EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.07.1941, Side 32

32
Ein Em
mxmters.- conrcrana it, wny COUldn’tj
I get away from Mildred Baird tor'
a while? “She hasn’t spent muchj
time down here. Just vacations.i
Been away at school most of her:
life.” j
The captain swung around,;
reached toward a row of buttons!
on his desk. “I’ll get a boy. VVe’ll;
have a drink.”
I heard a sudden scurry of feetj
on the deck outside. Someonej
started to talk, his voice pitched;
high with excitement. Captain
Eldridge jumped to his feet and|
threw open the door.
“What’s wrong out there?” he
demanded sharply.
A white-faced quartermaster ap-
peared in the doorway. He wore
only trousers and there was blood
smeared all over his bare chest.
He stood there, breathing hard.
“Bailey! Snap out of it!” the
captain ordered. “What’s hap-
pened?”
“It’s Cliips, sir!” the quarter-
master gasped. “The carpenter. I
just found him in his bunk. His
—his throat was cut clean across.
He—he's dead. Murdered, sir!”
And then, for the first time In
half an hour I recalled that warn-
ing note from Pedro Gonzales.
And it struck me with a force like
the kick of an army mule that
Pedro knew what he was talking
about when he told me the Alder-
baron wouid sink before morning.
Captain Eldridge turned to mej
“Sorry we can’t have that drink,
lieutenant.” His keen eyes were
worried, his jaw and lips set.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” . ;
I was on my feet, “Wait, cap-
tain!”
Striding across the stateroom,
I closed the door in the face of
the quartermaster and swung
around to Captain Eldridge. He
watched me with narrowed eyes
as I fumbled in my pocket and
pulled out Pedro’s note.
“I have something here I think
you ought to know about. At first
I wasn’t going to say anything of
this. But now, with the carpenter
murdered in his bunk, there may
be—well, some connection.” I
handed him the note. “That was
delivered on board just before the
ship sailed. Due to an oversight
I didn’t get it until a short while
ago. Read it, captain.”
Captain Eldridge read the note,
looked up, met my eyes.
"Who,” he asked coolly, “is
Peter Gonzales?”
All at once I felt a bit sUly.,
"He is the porter at the American
club in Caimora.” ,
“H-m.” The captain read the
note agaln and quietly handed it
back to me. He smiled humorless-
ly. “A joke, perhaps?”
j “Nö. Pedro Gorizales hasn’t that
sort of a sense of humor.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like you.
Maybe he cooked this up to give
you a scare, a few hours worry.”
“But that’s just the point!” I
cried, suddenly excited.
“He does like me. I may be
kidding myself, but I think he’d
;lay down his life for me. He’s
jthat kind of a fellow. About a
Ivear aea I went to hat far him
ttmaig rne lower crasses. He is’
tlosely in touch with the politicali
situation in Andegoya and if theí
Liberals have hatched a plot toj
sink this ship Ke very probablj
would know about it.”
“H - m.” Eldridge continued
stroking his chin. “Wlien did youj
last see this Pedro Gonzales?” !
“He helped me aboard with my1
luggage.” -
’ “TUen. whv. da vou snnnose. hg
“It’s Chips, sir!” the
quartermaster gasped.
Murdered, slr!”
“He—he’s deiad!
ana goc nnn ouv or a nasty jam.j
Since then he’s been my friend.l
My loyal friend, I tell you!”
Eldridge stroked his chin withj
a hard tanned hand. He saidí
finally, quietly skeptical: “But!
lieutenant! Surely you can’t ex-j
pect me to take seriously a warn-j
ing of this sort from an ignorant,!
superstitious native.” i
“But he isn’t an ignorant na-j
tive,” I denied hotly. “I’ve known!
him for two years and I know he’sj
not a fool. He may be only a!
porter at the American club, but;
he is a member of the Liberal!
oartv and ha Uffg a hiflr foilawiiaflct
jdid not wairr jroa cnerrr wny ao
jit by letter?”
i “Perhaps he didn’t want me to!
buestion hhn. Perhaps, to assurei
his own safety, he didn’t want ma!
fo get the warning untU the shlpj
was under way.”
The captain slowly nodded.
“Yes, that is logical.”
He stood motionless for a long
time, his eyes cold and thoughtíul.
I said fínally:
“Look here, sir! Can you thlnk
of a reason why any person, or
any group of people, or any politi-
cai party of Andegoya, shouid
iwaat ta. siak.this sbia?”