CHAPTER XVII
Nua Leha
Twenty minutes later, conned by Swaine from the fore cross-trees, the_Titania_ followed her duped rival into the lagoon. It was as yet tooearly to pretend to abandon the enterprise. The deception had to bemaintained until von Giespert was fully convinced that he was on theright track.
A cast of the lead gave fifteen fathoms.
"Let go!" ordered Harborough. "Fifteen fathoms will give thosefellows plenty to do to search for an imaginary wreck. Give her fiftyfathoms of cable, Mr. Villiers; then we'll pipe all hands tobreakfast."
Meals on board the _Titania_ were always plenteous repasts, forHarborough realized that a well-fed crew meant efficiency andcapacity for work; but upon this occasion the breakfast was asumptuous one. There was no hurry; the primary object of the night'svigil had been accomplished, and the _Zug_ had been enticed a fullfifty miles away from the golden cargo of the sunken _Fusi Yama_. Soall hands breakfasted in style, after which the watch below turned inand the duty watch began the customary routine.
Harborough was enjoying a cigar in the after-cabin when he heard ahail from on deck, "Boat ahoy!"
"Thought the blighter couldn't resist the temptation to try and pullmy leg," he soliloquized, as he glanced into a mirror to assurehimself that his appearance was fitting as captain of a Britishyacht.
"Boat from the _Zug_, sir," reported Merridew.
Harborough went on deck to receive his uninvited guests.
The _Zug's_ gig was already alongside, manned by four hands inwhite-canvas suits. In the stern sheets sat von Giespert and CaptainStrauss.
Von Giespert raised his cap as he came over the side. Harboroughpunctiliously returned the salute, but feigned to overlook theproffered hand.
"Sir Hugh Harborough, I presume," said the German.
"Mr. Borgen," rejoined Harborough.
The Hun shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps it would be better if I introduced myself as Herr Kaspar vonGiespert," he said.
Harborough showed no surprise at the announcement.
"That is not really necessary, Herr von Giespert," he remarked. "ButI thought that perhaps you preferred to continue to sail under yourfalse colours."
Von Giespert waved a podgy hand deprecatingly.
"I think we understand one another," he declared, with mock humility."The war is over, and peace is an established fact. You Englishmenwere ever generous to a beaten foe, and I feel certain that you willbe willing to shake hands and forget the regrettable happenings ofthe past four and a half years."
"Speaking for my fellow-countrymen," replied Harborough, "and I thinkI'm voicing their opinions, I am in accord with what you say up to acertain point. Generosity to the vanquished has always been aBriton's strong point, but, unfortunately for Germany, herutterly-vile conduct during the war, until she knew the game was up,is sufficient to put her outside the pale for the next generation.However, I don't suppose you came here to be lectured upon theconduct of your compatriots. Suppose you get straight to the pointand state your business."
"We are both here on the same quest," said von Giespert suavely. "InEngland there is a proverb: 'First come, first served'."
"Quite so," agreed Harborough gravely. "There is also another: 'Afair field and no favour'. However, you haven't made yourself clear.Pray continue."
"Being first upon the scene," continued the German, "I claim a rightto conduct uninterrupted operations. My vessel lies almost over thewreck, therefore I object to your working within a couple of cablesof her. That, I think, is a fair and reasonable request."
"Have you always been fair and reasonable in your transactions, Herrvon Giespert?" inquired Harborough.
"Certainly," replied von Giespert in a tone of virtuous indignation.
"You would not, for instance," continued the baronet in firm, eventones, "you would not lower yourself to the extent of kidnapping oneof my officers (possibly under the mistaken impression that it wasI), hoping to throw my plans out of gear?"
"Your insinuation surprises me," exclaimed von Giespert. "I cannotunderstand why you should voice it."
"Supposing I am in a position to prove that you would do such athing," resumed Harborough, "would you be willing to abandon yourclaim to the treasure?"
"I would," answered the German hastily, somewhat to Harborough'ssurprise.
"Villiers!" he called out. "Come here a minute."
