THE FOG
My watch ended at ten o'clock, and I went direct to my cabin. I was a
light sleeper, and could depend upon awaking at the slightest sound.
Thus I had no fear that I should be wanting in an emergency, quite
apart from the fact that the steward was stationed at the opening into
the saloon with strict orders.
I suppose it must have been three hours later that I sat up in my bunk
with a consciousness that something was wrong. I listened, but I could
hear no sound, and I rose to my feet, seizing my revolver. Then I
understood. It was precisely that there was no sound, or rather that
sounds had dwindled, that I awoke. The screw had stopped. I opened the
door and went along the passage towards the saloon. Grant was at the
foot of the stairs, and I hailed him.
"No, sir, I don't know, sir," he answered me in respect of my
questions.
Well, one had to find out at any cost, and I ran up the stairs and got
access to the corridor of the state-rooms. Here were gathered the
Prince, Barraclough, Lane, and the quartermaster.
"I believe he's been on the P.S.N.C," Lane was saying as I came up. "He
ought to be able to pull her through."
"The question is, does he want to?" asked Barraclough grimly.
"Good heavens, who wants to lock his ship in these accursed bilboes?"
cried the purser. "It's enough to freeze one's hair stiff. Can you see
anything?"
For answer, Barraclough threw open the door that led upon the deck, and
it was as if a vent had yawned in the night. It was pitch black, and,
what was worse, banks of fog rolled along the thwarts. Lane drew back a
step, and shivered.
"Oh! my uncle!" he exclaimed.
"You do not see any sign of them?" inquired the Prince imperturbably.
Barraclough shook his head. "If they're coming they'll have their work
cut out to find their way," he said.
"Oh, let 'em all come this weather," said Lane agreeably. "'I wish I'd
bought ducks'--I mean fires."
He was shivering continuously and I pushed him back. "Don't be a fool,"
said I. "We want all hands in good form during the next four-and-twenty
hours."
I peered out of the door, but the screen of sea fog shut off the view;
it was as if I gazed at a blank wall, and the cold was intense.
"What do you guess has happened?" I asked Barraclough.
"He's got her in a narrow gut somewhere and is frightened. I've only
been through here twice in my life, and in both cases it was broad
daylight. This is where they melt fogs for the world. Oh, hang it,
let's have the door shut."
He shut it as he spoke, and I looked round. The Prince sat on a sofa
and waited. Lane blew on his fingers and whistled. Ellison stood, the
respectful seaman as ever.
"They've been kind about the electric light," observed Barraclough,
with a grin at me.
I said nothing, for there was nothing I could rejoin in the
circumstances. I retraced my way to the door and opened it.
"Oh! confound it all!" roared Barraclough, as the fog rolled in. "Don't
you see the ladies are here?"
I turned back, but only Princess Alix was visible. She moved white and
tall under the lights. I shut the door again.
"Why has the yacht stopped, Frederic?" she asked her brother.
"The fog," he answered, with a gesture towards the door.
She looked towards us, her upper lip lifted in a charming excitement
and the colour flying in her cheeks. Then she came forward swiftly,
and, even as she did so, the _Sea Queen_ heeled over, rolling and
trembling from her copper sheathing upwards. The shock sent me against
the wall, and Barraclough also staggered. Princess Alix in her flight
was precipitated forward and ran upon me. She put up her hands
instinctively to save herself, but in the rush she gathered momentum,
and swung across the dozen paces between where she had been and the
door with the speed of an arrow discharged in the air. Her palms struck
the woodwork with a resounding slap, but the full force of her sweet
body fell on me. For one instant I held her in my arms quite closely,
her breath upon my face.
"Are you hurt, Princess?" I gasped.
"Oh! my hands!" she cried pitifully, and then ceased suddenly. She
withdrew a little. "They sting," she said, also breathlessly. "But
you--you must be injured."
"I am a little out of breath," I answered, "but I was never better in
my life." I cannot say why I blurted this forth. Somehow I was beyond
myself.
"She has struck!" cried Barraclough.
The _Sea Queen_ righted herself slowly.
"I can't stand this," I said. "I'm going to find out."
I glanced at the Princess, but she stood clinging to the wall, her
bosom heaving, her eyes on Barraclough. I opened the door, and,
stepping out, closed it again behind me. I was determined to find out
what had happened.
After all, it was not a very hazardous enterprise. Holgate had shown no
disposition to take advantage of my visits to the forecastle, and it
was pretty clear that no attack was possible at the moment.
