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Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1940, Page 10

COPYRIGHT. PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

By

R. A. J. WALLING

(Author of “The Man With the Squeaky Voice,” etc.)

CHAPTER XVI. tCon tinned). The second thing happened at nine o’clock in the morning, when the Persimmon steamed over smooth blue water towards a hazy coastline with mountain peaks jutting up and looking incandescent here and there. Worth was in the bridge-house with the captain. Ferraby sat in a deck chair, looking pale and anxious. HarrisonClifford, Pamela and Brocklebank leaned on the rail gazing at the distant shore. There was too much haze to see details on the water-line, though the mountains stood up plainly enough. There was a rumble in the air. “That’s a familiar sound,” cried Harrison-Clifford.

“Listen!” said Brocklebank. Two minutes afterwards— Boom! No mistaking it; that was a gun shot. The Captain went to his quarters and presently returned with a glass. “Nothing to be seen. Mr Worth. Too much mist,” they heard him say. "Do we carry on?” “Why not?” said Henry. The Persimmon carried on. In a quarter of an hour the horizon had cleared up. They saw now that the mountains were very high. No sooner had this been defined than a long black vessel detached itself from the background and came towards them with a smother of white at its forefoot. The Persimmon carried on. Pamela’s hand fell on Brocklebank’s wrist and gripped it hard as a puff of white smoke burst from the deck of the oncoming vessel. Six seconds passed. Boom! “Oh, thrills!” cried Pamela. “I think that’s meant for us, Mr

Worth,” said the Captain, lowering his glass. These dam’ fellows are a funny lot.” They were. They did not wait for the Persimmon to enter territorial waters. Another puff of white smoke, this time followed by a fountain of water a quarter of a mile ahead of the Persimmon as a shell dropped. Then — Boom! “That’s torn it!” said Uncle George. Bells rang. The engines of the Persimmon stopped. Whereupon the long black vessel stopped also. They floated on the oiue water a mile apart. “They’re signalling.” The Captain’s voice. “Check the signals, Quartermaster.”

“Stay—hove—to— Persimmon —coming—aboard—” Pamela’s grip tightened as the voice from the bridge checked off the words. “Acknowledge!” said the Captain.

Flags ran up to the peak in little balls and fluttered out. A boat came away. The Captain shouted orders to rig a gangway. The'n he steadied his glass and made disjointed remarks.

“Four of a crew . . naval seamen . . petty officer at the tiller . . two passengers . . civilians . . what’s the name? . . D-e-m- . . Demosthenes . . .

Greek destroyer . . The boat swung steadily towards them. The naked eyes of the three at the rail could make out the four oarsmen, the man at the tiller, the two felt hats in the thwarts aft. There were sounds below as the gangway was rigged. Th first officer passed them and went down to stand at the head of the ladder.

“Pamela!" whispered Brocklebank,

"it’s Ackerton —and, yes—by gosh, Tolefree! How the devil did Tolefree get here?”

Pamela squeezed harder and said nothing. Oars were shipped. The bow hand raised a boat-hook. The boat was at the foot of the ladder. The coxswain saluted as the two civilians stepped out and ascended.

“Good morning!" said Ackerton to the first officer. "Will you pass word to the Captain that Sir Arthur Ackerton would be grateful for a word with him?”

“Ackerton! Why—yes, it's Ackerton.” Harrison-Clifford leaned across Pamela to say, “That cooks Henry’s goose, Brocklebank.”

“I expect so, sir. But do you know the man that’s with him?"

“It looked like —but it, can't be — Tolefree. It is? Then —you've had a hand in this!”

“Not so much as a finger, sir But I told you I tnought we didn’t count for much after I'd seen Lord Brownwood, this was written in the Book of Fate long ago.” The deck hands of the Persimmon looking down at the boat and across the water to the destroyer. Stewards whispering in the companionway. Worth gazing at the shore. Ackerton and Tolefree closeted with the Captain. Brocklebank lit his pipe. Silence. Twenty minutes . . . “Good morning, Mr Brocklebank!” Brocklebank shot round. “Tolefree! Gosh! Do you work by magic?” He was wringing Tolefree's hand painfully. “Good morning, Mr Harrison-Clif-ford. No —1 came to Athens by air. Been kicking my heels hereabouts for three days waiting for you. Introduce me to Miss Pamela, will you? Hope you’ve had a' pleasant voyage. But tell me about it later. Sir Arthur Ackerton would be glad if we all took cocktails with him in the saloon. He wants to apologize for the inconvenience he's inflicted on everyone." Ackerton was already at a table, and

a steward was depositing a tray of glasses upon it. Worth was sitting facing him. He rose and stretched his hand to Pamela.

