Part 4 (1/2)
”A man rather feels the presence of these fellows, consul, than recognizes them You must have a scent for the, seeing, and sentlemen in my time, and, if my thief is on board, I'll answer for it He'll not slip through ers”
”I hope so, Mr Fix, for it was a heavy robbery”
”A nificent robbery, consul Fifty-five thousand pounds! We don't often have such windfalls Burglars are getting to be so conte for a handful of shi+llings!”
”Mr Fix,” said the consul, ”I like your way of talking, and hope you'll succeed; but I fear you will find it far from easy Don't you see, the description which you have there has a singular resemblance to an honest reat robbers always resemble honest folks Felloho have rascally faces have only one course to take, and that is to remain honest; otherwise they would be arrested offhand The artistic thing is to unht task, I ad in a tinge of self-conceit
Little by little the scene on the quay became more animated
Sailors of various nations, merchants, shi+p-brokers, porters, fellahs, bustled to and fro as if the steahtly chilly The minarets of the town loomed above the houses in the pale rays of the sun A jetty pier, so, extended into the roadstead A nu the fantastic fashi+on of ancient galleys, were discernible on the Red Sea
As he passed a to habit, scrutinized the passers-by with a keen, rapid glance
It was now half-past ten
”The steamer doesn't come!” he exclaimed, as the port clock struck
”She can't be far off now,” returned his co will she stop at Suez?”
”Four hours Long enough to get in her coal It is thirteen hundred and ten miles from Suez to Aden, at the other end of the Red Sea, and she has to take in a fresh coal supply”
”And does she go fro in anywhere”
”Good!” said Fix ”If the robber is on board he will no doubt get off at Suez, so as to reach the Dutch or French colonies in Asia by soht to know that he would not be safe an hour in India, which is English soil”
”Unless,” objected the consul, ”he is exceptionally shrewd An English criminal, you know, is always better concealed in London than anywhere else”
This observation furnished the detective food for thought, and meanwhile the consul went away to his office Fix, left alone, wasa presentiolia If he had indeed left London intending to reach the New World, he would naturally take the route via India, which was less watched and more difficult to watch than that of the Atlantic But Fix's reflections were soon interrupted by a succession of sharp whistles, which announced the arrival of the Mongolia The porters and fellahs rushed down the quay, and a dozen boats pushed off froantic hull appeared passing along between the banks, and eleven o'clock struck as she anchored in the road She brought an unusual nuers, some of whom remained on deck to scan the picturesque panorareater part disembarked in the boats, and landed on the quay
Fix took up a position, and carefully exaure which ers, after vigorously pushi+ng his way through the importunate crowd of porters, calish consulate, at the sa a passport which he wished to have visaed Fix instinctively took the passport, and with a rapid glance read the description of its bearer An involuntary motion of surprise nearly escaped him, for the description in the passport was identical with that of the hank robber which he had received from Scotland Yard
”Is this your passport?” he asked
”No, it's my master's”
”And your o to the consul's in person, so as to establish his identity”
”Oh, is that necessary?”