CHAPTER XV
What did Dick Do?
Literally forcing his way along the crowded deck, Bobby Beverley wentbelow to make up arrears of sleep. At the foot of thecompanion-ladder he encountered Claverhouse, on whom the task ofproviding accommodation 'tween decks for the women and childrenrescued from the _Cit? d'Arras_ had fallen.
"Do you know your young brother's been in the ditch?" inquired Alec.
"By Jove!" exclaimed Bobby. "Is that a fact? Where is he?"
"Fact," confirmed Claverhouse. "At the present time he's shedding hiswet gear in your cabin."
Dick Beverley looked a little confused when his brother appeared. Asa matter of fact he had changed his saturated garments, and was inthe act of attempting to remove all traces of the pools of water fromthe floor when the cabin door was thrown open and Bobby entered.
"What silly game have you been up to?" inquired Beverley Majorsternly.
"Only got a bit wet," replied Beverley Minor. "Nothing much; I'llsoon get your cabin straight, Bob."
"How did it happen?" demanded Bobby.
"Sort of slipped in," declared Dick.
"Pushed in?"
"Well, there was a bit of a crush," observed Dick diplomatically.
"You young ass!" ejaculated his brother. "I suppose you know thewater's teeming with sharks?"
Dick admitted that he was aware of the unpleasant fact. He had seenthem following the yacht soon after she left Suez.
"How did you get on board again?" asked Bobby.
"Trevear hauled me up with a rope," replied Dick simply. "I wasn't infor more than fifteen seconds."
"Time enough for you to have been bitten in two," rejoined Bobby."All right, carry on and wipe up the mess. I want to turn in."
He went out, leaving Dick to complete his self-appointed task, toseek Trevear and gain further particulars, since his brother wasobviously "lying low".
He found the R.A.F. pilot talking French as spoken on the Somme in1918 to a pair of children whose home was at Ol?ron in theDepartment of the Basses-Pyr?n?es. The result was not altogether asuccess, although by a wealth of dumb show Trevear contrived to keepthe children amused.
"They've shoved me in charge of the cr?che, old bird," he observed."Know it's no use offering you a cigarette; try some of this."
He extended a well-used and bulky tobacco-pouch.
"What's on your chest, old man?" he continued.
"Something my young brother's been doing," rejoined Beverley.
"Eh, what's that?" asked Trevear, raising his eyebrows and simulatingan air of complete ignorance.
"I want you to tell me exactly how he got into the ditch," declaredBobby.
"You know that much, then?" rejoined Trevear. "Non, non. Taisez-vous;c'est defendu de puller mon hair (that was an aside addressed to hischarges, who, finding themselves ignored, reasserted their presenceby tugging vigorously at the ex-airman's closely-cropped hair). Allright, then; s'pose I'm no longer bound to secrecy. While we werelying alongside the Frenchman, young Dick spotted someone in thewater--one of the Arab crowd. Before I knew what he was up to--Ithought he was going to sling the fellow a coil of rope--he took aturn round his waist with the end of a line and jumped overboard.Pete and I hiked him back in double quick time, 'cause the Arabfellow was trying to drag him under. Yes, we got the pair of 'em justas a brute of a shark turned on his back and showed his ugly jaws.Gave me a bit of a turn, and I fancy young Dick had the wind up afterit was all over. That youngster's got some pluck, old son."
Trevear would doubtless have held to his compact with Dick Beverley,but it was obvious that the secret would out, as Pete had been awitness of the affair. The negro had already told O'Loghlin andSwaine, and they, in turn, had communicated the news of the exploitto others.
Bobby returned to his cabin. Dick, having completed the tidying-upprocess, had turned in. His brother went to the side of the bunk.
"Dick," he said softly. "You're a silly young ass, but I'm proud ofyou."
It was broad daylight when Bobby Beverley awoke to find Pete standingby his bunk with a cup of tea. Already the air was insufferably hot,in spite of the fact that the port-hole was wide open and an electricfan running. Without, the sun beat fiercely down, its hot raysglancing obliquely from the mirror-like surface of the water. On deckthe tramp of many feet showed that the survivors of the catastrophewere giving signs of activity.
Looking at the clock, Bobby saw that he had but twenty minutes beforegoing on deck to take over his watch. A plunge into a bath of tepidwater, shaving and dressing, occupied half the allotted time; then,making a hurried breakfast, the watch-keeping officer went on deck.
