her—at that—steady!"
The skipper, standing103 beside the two quartermasters at the helm, was about to take his sorely tried craft over the dangerous bar. It required pluck, but there was no option if she were to make port at all. It had to be now or never, for, if the Quilboma failed to make the bar, she would either be dashed to pieces on the reef or drift helplessly at the mercy of the gale104.
With the wind now broad on the starboard beam the old tramp rolled horribly. Peter, hanging on to the bridge-rail, fancied that every piece of steelwork in the hold had broken adrift. Groaning105, thudding, quivering, swept by sheets of blinding spray, the Quilboma staggered towards the danger-zone. At one moment her propeller106 was almost clear of the water; at the next the labouring engines seemed to be pulled up, as the madly racing107 blades sank deep beneath the surface of the broiling108 sea.
Now she was in the thick of it. Tossed about like a cork109, wallowing like a barrel, the old tramp was almost unmanageable. One of the quartermasters was juggling110 with the wheel of the steam steering-gear like a man possessed111, as he strove to keep the old hooker on her course. To port and starboard the ugly reef was showing its teeth, as the remorseless breakers crashed and receded112 with a continual roar of thunder.
Suddenly a thud, different from the rest of the hideous113 noises, shook the ship from stem to stern. For a moment—to Peter the pause seemed interminable—she seemed to hang up. Then, with a sickening, sideways lurch114 she dragged over the hard sand into the comparatively deep and sheltered waters beyond.
"Done it, by Jove!" exclaimed the Old Man, as he rang down for half-speed ahead. "We're in."
But he was trembling like a person in a fit.
Twenty minutes later the S.S. Quilboma berthed alongside the quay115. The order to draw fires was a superfluous116 one. The furnaces had burned themselves out.
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1
crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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shale
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| n.页岩，泥板岩 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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6
novices
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| n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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defrauding
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| v.诈取，骗取( defraud的现在分词 ) | |
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rust
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| n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退 | |
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banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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11
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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13
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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shales
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| n.页岩( shale的名词复数 ) | |
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16
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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17
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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foundering
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| v.创始人( founder的现在分词 ) | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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languishing
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| a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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penal
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| adj.刑罚的；刑法上的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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42
scoured
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| 走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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47
antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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48
reciprocating
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| adj.往复的；来回的；交替的；摆动的v.报答，酬答( reciprocate的现在分词 )；（机器的部件）直线往复运动 | |
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49
plying
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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50
berthed
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| v.停泊( berth的过去式和过去分词 )；占铺位 | |
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51
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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52
noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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53
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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54
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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55
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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56
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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57
haggled
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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59
oxide
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| n.氧化物 | |
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60
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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61
rejection
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| n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃 | |
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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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65
flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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66
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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68
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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71
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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72
caustically
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| adv.刻薄地；挖苦地；尖刻地；讥刺地 | |
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consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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abatement
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| n.减(免)税，打折扣，冲销 | |
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75
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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76
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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78
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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boilers
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| 锅炉，烧水器，水壶( boiler的名词复数 ) | |
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81
clearance
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| n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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83
tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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85
shovelful
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| n．一铁铲 | |
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86
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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88
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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impromptu
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| adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地) | |
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leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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bungalows
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| n.平房( bungalow的名词复数 )；单层小屋，多于一层的小屋 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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thwarts
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| 阻挠( thwart的第三人称单数 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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101
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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102
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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103
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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104
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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105
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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106
propeller
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
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107
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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108
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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109
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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110
juggling
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| n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词 | |
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111
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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112
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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113
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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114
lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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115
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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116
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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