STUMP DEPENDS ON OBSERVATION
After eight hours of dreamless sleep, Irene awoke to a torpid but
blissful conviction that bed is a most comfortable place when bones
ache and the slightest movement is made irksome by patches of chafed
skin. In fact, having buried her hands gingerly in the wealth of brown
hair that streamed over the pillow, she lay and watched the white
planks of the deck overhead, wondering idly what time it was. The
effort to guess the hour brought her a stage nearer complete
consciousness. Her first precise recollection was also pleasant. She
thought of the way in which Royson had carried her in his arms not so
many hours earlier, and the memory banished all others for many minutes.
If she smiled and blushed a little, it may be pleaded that she was
twenty years of age, and had passed her girlhood amidst surroundings
from which young men eligible to carry young ladies in their arms, or
even hold them there, were rigorously excluded. Not that her
grandfather was a misanthrope, but his interests were bound up so
thoroughly in Egyptian research that his friends were, for the most
part, elderly savants with kindred tastes. The wreck, of the _Bokhara_,
too, with Irene's father and mother among its passengers, had helped to
cut him off from the social world. When the grief of that tragedy had
yielded to the passing years he hardly realized that the little child
who had crept into his affections was growing up into a beautiful and
light-hearted girl. Quite insensibly she assimilated herself to his
hobbies and studies, became mistress of his London house and fine
estate in Berkshire, and, by operation of forces more effective in
their way than any Puritanical safeguards, lived apart from the gay
throng in which she was eminently fitted to take a leading place.
Irene offered, then, a somewhat unusual type. While other girls might
recount the number of male hearts they had subdued during the past
season, Irene could state, with equal accuracy, the names of the gods
of the Memphite order. Though her grandfather's wealth and the
eagerness of a skilled maid compelled her to take a passing interest in
fashions, she was far more devoted to variations in scarabs. Such
attainments, if sedulously pursued during the succeeding decade, might
have converted her into an alarmingly precise Bas Bleu! As it was, the
Memphite gods smiled on her, and the scarabs might buzz off to their
museums contentedly at any moment, for Irene was only waiting the
advent of an undreamed-of influence into her life to develop into a
tender, sympathetic, delightful womanhood.
Indeed, if Ka and Ra and beetle-headed Khepra were so important in the
scheme of existence that this dainty scientist cared naught for the
moth-life of society, why, then, did she blush when she remembered how
closely Dick Royson had clasped her to his breast over-night? Perhaps
she might have asked herself that question, only to blush more deeply
in trying to answer it, had not her thoughts been distracted by the
extraordinary behavior of a silk underskirt hanging on a peg at the
foot of the bed. It was swinging to and fro with the regularity of a
pendulum, and that which is regular in a pendulum is fantastically
irregular in an underskirt. She sat up quickly, and listened. There was
a swish of water outside. Now and again she heard a slight movement of
the rudder chains in their boxes. Then, all aglow with wonder and
excitement, she jumped out of bed and drew the curtain of one of the
two tiny portholes that gave light to her cabin.
Yes, another marvel had happened. The yacht was speeding along under
canvas,--was already far out at sea. Where Massowah's yellow sandspit
shone yesterday were now blue wavelets dancing in the sun, and Irene
was sailor enough to know that the _Aphrodite_ was bound south.
She rang an electric bell, and her maid came.
"Yes, miss," said the girl, "we've been going since midnight. As soon
as Mrs. Haxton and Baron von Kerber came on board--"
"Baron von Kerber, did you say?" broke in Irene breathlessly.
"Yes, miss. He came with Mrs. Haxton. Mind you, miss, I haven't seen
him, but one of the stewards told me that the Baron went straight to
Mr. Fenshawe's cabin, and the order was given to raise the anchor
immediately. I'm sure they made plenty of noise. They woke me up, miss,
and I'm a sound sleeper."
The maid was ready to say more, but Irene had learnt to discourage
servants' gossip.
"I think the _Aphrodite_ might have fired cannons last night without
disturbing me," she declared lightly. "What time is it?"
"Nearly nine o'clock, miss. No one seemed to be stirring, so Mr. Gibson
put off breakfast for half an hour. He said that everybody must be worn
out after yesterday's worries."
Irene laughed. Gibson, the head steward, a fatherly sort of man, was a
martinet in the matter of punctuality at meals. This adjourning of the
breakfast hour was a great concession on his part. It showed how
strenuous life had been at Massowah.