Both von Giespert and Strauss turned a sickly yellow hue when JackVilliers, cool and unperturbed, stepped briskly out of thechart-house. The Huns had up to that moment imagined that he had beendrowned after he took his flying leap from the deck of the _Zug_.
"You've lost, Herr Giespert," said Harborough. "A charge of attemptedmurder would land you in a very tight corner. That, however, is Mr.Villiers' affair."
"No harm done," declared Villiers. "We'll call it a case of mistakenidentity when you sand-bagged me, Herr Strauss. It was an episode--anexperience that will come in useful if ever I take to literature. Imight call it an asset, so we'll wipe off that account."
The Germans were dumbfounded. They failed utterly to grasp the youngEnglishman's attitude. Von Giespert, desperate, even when losing,tried to bargain.
"Suppose, Sir Hugh," he resumed, "suppose we work in partnership--onequal shares? Surely, after all the expense to which we have beenput, you will not deprive us of a chance of recovering our losses?"
Harborough was on the point of declaring bluntly that he wanted notruck with a Hun, when he remembered the main thread of his scheme.
"I'm dead off partnerships," he replied. "You've lost, and you mustaccept my terms. I think if it came to a question of force I'd stillhold the whip-hand. However, that issue rests with you. You claimpriority. I'll admit that. You can just carry on in your own sweetway for a month. It's up to you to slog in like blue blazes and getthe stuff before the expiration of the time-limit. Got that? Goodenough; good morning."
The still-bewildered Huns backed away to the gangway and descended totheir boat. On the face of it they could hardly credit their goodfortune. Their rivals had unaccountably retired from the contest,leaving them in uninterrupted possession of the lagoon for a wholemonth. With reasonable luck the wreck ought to be located and thegold transferred to the _Zug_ in a fortnight.
Half an hour later in the stateroom of each ship an almost identicalperformance was in progress. On board the _Titania_ Harborough wasreceiving the congratulations of his fellow-adventurers on hissuccessful strategy; on the _Zug_ von Giespert and Strauss wereshaking hands with each other and drinking with the rest of theship's officers to the success of the next month's labours.
At noon the _Titania_ weighed. It was a calm day with not enough airto give the yacht steerage-way. Under power she slipped through theentrance to the broad lagoon, and shaped a course that was certainlynot in the direction of Nua Leha.
"She's dipping, sir!" announced Merridew, indicating the Germanvessel.
The _Zug_ dipped her red, white, and black ensign thrice, a hollowcompliment that the _Titania_ duly returned. Both crews, being firmlyunder the impression that they had scored heavily, could well affordthese courtesies.
Upon passing beyond the ten-fathom line--which, owing to the factthat the reef was steep-to, was but a couple of hundred yards beyondthe foam-lashed barrier--the _Titania's_ helm was ported and sheshaped a southerly course. This she held until the high peaks of NiTelang were almost hidden by the skyline, then altering course shemade for her goal.
There was now a steady following breeze which, although not sofavourable as one broad on the beam, enabled her to keep up a fairspeed without having recourse to the motors, and at one bell in thefirst dog watch she crossed the bar of Nua Leha. It was exactly atdead-low water, yet there were at least five feet under the yacht'skeel. That meant that, unless there were a nasty breaking sea on abar, the entrance was available at any state of the tide, which evenat spring never ranged more than four feet six inches.
THE GERMANS WERE DU
MFOUNDED]
The _Titania_ moored in nine fathoms, with her main anchor laid outin the direction of the reef, at about two hundred and fifty yardsfrom the sandy shore of a small bay. At its northern extremity thebold headland of the bay almost touched the reef, there being apassage of about fifty yards leading to the next section of thelagoon.
"A south-easter is the only wind likely to trouble us," observedVilliers. "The reef will keep a lot of the sea down, but it's so lowthat there's bound to be a fairly-heavy tumble."
"What sort of bottom have we?" asked Harborough.
