The Dark Star Part 51

"Captain West's compliments, and he would be glad to see you in his cabin."

"Thank you. My compliments and thanks to Captain West, and I shall call on him immediately."

They exchanged bows; the officer turned, hesitated, glanced at the steward who stood by the port.

"Did you bring a radio message to Mr. Neeland?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, I received the message," said Neeland.

"The captain requests you to bring the message with you."

"With pleasure," said Neeland.

So the officer went away down the corridor, and Neeland sat down on his bed, opened the box, went over carefully every item of its contents, relocked it with a grin of satisfaction, and, taking it with him, went off to pay a visit to the captain of the _Volhynia_.

The bearded gentleman in the stateroom across the pa.s.sage had been listening intently to the conversation, with his ear flat against his keyhole.

And now, without hesitating, he went to a satchel which stood on the sofa in his stateroom, opened it, took from it a large bundle of papers and a ten-pound iron scale-weight.

Attaching the weight to the papers by means of a heavy strand of copper wire, he mounted the sofa and hurled the weighted package into the Atlantic Ocean.

"Pig-dogs of British," he muttered in his golden beard, "you may go and dive for them when The Day dawns."

Then he filled and lighted a handsome porcelain pipe, and puffed it with stolid satisfaction, leaving the pepper-box silver cover open.

"_Der Tag_," he muttered in his golden beard; and his clear eyes swept the starlit ocean with the pensive and terrifying scrutiny of a waiting eagle.

CHAPTER XIX

THE CAPTAIN OF THE VOLHYNIA

The captain of the _Volhynia_ had just come from the bridge and was taking a bite of late supper in his cabin when the orderly announced Neeland. He rose at once, offering a friendly hand:

"Mr. Neeland, I am very glad to see you. I know you by name and reputation already. There were some excellent pictures by you in the latest number of the _Midweek Magazine_."

"I'm so glad you liked them, Captain West."

"Yes, I did. There was a breeze in them--a gaiety. And such a fetching girl you drew for your heroine!"

"You think so! It's rather interesting. I met a young girl once--she comes from up-state where I come from. There was a peculiar and rather subtle attraction about her face. So I altered the features of the study I was making from my model, and put in hers as I remembered them."

"She must be beautiful, Mr. Neeland."

"It hadn't struck me so until I drew her from memory. And there's more to the story. I never met her but twice in my life--the second time under exceedingly dramatic circ.u.mstances. And now I'm crossing the Atlantic at a day's notice to oblige her. It's an amusing story, isn't it?"

"Mr. Neeland, I think it is going to be what you call a 'continued'

story."

"No. Oh, no. It ought to be, considering its elements. But it isn't.

There's no further romance in it, Captain West."

The captain's smile was pleasant but sceptical.

They seated themselves, Neeland declining an invitation to supper, and the captain asking his indulgence if he talked while eating.

"Mr. Neeland," he said, "I'm about to talk rather frankly with you. I have had several messages by wireless today from British sources, concerning you."

Neeland, surprised, said nothing. Captain West finished his bite of supper; the steward removed the dishes and went out, closing the door.

The captain glanced at the box which Neeland had set on the floor by his chair.

"May I ask," he said, "why you brought your suitcase with you?"

"It's valuable."

The captain's keen eyes were on his.

"Why are you followed by spies?" he asked.

Neeland reddened.

"Yes," continued the captain of the _Volhynia_, "my Government instructs me, by wireless, to offer you any aid and protection you may desire. I am informed that you carry papers of military importance to a certain foreign nation with which neither England nor France are on what might be called cordial terms. I am told it is likely that agents of this foreign country have followed you aboard my s.h.i.+p for the purpose of robbing you of these papers. Now, Mr. Neeland, what do you know about this business?"

"Very little," said Neeland.

"Have you had any trouble?"

"Oh, yes."

The captain smiled:

"Evidently you have wriggled out of it," he said.

"Yes, wriggled is the literal word."

"Then you do not think that you require any protection from me?"

"Perhaps I do. I've been a singularly innocent and lucky a.s.s. It's merely chance that my papers have not been stolen, even before I started in quest of them."

"Have you been troubled aboard my s.h.i.+p?"

Neeland waved his hand carelessly:

"Nothing to speak of, thank you."