Despite her aches and pains, she dressed rapidly. She was all agog to
learn how von Kerber had regained his liberty, and what new development
was marked by the yacht's unexpected sailing. When she hurried to the
bridge for news, the first person she met was Royson, and perhaps one
of those old deities of Memphis would have smiled darkly were he
privileged to see the tell-tale color that leaped to both faces.
Naturally, the girl was the speedier to find her tongue.
"Good gracious, Mr. Royson," she said, "what is the meaning of this?"
and a generous hand-sweep included sea and sky and distant coastline in
the eager question.
"I don't know," he said. "Captain Stump and Mr. Tagg entered into a
conspiracy to keep me in bed. I have not been on deck five minutes."
"But didn't you ask? Aren't you consumed with curiosity? Who is in
charge of the bridge?"
"Mr. Tagg. His stock of information is limited. 'Cleared the islands at
four bells; course South-40-East' is practically all he has to say."
"It may be, then, that you are good at guessing? Have you not heard
that the Baron is with us?"
"Yes, Miss Fenshawe, I knew that last night. Indeed, I heard his boat
hail the watch. I was lying awake, and the Baron's voice is easily
recognizable."
"Mrs. Haxton seems to have succeeded where all else failed. Did you see
any of their companions? Was El Jaridiah with them?"
"No. I plead guilty to opening a port and looking out. The tide carried
the boat close beneath me when she was cast loose from the gangway. El
Jaridiah, or Abdullah, if that is his name, was not there."
"It is all very mysterious and puzzling," said Irene, gazing at the
purple mountains which fringed the southwest horizon. "I am sorry we
have not been able to reward the man, and I had set my heart on buying
Moti. Don't you think it was rather wonderful that such a weedy-looking
animal should have carried us so safely?"
"It was all very wonderful," Dick replied, but he did not dare to meet
the glance suddenly turned on him. For some reason, Miss Fenshawe
decided to guide their talk into a less personal channel.
"If the breakfast gong does not ring immediately, I shall go and hammer
on grandad's door," she vowed. "He hates being disturbed when he is
dressing, but I am simply aching to find out what has happened and
where we are going. And, talking of aches, Mr. Royson, look at my poor
wrists."
She held out both her hands, close together, with the palms downwards.
Royson noticed instantly she was wearing a beautiful marquise ring on
the middle finger of her left hand. The rules which govern the use of
these baubles were beyond his ken. A plain gold ring on a lady's
so-called fourth finger is a marriage token known to all men, but he
had not the ghost of an idea where an engagement ring should be
carried, and he jumped to the conclusion that the girl was wearing one.
Why had he never seen it before, he wondered? Was it a hint, a reminder
of the conventions? It is probable that Irene herself would have been
surprised if she were told that it was once the custom for engaged
young ladies to reveal their happiness by displaying a ring on the
middle finger, while those who were free but prepared to wed might
coyly announce the fact by a ring on the index finger. Be that as it
may, Royson was dumfounded by the sight of the glistening diamonds.
They winked at him evilly, and his tongue tripped:
"I cannot tell you how sorry I am," he murmured thickly, Irene dropped
her hands.
"Unless you are able to squint, you didn't look at my wrists at all,"
she exclaimed. A gong pealed loudly from the cabin, and she ran off.
Dick made for the chart-room, in front of which Tagg was leaning on the
rail and gazing ahead.
"You've bin quick," said the chief. "'Keep her steady as she goes,
South-40-East, until the ole raw comes on deck. If the wind drops, call
'im."
Then Dick remembered that Tagg had bidden him have his breakfast before
he came on duty. Royson said nothing, but took his station on the
bridge. Tagg, being lame, preferred to swing himself to the main deck,
whence he hopped into the small cabin where the officers ate their
meals. He came back instantly.
"Wot's the game?" he inquired sympathetically.
"You've eaten nothin'. Feelin' bad?"
"No. Oh, no," Royson laughed and reddened.
"Then wot's wrong? Didn't you fancy the corfee an' bacon, after the
high livin' ashore?"
"The fact is, I met Miss Fenshawe, and she detained me a few minutes."
"Is that any reason why you shouldn't eat?"
"None whatever. I--er--really--forgot."
"Forgot your breakfast! Come orf of it."
Tagg climbed up, monkey-like.
"Take my tip," he said earnestly, "This is a bad climate to go hungry
in. You'd 'ave a touch of the sun in less'n no time. Just go below, an'
force yerself to nibble a bit. It'll do you good, an' I don't mind
keepin' watch another spell."
