The FLYING ARGOSY

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 201, 26 August 1935, Page 17

The FLYING ARGOSY

ARTHUR J. REES

CHAPTER I.—(Continued.) Sir Hugh regarded the young man steadily. Vanderdoss' eyes brightened and his cheeks flushed. The shipping owner had addressed him as "captain" — for the first time during their talk. Did that mean he was to be appointed to the command of The Flying Argosy? It certainly looked like it. With a 6lightly quickened pulse, he said: "You are very good, sir, hut what about the ship. I mean, ought she to be left without —" 'Without a captain?" said Sir Hugh cheerfully. "That need not trouble you, for once. Your ship has no cargo, you know." "Except geld," suggested Vanderdo3S. "Except gold," repeated Sir Hugh, with a sudden laugh. "But it is unnecessary to worry about that, with the Customs authorities on board. Robecq is remaining, and Tollit will look after the ship." "Very well, sir," replied Vanderdoss, without feeling quite satisfied in his heart. A chill touch of his former premonition of ill had revisited him, and he did not like deserting The Flying Argosy in this fashion —the ship of his dreams, and his first command! But the mail opposite him was the steamer's owner and commanded him too, in a way. Sir Hugh rose from the table. "Then that is settled," he said easily. "You have done your duty by The Flyin" Argosy, and need have no scruple in leaving her for a day or two." The invitation, though courteously and kindly phrased, was now, indeed, equivalent to a command. Vanderdoss realised that he had no alternative but to accept. "Thank you, sir; since you put it that way, I shall be very pleased," ho replied. Sir Hugh's face relaxed into a smile. He took the young man in friendly fiibhion by the arm, and in this manner they left the- library. "And now you would like to meet the young people," he said. "Come with me." Outside in the corridor, he remarked: "Wo will go to the smoking room first." As they walked down the wide corridor towards it, a door near them opened, and a young woman came out. At the sight of her Sir Hugh stopped. "Brenda!" She looked round. "Yes, father?" "I want you to meet Captain Vanderdoss—he has just brought The Flying Argosy in. Vanderdoss, let me introduce you to my daughter, Mrs. Jervane." Vanderdoss bowed. For a moment Sir Hugh's daughter looked at him gravely, then held out her hand. Automatically he noted her pale, dark beauty, the rather hard eyes, and the lips which showed like a scarlet line in the madeup whiteness of her face. She was dressed in shimmering white, and exhaled a faint odour of some subtle scent. And she, standing quite close to him, took him in with feminine swiftness, standing there upright and bronzed, with something about him which inevitably suggested the sea. "You have been on a treasure hunt, Captain Vanderdoss," she said. "Yes, Mrs. Jervane; I suppose it was that." "How nice! I wish I'd been with you." Sir Hugh laughed. "The Flying Argosy is a small ship, Brenda; not a liner, you know." "It would have been exciting—which is all that I want."

