Part 26 (1/2)
”There's not much danger yet, and I must keep in touch with our friends forward. Don't you think we had better get your patient to bed?”
”I'm all right, sir,” Dugan spoke up faintly.
”He ought to be kept quiet for a day or two,” his young nurse decided.
”I'll take him down to my cabin. Perhaps you can get him something to put him to sleep, Miss Wallace.”
Miss Berry came up the stairs just as we were starting down. She looked like a ghost.
”Mr. Sedgwick, I've just been wakened from a nap. I heard some one groaning in the cabin next to mine.” She caught sight of Dugan's bandaged head and cried out: ”What's the matter? Has something happened?”
”Don't be frightened, Miss Berry.”
”What are these men doing with pistols? Where does that blood come from?”
Evelyn came forward and took her aunt in her arms.
”Dearie, we can trust Captain Blythe and Mr. Sedgwick. We mustn't make it harder for them. Just now they are very busy.”
I looked my thanks.
Williams and Jimmie returned from the armory. Morgan and Philips were at their heels. The steward looked very yellow.
”Let me know if there is any sign of trouble. I'll be back presently,” I told Alderson.
Having put Dugan to bed in my room, I stepped into the one where we had been keeping our prisoner. Mott lay on the floor, his body still warm, quite dead. I judged that he had expired within the past few minutes.
He had been struck with some blunt instrument and then knifed. The man had paid for his obstinate disbelief with his life.
I lifted the body to the bed, locked the door, and returned to the promenade deck saloon. For the throb of the propeller had ceased. An immediate attack was probably impending.
Miss Berry was sobbing softly in the arms of her niece. In my absence we had gained another adherent. Billie Blue, the cook's flunky, had come up from below.
”Where is Higgins?” I asked.
”Don't know, sir. He left right after lunch.”
Alderson, who had been craning out of the door, drew back his head to speak.
”They're coming, sir.”
”Down to your cabin, ladies. You go with them, Jimmie. Lock yourselves in,” I ordered.
Evelyn's white lips tried to frame some words as she pa.s.sed me. I understood what she wanted to say.
”I'll be careful,” I promised.
”I have no weapon, sir,” Billie Blue told me.
I had brought up with me from below a repeating rifle, so I handed him one of my revolvers and an Italian dirk that had been hanging on the wall as an ornament.