CHAPTER XIX.—THE RETICENCE OF CAPTAIN LANDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2460, 8 May 1901, Page 59

CHAPTER XIX.— THE RETICENCE OF CAPTAIN LANDER.

The office door was ajar. I lemembered that I had left it so when I came to bed. Through the opening a dim light was visible. I peeped in. I had expected to find .hat my ouest would take the shape ot the individual who .had dogged my footsteps home ficm Camford street. I hardly know on what I based my expectation, but there it was. A single glance, however, was sufficient to show that "guest" should read "guests," foi they were three. One \\<-s the pockmarked 1 !! in que.-tion ; a second wa< seemingly hi* luotbei — they weie <.s alike as two peas; the third was as lemaikable a person as I had ever yei beheld. Ho was of uncommon height, and uncommon thin ness I never saw a smaller head set on human shcmldei-j. My impression w'\s that it wds a monstrously attenuated menkey, v. Inch h.'d tin own a \ellow sheet about it anj how And it was. only when I peiceived the deftness with which t lie contents of my diaweis were being emptied out upon the table that it occuired to me tliat. man oi monkey, it was advisable that 1 should inteifere

Just as I had decided that it wa- about time for me to h,ue a finger m the pie ni} b'.uly-eyed «< qimntauce of the afteinoon lighted on the <iod of Foitune whic.i 1 had tossed vmm the table on my leluin fiom Piyor's Snatching it up with a cm ions ciy, he handed it to Ins monkeyheaded fuend 1h tt lemg-dia w n-mit llit tleman, atter a rapid glance at it. held it up with both hands high above hi- head At once h s two associates threw them.sehes dow r Hat on theii faces, giovelhng before the t >enny doll n< it it Ind been an object too ?acied for oidinaiy eyes to look upon. Tlu man of length w ithout bieddth began co say something in a high pitched monotone, which was in a language quite unknown to me, but which sounded as if it weie a prayer or invocation. He spoke lapidly, as if he were lepeating a form ot woids. which he knew b} heait. I was getting inteiet-ted. It seemed that I was suneptitiously as.-isting at some soil of leligious seivice vi which the doll pla\ed a conspicuous pmt. A: I was moment.ail\ expecting something to happen, something in the Aiabian Nights way, as it weie, that stupid hockey .stick, slipping somehow from my grasp, fell with a bang

upon the floor. That concluded the sew vice on the spot It must needs stiikc against the dooi in falling, chiving n further open, so that I stood ie\e.iled to the tiio in plain sight.

My impression is that they took mcV foi something of honor — a demoniac.il \ i- - tation, for all I know. My costume wa4 weird enough to astonish even the occidental mind. Anyhow, no sooner did they gel a glimpse at me than the} stood, not on the order of their going, but went at on^.

Out went the light, and, also, out v mfc tl^ ; thiough the window by which they had entered, -and that w;th a 'how oi agility which did them ciedit. I caught! up that wi etched stick, ru-hed after them in the daiknesss. and had the satisfaction of giving someone a pietty s-tnait crack tipon the head as he diopped fiom the sill on to the pavement below. I am not sme. but 1 fancy it wa= the lengthy one.

iStukmg; a light, I looked to see whafc damage had been done So far as I could discover the only thing which was missing was the God of Fortune, to winch they were entirely welcome Apparently they prized it more than I did 1 had a, kind of notion, bom of I know not what, that they had been after the Battei& papeis. Tf so, they were disanpointcd ; for I had taken them with nic inio my bedioom, and at that mement they weie reposing uu a chair by my bedside.

The greater part of the follow in.; day I spent in se.aohing foi someone v» ha knew something t .bout Benjamin Battws ; or Gieat Ke Inland; or Aithi.r Le'inaid, ims^ionaiy. Without leiult T lt-tinccl, what I ws already awaic of. thnt theie were numeious nas^ionaiy societies, both in England and Ameiici. and acquiied the additional infoi'mation that to try to find out something about a particular mi: - sionary without knowing by winch society he had been acei edited resembled the wellknown lead'ng c Q .sc of the search foi 1 the nredle in the haystack. At tlu- gieU shipping office at vhich I m.ide inqumes no one knew anyone who 'had c's er ))etn to (*reat Ke Isluid. or even wanted to go. And, as for Benjamin Batten, the geneial impie'sion seemed to be that if I v anted to know am thing about him I had better put an advertisement in the agony column, and see what came of that.

