"Very well, then, don’t, only drink this. It will buck you up."
The sub took the glass proffered by the wily Kenwyn, and drained it at a
gulp. Within three minutes he was sleeping peacefully.
When Hythe awoke again after an eight hour’s sleep all traces of his
strenuous exertions had vanished. He tubbed, dressed in his own
clothes, which had meanwhile been dried and pressed, and went down to
breakfast in the captain’s cabin.
Captain Restronguet greeted his guest warmly, until Hythe felt quite
uncomfortable at the praises bestowed upon him for his act of gallantry.
Once more he succeeded in changing the subject, this time by asking if
any news had been received of the "Vorwartz."
"Nothing that will give us definite information as to where she is
making for," replied Captain Restronguet. "But from my British agent I
have had news that Karl von Harburg has been declared a pirate by the
Great Powers and by several lesser maritime states as well, and that war
vessels are authorized to capture or destroy the ’Vorwartz’ without
compunction. I fancy, however, that that part of the business will be
left to us."
"You mean to track him down?"
"Through the five oceans, if needs must. But for the time being we are
put out of the running. Have you ever been to the north coast of Spain,
Mr. Hythe?"
"Yes, to Bilbao, Santander, and Coruña; but it was two years ago, when I
was in the old ’Alacrity.’"
"Then you don’t know Machichaco Bay?"
"Never heard of it until Mr. Kenwyn mentioned the name to me, sir."
"H’m. Do you remember the disaster to ’La Flamme’?"
"The French submarine that was supposed to have been run down on her way
from Rochefort to Toulon?"
"Yes, the Dutch liner ’Huitzens’ arrived at Rotterdam about that time
with several of her bow plates buckled, and reported she had been in
collision with an unknown object thirty miles off Cape Finisterre. The
theory was advanced and generally accepted that the liner ran down the
French submarine."
"And didn’t she? Do you know anything about it?" asked Hythe
interestedly.
"I think I can show you certain evidence before many more days are
passed. Ha, Devoran, what is it?"
"Cape Machichaco in sight, sir."
"Very good. We’ll go to the fore conning-tower, Mr. Hythe. You will
then be able to see how we con the ’Aphrodite’ into this somewhat
intricate roadstead."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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