The _Titania_ was approaching Massowah, somewhat to the discontent ofmany of the ex-passengers of the _Cit? d'Arras_, who wanted to belanded at the French colony of Obock farther down the coast and justbelow the Bab el Mandeb. But Harborough had decided otherwise. Theobjection to calling at Aden applied equally well to putting intoObock, so willy-nilly the survivors had to accept the hospitality ofthe Italian colony until they found means of resuming theirinterrupted journeys.
The moment the anchor was dropped and the yacht lost way the_Titania_ was surrounded by a fleet of small boats. Into them therescued people were placed and taken ashore, not before an impromptumeeting had been held on deck and a vote of thanks delivered inbroken English by a tall, corpulent Frenchman who was about to takeup a Consular appointment in China.
"Do you know what, in my opinion, is the height of embarrassment,"asked Harborough, addressing his crew in general after the departureof the cosmopolitan crowd. "No? I'll tell you; being kissed on bothcheeks by a demonstrative bearded Frenchman, with the temperature 125degrees in the shade."
"Jolly funny thing," remarked Dick to his brother. "I met one of theliner's passengers on the Boulogne boat--a Mr. Wilson."
"Really?" remarked Bobby, to whom the announcement conveyed littleinterest. In his own experience the world was small, and he was usedto knocking up against acquaintances, chance or otherwise, at variousodd times. "Speak to him?"
"No," replied the lad. "For one thing, I didn't notice him until hehad left the _Titania_ and was sitting in the boat. For another, Ididn't want to."
"Why not?" asked Bobby. When Dick took a dislike to anyone there wasusually a sound reason.
The schoolboy told how "Mr. Wilson" had tried to pump him.
"By Jove!" exclaimed Jack Villiers, who was with Bobby at this time."Pity you hadn't let us know half an hour ago. That's old Borgen fora million. He's on his way to join the _Zug_."
"And what would you have done?" inquired Dick, forming a mentalpicture of burly Jack Villiers and "Mr. Wilson" fighting _?l'outrance_ on the deck of the good ship _Titania_.
"Done?" echoed Villiers. "I owe him one for sand-bagging me--orgetting his minions to do so, which comes to practically the samething. I'd have kept him under the influence of morphia for the nexttwenty-four hours and taken him to sea with us. Then we'd see how therival crush got on without a figurehead. We'll have to inform theskipper."
Harborough received the news with his inscrutable smile.
"'Tany rate he's boxed up in Massowah for a week or ten days and he'slost all his kit. That's rather put the lid on his activities for abit. But since he owes us something for saving his life I hope hewon't bear us a grudge on that account."
Three hours later, having shipped an additional two hundred gallonsof oil and replenished the water-tanks, the _Titania_ weighed andresumed her voyage.
It was a long, tedious stretch across the Arabian Sea, for more than2500 miles lay between the yacht and the port of Colombo. For themost part there was little wind. When there was any it was generallytoo much ahead to give the vessel a useful slant, for it was the timeof the north-east monsoon. Consequently, the heavy oil-engines werekept running almost continuously.
The _Titania_ passed to the south'ard of the Island of Socotra, whichwas the last land sighted for a space of twelve days.
"India's coral
strand" was a wash-out as far as Dick was concerned,for the _Titania_ passed a good hundred miles to the south'ard ofCape Comorin, but at sunrise on the following morning the lad had adistant view of Adam's Peak, its prominent outlines silhouettedagainst the rapidly-growing light.
Two days in Colombo Harbour gave the crew a much-needed rest beforetackling the almost as long voyage across to Singapore.
Thence, threading her way cautiously between the islands of the Javaand Banda Seas, and encountering no adventure in the shape of Malaypirates (somewhat to Dick's disappointment), the _Titania_ approachedthe outward limit of her long voyage.
Towards the latter end of the run Harborough rarely left the deck. Heslept in the chart-house, going below for his meals and returningwith the utmost haste. His usual coolness was noticeably absent. Hewas restless and uncommunicative, often pacing the deck for hourswith hardly a word to anyone.
At length, shortly after daybreak, he touched Villiers on theshoulder and pointed to a rugged mountain-top just showing above thehorizon.
"That's Ni Telang," he announced. "If I've worked our cards properlywe ought to find the _Zug_ there searching for treasure that does notexist."