Altogether I felt that the day had been pretty well wasted; but as it would probably have been wasted anyhow, 1 lnd the consolation of knowing that there hod not been «o much harm done aftci all lo the credit side of the account .i.k the fact tint T had picked up three or fom odcK and ends of cuiious information which had never come my wav before. And, as luck would have it, shortly after my utuin, I actually had a client. Or something like one, at any rale

Crumper was making ready for depaitma Vrhven he appeared at the door with a face on which there was an unmistakable guevance.

"'Gentleman wishes to sec >ou. sir. Told him that the office was fust closing." Did you? Then don't,you be so liberal with information of the kind. Show the gentleman in."

Ciumper showed 'him in. When I sew him I was not sure that, in the colloquial sense, he was a gentleman. And \et I did not know .

He was a tall, well set-up man of between 30 and 40. Distinctly good-looking. With fair hair and beard, and a pair of the bluest eyes I ever saw He wore a blue serge suit, a turned-down collar, and i svarlet tie I know something of the «ea and of sailors, having several of the latter among my closest friends. If he was not, a sailor I was no judge of the breed. He bi ought a whiff of sea air into my room. I motioned him to a chair, on which he placed himself as if he was not altogether at his ea-se. He glanced at a piece of paper which lie had in his hand. ' You aie Mr Frank Paine?" I inclined my head. "A lawyer?" I nodded again. He pulled at his beaid, ob c £rvinj; me with his keen blue eyes, aif lie was thinking that for a lawyer I was rai her young. "I want a liwyer; or, rather. I want advice which I suppose only a lawyer can give me I was speaking about it to George Gardiner, and he mentioned your name." "I am obhged to George ; he is ray very good fuend. To whom h.i\ c I the plea&me of speaking? ' "I'm Mix Lindfci I .'' ''I am pleased to make your acquaintance, as 1 should any friend of Mr Gar diner « You. like him, are connected with the «ea." "How did you find that out? Do I look as if I w ere" "Perhaps only to the instructed eye. ' I wondered who. with oidmarj perception 1 -, could a^ojiate him with anything el-c " I c.m i o foitunate a* to have nunv iiiend*- among sailois ; therefoie. 1 am alw a% s on the look-out for one." "ihat so." He kepi tuilin^ with hs beaid. appaientl-- di^inm- that the bin den ot the L^nvcLicition should lest w lth me \'ou know Mr Gardiner well?" ' Xot over well He was my schoolfellow , wuli another man who is now ,iKo a, ■ ill >i — 'nothei Geoige — George Kingdon. ' ' \Vliat name?" "Ki>n_;doii. He lias lately received his fii-t command, of a ship named The Fl}mg Scud Mi Lander ceased to play \vith his beard. His- hands dropped on to his knees. He s,it foiwaid on 'his chair, staring at me as if I were some strange animal. "Good Lord !" He seemed agitated. I h.ad no notion why. Something I had said liad apparently disturbed him. "You know Mr Kingdon T "Kingdon? Kingdon? Is that his name? Then devil take him! No. I don'U mean that. Perhaps it's not Ins fault, after all; it's the fortune of ,ur. Stilldevil take him all the same. ' "What ha* Mr Kingdon done to yon, Mi Landei ?' "Done? Done?'' Apparently hi* feelings were too strong ior woids. RismS

from his -eat, he began to stude about the 100 m. Then, resting both hands upon the table, he glared a.t me. "What has Mr Kmgdon done to me? Did you hear my name?"

"I undei -tood you to -ay it was Lander '

" That's it. Lander— Max Lander. Now, don't you, know who 1 am?" "It may be my stupidity, but I have not the least idea "

"Do you mean to s,iy that you don't know George Kingdoifs taker my ship from me?"

"Taken her fiom you? I don't understand I understood that The Flying Scud was the property of Messy- ' "Staple, Wamwright, and Friscoe ; that's s-o. That's the name and title of the firm. They're the owners. But I was in command of her the last three -voyage--; and wjien I bi ought her home I wa- hoping it wa- tor the hist time."'

it seems that your hope r.is -ju-tilied

"Are you laughing at me, Mr Paine? Because, if you aie. take 111^ tip, and don't. I don't mind being laughed at in a geneial way. but thi- is a -übiect on v Inch I bar so much as a smile I'm too -o^e, -a ; too sore. Do you know the c lumistariees under which' I got chucked? fiom The Flying Scud?" "I do not May I a-k if that is the matter on which you are seeking my advice?"

