fulfilled his promise to say good-bye to his partner, and to exchange a
final word or two with him, the _Thetis_ cast off from the wharf, backed
out into the stream, and, swinging round, swept away down the river at
the modest rate of fourteen knots, that being her most economical speed,
and the pace at which, in order to make her coal last out, it had been
decided that she should cross the Atlantic. She sat very deep in the
water, and her decks, fore and aft, were packed with coal, in sacks so
closely stowed that there was only a narrow gangway left between them
from the foot of the ladder abaft the deck-house to the companion, and a
similar gangway from the fore end of the bridge deck to the forecastle.
If it was necessary for the men to pass to any other part of the ship,
such as to the ensign staff, for instance, they had to climb over the
sacks. She was particularly well equipped with boats, too: there were a
steam pinnace and a whaler in chocks on the starboard side of the deck-
house, balanced by the lifeboat and cutter on the other; and she carried
no less than four fine, wholesome boats at her davits aft, all nicely
covered over with canvas, to protect them from the sun--and also, in one
case, to screen from too curious eyes Jack's submarine, which was snugly
stowed away in the largest quarter boat, that craft having had her
thwarts removed to make room for the submarine. Twenty-six hours later,
namely, at four o'clock on the following afternoon, the _Thetis_
anchored off Boulogne; the steam pinnace was lowered, and Jack,
accompanied by four seamen, proceeded into the harbour, landing at the
steps near the railway station. From thence it was a very short walk to
the hotel to which he was bound; and in a few minutes he was at his
destination, enquiring for Monsieur Robinson. "Yes," he was informed,
"Monsieur Robeenson was in, and was expecting a Monsieur Singleton.
Possibly Monsieur might be the gentleman in question?" Jack confessed
that he was; and, being piloted upstairs, was presently shown into a
room where he found Don Hermoso Montijo and his son Carlos obviously
waiting for him. As he entered they both sprang to their feet and
advanced toward him with outstretched hands.
"Ah, Senor Singleton," exclaimed Don Hermoso, "punctual to the minute,
or, rather"--glancing at his watch--"a few minutes before your time! We
duly received your wire in Paris this morning, and came on forthwith. I
am delighted to learn that everything has gone so smoothly. Do I
understand that you are now ready to sail for Cuba?"
"Certainly, Don Hermoso," answered Jack; "we can be under way in half an
hour from this, if you like; or whenever you please. It is for you to
say when you would like to start."
"Then in that case we may as well be off at once," said Don Hermoso.
"For the first fortnight or three weeks of our tour through Switzerland
we were undoubtedly the objects of a great deal of interested attention,
but latterly we have not been so acutely conscious of being followed and
watched; everything that we did was so perfectly open and frank that I
think the persons who had us under surveillance must have become
convinced that their suspicions of us were groundless, and consequently
they relaxed their attentions. And I believe that we managed to get
away from Paris this morning without being followed. If that is the
case we have of course managed to throw the watchers off the scent, for
the moment at least, and it will no doubt be wise to get away from here
before it is picked up again. I hope that you, Senor, have not been
subjected to any annoyance of that kind?"
"No," said Jack laughingly, "I have not, beyond meeting at Cowes with
that man who called himself Mackintosh--of which I informed you in one
of my letters--I have had little or no cause to believe that I have
become an object of suspicion to the Spanish Government. It is true
that a race for steam-yachts was got up, a little while before I left
the Solent, under circumstances which suggested to me that an attempt
was being made to ascertain the best speed of the _Thetis_; but the
attempt might have existed only in my imagination, and if it was
otherwise, the plan was defeated, so no harm was done. But my partner
has been a good deal worried recently by the incursions of a number of
inquisitive strangers, who have obtruded themselves upon him and invaded
our works with what he considers very inadequate excuses. His fixed
impression is that a whisper was somehow allowed to get abroad that
arms, ammunition, and stores were to be shipped from our yard for the
use of the Cuban insurgents, and that the inquisitive strangers were
neither more nor less than emissaries of the Spanish Government, sent
down to investigate into the truth of the matter. They one and all
appear to have betrayed a quite remarkable amount of interest in the
cases, and one individual at least seems to have pretty broadly hinted
his doubts as to the genuineness of the markings on them. Also, our own
Government appears to have received a hint of what we were doing, and to
have sent a man down to investigate; I am afraid, therefore, that
despite all our precautions, we have not wholly succeeded in avoiding
suspicion. And if such should be the case it will be a pity, for it
will certainly mean trouble for us all later on."
