VAGABOND VOYAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1938, Page 10

VAGABOND VOYAGE

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT COPYRIGHT

BY

ALROY WEST

(Author of “Stratosphere Express”)

CHAPTER XVI (Continued)

Delgado nodded his head.

“I don’t see where else he could have made for,” he said thoughtfully. “I assume he was heading west when he was observed?”

“He was. So it would seem that the brave Captain Wicks was going to make a great voyage for a little trawler. It was commendable. I have been making a few calculations on paper which I will let you see. I think that the trawler will not be so far away by now. We must keep both our eyes and our ears open. We must ask ourselves one or two questions. Would the captain make for the United States?” Delgado shook his head.

“It would be too long a voyage for him to go direct,” he declared. “If he should be bound for there, he is certain to make for some of the islands in the Caribbean first.”

Raul Nunez smiled his approval. “So that is out of the question,” he said. “On the other hand he might try for Brazil. But you do not agree? I can tell by the way you shake your head.”

“He wasn’t heading that way,” Captain Delgado declared. “Unless, naturally, he changed his course afterwards.”

“I think that he will give Brazil a miss,” Nunez said quickly. “But I feel certain that he will come near to this coast. He will, of course, avoid Georgetown. There they would arrest him and he would have his trouble for nothing. I have been thinking this over very carefully, my dear captain. It seems to me that we must find out where this trawler is going.’!

“I am puzzled, about the gold coin which she carries. It is said that there were two boxes. Two boxes contain somewhere between eight and ten thousand sovereigns. They would be better than nothing.”

Delgado thought for a moment. He visualized a stack of five thousand golden sovereigns. Then he started to work out what they would represent in bolivars.

Nunez understood what he was thinking. “There is a very good price for gold,” he observed. Delgado nodded his head. The stack of gold coins became even more desirable.

“But there is something which has occurred to me,” Nunez went on. “How do we know that there were only two boxes. If we lost two boxes we could be truthful about it, but if we lost ten boxes we might not say the full extent of our losses for fear that the thief would be robbed in turn. Do you get my meaning? Suppose this trawler picked up ten boxes of gold. If everybody knew that, it would mean that several people would have a try a seizing the trawler and taking the gold. So for the sake of caution it seems to me that they have only admitted that two have been taken.” The room seemed to swim before Delgado’s eyes. He tried to imagine what five boxes of gold coins would look like. Suppose there were twen-ty-five thousand gold coins for his share! How big a pile would they make? How long a line if one placed them in a row? And in the name of all that was miraculous, what would they be sold for? How many bolivars? Nunez was still smiling. “I can see that you are a quick thinker, my dear captain,” he almost purred. “Do you feel that something could be arranged between us? I will have some very discreet inquiries made so that we may be able to trace this trawler. You have your destroyer at La Vela. I will so arrange things that you are cruising about under sealed orders. It can be done without much trouble, and without anybody being very much the wiser.” “It is a wonderful plan!” Delgado cried. “But what do we do with the trawler and her crew?”

Nunez frowned. He disliked having to deal with unpleasant details. “That is for you to arrange,” he said in a casual tone. “I feel that I can leave it to you. Of course, there must be no traces. It is important that we should be able to capture this trawler, so I am having my own yacht fitted immediately so that I can join you. We can keep in communication with each other. “Of course, we will share the gold between us. It might be a good plan for us both to take a long holiday once we have it.” Captain Delgado smiled. “An excellent plan,” he agreed. “The trawler is called the “Lucky Lady.” We will drink to her speedy capture,” said Nunez. Captain Delgado raised his glass. “And an equally speedy end to all those on board her,” he added. CHAPTER XVII. The three men who were picked up by the trawler claimed to be Americans. They said that they owned a small schooner and were engaged in pearl fishing off the island of Margarita under a licence from the Government of Venezuela, without which permit it was illegal to carry on the business. Owing to bad weather they had been prevented from making the shelter of Pampatar, a port on the south-eastern side of the island. After a desperate struggle they were forced to run with the storm. Conditions became worse when they found themselves in the track of the hurricane. The masts were snapped off and the steering went, so that they were at the mercy of wind and tide. When the worst of the storm was past and they were congratulating themselves on the narrow escape they had had from death, they struck a reef and the schooner sank within a quarter of an hour. Since then they had been