Royson obeyed in silence. His friend's kindliness supplied an
unconscious but necessary tonic to his system. Obviously, the second
mate of the _Aphrodite_ had no business to trouble his head about the
symbolism of rings worn by Miss Irene Fenshawe. Yet he wished he knew
which was the engagement finger.
Shortly before noon Captain Stump came on deck to take the sun. This
was a semi-religious rite with Stump. Though the contours of the coast
drawn along two sides of the Admiralty chart rendered a solar
observation quite needless within sight of land, he proceeded to
ascertain the yacht's position according to the formula, or, at any
rate, according to such portion of it as applied to his rule-of-thumb
calculations. Having pricked the chart and written the log, Stump bit
the end off a cigar. He was ready for a gossip with Royson.
"You won't find life quite so lively at Aden as at Massowah," he said.
"We are bound for Aden, then?"
"Where did you think we was headin' for? Melbourne?"
"Well, sir, if I gave any thought to it I inclined more to the belief
that we were making for our original destination."
"An' where was that?"
"A bay somewhere south of us, not far from Perin."
"Have you heard anything fresh?" asked Stump quickly.
"Not a word. But, if we reach Aden, I suppose the expedition will be
abandoned."
"They're chewin' about it now in the saloon," said the skipper,
glancing over his shoulder to make sure there was no one within
earshot. His sailor's eye swept the horizon at the same instant, and he
saw a smoke-blur some miles astern. Breaking off the conversation
abruptly, he Weal into the chart-house, and returned with a telescope,
which, he balanced against a stay.
"There's a steamer comin' after us in a desprit hurry," he announced,
when a prolonged examination had enabled him to form an opinion.
"After us?" repeated Dick.
"That's the way I read it. She's from Massowah. The reg'lar channel is
fifty miles east. Tell you wot, it's that I-talian gunboat the guv'nor
spoke about."
"But she was not in port when we left."
"No. We passed her comin' in."
"Ah, she recognized us?"
"Not much. We were under sail, an carried no masthead light. When I
twigged hers I tied a couple of sou'westers over our side lights. It's
a good thing at sea to mind your own business sometimes, an', more'n
that, to take care that other people mind theirs when they want to be
nasty."
"Shall we keep on under canvas, sir?"
"As long as the wind lasts," said Stump, closing the telescope and
rolling off towards the saloon. Within a minute all hands were on deck.
The corporate life of a small ship is closely knit. The word had gone
round that a gunboat was in pursuit, and every one wanted to see her.
Mr. Fenshawe and Baron von Kerber stood apart. The older man was
visibly annoyed by this new instance of Italian interference. Royson,
pacing the tiny bridge, caught an occasional glimpse of the
millionaire's emphatic gestures. The Austrian was more sallow than
usual, but that might be the result of his unpleasant experiences on
the previous day. Irene came to the bridge. Though she knew that none
except the captain might converse with the officer on duty, she
whispered timidly:
"They won't fire at us, Mr. Royson, will they?"
He smiled reassuringly. The tremor in her voice was delightful. It made
him forget that wretched ring for a moment.
"No, that is not to be feared, Miss Fenshawe. My experience of the sea
is no greater than your own, but you may be sure the Italians will
follow the rules. If they really wish to overhaul us they will fly a
signal soon."
The warship was traveling sixteen knots an hour, the _Aphrodite_ seven,
so the chase did not last long. About one o'clock the green, white, and
red ensign of Italy fluttered to the end of the pursuing vessel's
foreyard, where it could be seen most easily; under it were shown the
red and white striped code signal, and the "J" flag, which latter, in
the language of the seas means, "Stop; I 'have something important to
communicate."
The British ensign was run up, followed by the answering pennant, the
mainsail was lowered, the foresail backed, and the yacht was brought
to, while the Italian ship, which was made out to be the _Cigno_, came
on rapidly.
Mrs. Haxton approached Stump and whispered in his ear.
"Quite right, ma'am," he nodded. He walked forward and looked at the
crew, mustered in full strength in the fore part.
"Every man, 'cept those on watch, go below,", he growled, "an' mind you
keep there, with al ports closed, until I ax you to show your ugly mugs
on deck."
They obeyed in sulky silence, though they appreciated the reason of the
order. Hence, when, the _Cigno_ stopped her panting engines abreast of
the _Aphrodite_, there were many more pairs of eyes watching from the
yacht than the Italian captain reckoned on.