"Mud and pieces of coral rock," replied Villiers. "If the wreck'sanywhere about we'll find the water pretty muddy. But it's goodholding ground. The sandy part of the lagoon is clear enough, but Iwouldn't care to trust the fluke of an anchor in it."
"Let's hope the wreck is on a sandy bottom," rejoined Harborough."However, that remains to be proved. We'll breach that case ofchampagne now, lads; after that it's general leave ashore. There'llbe time for a stretch before sunset."
This programme was duly carried out. The boats were lowered and armedmerely on the principle that it was wise to take precautions--andwith the exception of Merridew, who volunteered as ship-keeper, allhands landed on the sandy beach.
"Look at that young brother of yours!" remarked Trevear, drawingBobby's attention to Dick's rolling gait. "The champagne's got intohis upper story."
"He didn't have any," declared Bobby; then, overtaking hiserratically-moving relative, he asked:
"What's the matter, Dick?"
"Matter?" echoed the lad. "Wish I knew, Bobby. The ground's coming upto meet me every step I take."
"Merely the effect of being so long on board," explained Villiers."I've felt the same sort of thing myself. Now, Dick, I'll race you tothat tree. A coco-nut for the winner, and the loser's got to find it.Ready? Go!"
Dick won by a yard, and breathlessly he watched the agile Villiersswarm up a young palm until he reached the cluster of broad-leavedfoliage at the top.
"Stand away from under," he cautioned.
Down came a green nut. Dick seized upon it with avidity and proceededto crack it with a lump of coral.
The result rather surprised him, for all the milk had been spilt andnothing remained but the husk.
"Why, it's empty!" he exclaimed.
"Naturally," replied Villiers, laughing, for he had now descendedfrom his lofty perch and was contemplating young Beverley's face withgreat amusement.
"Why naturally?" demanded Dick, with the air of a fellow who has been"had".
"What did you expect to find?" asked Jack.
"Coco-nut," replied Dick promptly.
"Then you won't find what you're looking for in a growing nut,"replied Villiers. "It's full of liquid, nothing more. The whitesubstance forms with keeping. Now, you fellows, who's for rounders?"
The crew of the _Titania_ acted just like a pack of schoolboys on aholiday. They played rounders, using a soft coco-nut for a ball,indulged in leap-frog, leaping and jumping with all the abandonnatural to a crowd of healthy young fellows landing on an islandafter weeks afloat.
Apparently Nua Leha was uninhabited. Although the roysterers madeenough noise to be heard from one end of the island to the other,their presence was apparently unnoticed. True, wild pigs chargedfrantically through the undergrowth, stolid penguins broke up theirmilitary formation and ambled awkwardly to less noisy haunts, but nohuman native gave sight or sound of his presence, nor, during theirbrief visit, did the _Titania's_ people find trace of humanhabitation.
"We'll start by establishing a shore-station tomorrow," decidedHarborough, as they rowed back to the yacht. "It will give us moreroom on board, and save the old boat from a lot of knocking about.You might look round to-morrow, Mr. Claverhouse, and fix up a secureberth for the sea-planes. There ought to be a sheltered spot on theother side of the headland."
"Very good, sir," replied Claverhouse, with a joyous look on his faceat the near prospect of "going up" once more.
"We'll have all the petrol taken ashore," continued the skipper. "Youhad better see to that, Mr. Trevear. Dick!"
"Sir?"
"Any good with a rifle?"
"First-class marksman in the Cadet Corps, sir."
"Then act up to it," said Harborough, with his whimsical smile."You'll be on ration fatigue, which means that whenever Pete wishesto give us pork for dinner, you've got to shoot a pig. Noindiscriminate slaughter, mind. That I most strongly object to. Wewant enough for our needs and no more."
It was quite a long time before Dick got to sleep that night. Heimagined himself a mighty hunter, on whom his fellow-adventurersdepended for the filling of the flesh-pot. The one fly in theointment was the size of the game. Pity there weren't lions, tigers,and orang-outangs on Nua Leha. But he was jolly lucky, he decided. Itwas not the lot of most lads to have the run of a real coral island.