“Well, Pamela, how long since I saw you? Years! —and you’re younger than ever. How de do. Clifford? You've deserted the orchids. Hello, Bill! — you here, too? You do get about, don’t you? Pamela, sit by me. Worth's been telling me what a gorgeous cruise you’ve had, and I've got to explain

why we held you up this morning—ex-

cuse myself if I can. Tolefree, take that seat. Worth, would you like some thing with a kick in it? No! Well, here’s to a pleasant resumption of the voyage. And when you've all had enough of cruising, let’s meet at Woldingham, and we’ll see, George, whether my orchids rival yours.” “Good health, Ackerton,” said Har-rison-Clifford.

“Sir Arthur,” said Worth, “I believe this ship’s outside territorial waters.” “Do you? That’s a geographical fact. Worth —but apropos of what?” "Had you any right to fire across her bows in extra-territorial waters?” "None whatever. I didn’t. I hate the idea. But you know what these people are. I said to them that I wanted to go on board the Persimmon before she reached territorial waters. You note that I emphasise the word before? perhaps you'll appreciate the reason. No? Well, my dear Worth, if she’d gone inside, the matter would have been out of my hands, and the Captain of the Persimmon would have been, shall I say in the soup? And as she didn’t take any notice of 1 warning gun, they thought they'd better drop a shot ahead of her. Have you got that?" “This,” said Worth, “is an American ship.” “Yes, I know—but I’ve apologised and explained to the Captain, and that’s all square. The reason why I was so anxious that she should not go further was that there’s a spot of bother in there, and as I knew several of my friends were on board I wanted to keep them out of it. You won't misconstrue my motives, I know, George.” “Certainly not. Ackerton. I think you behaved rather cleverly.” “Thanks. Now, the fact is that I was out here on ousiness when a week ago today I received a message from Brownwood saying that Tolefree had important news affecting my business, and aking me to meet him in Athens. I did. Tolefree told me a very interesting story, but I won’t trouble you with the details. The upshot of it was this —that certain misguided people in New York nad consigned a cargo of agricultural implements in the steamer Dakota, which was to be landed here and taken up across the frontier, where the friends of Mr Korlovitch—you’ve heard of him? —would receive it and discover it co be not agricultural implements, but arms and ammunition. They wrote a letter to that extremely wily politician, Mr Prilenko, advising him of the shipment, and somehow or other the letter got into Lord Brownwood’s hands. I won’t say whether the American shippers were principals or merely agents. It doesn’t matter. Now, my dear George, you know that country well ” “Very well indeed, Ackerton." “So I needn't tell you that if Korlovitch obtained a supply of arms and ammunition and, as I suppose, money backing as well, there’d be the very deuce to pay—” Harrison-Clifford nodded.

"And nobody could tell where the trouble would stop. And you also know, George, that the capital of the State concerns is mostly held in London, and that, in view of Korlovitch's well-known opinions about capital and capitalists, if he got into the saddle those properties wouldn’t be worth twopence-ha’penny, and there’d also be the deuce to pay in Capel Court and elsewhere. Why—but that reminds me: I understood our old and respected friend Ferraby was on board. I haven't seen him ”

“He was on deck just now,” said Brocklebapk. “My dear Bill—do go and rout him out. I must apologise to him as well, ’ said Ackerton.

Ferraby was found to have retired to his room, where Brocklebank came upon him lying face downwards on the bed, and gave him Ackerton’s message. Brockelbank returned to the saloon with a sad story. Not only did Charles decline to see Ackerton, but he did it in a style unbecoming to a churchwarden. He had said, “Tell Ackerton to go to hell!” “One would almost think, but it’s impossible,” said Ackerton. “that Ferraby has no interest in preventing a disaster in the City. But there it is. Worth. If this scheme for arming Korlovitch had come off, think what would have happened—to your eminent father, for example. I understand he is deeply interested in these stocks. So you'll see that the Government couldn’t possibly allow the plot to come off without a great effort. It had two motives for stopping the plot—to prevent trouble in the Near East and to protect the capital of Sir Henry Worth and others. They put it upon me to discover exactly where the steamer Dakota was to land her agricultural implements, to tell the local authorities, and to let them know that the success of the plan would be exceedingly displeasing. Icon fess that a sudden last hour change in the plan was disconcerting, but you'll be glad to know, Worth, that I discovered last night what the change was, and on her arival this morning the Dakota was visited by people who know what to look for and looked for it.” “Thanks, Ackerton. You do it very well. Keep it up. Tell us the rest,” said Worth. "I suppose I’ve got Brocklebank to thank for this?” “Bill has done his best. Worth, to save you from awkward inquisitiveness which would have spoilt your cruise; but in fact it is to Tolefree that you really owe your good fortune.” "Thanks very much," said Worth, bitterly. (To be Continued).