"The stronger the reason why we should start without further delay,"
said Don Hermoso. "Carlos, oblige me by ringing the bell."
The bell was rung, the bill asked for and paid, the various servants
generously tipped, and the little party set out. The Montijos' luggage
had been left in the hall of the hotel: there was nothing therefore but
for the four seamen to seize it, shoulder it, and carry it down to the
pinnace; and this occupied but a few minutes. A quarter of an hour
later the party had gained the deck of the yacht, and the pinnace was
once more reposing in her chocks on the bridge deck.
"Get your anchor up, Mr Milsom, if you please," said Jack, allowing his
eyes to stray shoreward as Milsom repeated the order to the mate. As he
looked, he became aware of something in the nature of a commotion or
disturbance at the end of the pier; and, entering the chart-house, he
brought forth a pair of splendid binoculars with which to investigate.
Upon applying the glasses to his eyes he saw that there was a little
crowd of perhaps fifty people gathered on the pier end, all eagerly
listening to a man who was talking and gesticulating with great
vehemence as he pointed excitedly toward the yacht. The man appeared to
be particularly addressing two gendarmes who were among the crowd, but
everybody was clustering close round him and listening, apparently in a
state of the greatest excitement, to what he had to say, while
occasionally one or another in the crowd would face seaward and shake
his fist savagely at the yacht.
"Come here a moment, Carlos," called Jack. "I want you to look through
these glasses at the mob gathered yonder on the pier end, and especially
at the excited individual in their midst, and tell me whether you
remember having ever seen him before."
Young Montijo took the glasses from Jack, looked intently through them
for a full minute, and then turned to Singleton, saying:
"Why, yes, of course I do. He is the chap that the Pater and I were
constantly meeting, wherever we went, while we were in Switzerland. We
met him so repeatedly that at length we could not avoid the conviction
that he was dogging our footsteps. On board the steamers, in the
trains, even when out driving, it was continually the same; we did not
seem able to get away from him. He never took the slightest notice of
us, but that only made us suspect him all the more, because in the case
of other people, after we had encountered them a few times, many of them
bowed to us, some even entered into conversation with us; but although
that fellow stopped at the same hotels as we used, and generally
contrived to sit at the same table with us, he never allowed himself to
show, by so much as a momentary glance, that he had ever seen us before.
Oh, yes"--as he again applied the glasses to his eyes--"that is the
same man; I could swear to him among a thousand. And what is he after
now? Upon my word it looks very much as though he intended to follow us
on board here! See, there are two men bringing a boat along toward the
steps at the end of the pier, and--yes--by Jove, that is what he means
to do! And he is bringing the gendarmes with him! Now what mischief
can he possibly be up to? The Pater and I have done nothing--"
"Let me have a look," interrupted Jack, almost snatching the binoculars
out of his friend's hand, and putting them up to his eyes.
"Ay," he said, "you are right, Carlos, undoubtedly. There he goes down
the steps, with the policemen at his heels. Yes; now they get into the
boat and seat themselves. Yes, he is pointing out the yacht to the
boatmen, and now they are shoving off and heading this way!--Mr
Milsom," he broke off suddenly, "what is the best news with regard to
that anchor of ours?"
"Forecastle there!" shouted Milsom; "how are you coming on with your
anchor?"
"The cable's almost up and down, sir," answered Perkins, the chief mate,
who was standing by the knight-heads and hanging on by the forestay as
he leaned over to watch the cable. "We shall break out in about a
couple of minutes."
"And it will take that boat ten minutes, at least, to get alongside,
even if they keep up their present pace," remarked Jack. "We will get a
move on the ship, Phil, as soon as the anchor is out of the ground; I
don't very much like the look of those gendarmes in that boat."