She spoke lightly enough, but Vandordoes thought he caught a faint trace of bitterness underneath, and wondered why. A vision of the penguin rookery at Condor Island rose before him as he said: "I don't think you would have liked it much." "Why not?" "Well, Condor Island is not a very nice place." She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Perhaps not. It must have been a wonderful adventure, though." "Are you going to the drawing room, Brenda?" her father asked. She shook her head. "No, father; I have a headache, and am going to bed. Good night, father; good night, Captain Vanderdoss." Vanderdoss saw her profile as she turned away, delicate and proud, cleanly chiselled in outline, with a certain halfrepressed suggestion of hardness which was difficult to define. And she, as they went away, paused by the heavy hanging curtains in the corridor to look back, her eyes on the retreating figure ■ of the young man. Then she went on I again, in the direction of the stairs. Brenda and Margery. In the billiard room a group of cheerful young people were assembled, watching a four-handed game between Adrian Bross and Vivien Wrestham, who were playing Tessa Blackwell and Sir Hugh's son-in-law. The latter was just about to take his stroke as Sir Hugh and Vanderdoss came in. He essayed a difficult cannon off two cushions and brought it off, then potted the red. "Game!" 6aid a florid-faced young man, who was scoring. "Care for another?" suggested Jervane, chalking his cue. Adrian Bross shook his head. "No, thanks, Jervane; you're too jolly good." "Victor has the professional touch in nearly all games," said Tessa, with a laugh. In the lull which followed the termination of the game Sir Hugh introduced Vanderdoss to those assembled in the billiards room. They greeted him in the cheerful modern manner, and he felt speedily at his ease. Sir Hugh, having made him known, withdrew for the relief of a cigar in the empty smoking room before returning upstairs. Vanderdoss found himself an object of interest to several of the billiards room group, who plied him with questions about the voyage. Treasure is treasure everywhere, and tht object of The Flying Argosy's quest seemed pretty widely known. There had been a great deal about it in the newspapers, with headlines. "How much?" a girl with red hair and a jade necklace asked. Jervane, standing a little apart, made a slight movement of his shoulders. "I read that you brought back a lot of gold," Tessa Blackwell remarked.

(Author of " Island of Destiny," " Threshold of Fear," " Greymarsh," "Moon Rock," etc., etc.)

"What is the use of talking of it?" lie said. "It's like my father-in-law to have a ship come in loaded with gold, like bars of soap, while we are so short." There was a general laugh at this, in the midst of which Jervane left the billiards room and proceeded upstairs. At the top he encountered a girl crossing the dimly lighted hall. At the sight of her he stopped. "Why, Margery! When did you arrive?" "I have just come." "I'm delighted to sec you. I have missed you, you know." "I am looking for Brenda. Have you seen her?" "No; but never mind Brenda," ho replied with a laugh. "You haven't told me about your trip. What kind of a time did you have?" "Oh not bad. But I cannot stop now." She had heard him. without raising her eyes, but sho looked up now. And her dark ghinco thrilled him though it was cold enough. Ho felt irritated. "Brenda is not in the billiards room," he informed her. "Some of them may bo able to tell me where sho is," sho rejoined, and turned away. He looked after her glumly, a queer expression on his face. Why did sho hold herself so confoundedly aloof; couldn't she see ho was madly in love with her? A mysterious, unapproachable kind of girl, with that strange air of reticence about her, and those clinging dark eyes. He watched her until she reached the bottom of the staircase, and then walked away. CHAPTER m. Cockspur Street. On the following morning Sir Hugh went to London in his car, and Vanderdoss and Jervane accompanied him. Vanderdoss, at his own request, was put down by the lions in Trafalgar Square, in order to go to the City to transact some business connected with the 6hip. Sir Hugh, in a manner both curt and smiling, asked him to repair to the company's offices in Cockspur Street when his business was done. Vanderdoss caught a bus in Chandos Street going east. He spent a busy morning in various ways, and when he had finished it was time for lunch. The meal over, he set out for Cockspur Street. At the offices of the Pendexter company he sent up his name, and a fresh complexioned young woman, whose eyes travelled over him, came down to say that Sir Hugh was engaged at a board meeting, and would he kindly come up and wait? He travelled with her in the lift up to tho first floor, where tho young woman ushered him into a small room with pictures of the company's biggest ships on the walls, handed him that day's "Times," and left him. Half-an-hour passed away, and then the young woman returned. "Will you come in, Captain Vanderdoss, please?" In a room with a long table and several empty chairs, Sir Hugh sat with two other men, of whom one was McColl, engaged in conversation. A little distance off sat Jervane, with a pile of papers before him and a fountain pen in his hand. Tho room was singularly cheerless, and was evidently the board room. Sir Hugh looked up. "Sit down, captain; I have just been explaining the position to my fellow directors. This Hutchkiss still persists in his claim, and Signor Robecq, without prejudice, has made him an offer. Hutchkiss appears inclined to accept, and is considering it. At the same time he has waived all claim against the company for their share of the specie which is due for the charter of The Flying Argosy. So it now waters down to a very trifling matter, which should be settled speedily." "You think that the legal position is quite clear, then?" asked McColl. "I should have liked to hear Mr. Service, our legal adviser." "As Service is not here, we must do without his assistance. But I have a memorandum from him to that effect. It is on my private file, Victor; will you fetch it?" With a slight smile at Vanderdoss, Jervane went from the room and returned with the memorandum. Sir Hugh read it aloud. "That is quite clear," commented McColl. "What are you going to do?" inquired the other director, a tall thin man in black. The bullion brokers are sending down two special safes to the ship, in which the gold will be placed and brought to London by train for deposit in their vaults. Captain Vanderdoss will accompany the gold to London, place it in Messrs. Peacefold and Conch's charge, and bring me their receipt. There are three sets of keys for the safes—one for Captain Vanderdoss, tho second for the

