EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.09.1941, Blaðsíða 31

EM EM : monthly magazine - 01.09.1941, Blaðsíða 31
Em Em 31 •vowea, waa uppermost anu easuy accessible, I tumed then and groped my way aft along the side of the ves- ísel. I came to the short well- ;deck amidships, just forward of 'which was the purser’s office, and lowered myself cautiously over the rail. ! It was darker here, but I made |out the opening of a passageway and pulled myseif into it. Grop- ing around in the inky blackness, my flngers at last came in contact with what I sought, the brass grill- work that formed the upper half of a door. The door itself was open, but I didn’t try to enter the room. I knew that the heavy wooden desk, the tables and the chairs would be floating around, and I was tak- ing no chances of fouling my lines. I had what I wanted to know, how- ever—that with a light I could enter the office in perfect safety. Pulling myself out of the pass- ageway, I gained the rail again, saw that my Unes were clear, shut oíf my air and called into the telephone: "On deck! How long have I been down?” "Eighteen minutes, sir,” came the muffled voice of the man at the phone. “AU right; haul me up. No de- compression.” Five minutes later I was stand- ing on the deek of the destroyer and the “bears” were stripping off my suit. “Well, what did you flnd out, Ray?” Dlck Hoffman asked. “I called the tum,” I told him. "She’s lying on her starboard side, just like I told you she’d be. I got as far as the door of the pur- ser’s office without any trouble at all. Give me a light and I’U take a charge of powder down there and blow the safe open." Frowning, Hoffman looked over at the rusty gunboat and did not say anything. “Well, how about it ?” I demand- ed impatiently. “I was just wondering,” Dick said slowiy. “After all you know, that bullion belongs to Andegoya and not to the United States. It is their job, not ours, to recover it and deUver it intact. And if your friend, Captain Huertas, doesn’t want to salvage it, I don’t quite see where we come in. Maybe you’d better talk it over with him.” “Just try and stop me from talk- ing it over wlth him!” I came back. CHAPTER Vn I was rowed over to the Juarto, and again Capt. Huertas received me on the quarterdeck with much ceremony and hand-shaking. “Ah, lieutenant,” said Huertas, "you have been down?” “I have been down,” I said shortly. “And deed you not find eet as my diver has said?” “I certainly did not. The ship isj on her starboard side.” “The sheep—ees on—her star-i board side!” Huertas’ simulation of surprise was pretty poor. “And the purser’s office is wide open,” I added. The captain frowned fiercely. “But my diver ees tell me—” “Yeah, I know what your diver told you. I know the whole story,” I broke in. “But I’d like to hear it again—from the diver.” The captain’s small eyes blinked rapidly. “How about calling him up here?” I asked. “I’d like to have a look at this diver who doesn’t know port from starboard.” Huertas waved his hands help- lessly. “I am so sorree, lieutenant. That diver ees ver’ seeck man. He has—what you call heem—the bends! Si, the bends. He ees mos’ ill.” I almost laughed in his fat face. The bends, after going down only 90 feet and being given a couple of hour3 decompression on the way up! ‘Tm very sorry to hear that, captain,” I said. “I guess you didn’t give him enough decompression.” My sarcasm was a mile over his head. “No, I theenk not. Eet ees mos’ regrettable, too, for he ees the only diver I have.” “I am willing to offer my serv- ices,” I promptly told him. “No, no, no! I would not theenk of ett. Have I no pr-ride that I would call on American Navee for help to perform my duty? No, no, no! We shall wait, lieutenant. To- morrow my diver maybe ees well again.” “But why wait until tomorrow,” I asked very mildly, “when I am perfectly willing to go down again today?” “No, no, No!” Huertas protest- ed. “You do not onnerstan’. I—” Then I let him have a broadside. “You’re right, Huertas. I do not understand. I do not understand a lot of things about this affair. And one of the things I do not understand is why you lied to me ahout th« nn«itinn nf thot ahír\ ” Huertas drew himselt up to ali his pudgy five feet four. “I?” he bellowed. “I, Fernando Juna Lor- enzo de Anza Huertas, lie to you?” “8kip it!” I jeered. “Look here, half pint! Put your cards on the table. Do you want that bullion up, or don’t you?” “But certainly I want eet up!” he shrieked. “Very well!” I snapped. 'TU get it up for you.” I tumed to the ladder. The dumpy little captain leaped in front of me, gesticulating wildly. “No, no, no!” he bellowed. “I weel not allow—” “What won’t you allow?” I de- manded. Huertas swallowed, for the mo- ment Inarticulate. "See here, small one,” I said, “you’d better remember that you’re dealing with the United States Navy now. I’m under or- ders to supervise the saivage of that bullion. And inasmuch as you seem disinclined to do anything about it, I’m going to bring it up for you.” “But lieutenant!” Huertas moaned. “You do not onnerstan’.” “You pointed that out before,” I reminded him. “Do you want to explain to me why you don’t want that gold recovered?” “But eet ees not that! I swear!” Huertas cried, wiping the perspir- ation from his flat face with a flabby hand. “Save your breath!” I retorted, and elbowed past hlm to the lad- der. As I was being rowed back to. the Whipple, I went over word for word my conversation with Huer4 tas. I was convinced beyond all doubt that, acting imder orders from his superiors, the commander of the gunboat intended to do everything possible to prevent the recovery of that bullion. And the more convinced I be- came of Huertas’ intentions, the more determined I was to bring the bullion to the surface, for I felt positive that the clue to the motives behind the scuttling of the Alderbaron lay locked in the pur- ser’s safe. • • • “Well, what did the old boy have to say?” Dick Hoffman asked when I climbed on deck. "Plenty. He said his diver had the bends, for one thing.” The commander laughed. “Did Íie tell you any more fairy stor- es?” “Yes. He told me he wanted tq jrecover the bullion. And if that tsn.’t-a íairy storv it’s a nlain lie.”'

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