"No; nor do I," answered Milsom. "Quartermaster, tend the wheel!"
"But surely they cannot do anything!" exclaimed Carlos. "What could
they do?"
"Well," said Jack, "I have heard, before now, of people being arrested
upon false charges, either for the purpose of obtaining possession and
getting a sight of their private papers; or with the object of detaining
them until it became too late for them to accomplish a certain
undertaking; or until some other and more serious charge could be
trumped up against them, and the necessary witnesses found and coached
to procure their conviction. It would be rather a bad thing for Cuba,
for instance, if, at this particular juncture in its affairs, your
father were clapped in prison and kept there for a couple of years."
"Well, yes, I suppose it would," agreed Carlos.
"Anchor's aweigh, sir!" reported Perkins, at this moment, as the steam
windlass, after slowing down until it nearly stopped, suddenly started
to clank at racing speed.
"Very good," answered Milsom. "Up with it as fast as you please."
Then, with a casual glance at the approaching boat, which was by this
time within about a quarter of a mile of the yacht, he laid his hand
upon the engine-room telegraph and signalled: "Quarter speed ahead!"
CHAPTER FOUR.
CIRCUMVENTING THE ENEMY.
"Whither away now, Mr Singleton? Down channel, I suppose?" enquired
Milsom, when the yacht began to forge ahead.
"I think not," said Jack. "In view of the fact that there is somebody
in that boat who appears to be willing to adopt very energetic measures
to get hold of Senor Montijo--or the yacht--it will perhaps be a wise
step for us to run a few miles up channel, instead of down, until we get
out of sight of any inquisitive eyes which may possibly be watching us:
so please shape a course up through the Straits for an hour or two--say
two hours; then we can seize a favourable opportunity to turn round and
run down channel, hugging the English shore fairly close. But your
question reminds me that the time has arrived when we ought to decide
for what port we are to make, in order that you may work out your Great
Circle courses. What think you, Don Hermoso?" he continued, in Spanish.
"Have you any definite idea as to the precise spot which it would be
best for us to make for?"
"Really, Senor, that is a detail that I have not yet seriously
considered," answered Don Hermoso. "My idea was to get into
communication with the Junta as soon as we reach the other side, and
learn from them what spot would be the most suitable at which to make
the attempt to land our consignment. What think you, Captain Milsom?"
"Where has this Junta of yours established itself?" asked Milsom, also
taking up the conversation in Spanish, of which he had a serviceable
knowledge. "Would it be possible to get a cable message into their
hands from this side without the risk of it being intercepted by the
Spaniards?"
"Oh, yes; quite easily!" answered Don Hermoso. "They have established
their headquarters in New York, and I could cable to them in cipher, if
necessary."
"Then," said Milsom, "if I may be permitted, I would suggest that, since
we are now running up channel, it would be a good plan for you to land
at Dover, and cable to the Junta the information that you have actually
started; that you have some reason to suspect that we have not
altogether escaped the suspicion of the Spanish authorities, and that
consequently the yacht may be watched for, and perhaps followed when we
arrive in Cuban waters; and that it would therefore be a very great
convenience if, when we get across, we could find a communication
awaiting us--say at Key West--giving us the latest information upon the
situation generally, and advice as to the most desirable spot at which
to attempt the landing of our cargo."
"A most excellent suggestion!" exclaimed Don Hermoso. "Come, gentlemen,
let us enter the chart-house and draft the message at once, after which
I will transcribe it into cipher in readiness to dispatch it upon our
arrival at Dover."
With the exercise of considerable thought and ingenuity a concise
rendering of the points suggested by Milsom was at length drafted: and,
upon the arrival of the yacht off Dover, Don Hermoso and Singleton went
ashore in the steam pinnace and dispatched the message to New York;
after which the yacht's bows were turned southward again until she had
rounded Beachy Head, when Milsom set the course at west by south for the
Lizard, from which headland he intended to take his final "departure".
It was just nine o'clock in the evening when the _Thetis_ rounded Beachy
Head; and at noon next day she was abreast of the Lizard and two miles
distant from it.