brokers, and the third for myself. With these precautions it will not be necessary to go to the expense of a special bullion van—the safes can be put in the guard's van, and travel in the ordinary manner. It will be better that way, I think; there is not the slightest element of risk, as there might be if we sent it through the railway company." "Are you going to have it brought up at once?' asked McColl. "Not yet." The tall thin director looked up. "Have tho Admiralty given permission to land it?" "Yes; to-day." "Then why " "Why wait? It is better, I think, until the other matter is finally settled. Should any hitch occur between Hutchkiss and Robecq, it might raise the question of our financial lability, and then we should have to reckon with the shareholders. It would be a mistake of judgment to act otherwise. The gold is quite safe on the ship with Customs officers guarding it on board." McColl and his fellow director bowed; they had faith in the chairman's acumen. Sir Hugh turned to Vanderdoss. "I should like you to call on the bullion brokers and make yourself known—they will be expecting you. The address is 22a Gow Lane; ask for Mr. Peacefold, and arrange details with him. It will save time." Vanderdoss bowed. "Very well, sir," he said. "I want you to stay in London tonight —I have had a room reserved for you at the Bristol Hotel. It will be necessary for us to have a talk to-morrow about The Flying Argosy. After this business is disposed of, I propose to send her for cargo to the Far East. Call here at midday, if you please —we will discuss the matter then." Vanderdoss merely bowed again, but his ■heart gave a sudden leap. He was to be captain, then!

And here are your keys of the safes," Sir Hugh went on. "I advise you to keep them carefully." He unlocked a drawer in the table as he spoke, and took out two keys on a ring. After looking at them critically, and turning them over to examine the workmanship, he handed them to Vanderdoss. Vanderdoss put them in an inside pocket. Sir Hugh got up. "That is all, I think. Victor"—he turned to his son-in-law—"l want you to go down and see the lona people, and ask them why the transfer isn't ready. Tell Malcolm that I should like it at once. And you might, while you're in the city, ask Dansart if he has fixed up that special underwriting business —he'll know what I mean." Jervane nodded, and rose. Leaving Sir Hugh conferring in an undertone with his co-directors, he went out of the room in company with Vanderdoss. Outside the door he said: "What are you doing to-night?" "Nothing, so far as I am aware." "Then come and dine with me, if you are at a loose end; you'll be bored to death in that dreary mausoleum, the Bristol, full of Victorian dug-ups and decayed dowagers." Ten to one there will be a couple of country clergymen there, who'll insist upon talking politics with you." "You are very good, but—" "Not another word! My wife would not like it if I left you to the tender mercies of the "Bristols," and to-night we are at home, dining, for once, en famille. The address is 29b, Charnwood Crescent—that's South Kensington way. We'll expect you at seven o'clock, my dear boy." "Thank you very much then. I'd like to come." "Good —that's settled; au re voir for the present." They parted, going different ways. (To be oontinued daily.)