VAGABOND VOYAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 May 1938, Page 10

VAGABOND VOYAGE

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

COPYRIGHT

BY

ALROY WEST

(Author of “Stratosphere Express”)

CHAPTER I. “It's gold! That’s what it is!” Captain Bartholomew Wicks leaned forward slightly, his eyes sparkling with excitement. On the small table in his cramped cabin were two boxes, ironbound and substantial looking. Both boxes were liberally coated with mud. and one of them had been forced open to reveal the small bags inside. It was one of these bags, ripped open by Wick’s strong fingers, which brought the cry of excitement from the captain. Peter Drew felt a queer fluttering of his heart as he stared at the gold coins. “Five bags to the box,” Wicks muttered. “More usual to have four I believe. But I won’t quarrel with whoever packed ’em over a little subject like that. Five bags suit me better than four.” “I don’t see that it makes much difference,” Drew cut in. “There's sure to be a reward, but it would be a round figure, and I doubt if the extra bag would make much difference to it." Wicks cocked his head on one side and tugged at his short, pointed beard. “You’re out of your mind,” he said with a grin. “Do you realize that there are a thousand sovereigns in each of these bags? . Five bags to the box makes a matter of ten thousand pounds —in gold. Worth more that way. Call it half as much again, and that makes a cool fifteen thousand. Split it three ways, say, a thousand each for the crew, five for you, and five for me. And you can all pay me a commission of ten per cent on your shares. That will be for my trouble.” “You’re the crazy one!” Drew snapped. “You can’t get away with a thing like that! Use your reason. How long do you think it will be before they find that the gold has gone.” “They’ll find that out fast enough! But they’ll think that it went straight to the bottom of the sea. The pilot of that ’plane won’t have the slightest idea of where he dropped it. It was only a light machine, and any sudden lurch was enough to stove a hole somewhere and let this little packet through. Probably stowed badly in the first case. It wouldn’t be a normal consignment going to Paris, because they use big machines for that.” “I doubt it. It’s only just daylight. They always send gold over by a sort of dawn patrol. Maybe there’s been a rush on and they were short of machines Bad luck for us, in a way. There could well have been a larger consignment. But in that case it might have been a better ’plane, and then there wouldn’t have been anything for us to salve from out of the mud. Does not do to grumble just when Fate’s starting to be kind to you.” Drew shook his head. “You can’t be serious about hanging on to the money,” he protested. “It’s too impossible for words. How are you going to exchange it in the first place? An odd sovereign or so —yes. But not five or ten thousand of ’em. By the time you’ve sold them to dealers in little lots and cleared about a quarter of them everybody may be back on the gold standard again, in which case they won’t be worth so much.”

Wicks gave a sardonic laugh. “I’m not a fool!” he cried. “I know how to deal with a little matter like this. You know, I thought something was going to happen when I stood on deck and watched that ’plane. I had an idea that this was going to be rather a long journey. Then I forgot about my notion. I was too interested in watching the pilot of that sky-bus Low clouds evidently bothered him. He almost looked as though he thought of coming down in the sea. I thought he was a gonner when the machine gave a sudden lurch.” “Probably an air pocket,” said Drew, who had not been on deck at the time. “Who’s telling this?” asked Wicks unpleasantly. “If you want to start answering before any questions are asked, you’d better say so —here and now. I’m being friendly because we’re partners from now on. It’s going to be a slightly different relationship, you see.” “Partners what in?” Drew demanded. “You'll wait until I come to that,” said Wicks, picking up some of the coins and jingling them in his great fist. “I watched that ’plane pretty closely," he continued. “I even saw these beauties drop.” He topped the two boxes. “Evidently the pilot didn’t realize what had happened, for he went straight on having steadied his machine. I was curious. Always have been curious about things. You know what happened next. And here the gold is.” Wicks took a step forward placed his handful of coins on the table and caught Drew by the shoulder. “And here it stays.” he said deliberately. “Get the idea?” Drew shook himself free “I don’t! I’ve already told you that I’m not going to be a fool! I’m mate of a trawler —not a thief. We’ve got one thing we can do —and that is to turn this stuff over to the authorities." Wicks thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his rather soiled jacket. “That’s your idea is it?” “It is. I don’t fancy spending several months in prison. It might be a longer stretch; something running into years. The law takes rather decided views when it comes to property, you know.” Wicks laughed. “Have you ever walked the streets looking for a job?" he asked. “You know I have.” “Yes. I was just reminding you. Have you ever known what it was like to go hungry?” “Yes.” “And have you thought about how miserable you’d feel if this job starter to vanish into thin air?” “That’s the very thing I am bearing in mind.”