Nevertheless, I will confess that I experienced a little elation in
feeling my way through the dense darkness along the saloon. It is not
always possible to analyse one's feelings, but I think afterwards (not
at the time) I connected this mood with the Princess. I had held her in
my arms, her face to mine, and I was suddenly exalted to be capable of
great things. There was nothing I would not have dared then, no danger
from which I would have shrunk, no risk I would not have taken, however
foolhardy. In a sense I walked on air; I was lunatic; and all because I
had held for an instant of time an adorable woman in my arms with no
consent of hers. I believe now (and I hope it will not be counted
against me) that it was with a little swagger I opened the door and
stepped forth into the rolling fog.
The _Sea Queen_ stirred a little as if to show she still lived, but
there was no motion perceptible. I had buttoned up my coat round my
neck, but even so the mists from the ice-clad hills on either side of
the passage bit hard into me. I groped to the chart-house and then
paused. A twinkle of light was visible ahead and aloft. It was the
bridge. I launched myself suddenly into the vacancy before me, and went
like hoodman blind with arms outstretched towards the railing. I struck
an iron pillar, and guiding myself from it to another, reached at last
the foot of the ladder that ran up. This I mounted very deliberately
and carefully until I had come to the bridge itself, where a dull light
burned by the binnacle. Instantly I was taken by the throat.
I struggled with my assailant at a disadvantage, as I was unable to
reach his face, owing to his superior grip of me; but I managed to get
a leg at the back of his, and though the pressure on my windpipe was
terrible, and I felt that I was weakening fast, I threw him back
against the railings. As I did so a light was thrust into my face, and
I heard Holgate's voice.
"It's the doctor. All right, Pierce. Hands off, man."
Even as he spoke my antagonist loosened his hold, and I drew off, the
relaxed artery jumping in my throat painfully.
"By thunder, doctor, you were near gone," went on Holgate in his
ruminating voice. "Pierce don't take his fingers off no more than a
bull-dog when he has once caught on. Lucky I had a suspicion of you. I
thought no one would be such a fool as to venture save you. Glad to see
you as always, if unexpectedly. Any news?"
He lighted a cigar as he spoke, and the fog was roseate about his head.
I recovered my breath as best I might.
"As you are reserving us--Holgate, for a destiny of your own," I
panted, "and we are not--particularly anxious to anticipate it--thought
I would find out--if we are going down."
He laughed fatly. "I like you, doctor. Upon my soul I do. It's a real
pity we couldn't have hit it off. No; you can sleep calmly. There's no
going down; well, not yet. I've been through these Straits a score of
times, and in all weathers, and I've learned this much, that a fog
spells the red flag. That's all, Dr. Phillimore. She's got no more than
steering way on her, and I'll pull her up presently."
"Well," said I. "I suppose it matters nothing to us, but a wreck is a
frightening matter this weather."
He seemed to be studying me, and then laughed. "All serene. If you have
made up your mind to your fate there's nothing to be said. But I'm in
charge here, and not Sir John Barraclough. I suppose he has some use,
but I've not made it out up till now."
"Holgate," said I suddenly, "this vessel's in your hands till she's out
of the Straits, if she's ever out. I don't deny it. But I should like a
little further light on destiny, so to speak. You reckon you can take
the safes. What more do you want?"
"Nothing in the world, my lad," he said comfortably. "You've hit it.
Nothing in the wide, wide world."
"Rubbish!" said I sharply. "Does any one suppose you're going to turn
loose witnesses against you?"
He took the cigar from his mouth, and, though I could not discern his
face in the fog, I knew its expression.
"Well, now, that's a new idea, and not a bad idea," he said equably.
"Of course I should be running a risk, shouldn't I? But what's to be
done in conflict with a temperament like mine? I can't help myself.
Take your oath on one thing, doctor, and that is I'll die game. If the
respectable folk whom I take pity on and land somewhere--somewhere
nice--turn on me, why, I'll die game. But of course they won't. You
know they won't, doctor."
This question was not worth answering: indeed, I knew it was not meant
for an answer; it was a palpable gibe. I held my tongue, but now I knew
I should get no information out of this soft-voiced ruffian until it
suited him to give it. Our fate was still a mystery--if we were beaten
in the struggle that was imminent, and I could not flatter myself with
hopes of our victory.
I bade him good-night, for there was no reason to dispense with
ceremonies; we were still enjoying our armed truce. But I had got no
farther than the ladder when he hailed me through the gloom.
