"Scotch and water, Captain."
"I think I will join you."
Toasting his host, a minute later, Kincaid said, out of the blue: "I can see now why you're captain, Captain."
"Well, thank you!" answered Harmer, surprised. "Your good health!"
"The same.. . . You said you've had your eye on this outfit?"
"That is so."
"Maybe this is the evidence you want?"
"It's a most valuable link," agreed Harmer. "I think we can take it that the girl and her family will be leaving the ship at Durban. In the circumstances, I'm sure you would not wish to press charges."
"Well now," said Kincaid, enjoying the moment, "of course I've been held up to ridicule and private embarrassment—"
"But in the interests of discretion—"
"I won't be pressing charges," said Kincaid.
"I think you are wise," said the Captain. "In return, I feel qualified to offer you some advice." He paused. "Some medical advice, in fact. I recommend a precautionary visit to the doctor."
It was delightful, within this entirely squalid framework, to watch Kincaid's face fall, from cheerfulness to a kind of mournful disillusion, and then to professional gloom.
"Now, Captain, that's a different matter," he said aggrievedly. "To begin with, it's a misdemeanour, where I come from. Legally, that girl could be—"
"It is probable that I am wrong," said the Captain, ignoring all this nonsense. "But the sooner you take certain elementary precautions, the better. You will find that the doctor is waiting for you."
"Gee, Captain!" said Kincaid after a moment, admiringly. "You've certainly got things under control in this ship."
"Thank you, Mr. Kincaid. I believe that I have."
"I won't ask you to sit down," said the Captain, "because you won't be here long enough." He looked up at Carl with almost cheerful unconcern. For once, he did not mind being a small man. This was a good night for small men. "Mr. Wenstrom, I told you yesterday that we would only have one more of these meetings. This is it."
"I don't understand you," said Carl, completely taken aback. "What's happened? What are you talking about?"
"You and your party are to leave the ship at Durban."
Carl, who had heard nothing until summoned from his poker game a few moments earlier, felt a sudden appalled sense of disaster. Something crucial had happened; he would hear what it was in a moment; but he did not need any details to recognize the executioner's note in the Captain's voice. This was it.... But, astonishment or not, he was in the mood to fight back; soon, anger would come to aid him, as had happened almost continuously since their last meeting; there was no merit in polite submission, when neither politeness nor submission could improve their chances during the next twenty-four hours. . . . Staring back, he said, as coldly as he could:
"You certainly owe me an explanation for that last remark."
"I will give you an explanation," said the Captain, equally coldly. "I don't owe you anything. . . . You will find, if you don't know it already, that your niece, Miss Loring, is confined to her cabin, until we reach Durban. There is a watchman posted at her door. She is not to come out, and no one is to go in, except the two designated stewards who will bring her meals."
"But this is an outrage !" said Carl, and he meant it. "It's tantamount to imprisonment without trial. What can she possibly have done—"
The Captain, who was now in great form, interrupted him. "Allow me to tell you. ... I have the clearest possible evidence that your niece has been guilty of attempted extortion. In simpler terms, Mr. Wenstrom, she tried to blackmail a man who had made love to her, and he called her bluff. I told you—I promised you—that if there was one more incident like this, you would all leave my ship. This is the one more incident. Therefore you will all leave. The complainant has agreed not to press charges—"
"Who is the complainant?"
"That is no direct concern of yours. But in fact, it is Mr. Kincaid."
"For God's sake!" said Carl. "That cheap political hack!"
"I know very little of Mr. Kincaid's background," replied the Captain, "but I accept his word in this matter. He has offered this evidence at some personal embarrassment." He could not resist elaborating. "I think you must agree that he has played a decisive role in your defeat."
Carl, furious, seized on the word. "Defeat? What defeat? If you think we're going to walk quietly off the ship, you'd better guess again! We've paid our passage-money back to New York—your company signed a definite contract—"
"Mr. Wenstrom," said the Captain, "we have a department that takes care of contracts. Suitable arrangements will be made to fly you home from Durban, probably at the company's expense. There will no doubt be a refund of the unfulfilled portion of your ticket, from Durban to New York. But that again is a matter for the accountants." Harmer knew that he must be sounding highhanded, even crudely arrogant; it gave him a great deal of pleasure to achieve this impression. "And now, if you have no further questions—"
Carl finally lost his temper. "What in hell do you mean, no further questions?" he asked furiously. "You seem to think you're dealing with a lot of stupid sailors who are paid to jump when you crack the whip. You'll find out that you're making the biggest mistake of your life! If you even attempt to put us off the ship at Durban, you'll be faced with the toughest law-suit you ever heard of. Not only will it cost you your job, but your company will have to pay damages for breach of contract, for the inconvenience caused to me and my family, for slanderous attacks on our reputation—"
"Plus entertainment tax," said Captain Harmer, with rare schoolboy spite. Then he grew serious again; with luck it would be for the last time. "Mr. Wenstrom," he said, "I didn't intend this to be a long interview. It is only you who is making it so." Now he was very much the master of his ship, and Carl knew it, and could do nothing about it. "You still seem to have some sort of delusion about the extent of my authority. Whatever law-book you consult, you will find that my authority is absolute. At sea, I can do anything—anything in the interests of the safety of my ship, anything to preserve decency and good order. If I do wrong, legally, I answer for it, like any other ordinary citizen. But in the meantime, I can take whatever steps I choose. The steps I choose now are to put you and the three other members of your party ashore at Durban, and to forbid you to board the ship again before she sails."
"Damned stupid rigmarole!" Carl snapped. He was nearly beside himself with anger; he had discovered something he could not even fight, much less conquer. "We'll just see how it stands up in a court of law."
"It has stood up for many hundreds of years," answered Harmer. "You can try to knock it down, if you wish. Of course, you will have all the petty thieves and shysters in the world on your side. There is an American Consul at Durban who will be glad to listen to you. At least, he will listen to you. He is paid to. . . ." The Captain rose to his feet at last. It had gone on long enough; he had indeed indulged himself by playing out the scene to this agreeable length. "You've tried to make a pig-sty out of a fine ship," he said grimly. "It takes time to catch up with that sort of thing, but believe me, we do catch up with it. . . ." He glanced down at his watch. "It's twenty hours' steaming time to Durban," he continued, "and therefore I have only twenty more hours of your company. That, Mr. Wenstrom, is one of the happiest thoughts of the whole cruise."
10
It was midnight. Diane he could not reach. Kathy he could not find. There remained only the Professor. But the Professor, perhaps, was his real target.
Carl had expected to find the old man asleep; it would have been a pleasure to shake him awake, to shake him until his stupid skull rattled. . . . But he was awake already; indeed, he seemed to be working, sitting crouched over his desk by a shaded light, going through some papers. But he was not working for Carl, it seemed. He was working for himself. He was reading his manuscript of the history of piracy.