“It's as good as gone already.” said Wicks. “We’re not going to do any trawling. We’re just going to show a very clean pair of heels. We’re getting out of English waters as fast as we can. See?” “You’re mad! Where can you go? They’ll get you just the same whether you stay in England or France, or any other country for that matter.” “They won't know that I've stolen the gold.” “But there’s the ship.” “I have a share in this ship,” Wicks said. “A third share to be exact. And my third is going a journey. I’m afraid that the portions owned by my partners will have to come along with my lot. It can’t be helped. As for the gold, as I said, nobody will think that I’ve picked it up. How can anybody know?” “They’ll know when you start changing it!” Wicks threw back his head and laughed. “Do you think I’m going to spend the rest of my life sneaking about from place to place trying to change a miserable sovereign or so at a time? You’d better guess again Mr Mate! Do you think I don’t know my way round the world? Think I’ve been fishing all my life? You listen to me for a minute. “I’ve done nearly everything in my time. I’ve gone after pearls and had plenty of trouble with the Japs. I’ve run weapons across to the Arabs in the Red Sea. I’ve been in American waters rum running by way of a change. There was only one man smarter than myself. His name was Hutch. He could do anything. He started with a broken down schooner. When I last saw him he had a dandy yacht. He used to wear a bowler hat always. He was still wearing one —and I’ll vow it was the same one —when he was on the bridge of his yacht. He’s dead now. Muscled in on something a bit too big for him. Maybe he was getting old. He was much older than myself. First time I came up against him he put me across his knee and walloped me with a belt. I broke his nose for that—ten years later. Afterwards we became friends.' “He was a smart man. He wouldn’t have turned gold over to the authorities. He’d rather have grabbed the boxes and gone plumb to the bottom of the Tuscarora Deep with them! “But you’ve got to make a choice, Mr Drew.” Wicks took his hands from his pockets. “Just in case you don’t quite understand the position I’d better tell you that this little ship may be a trawler called the Lucky Lady, but when she was built I had a say in her construction. I like to look well ahead and I saw to it so that she could be good for a long voyage. She’s going to make it —now! The men of board—apart from Wellings—have sailed with me more than once. They’ll go where I tell ’em. So you can decide what you are going to do. You’d be useful to me—l admit that right away. But I don’t find you so useful if you won’t help me. You can come in on this and get a fair share of the gold. Or you can stop out —in which case, Mr Drew, you’ll have to leave the ship. And I’m afraid that we can’t spare the dinghy. All we’ll be able to give you is some good, heavy ballast. Do you quite understand me?" CHAPTER 11. For a minute or so Peter Drew stared at Captain Wicks. It seemed incredible that such a plot could be discussed on board a trawler that was still within sight of the English coast. “Well?” Wicks asked. “I’m waiting for your answer, Drew. This isn’t a game, you know.” Peter nodded his head. “I know it isn’t a game,” he said curtly. “Better do your thinking quickly,” Wicks snapped. There was nothing about Wicks to suggest playfulness. He was only short, but remarkably broad in the shoulder, His face was as brown as leather and only a shade or so lighter than his short, pointed beard. His eyebrows, darker than his beard, were thick and straight. He had a habit of raising the right one slightly when he was thinking. He was waiting, quite prepared for either of the two possible answers. Peter made an effort to appear calm. His natural impulse was to spring on Wicks and overpower him, but it was an impossible feat ''in the cramped quarters of the cabin. Wicks would be able to make full use of his powerful arms. “Suppose I want a little more time?” Peter asked. “You’d best suppose that I don’t feel disposed to give it to you," Wicks said grimly. “The whole project seems insane," Peter complained. “I might join you if I could fell there was some likelihood of success. But what chance is there? You haven’t even started on the voyage. You’re losing valuable minutes even while you're waiting for me to come to some decision.” Wicks smiled and shook his head. He moved back to the tabic and idly played with the loose coins. “I'm being very sensible." he said. “Gallop is tinkering with his precious engine. We may have been observed by some ship. It might look exceedingly suspicious if the Lucky Lady suddenly darted away as though she wanted to make New York sometime tomorrow afternoon. I know exactly how I shall do things. Gallop will play with his engine, then we shall move in a leisurely fashion down the Channel. “We’ll keep to the French Coast. I should like to have made one of the Spanish ports, but that can’t be done. I doubt if they’d stop the civil war for us. "But you can depend upon one thing. We shall get right away from '