• "■Well" — he beqiui pulling j.t h:s beaid. again; he-itatmg, us if fpiumg to *ay too imich ' Wll.it I want to know is, aie youi sympathies with the ownei-, 'with Kingdon, or w 'til me? '

'"Since I know nothing of w li.it yon are refemng to. what answer do \ou expect me to give"' So fai as I am concerned, yon are talking in riddle I *."' -Look 'here. Mr Paine. 11l v"l-> a cleai bie.i«t of the whole thing • (^ai'dmer told me you were a decent t-oit, so J 11 take hi- word foi it. You see beioie you the best done man in London — m Fngland — in the world, for .ill I know. Done all round' I knew I was taking a ceitain risk, but I didn't know it wai a nvk m that particular direction, and that's where I was had I saw mv way to a ieal big thing I went foi it; sbo-^ed on all steam; biought the ship home, pretty well empty a- she was ; then got diddled. So when I laid the ship alongside, and the owners found that there was scaicely enough on board to pay expenses, they didn't like it I got Thy man-hinic ticket, and Mr (Jeoige Kmgdon w.i-, put m loiiimaiid instead. If it hadn't been th.'t I'd got a little money ot m\ own. I .should

liavp been on ivn beam end* before now

"Do I gather that you complain ot the ■wdy m v, hicli the ownei's. ot '1 he Fh ing Scud have treated you."

"Not a bit of it ; nothing of the kind. The only per-on I complain ot I—we'll1 — we'll say. a party. If I got chat — we'll s-ay, party, alone in a nice quiet little spot for about 10 minute--, after that time I wouldn't complain of him. The complaint vould- be on the other foot

"Then do you wish me to assist you in c M.heme of assault and battery"'" "I don't want that eithei. The fact i-. it's ,1 queer story. You wouldn't behe\e one if I told it ; no one ha- done vet : so I'm not going to tiy my luck again with you. What I want to know 1- this Suppose, I flii]! — we'll say. a man, and that - ■we'll say. man. undertakes 10 hand over certain — well, articles, to pay for pa«sage ; and deposits certain other articles by way of earnest money. Befoie the 'hip reaches port that — we'll say, man, vanishes into aii ; the articles- winch were to have been handed over vanish with him — and the deposit likew lse. What offence has that,— we'll say, man, been guilty of against the Engli-h law?"

"Your point is a knotty one. Where •.T/ras 1 the deposit?" "In a locker in my cabin " "Secured by lock and key?" "Seemed by lock and key. And the key iras in my pocket." "How was it taken out?" '"That's what I want to know " "You aie sure it was taken out?"

"Dead sure."'

"If you have evidence which will show that ,the person to whom you "efer made free with the contents of your locker, then I should say that it was a case of felony. But there may be other points which would lave to be considered. I should have to "be placed in possession of all the facts in t^ie case before I could pronounce an opinion. The matter may not be so simple as you think."

"Simple ' — I think it simple r . — Good Jjord l " He held up his hands, as if amazed at the suggestion. "There's another thing I want to know. Suppose on the strength of that — we'll say, man's promises, I make promises on my own account to certain members of the crew. Being done by that — we'll .say, man, 'l was obliged co do them. What is my position, Mr Paine, towaids those members of the :rew ?'■'

"I'll at is not a question to which I can reply ofi-hand. It w ould depend on so many circumstance- lam afiaid you will have to tell me the whole of youi story before I can be of u 4 e to you

"Ah' That so? ] was afraid it would be. I said to my-elf that you can't expfrt a man, lawyer or no lawyer, to see what's inside a box unle— \on open the lid. But I can't tell you the stcny — 1 can't. I'm too sore, sir"; too s o i L » Smaiting almost moie than I can bear I've been done out of a fortune ; out of my good name ; and out of something I value moie than both That- a, fact 111 look lound a bit moie. and tiy to get one ot them back, 111 my own way. Then if I can't, peihaps I'll come to you again Koiry to have tioubled \on, Mr Paine. Wk t's -\ oui fee?"

"For what? I've been of no use to you For a pleasant eo'ivei-ation with n.y tnend'-> fiiend? I ehaige no fee toi that, Mr Landei

"You'ic a I.iwver. A l.iwyei's time is money. Ive alw.'A- undei-tood that a lawvf'fs fee 1- sjx-and eightpeiue. You'n rfound me pictlv tiyng So I'll make it a pound. 11 }ou d».i t mind." He laid a soveiegn on the table. Without anothei wOid he lett the 100111 I did not tiy to stop him 'Jo my thinking the w hole mte; view h.ul verted peiilou-ly near to the ridiculou- 1 took the com and locked it in a drawer, proposing, with Gaidinei's as-istance, to hunt up Mr Lander .iga'n His money should b? lertoied to him; if not in, one form, then in anothei. [ would dine the man, and make him tell his funny tale