drifting about in the small boat. They were far too exhausted by their struggle with the hurricane to be able to row, and they had nothing of which they could make a sail apart from their clothing, which they needed for protection from the blazing sun. Their story sounded genuine, but Peter was not too pleased with the appearance of the three men, even when they had had an opportunity of making themselves more presentable. Sinclair, owner of the schooner, and the leader of the men, was nearly as broad as Gallop, and certainly taller. He had a far from handsome face, which was marred still further by the fact that his nose, at some time, had been broken. Foster, who seemed more friendly with him than Doyle, the remaining man, was shorter and more slender in build. He had dark eyes which were never still, and fingers which indicated a similar degree of restlessness. Doyle seemed the best of the three. His hair was. aggressively red, and he had an engaging smile.

He was the first one to recover his spirits, and he took an early opportunity of thanking both Wicks and Drew for picking them up. “Not that we should have been needing it,” he added, “but for the fact that some people think they’re mighty smart at handling a ship and won’t listen to good advice.” His glance in the direction of Sinclair rendered any further explanation superfluous. Wicks had just been relieved at the wheel by Peter, and he stopped to talk to Doyle. “No more pearl fishing for you, I suppose?” he asked. “Not if I can help it,” Doyle told

him, with a broad grin. Wicks thought for a minute or so. “I might be able to put something in your way,” he said slowly. Doyle closed one eye. “I’m your man,” he declared. “Then keep quiet about it,” Wicks told him. “There’s money in it. No need to let your pals in. That would only mean all the less for you. Do you follow me?”

Doyle nodded his .head. “I’m your man,” he repeated. “And I can always be keeping a firm hold on my tongue—leastwise, I can when there’s something to be gained by silence.”'

“There’s a lot to be gained,” Wicks said, turning away and going to his cabin. Card playing started once more under the of the awning. Sinclair had a pack and at first he only played with Foster and Doyle. Then Howe contrived to join in, and a bit late Crockett took Howe’s place. Wicks noticed it and gave a scowl. He did not fancy the idea of Sinclair knowing about the gold. He didn’t take any action, but went on the bridge in order to have a word with Drew. “I’m forgetting about what happened the other day,” Wicks said quickly. “I admit that I was wrong about picking these men up. We couldn’t very well have sailed right past them. On the other hand I don’t feel comfortable about them.” “Neither do I,” Peter admitted. “It would have been far wiser to have left them to drown,” Wicks said thoughtfully. “We shall have to watch our step. I suggest that we forget about our differences. Whether you like it or not, you are on board. my ship. If Sinclair gets wind of what has taken place and realizes that I have some gold down below there will be more trouble than we can handle. I’m going to have a talk with Gallop about it. Have you any influence with him?” “I doubt it, but I am quite prepared to do what I can. I am as anxious as you are that there should not be any trouble on board the ship.” “That’s all right,” Wicks said in an easier tone. “I can depend bn Crockett, and if Gallop will help us out we can also reply on Grodon. Howe is the uncertaintin, but that is counterbalanced because I think Doyle might help us if it came to a showdown.”

“We shouldn’t have anything to fear,” Peter said. “If Howe and Doyle keep out of it, it means that we are four to two.”

“Five,” said Wicks quickly. “That Russian girl can be very useful. She’s cunning, though. Look how she fooled me about navigation. I could tell from the way she took the wheel that it wasn’t unfamiliai’ to her.”

“That was my fault, really,” Peter said, anxious for Wicks not to have too big a grudge agains the girl.

“I’m not a fool! I realize that straight away. I’d like that gun back which you took from me.” “You have one still,” Peter reminded him.

For a moment Wicks seemed about to argue, then he cocked his head slightly on one side.

“Very well,” he agreed. “You hang on to it. Perhaps it is advisable that you should be armed. If Sinclair wanted to make trouble he’d do it while I was sleeping. And I have an idea that he is the kind of man who would make plenty of trouble if he thought it would be to his advantage.” “I’m certain he is,” Peter agreed.

He began to be sorry that he had insisted on saving the three men. There was always the possibility that the gold would be the cause of bloodshed, but he had also noticed that Sinclair was watching practically every movement that Alla made. Doyle was interested in the girl as well, but there was nothing in his manner to offend. Peter I had the idea that Sinclair would get up to mischief. He mentioned this to Gallop when he was back in the cabin after his trick at the wheel. Gallop scratched his neck. (To be Continued).