here to a place where we can use this money. I know how to manage things. Peter was not listening. He realised that it was useless to argue with Wicks. It would obviously be folly to declare that he would have nothing to do with the project. That would only result in being knocked on the head and dropped over the side. It was clear that Wicks could not afford to let him go. That would inevitably lead to the chase being taken up long before the Lucky Lady could get into waters which were little frequented. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t seem to have any choice,” he said slowly. “The only way I can save my skin is to enter into the venture with you. But I don’t know that I want any of the gold. I suggest that as you are the captain of the ship you merely regard me as the mate; and not a partner.’ Wicks raised his eyebrow slightly. “That’s a queer idea,” he muttered. “It’s not going to be a picnic, you know.” “I’ve guessed that.” Wicks turned to the small table and started to take the other bags from the box which had been forced open. “I’m pretty sure about these,” he said, “But I'm not going to be fooled. I like to see everything. Only fools take a lot of unnecessary chances. You can stay with me. I’m not going to try to persuade you to go against your scruples. I reckon that the sight of the gold will do that for me. You won't be able to stand out against it. It's fresh to you at the moment. The full meaning of it hasn’t sunk into your- mind. Before this voyage is over you’ll,feel different. Gold is a peculiar companion You start to dream about it. You’ll dream that all the golden sovereigns in the world are trickling through your fingers. It’s not unlike the thought of an iced lager on a sweltering hot day. You know how you can imagine that cool trickling down your throat? Gold’s like that. Only it sends a queer quiver round your heart.” ,He chuckled. “You’ll dream of it right enough. By the time we’ve made land—a good distance from here —you'll feel that you have earned every confounded coin in. these bags."

“We’ll see about that,” Peter said defiantly.. Wicks laughed. • “You’re young” he declared. “You haven't experienced the things I’ve gone through. I expect you've still got some ideals tucked away inside you. They’re not bad in their way. I suppose I had some once. But after a time I started to love myself more than my ideals. Got on rather well (hen. I’d been holding myself back, as it were. “There are a lot of ups and downs in life. It’s rather like a switchback. I came down badly not so long back. Do you think I'm the kind of man who has pigged it in a cramped trawler all my life?” He broke off and started to open another small bag. “I had to live honestly for a time," he continued. “You have to be rich to be dishonest. I suppose you didn't know that? Think it out. Crime does not belong to the poor, half-starved wreck who tries to get a bit in order to keep himself. That isn't crime, that's misery. Crime is being smart enough to maintain your own interests at the expense of the body of mugs commonly called society. “Anyway, you’ll learn all that one of these days.” (To be continued).