The warship lowered a boat. Something went wrong with the gear, the
after block jammed, the boat fell and dangled from her davits bows
first, and an officer and half a dozen men were thrown into the sea.
They were soon rescued, but the mishap did not tend to sweeten the
temper of the _Cigno's_ commander. A dry officer and crew were
requisitioned, and the boat was pulled alongside the yacht.
Stump, with a malicious grin on his face, leaned over the starboard
rail.
"Wot is it?" he demanded. "Have you lost yer bearin's?"
The officer replied in Italian, greatly to Stump's disgust.
"I s'pose the chap they chucked overboard was the on'y Dago among 'em
who could speak English," he grunted, but Mrs. Haxton explained that
the officer was asking for the gangway to be lowered. Stump nodded to a
couple of sailors, and the ladder dropped so smartly that the boat
nearly came to grief a second time.
The officer bowed very politely when he reached the deck. Probably he
was surprised to find himself in the presence of two such beautiful
women. Though Irene spoke Italian, Mrs. Haxton took on herself the role
of interpreter. The _Cigno_ carried two letters from the Governor of
Massowah, she said. One was addressed to Signor Fenshawe, the other to
the signor captain of the British yacht _Aphrodite_. Would the two
gentlemen kindly read and acknowledge receipt of the Governor's
epistles?
Both were purely formal documents. They set forth the official demand
that the _Aphrodite_ should not attempt to land any of her occupants on
Italian territory at other than a recognized port, and warned her owner
and commander that the _Cigno_ would enforce observance of the request.
At first, Mr. Fenshawe refused angrily to give a written reply, but von
Kerber prevailed on him, and he wrote:
"Mr. Hiram Fenshawe begs to inform the Governor of Erythrea that his
prohibition of the landing of a British scientific expedition in the
colony he rules is arbitrary and unwarranted. Mr. Hiram Fenshawe is
further of opinion that the said prohibition is part of the lawless
treatment to which he and other members of the yacht's company were
subjected during their visit to the 'recognized port' of Massowah.
Finally, Mr. Hiram Fenshawe intends to lay the whole matter before the
British Foreign Office."
This stiff-necked answer showed clearly that the writer was still on
von Kerber's side, no matter what revelations were contained in the
letter from London which Royson knew of. Irene copied the note for her
grandfather. She made no comment. Perhaps her own island blood was
a-boil at the cavalier tone of the Governor's threat.
Stump's letter was characteristic. It ran:
S. Y. Aphrodite,
Lat. 15° 10' N., Long. 41° 15' E,
SIR--Yours at hand. Will act as think fit.
Yours truly,
JOHN STUMP, Master
The disagreeable part of this business ended, the Italian officer
conveyed the compliments of the Cigno's commander, and, on his behalf,
invited Signor Fenshawe and the two ladies to luncheon. Mr. Fenshawe
stiffly declined, on the plea that he did not wish to interrupt the
voyage, and the envoy went back to his ship.
The _Aphrodite_ swung round into the wind, dipped her ensign, and was
soon bowling along at her usual rate. The _Cigno_ stood away for the
coast, but, as the day wore, it was palpable that she did not mean to
part company with the yacht until the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb were
passed.
About four o'clock the wind dropped and the engines were called on.
With the night the wind rose again but veered to the south. The
_Cigno's_ lights were clearly visible at about three miles' distance.
Her white masthead light watched the Aphrodite without blinking, while
her red and green eyes suggested to Irene's fancy some fabled monster
of the deep waiting to pounce on the yacht if she deviated an inch from
her seaward course.
The girl snatched a few minutes' talk with Royson. Von Kerber, it
seemed, had persuaded her grandfather that Alfieri was the paid agent
of rival archeologists who had got wind of the Sabaean hoard, and were
able to secure the help of the Italian Government. She was convinced
that the ill treatment meted out to them at Massowah had only confirmed
the old gentleman's determination to best his opponents at all costs.
The burking of his cablegrams, made known by the Baron, was the last
straw in an aggravated load. The yacht was going to Aden to enable him
to lodge a complaint with the proper authorities, but she would leave
almost at once for French Somaliland, where a _kafila_ would be
collected and a dash made across the Italian frontier. And Dick
gathered that Irene herself was inclined to let affairs run their
natural course. He agreed with her, which was to be expected, seeing
that he was four-and twenty, and in love. He cudgeled his brains for
some pretext to discuss rings and the manner of wearing them, but his
wit failed him there. Irene on the deck of her grandfather's yacht
differed in several important particulars from the tremulous girl who
clung to him during that blissful journey of the previous night.
