Gaylord stared at the paper.
“Keller,” Gaylord bellowed, “what do you think of that?”
“Barring the hard luck it means for us, I’d say it was damned smart of
the gent, whoever he may be. Now we are in the soup. It’s impossible to
change our plans now, and your money will be thrown away.”
“To hell with my money! This swine thinks he has us beaten. I’ll show
him, by Christmas!”
He paced the room like a wild man for a few moments. Then, without
consulting Keller, he called the Secretary of War in Washington; after
that, the Secretary of the Navy. His conversations, in both cases, were
brief and to the point, and they ended satisfactorily, it seemed.
Keller listened in amazement.
“Gawd!” he breathed. “Do you think you can manage it, sir? Will they
understand the importance of the time element?”
“They will have their orders. We shall have to rely upon them. I think
they will come through. All we can do now is wait.”
He bit savagely into another cigar, faced Keller defiantly as if
challenging him to something or other.