The Wheel O' Fortune Part 26

"No, that is not to be feared, Miss Fenshawe. My experience of the sea is no greater than your own, but you may be sure the Italians will follow the rules. If they really wish to overhaul us they will fly a signal soon."

The wars.h.i.+p was traveling sixteen knots an hour, the _Aphrodite_ seven, so the chase did not last long. About one o'clock the green, white, and red ensign of Italy fluttered to the end of the pursuing vessel's foreyard, where it could be seen most easily; under it were shown the red and white striped code signal, and the "J" flag, which latter, in the language of the seas means, "Stop; I 'have something important to communicate."

The British ensign was run up, followed by the answering pennant, the mainsail was lowered, the foresail backed, and the yacht was brought to, while the Italian s.h.i.+p, which was made out to be the _Cigno_, came on rapidly.

Mrs. Haxton approached. Stump and whispered in his ear.

"Quite right, ma'am," he nodded. He walked forward and looked at the crew, mustered in full strength in the fore part.

"Every man, 'cept those on watch, go below,", he growled, "an' mind you keep there, with al ports closed, until I ax you to show your ugly mugs on deck."

They obeyed in sulky silence, though they appreciated the reason of the order. Hence, when, the _Cigno_ stopped her panting engines abreast of the _Aphrodite_, there were many more pairs of eyes watching from the yacht than the Italian captain reckoned on.

The wars.h.i.+p lowered a boat. Something went wrong with the gear, the after block jammed, the boat fell and dangled from her davits bows first, and an officer and half a dozen men were thrown into the sea.

They were soon rescued, but the mishap did not tend to sweeten the temper of the _Cigno's_ commander. A dry officer and crew were requisitioned, and the boat was pulled alongside the yacht.

Stump, with a malicious grin on his face, leaned over the starboard rail.

"Wot is it?" he demanded. "Have you lost yer bearin's?"

The officer replied in Italian, greatly to Stump's disgust.

"I s'pose the chap they chucked overboard was the on'y Dago among 'em who could speak English," he grunted, but Mrs. Haxton explained that the officer was asking for the gangway to be lowered. Stump nodded to a couple of sailors, and the ladder dropped so smartly that the boat nearly came to grief a second time.

The officer bowed very politely when he reached the deck. Probably he was surprised to find himself in the presence of two such beautiful women. Though Irene spoke Italian, Mrs. Haxton took on herself the role of interpreter. The _Cigno_ carried two letters from the Governor of Ma.s.sowah, she said. One was addressed to Signor Fenshawe, the other to the signor captain of the British yacht _Aphrodite_. Would the two gentlemen kindly read and acknowledge receipt of the Governor's epistles?

Both were purely formal doc.u.ments. They set forth the official demand that the _Aphrodite_ should not attempt to land any of her occupants on Italian territory at other than a recognized port, and warned her owner and commander that the _Cigno_ would enforce observance of the request.

At first, Mr. Fenshawe refused angrily to give a written reply, but von Kerber prevailed on him, and he wrote:

"Mr. Hiram Fenshawe begs to inform the Governor of Erythrea that his prohibition of the landing of a British scientific expedition in the colony he rules is arbitrary and unwarranted. Mr. Hiram Fenshawe is further of opinion that the said prohibition is part of the lawless treatment to which he and other members of the yacht's company were subjected during their visit to the 'recognized port' of Ma.s.sowah.

Finally, Mr. Hiram Fenshawe intends to lay the whole matter before the British Foreign Office."

This stiff-necked answer showed clearly that the writer was still on von Kerber's side, no matter what revelations were contained in the letter from London which Royson knew of. Irene copied the note for her grandfather. She made no comment. Perhaps her own island blood was a- boil at the cavalier tone of the Governor's threat.

Stump's letter was characteristic. It ran:

S. Y. Aphrodite,

Lat. 15 10' N., Long. 41 15' E,

SIR--Yours at hand. Will act as think fit.

Yours truly,

JOHN STUMP, Master

The disagreeable part of this business ended, the Italian officer conveyed the compliments of the Cigno's commander, and, on his behalf, invited Signor Fenshawe and the two ladies to luncheon. Mr. Fenshawe stiffly declined, on the plea that he did not wish to interrupt the voyage, and the envoy went back to his s.h.i.+p.

The _Aphrodite_ swung round into the wind, dipped her ensign, and was soon bowling along at her usual rate. The _Cigno_ stood away for the coast, but, as the day wore, it was palpable that she did not mean to part company with the yacht until the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb were pa.s.sed.

About four o'clock the wind dropped and the engines were called on.

With the night the wind rose again but veered to the south. The _Cigno's_ lights were clearly visible at about three miles' distance.

Her white masthead light watched the Aphrodite without blinking, while her red and green eyes suggested to Irene's fancy some fabled monster of the deep waiting to pounce on the yacht if she deviated an inch from her seaward course.

The girl s.n.a.t.c.hed a few minutes' talk with Royson. Von Kerber, it seemed, had persuaded her grandfather that Alfieri was the paid agent of rival archeologists who had got wind of the Sabaean h.o.a.rd, and were able to secure the help of the Italian Government. She was convinced that the ill treatment meted out to them at Ma.s.sowah had only confirmed the old gentleman's determination to best his opponents at all costs.