He tried to clear up this vital point with Tagg.
"Did you ever give a young lady an engagement ring?" he asked, after
judiciously leading his chief to discourse on the frailties of the sex.
"Well," said Tagg reflectively, "it all depen's on the way you take'
it. I once gev' a girl a Mizpah ring, which fancied, when she saw'r it
in a pawnshop window. Next time I met her she tole me she'd swopped it
for a dress improver. The feller she was goin' to marry didn't like the
motter as comin' from me, you see, but the funny thing was she never
said a word about him when she saw'r me buyin' the ring. Since then,
I've kep' me money in me pocket."
Royson took the morning watch, from 4 A.M. till 8. Stump joined him
soon after dawn, and appeared to be anxious about the yacht's exact
position. So far as Dick could judge from the chart, they were in safe
waters; nevertheless, the stout skipper did not rest content until the
tall peak of Jebel Aduali opened up clear of Jebel Ash Ali, with
Sanahbor Island bearing west.
A lighthouse on the mainland flashed a bright ray at them before the
rising sun rendered its warning unnecessary. Still dogging them, the
_Cigno_ followed in their wake at half speed, but Stump gave no eye to
the warship. He continued to scan the coast intently. A low,
double-peaked hill intervened between the lofty Jebel Aduali and the
ship. When its saddle cut the summit of the more distant mountain,
Stump changed the course sharply.
To Royson's surprise, the yacht turned due west, and headed for the
point whence the lighthouse had gleamed half an hour earlier.
And now, instead of looking ahead, Stump kept his telescope glued on
the _Cigno_. A cloud of smoke from the gunboat's funnels showed that
she had noted the _Aphrodite's_ new direction, and meant to take a
close interest in it. She had a few miles to make up, but that was a
simple matter, and her nose swung to the southwest as she raced for the
bay towards which the yacht was steaming.
Both vessels held on, following converging lines, for nearly an hour.
By that time they were hardly a mile apart. Suddenly Stump sent the
_Aphrodite_ round until she lay on her previous course. In a word,
after standing in for the land in the most decided manner, he was now
making for the Straits again.
This behavior apparently puzzled the Italian vessel, as, indeed, it
succeeded in puzzling Royson and the man at the wheel, while the looks
cast towards the bridge by the watch, who were mainly employed in
swabbing the deck, told that the men were commenting on the yacht's
erratic wanderings.
All at once the blare of a siren came faintly over the shimmering sea,
and Stump chuckled triumphantly.
"He's found it," he roared, his voice almost rivaling the hoarseness of
the far-off foghorn. "Sink me if that Dago wasn't so taken up with
pipin' my antics that he's gone an' done it!"
"Done what, sir?" asked Dick, seeing that his respected skipper was in
hilarious mood.
"Run his bloomin' _Cigno_ onto the Scilla Shoal. Damme, I thought he'd
do it. Listen to him," for another wail reached them from the
disconsolate warship. "He's fixed there as though, he was glued to it.
He'll have to jettison all his bunker an' a gun or two afore he gets
off. They tell me _Cigno_ means 'swan.' I wonder wot's the I-talian for
'goose.' Go an' tell Tagg. Tell him to tumble up quick, if on'y for the
sake of ole times."
Royson aroused the chief, and gave him the skipper's message. Tagg,
rubbing his eyes, came on deck. He looked at the _Cigno_, heard her
dismal trumpeting, and slowly took in the surroundings.
"Well, s'elp me!" he grinned. "Sorry to rake cold ashes, cap'n, but
isn't that where you piled up the Ocean Queen?"
"Don't I know it!" growled' Stump, "One solid month, we stuck there,
didn't we, Tagg? Threw over-board two thousand tons o' best Cardiff,
an' then had to be hauled off by another tramp. Well, good-by, Swan!
I'll report you at Perim. An' mind you take care o' them letters. It
'ud be a pity if the Governor didn't 'ave 'em in time. By gad, I never
thought I'd owe the _Ocean Queen_ a good turn. She lost me my berth,
an' nearly cost me my ticket, but she's made it up to-day. Come on,
Tagg, we'll have a tot o' rum an' drink to the rotten ole hulk which
gev' us best ag'in that swaggerin' I-talian. My godfather, won't Becky
be pleased when she hears of it!"
And the two dived below to partake of the generous spirit which pays
homage to the rising sun, while the _Cigno_ bleated her distress to
deaf ears.