It was a curious sight that met Browne's gaze, when he entered the snug
little cabin, in which he and his friends had spent so many happy hours
together. The skipper was standing near the door, M'Cartney was next
to him, the second engineer in the corner opposite, and half-seated,
half-forced down on the cushioned locker under the starboard port-hole
was Maas, with MacAndrew, revolver in hand, leaning over him. Browne
glanced from one to another of the group, but failed to take in the
situation.
"What does this mean?" he cried, and, as he did so, he looked at Jimmy
Foote, as if for explanation.
"It's a bad business, Browne, old chap," Jimmy replied; "a very bad
business. I wish to goodness I had not to say anything to you about
it. But it must be done, and there is very little time in which to do
it. While you were away on shore a small incident occurred which
aroused my suspicions. I determined to watch, and did so, with the
result that they were confirmed. I saw that our friend Maas was a good
deal more familiar with your officers and crew than I thought was good,
either for them or for himself. I did not know he was the traitorous
cur he is."
By this time Maas's usual sallow face was ashen pale. His lips seemed
to be framing words which were never spoken.
"For heaven's sake, Foote," cried Browne, in an agony of impatience,
"get on with what you have to say! What have you discovered?"
Jimmy turned to the second engineer, who was almost as pale as Maas.
"Tell him everything," he said; "and see that you speak the truth."
"I scarcely know how to tell you, sir," the young fellow answered. "I
only wish I'd never lived to see this day. What made me do it I don't
know; but he, Mr. Maas there, got round me, sir, and--well, the long
and short of it is, I gave in to him, and did what you know."
"You mean, I suppose, that you and he between you are responsible for
this break-down in the engine-room this morning? Is this so?"
"Yes, sir," the man admitted.
"And, pray, what reason did Mr. Maas give you for desiring you to do
this?"
"He told me, sir," the young man continued, "that he had your interests
at heart. He said he happened to know that, if you had started for
Japan at once, as you proposed, you would be running the yacht into a
certain trap. He said that, though he had pleaded and argued with you
in vain, you would not listen to him. You were bent on going on. The
only way, he said, that he could stop you, was for me to do what I did."
"Surely, my dear Browne," interposed Maas, speaking for the first time,
"you are not going to believe this cock-and-bull story, which is quite
without corroboration. Your own common-sense should show you how
absurd it is. What can have induced this man to trump up this charge
against me I cannot say. Our friendship, however, should be proof
against it. Knowing the amount of worry you have upon your shoulders
at the present time, I have no desire to add to it; at the same time, I
cannot permit your servant here to insult me before your face."
Browne took no notice of what he said. Turning to the engineer, he
continued:--
"How much did Mr. Maas offer you, or what inducement did he bring to
bear, to get you to do what you did?"
"He offered me five hundred pounds, sir," the other returned. "I told
him, however, that I wouldn't take his money. You have been very good
to me, sir, and I did not want to be paid for doing, what I thought was
a kindness to you. It wasn't until Mr. M'Cartney told me about that
cruiser having put in an appearance, that I saw what I had been led
into doing. Then I went straight to him and made a clean breast of
everything."
"It was the best course you could have pursued," said Browne, "and I
shall remember it, when I come to deal with your case later on. In the
meantime, gentlemen, what are we to do?"
As he spoke the second officer descended from the bridge and made his
appearance at the cabin door.
"The cruiser, sir, has signalled that she intends sending a boat," he
reported, touching his cap.
"Very good," answered Browne; and when the officer had taken his
departure he turned to Maas.
"So it is as we suspected," he began, very slowly and deliberately.
"While we have been trusting you with our secret, you have been playing
the traitor all round. Maas, I can scarcely believe it. I did not
think a man could fall so low. However, there is no time to talk of
that now. Come, gentlemen, what are we to do?"
Ever since the second officer had announced that the man-o'-war was
about to send a boat, Maas had undergone a complete change. Though he
had been found out, he still felt himself to be master of the
situation; and with every minute's grace his pluck returned to him.
Springing to his feet, he cried:--
"You ask what you should do, do you? Then I will tell you. You can do
nothing at all. You are in my power, one and all. Remember that I
represent the Russian Government, and, if you attempt anything against
my safety, I shall place myself in the hands of the commander of the
cruiser you can see over there. You must surely see that the game is
hopeless, and that further resistance would be as foolish as it would
be futile."
"Well, if anybody had told me----" Browne heard Jimmy remark; then
MacAndrew struck in:--
"I think I take in the position," he said. "I have met with a similar
case once before. Perhaps you would not mind leaving it in my hands,
Mr. Browne?"
"What do you mean to do?" inquired Browne.
"I will very soon show you," replied MacAndrew. "Perhaps Mr. Foote
will assist us?"
