had to kill him.'
'Had to? Had to?' He seemed upset. 'Why, Calvert?'
'There's no ' why'. There's no justification needed. I killed him or he killed me, and then you, and now we'd both be where he is. Do you have to justify killing men who have murdered at least three times, probably oftener? And if that particular character wasn't a murderer, he came to-night to murder. I killed him with as little thought and compunction and remorse as I'd have tramped on a black widow spider.'
'But you can't go around acting like a public executioner,'
'I can and I will. As long as it's a choice between them and me.'
'You're right, you're right.' He sighed. 'I must confess that reading your reports of an operation is quite different from being with you on one. But I must also confess that it's rather comforting having you around at times like this. Well, let's put this man in cells.'
'I'd like to go to the
'I see. To look for Hunslett. Has it occurred to you, Calvert, that if they are hostile to us, as you admit is possible, that they may not let you look for Hunslett?'
'Yes, sir. It's not my intention to go through the
'Assuming they are the bandits, of course.' 'I'll know before we say good-bye to them.' 'And how do we account for our knowing one another?' 'If they're white as the driven snow, we don't have to account to them. If they're not, they won't believe a damned word either of us say anyway.'
I collected the roll of flex from the wheelhouse and led our prisoner to the after cabin. I told him to sit down with his back to one of the bulkhead generators and he did. Resistance was the last thought in his mind. I passed a few turns of flex round his waist and secured him to the generator: his feet I secured to one of the stanchions. His hands I left free. He could move, he could use the towel and the bucket of cold fresh water I left to administer first aid to himself whenever he felt like it. But he was beyond reach of any glass or sharp instrument with which he could either free himself or do himself in. On the latter score I wasn't really worried one way or another.
I started the engines, weighed anchor, switched on the navigation lights and headed for the
SIX
Less than two hundred yards from the
'How long do we sit here?' Uncle Arthur asked.
'Not long. Better get into your oilskins now, sir. Next really heavy shower of rain and we'll go.'
'They'll have had their night-glasses on us all the way across the bay, you think?'
'No question of that. They'll still have the glasses on us. They'll be worried stiff, wondering what the hell has gone wrong, what's happened to the two little playmates they sent to interview us. If they are the bandits.'
'They're bound to investigate again.'
'Not yet. Not for an hour or two. They'll wait for their two friends to turn up. They may think that it took them longer than expected to reach the
We left by the galley door, felt our way aft, quietly lowered the dinghy into the water and climbed down the transom ladder into it. I cast off. Wind and tide carried us in towards the harbour. Through the driving rain we could dimly see the
The big tender was riding at the outer end of a boom which stretched out from the
'Ah, good-evening, my man,' Uncle Arthur said. He wasn't putting on the style, it was the way he .talked
'Yes, sir.'
'I wonder if I could see him for a moment?'
'If you could wait a------' The sailor broke off and peered at Sir Arthur. 'Oh, it's – it's the Admiral, sir.'
'Admiral Arnford-Jason. Of course - you're the fellow who ran me ashore to the Columba after dinner.'
'Yes, sir. I'll show you to the saloon, sir.'
'My boat will be all right here for a few moments.' The unspoken implication was that I was his chauffeur.
'Perfectly, sir.'
They climbed the gangway and went aft. I spent ten seconds examining the portable lead that served the gangway lightj decided that it would offer much resistance to a good hefty tug, then followed the two men aft. I passed by the passage leading to the saloon and hid behind a ventilator. Almost at once the sailor emerged from the passage and made his way for'ard again. Another twenty seconds and he'd be yelling his head off about the mysteriously vanished chauffeur. I didn't care what he did in twenty seconds.