Part 8 (1/2)
The agreed fare for transporting the cars and the four passengers had totalled two hundred and fifty of sterling
The Captain's losses had just exceeded that figure, and Gareth solden ive it a break now, Papa old sport, go up on deck and stretch the legs, what?” Having recovered the passage money, Gareth had accomplished the task he had set himself, and he was now anxious to return to the open deck where Vicky Ca much too friendly for his peace of mind
Every time Gareth had been forced by nature to make a brief journey to the poop rail, he had seen the two of thereat deal, which was always a bad sign Vicky was in the forefront of any action, passing tools to Jake and offering general encourage lastor the two of theave thee He wondered distractedly what else they were up to
However, Gareth was a man sure of his priorities and his first concern was to recover hisdone so, he could now return to sheep-dogging Vicky Camberwell
”It's been a lot of fun, Papa” He half rose frori the pile of coins with his free hand
Captain Papadopoulos reached into the depths of the Arabic gown he wore and produced a knife with an ornately carved handle and a viciously curved blade He balanced it lightly in the pallittered coldly at Gareth
”Deal!” he said, and Gareth smiled blandly and sank back into his seat He picked up the cards and cut the sound and the knife disappeared into Papadopoulos's gown once more as he watched the shuffle intently
”Actually, I do feel like a fewwarmed up, hey?” The slaver altered course as she cleared the tip of the great horn of Africa and rounded Cape Guardafui Before her lay the long gut of the Gulf of Aden and a run of five hundred miles ards to French Somaliland
The Hindu mate came down and whispered fearfully to his Captain
”What troubles the fellow?” Gareth asked
”He worries about the English blockade”
”A ”So do I” Gareth answered ”Shouldn't we go up on deck? Deal,”said Papadopoulos
Below theine begin, and the vibration of the propeller shaft spinning in its bed The mate had her under sail and power now, and the ed i with the push of the full spread of her canvas, and she fleards the vivid purple and pink flush of sky and piled cu to set
The mate had set a course which would take hiht of Africa on his port side and Arabia on the starboard The HirondeUe wastwenty-five knots, for the sea breeze was on her best point of sailing and a day and two nights would see theain He sent one of his best men -to the lish viewed uns in wooden cases Mournfully he concluded that either of them would be lethal and he shrilled at hiswith agonizing slowness, al the Hirondelle on deeper into the gut
Jake Barton wriggled out of the engine hatch of Miss Wobbly and grinned at Vicky Ca legs idly, with the wind in her hair and the tan she had picked up in the last few days gilding her ars of worry and the paleness of fatigue, and looked now like a schoolgirl, young and carefree and gay
”That's the best I can do,” said Jake, beginning to scour the black grease fro so sweetly, I could take her out at Le Mans” Her knees were at the level of Jake's eyes and her skirts had tucked up high He felt his heart stop as he glanced down the sh Her skin had a lustre and sheen, as though made of some precious and rare substance
Vicky saw the direction of his gaze and brought her knees together sharply, although a shtly on to the deck, steadying herself against the Hirondelle's rolling action with a touch on the hly enjoyed the admiration of an attractive male and Gareth had been closeted in the Captain's cabin these last five days She smiled up at Jake He was tall but the bush of dark hair that curled around his ears gave hiain quickly dispelled by the strong jaw line and the fine networks of creases that radiated from the outer corners of his eyes
She realized suddenly that he was on the point of stooping to kiss her, and she felt a delicious indecision the slightest encouragement would set Jake on a violent collision course with Gareth and er the whole expedition and the story she wanted so badly At that moment she noticed, as if for the first time, that Jake's mouth ide and rutI and his lips were delicately shaped for the bigness and hairiness of hirowth of beard and she kneould feel rough and electric against her own peach-smooth cheeks Suddenly she wanted to feel that, and she lifted her chin slightly and knew that he would read that want in the sparkle of her eyes
The ull and instantly the Hirondelle was plunged into frantic activity The Mohaher volurubby robes flapped around him in the wind His eyes rolled in his dark brown skull and his toothless lottis dangling in the back of his throat
”What is it? ”Vicky demanded, her hand still on Jake's arrimly, and they turned as the door of the poop cabin flew open and Papadopoulos rushed out with his queue twitching like the tail of a lioness and his single eye blinking rapidly He still clutched a fan of cards in his right hand
”One in!” he howled bitterly, and threw the cards into the wind and grabbed theinto his open but now silent mouth
The mate pointed aloft and Papadopoulos dropped him and hailed the e
”A British destroyer sounds like ”Dauntless”,” he muttered
”You speak Arabic?” Vicky asked, and Jake stilled the question irritably and listened again
”The destroyer has seen us She's altering course to intercept”
Jake looked quickly at the slobe of the sun, the crinkles around his eyes puckering up thoughtfully as he listened to the heated argu place on the poop deck
”Are you two having fun?” Gareth Swales asked, snificantly at Vicky's hand still on Jake's arm He had come out of the cabin as silently as a panther
Vicky dropped her hand guiltily and immediately wished she had not She owed Gareth Swales no debts and she answered his stare defiantly, before turning back to Jake and finding hione
”What is it, Papa?” Gareth called up at the poop-deck, and the Captain snarled, ”Your RoyalNavy that's what it is” And he shook his fist at the northern horizon ”The Dauntless she based at Aden, blockade for slavers”
”Where is she?” Gareth's expression changed swiftly and he strode to the rail
”She's co her She'll be over the horizon pretty damn quick” Papadopoulos turned from Gareth and roared a series of orders at his crew
Iathered about the first car it was Priscilla the Pig swaying gently on her suspension as the schooner plunged ahead
”I say,” Gareth exclaimed ”What are you up to?”
”They catchtrouble,” Papadopoulos explained ”No arms, no trouble,” and he watched hiswhite-painted vehicle ”We do sao down pretty damn fast with the chains”
”Now, just hold on a shake I paid you a fortune to transport this cargo”
”Where that fortune now, Major?” Papadopoulos shouted down at hi in e hisopened suddenly and froed the head and shoulders of Jake Barton with his hair blowing in the wind and a Vickers un in his arms He braced himself in the turret with the thick water jacketed barrel of the Vickers across the crook of his left arrip firmly enclosed in his other hand
Across his shoulder was draped a heavy necklace of belted a burst, the tracer streaking in fiery white balls of flame a mere twelve inches over the Captain's head The Greek threw hi with terror, and his crew scattered like a flock of startled hens, while Jake looked down on thenly from his post in the turret
”I think we should understand each other, Captain
nobody is going to touch theseto save your shi+p is by out sailing the Englishman, Jake called mildly
”She can make thirty knots,” protested the Captain, still face down on the deck
”The longer you talk the less time you have,” Jake told him