"A splendid `departure'!" exclaimed Milsom enthusiastically, when he had
taken a careful bearing of the headland. "I now know the ship's
position at noon to-day almost to a foot; and I was anxious to make a
really good departure, for I have worked out a very elaborate and
complete system of Great Circle courses from the Lizard to the north-
west end of the Little Bahama Bank, which is a spot that must be hit off
very accurately if one would avoid disaster. Thence I shall run down
the Florida Strait to Key West, the course which I intend to steer being
the shortest possible distance to that spot. And we must not run a mile
farther than is necessary, Jack, for Macintyre tells me that it will
take him all his time to make his coal last out."
As it happened, there was no cause for apprehension as to the coal
lasting out, for when the _Thetis_ was two days out from the Lizard she
fell in with a fresh easterly wind which enabled her to use her sails to
such great advantage that she saved a full day in the run across,
steaming in through the East Channel and dropping her anchor in four
fathoms of water within half a mile of the town of Key West a few
minutes before six o'clock in the evening of her eleventh day out from
the Lizard. There were several American men-o'-war of various
descriptions, ranging from battleships to torpedo boats, lying at anchor
in the roadstead, as well as two cruisers, three gunboats, and a torpedo
boat flying the Spanish flag; and Singleton noticed, with mingled
concern and amusement, that, as the little _Thetis_ swept past the
Spanish vessels at close quarters, with the blue burgee and ensign of
the "Royal Thames" gaily fluttering from masthead and ensign staff, the
yacht was an object of the keenest interest to the officers who were
promenading the navigating bridges. A boat from the custom-house, with
the health officer of the port in her, came off to the yacht almost as
soon as her anchor was down: but as the _Thetis_ had a clean bill of
health there was no difficulty about getting pratique, and the party
might have landed forthwith had they so pleased; they deemed it wise,
however, to exercise a certain measure of restraint, by abstaining from
landing until the next morning. But although the port authorities were
perfectly polite, Singleton thought--or was it only a case of a guilty
conscience?--that the custom-house officer betrayed even more than
ordinary Yankee curiosity as to the reasons which had prompted Jack to
select West Indian waters as the spot in which to pursue his quest of
renewed health; and there seemed to be a very marked disposition on the
part of the man to indulge in hints and innuendoes suggesting that he
was perfectly aware of the existence of a certain something "under the
rose", until Singleton at length put a stop to it by asking him, point-
blank, what it was at which he was hinting. And when he at length went
down the side to return to the shore, he left a subordinate on board the
yacht. The Montijos were very wroth at this act of the customs
authorities, which they rather wished Jack to resent as an act of
discourtesy on the part of the American Government; but Milsom promptly
interposed, explaining matters, while Jack laughed heartily, declaring
that there was not the slightest need to worry, since they had nothing
in the shape of contraband or otherwise that they wished to land at Key
West.
The saloon party breakfasted at nine o'clock the next morning, and,
embarking in the steam pinnace about ten, went ashore, ostensibly to
enquire at the post office for letters, and to view the quaint little
town, but really to visit an agent of the Cuban Junta who was
established there; upon whom, however, Don Hermoso did not call until
nearly two o'clock in the afternoon, at which hour the streets were
practically deserted. The first visit of the party was to the post
office, where, as he had expected, Don Hermoso found awaiting him a long
letter, written in cipher, from the Junta at New York, cordially
thanking him for his generous assistance, and informing him that
arrangements had been made for a trusty party to await the arrival of
the yacht in the Laguna de Cortes, at the south-west end of Cuba, where
everything was to be landed, and where also a pilot would be found
waiting to take the yacht into the lagoon. The letter ended up by
giving a password which would be evidence of the _bona fides_ both of
the pilot and of the party who had been told off to receive the
contraband.