"I've pitched her to, now, doctor. You can sleep like a babe, and the
Princess too."
I stopped--I knew not why; perhaps I had still a faint hope of
discovering something.
"That means you will attack," I said calmly.
His figure loomed out upon me in the fog, the red cigar end burning
in his mouth. "You don't mean that, my lad," said he, in an easy,
affectionate tone. "I'm Lancashire born and Lancashire bred, and I'm
shrewd enough to know a bit. You don't mean that, bless you. Look ye
here, doctor; go and take your rest, and pray God to deliver you from
your folly. A foolish man you were and that you be. You'll die that, my
lad, I fear. Yet I would give you another chance. I liked you when I
sat opposite to you in the tavern there."
"Ah, Holgate," said I, sighing deeply. "How many weary years ago, and
your doing!"
I admit that this was theatrical; it was designed as such, and as a
last appeal. I was afraid of that man, and that is the truth. I drew a
bow at a venture. From the change in the position of the burning edge I
gathered that he took his cigar out of his mouth. He was perceptibly
silent for a time. Then the light went back.
"Well, you'll have a sound sleep if you take my advice," he said in his
normal tones.
"And then ... a sounder," I said lightly.
"You always take too much for granted, doctor," he replied, laughing.
"By the Lord, I wish I had your forward mind."
"You shall have anything you like of mine directly," I said flippantly,
and began the descent of the ladder.
I was conscious that he leaned over the barrier of the bridge watching
me, for I saw the point of his cigar, but that was soon swallowed up in
the darkness, and I saw nothing more. The cold was so intense that my
fingers had grown numb as I talked with Holgate, and I could hardly
feel the iron; moreover, my feet were like lumps of ice and seemed to
rest on nothing as they met the rungs. This, I imagine, was the reason
of my mishap. At any rate, I missed a rung, lost my catch, and tumbled
heavily down the last three or four steps, falling, to my surprise, not
upon the hard deck, but upon some warmer, softer body. Remembering
vividly and painfully my struggle with Pierce, I was on my guard, and
grabbed the man that lay under me.
"For heaven's sake--" he gasped. "It's me--it's Pye."
I was astounded, and relaxed my hold! What was the little craven clerk
doing there at this time of night, and in such weather?
"What----" I began, when he uttered an exclamation of terror, as it
seemed.
"Dr. Phillimore!"
"That is so," I answered. "What on earth are you doing here?"
There was almost a whimper in his voice as he replied:
"The fog, doctor. I was foolish enough to wander out on the deck, and I
lost my way. I've been straying about for twenty minutes or more. I
couldn't find the door again."
"Well, you won't in this direction," I assured him. "This part of the
country belongs to the enemy. You've strayed afield, my friend, so, if
you'll give me your arm, I'll do my best to put you straight."
He thanked me, and did as I asked him, but, as I thought, somewhat
timorously. His hand rested nervously inside my arm, as if he would
have withdrawn it and fled at a moment's notice. And so we stumbled
along the deck together to the state cabins.
I gave the signal on the door, and we were admitted by Ellison. There
was no one else in the corridor except Lane at the farther end, and, to
my surprise, the Princess. She was seated on a couch under the electric
light, reading, clad in a long and flowing morning-gown. Her hand with
the book had dropped a little as we entered, and her eyes sought us.
"There will be no alarm to-night, Ellison," I said on the spur of the
moment, and I caught the Princess's eye. She rose, shut her book, and
came towards us.
"You have come back safely," she said in a quick way.
"The fog was the only danger," I answered. "And it nearly did for Mr.
Pye. You may confide your head to the pillow with a security to-night,
Miss Morland. To-night Mr. Holgate is a sailor."
She did not seem to understand.
"His care is his ship to-night," I explained.
"You have placed us in your debt," she said. "I do not think my brother
knows how much we are indebted to you."
I looked at Pye. The praise was pleasant on her lips, but I felt a
little embarrassed. The clerk's eyes were fastened on the Princess Alix
with a certain definite avidity of gaze. It was as if some strange
animal had suddenly stiffened at the sight of prey and was watching
greedily. The look repelled me; it struck horror to my marrow. I could
have seized him, shaken his miserable little bones and thrown him into
a weeping, cowardly heap on the floor. But as I looked his gaze came
round to me, and behold! it was only the feeble watery eyes behind the
gold-rimmed spectacles that I saw. With a bow to the Princess I
proceeded on my way to give my report to her brother.