The burking of his cablegrams, made known by the Baron, was the last straw in an aggravated load. The yacht was going to Aden to enable him to lodge a complaint with the proper authorities, but she would leave almost at once for French--Somaliland, where a _kafila_ would be collected and a dash made across the Italian frontier. And d.i.c.k gathered that Irene herself was inclined to let affairs run their natural course. He agreed with her, which was to be expected, seeing that he was four-and twenty, and in love. He cudgeled his brains for some pretext to discuss rings and the manner of wearing them, but his wit failed him there. Irene on the deck of her grandfather's yacht differed in several important particulars from the tremulous girl who clung to him during that blissful journey of the previous night.

He tried to clear up this vital point with Tagg.

"Did you ever give a young lady an engagement ring?" he asked, after judiciously leading his chief to discourse on the frailties of the s.e.x.

"Well," said Tagg reflectively, "it all depen's on the way you take'

it. I once gev' a girl a Mizpah ring, which fancied, when she saw'r it in a p.a.w.nshop window. Next time I met her she tole me she'd swopped it for a dress improver. The feller she was goin' to marry didn't like the motter as comin' from me, you see, but the funny thing was she never said a word about him when she saw'r me buyin' the ring. Since then, I've kep' me money in me pocket."

Royson took the morning watch, from 4 A.M. till 8. Stump joined him soon after dawn, and appeared to be anxious about the yacht's exact position. So far as d.i.c.k could judge from the chart, they were in safe waters; nevertheless, the stout skipper did not rest content until the tall peak of Jebel Aduali opened up clear of Jebel Ash Ali, with Sanahbor Island bearing west.

A lighthouse on the mainland flashed a bright ray at them before the rising sun rendered its warning unnecessary. Still d.o.g.g.i.ng them, the _Cigno_ followed in their wake at half speed, but Stump gave no eye to the wars.h.i.+p. He continued to scan the coast intently. A low, double- peaked hill intervened between the lofty Jebel Aduali and the s.h.i.+p.

When its saddle cut the summit of the more distant mountain, Stump changed the course sharply.

To Royson's surprise, the yacht turned due west, and headed for the point whence the lighthouse had gleamed half an hour earlier.

And now, instead of looking ahead, Stump kept his telescope glued on the _Cigno_. A cloud of smoke from the gunboat's funnels showed that she had noted the _Aphrodite's_ new direction, and meant to take a close interest in it. She had a few miles to make up, but that was a simple matter, and her nose swung to the southwest as she raced for the bay towards which the yacht was steaming.

Both vessels held on, following converging lines, for nearly an hour.

By that time they were hardly a mile apart. Suddenly Stump sent the _Aphrodite_ round until she lay on her previous course. In a word, after standing in for the land in the most decided manner, he was now making for the Straits again.

This behavior apparently puzzled the Italian vessel, as, indeed, it succeeded in puzzling Royson and the man at the wheel, while the looks cast towards the bridge by the watch, who were mainly employed In swabbing the deck, told that the men were commenting on the yacht's erratic wanderings.

All at once the blare of a siren came faintly over the s.h.i.+mmering sea, and Stump chuckled triumphantly.

"He's found it," he roared, his voice almost rivaling the hoa.r.s.eness of the far-off foghorn. "Sink me If that Dago wasn't so taken up with pipin' my antics that he's gone an' done it!"

"Done what, sir?" asked d.i.c.k, seeing that his respected skipper was in hilarious mood.

"Run his bloomin' _Cigno_ onto the Scilla Shoal. Damme, I thought he'd do it. Listen to him," for another wail reached them from the disconsolate wars.h.i.+p. "He's fixed there as though, he was glued to it.

He'll have to jettison all his bunker an' a gun or two afore he gets off. They tell me _Cigno_ means 'swan.' I wonder wot's the I-talian for 'goose.' Go an' tell Tagg. Tell him to tumble up quick, if on'y for the sake of ole times."

Royson aroused the chief, and gave him the skipper's message. Tagg, rubbing his eyes, came on deck. He looked at the _Cigno_, heard her dismal trumpeting, and slowly took, in the surroundings.

"Well, s'elp me!" he grinned. "Sorry to rake cold ashes, cap'n, but isn't that where you piled up the Ocean Queen?"

"Don't I know it!" growled' Stump, "One solid month, we stuck there, didn't we, Tagg? Threw over-board two thousand tons o' best Cardiff, an' then had to be hauled off by another tramp. Well, good-by, Swan!

I'll report you at Perim. An' mind you take care o' them letters. It 'ud be a pity if the Governor didn't 'ave 'em in time. By gad, I never thought I'd owe the _Ocean Queen_ a good turn. She lost me my berth, an' nearly cost me my ticket, but she's made it up to-day. Come on, Tagg, we'll have a tot o' rum an' drink to the rotten ole hulk which gev' us best ag'in that swaggerin' I-talian. My G.o.dfather, won't Becky be pleased when she hears of it!"

And the two dived below to partake of the generous spirit which pays homage to the rising sun, while the _Cigno_ bleated her distress to deaf ears.