It soon became apparent to Jack that he and his party were attracting a
very considerable amount of attention from certain individuals, who
appeared to be following them about the town persistently, and
apparently with very little pretence at concealment. It was therefore
arranged that when the moment arrived for the visit to be paid to the
agent of the Junta, Don Hermoso should pay it alone, Carlos and Jack
meanwhile doing their best to decoy the persistent spies in some other
direction. But their efforts were of no avail, for it soon became clear
that a separate spy had been told off to watch each member of the party;
when they separated, therefore, Jack found that while one man remained
to watch him, a second followed Don Hermoso, and a third, with equal
tenacity, followed Carlos. And finally, when, later on in the
afternoon, Jack set off to walk down to the wharf in order to go back
aboard the yacht, he suddenly found himself accosted by a swarthy,
unkempt individual, picturesquely attired in rags, yet whose manner was
somehow out of keeping with his appearance.
"_Pardon, Senor_" exclaimed the fellow in Spanish, with an air of
mystery, as he took off his sombrero with a flourish, "but have I the
supreme honour of addressing the noble Englishman who owns the beautiful
yacht that came in yesterday?"
"If you refer to the English yacht _Thetis_," said Jack, "yes, I am the
owner of her."
"_Mil gracias, Senor_, for your condescension," answered the man.
"Senor," he continued, "I have a very great favour to beg of you. It
has been said that the Senor is about to visit Cuba. Is this so?"
The mention of Cuba instantly put Jack on his guard: he at once
suspected that he was face to face with another Spanish spy, and felt
curious to know what the fellow was driving at. Yet he was careful to
conceal the fact that his suspicions had been aroused; he therefore
answered, with an air of carelessness:
"Indeed! That is curious, for I am not aware that I have thus far
mentioned my intentions to anyone ashore here. And, as to visiting
Cuba--well, I am not at all certain that I shall do so; for, from what I
have gathered to-day, I am led to understand that the country is in a
very disturbed condition, and that it is scarcely safe for strangers to
go there at present. But you have not yet mentioned the favour that you
wish to ask me. Has it anything to do with my supposed intention to
visit Cuba?"
"Assuredly it has, Senor; most intimately," answered the other.
"Senor," and the speaker assumed a yet more furtive and mysterious
manner, "I am a Cuban--and a patriot; I am destitute, as my appearance
doubtless testifies, and I am most anxious to return to my country and
take up arms against the oppressor. The English, enjoying liberty
themselves, are reputed to be in sympathy with us Cubans in our
endeavours to throw off the hated yoke of a foreign oppressor; and I
have ventured to hope that the Senor would be magnanimous enough to give
me a passage across to Havana in his beautiful yacht."
"I think," said Jack, with an air of hauteur, "that you have altogether
mistaken the character of my vessel. She is not a passenger ship, but a
private yacht in which I am taking a cruise for the benefit of my
health; and it is not my custom to give passages to total strangers,
especially when by so doing I should run the risk of embroiling myself
with the Spanish authorities, with whom I have no quarrel. No, Senor,
you must pardon my seeming churlishness in refusing so apparently
trivial a favour, but I decline to associate myself in any way with the
quarrel between your country and Spain. I have the honour to bid you
good-day."
"Ah, pardon, Senor; just one moment!" persisted the man. "The noble
Senor disclaims any intention to associate himself with the quarrel
between Cuba and Spain; yet two well-known Cuban patriots are guests on
board his yacht!"
"It would almost appear that my yacht and I are attracting a quite
unusual amount of attention here," laughed Jack. "The gentlemen of whom
you speak are personal friends of mine--the younger of them, indeed,
went to the same school as myself, in England--which should be
sufficient to account for my intimacy with them. But it does not follow
that, because they happen to be friends of mine, I am to give a free
passage to Cuba to anyone who chooses to ask me. Were I to do so I
should probably have to carry across half the inhabitants of Key West!
No, Senor, I must beg to be excused."
And, bowing profoundly to his ragged interlocutor--for with the language
Jack always found himself falling into the stately mannerisms of the
Spaniard--the young man passed on, wondering whether he had indeed been
guilty of an ungracious act to a genuine Cuban patriot, or whether the
man whom he had just left was a Spanish spy.
He put the question to Don Hermoso that night over the dinner-table,
while relating to his companions the incident of the afternoon; but the
Don laughed heartily at Jack's qualms of conscience.