The Decoy Wireless
The _West Barbican's_ stay at Cape Town was of short duration. She
landed about a score of her passengers and a small quantity of cargo,
coaled, and proceeded, giving Peter little opportunity of a closer
acquaintance with the oldest city of South Africa.
He was fairly busy during the run round to Durban, since the ship was
within wireless range both of Cape Town and the seaport of Natal.
Consequently he spent most of his waking hours in the wireless-cabin,
rather than have to be continually called by Partridge and Plover.
The _West Barbican_, having spent a night at anchor under the Bluffs at
Durban, proceeded alongside the quay to disembark the bulk of her
passengers and a considerable amount of cargo.
It was here that "Mr. Porter" severed his personal acquaintance with
the ship, although his interest in the _West Barbican_ did not in the
least degree wane. On the contrary it was rapidly increasing.
With a Kaffir porter carrying his portmanteau and suit-case von
Schoeffer passed along the gangway and gained terra firma. He had
found no suitable place in which he could secrete his explosives, nor
had he an opportunity for so doing; so the only course that remained
open, short of dumping the stuff into the sea, was to take it ashore
with him.
He anticipated no difficulty in passing the Customs. None of the
officials would detect in the harmless-looking slab that resembled
sheet-glue one of the strongest explosives possible to obtain. They
were "traveller's samples" and as such were allowed duty free.
So within ten minutes of leaving the _West Barbican_ Ludwig Schoeffer
was bowling along in a rickshaw, drawn by a huge, muscular Zulu "boy",
en route for a small hotel that overlooked the harbour.
On the following day Schoeffer's explosive, with the detonator timed
for its maximum limit, was stored in No. 3 hold of the S.S. _West
Barbican_, as one of the twenty odd cases of hardware consigned by the
well-known firm of Van der Veld to Senhor Perez Bombardo of Beira.
Simply but effectively disguised, Schoeffer saw the crate whipped on
board and lowered into the hold. So far so good. It looked as if he
were certain of success. He chuckled as he conjured up a mental
picture of the head director of the Pfieldorf Company handing over a
substantial cheque.
During the rest of the _West Barbican's_ stay at Durban, Ludwig
Schoeffer lay low. For the present he had done all that was necessary.
His deep-laid scheme was progressing favourably.
His idea was to signal the ship by means of wireless and, by spurious
authority, order her to Rangoon. It was not unusual for ships of the
Blue Crescent Line to receive unexpected orders when on the high seas,
since they held roving commissions once they were round the Cape and
had landed their mails.
And, since it would take longer than the seven days to make Rangoon,
the _West Barbican_ would end her career mysteriously in mid-Indian
Ocean.
At ten one morning the _West Barbican_ stood out to sea bound for Beira
and Pangawani, at which latter place she was to land the consignment of
steelwork for the Kilba Protectorate.
At four the same afternoon Schoeffer walked into the offices of the
wireless company at Durban.
"I want this message sent to the _West Barbican_," he announced,
handing in a form written in code--the private code of the Blue
Crescent Line.
The clerk accepted the form without demur. He had no idea of its
meaning, nor had he any way of finding out. Not that he wanted to.
Messages in code were the rule rather than the exception.
The message as received and ultimately sent off by the shore operator
was as follows:
"SW. TLB. FEW. CNI. TLXQ. VP AELB TNI PU. AEMQ".
Ludwig Schoeffer paid the eighteen shillings demanded and obtained a
receipt. Then, having got an assurance that the message would be
dispatched within an hour, he wished the clerk good afternoon and
walked briskly to the waiting rickshaw.
The bogus message read, when decoded:
"I have received telegraphic instructions from your owners for you to
proceed straight to Rangoon, where you will unload steelwork,
proceeding thence to Port Sudan".