"I will do anything you like to be even with him," returned Jimmy
vindictively.
"That's the sort of talk," answered MacAndrew. "Now let us make our
way to his cabin. Mr. Maas, I shall have to trouble you to accompany
us."
"I'll do nothing of the sort," responded Maas. "I decline to be left
alone with you."
"I'm very much afraid you've no option," remarked MacAndrew calmly; and
as he spoke he gave a little significant twist to the revolver he held
in his hand. "Come, sir," he continued more sternly than he had yet
spoken. "On to your feet, if you please. Remember you are playing
with desperate men. If by hesitating you get into trouble, you will
have only yourself to thank. Your friend, the cruiser, is still a
couple of miles away, as you must be aware, and a revolver-shot would
scarcely be heard as far."
Seeing that there was nothing for it but to obey, Maas rose to his feet
and passed out of the smoking-room, along the deck, and down the saloon
companion-ladder to his own cabin. Once there, MacAndrew handed his
revolver to Jimmy, with the request that he would be good enough to
watch the prisoner during his absence, and to put a bullet through his
skull if he should attempt to escape or give the alarm.
"For my part," resumed MacAndrew, "I'm going to test the resources of
Mr. Browne's medicine-chest."
Five minutes later he returned with an ounce or so of some dark fluid
in a graduating-glass.
"Good heavens! You're surely not going to poison him," exclaimed
Browne; while Maas stared at the glass with frightened eyes.
"Poison him?" answered MacAndrew coolly. "My dear fellow, is it likely
I should do anything so absurd? No; I am simply going to place him in
a position of safety, so that he cannot harm us during the time the
warship is in sight. Now, Mr. Maas, I shall have to trouble you to
swallow this."
"I'll do nothing of the kind," asserted Maas sturdily. "You shall not
persuade me to put my lips to it."
"In that case, I'm afraid there will very probably be trouble," replied
MacAndrew. "If I were you, sir, I should make up my mind to the
inevitable. Remember there are unpleasant arguments we could bring to
bear, should you still remain obdurate."
Maas gasped for breath. He looked right and left, as if for some
loophole of escape, but could find none. He was surrounded on every
side by inexorable faces, which gazed upon him without pity or remorse,
while on the table before him stood the small glass half-full of the
dark-coloured liquid.
"Come, sir," said MacAndrew, "I shall be glad if you would toast us.
Let me remind you that there is no time to lose. It always pains me,
in cases like the present, to have to apply physical argument when
moral might produce the same result. In the event of your not
drinking, as I request, perhaps Mr. Browne will be kind enough to
permit us the use of his galley fire. The method, I admit, is
barbarous; nevertheless it is occasionally effective."
The perspiration rolled down Maas's cheeks. Bantering as MacAndrew's
tones were, he could still see that he was in deadly earnest.
Browne glanced out of the port-hole, and noticed that the man-o'-war's
boat had left its own vessel. In less than a quarter of an hour it
would be alongside, and then---- But he did not like to think of what
would happen then.
"I will give you one more minute in which to drink it," rejoined
MacAndrew, taking his watch from his pocket. "If you do not do so then
you must be prepared to take the consequences."
Silence fell upon the group for a space, during which a man might
perhaps have counted twenty.
"Half a minute," murmured MacAndrew, and Browne's heart beat so
violently that it almost choked him.
"Three-quarters of a minute," continued MacAndrew. "Mr. Foote, would
you mind giving me the revolver and standing by that door? I am afraid
that we shall be driven into a tussle."
Jimmy did as he was requested, and another pause ensued.
"Time's up," said MacAndrew, shutting his watch with a click. "Now we
must act. Mr. Browne, take his legs if you please."
They moved towards their victim, who shrank into a corner.
"I give in!" he cried at last, affecting a calmness he was far from
feeling. "Since there is no other way out of it, I will do as you
desire, provided you will give me your assurance that the stuff is
harmless."
"It is quite harmless," replied MacAndrew; and then, with an air of
braggadocio that could be easily seen was assumed, Maas tossed off the
decoction, and, having done so, seated himself on the settee. A
quarter of an hour later he was in his bunk, fast asleep, and Jimmy was
sitting by his side in the capacity of sick-nurse.
"You had better bear in mind the fact that he has been ill for the past
week," MacAndrew remarked, before he left the cabin. "He caught a
chill through falling asleep on deck, and pneumonia has set in. Now I
shall retire to join my friend in the tunnel, and leave you to your own
devices. Don't forget to let me know, Mr. Browne, as soon as the
Russian has bidden you farewell."
"You may depend on me," Browne answered; and, as he spoke, the captain
hailed him from the deck above, to inform him that the boat was coming
alongside.