An angry murmur of protest went up, but he waved it aside.
'It's early I know, but we're instituting a ten o'clock curfew for passengers on board this ship just in case any of you feel tempted to start anything one night. That order, like all our other precautions, is instituted for your own protection. Now drink up your drinks and get below.'
Ten minutes later they had further leisure to think—in solitude, each of them having been locked into their cabins, and they were at it again as soon as they woke up the following morning.
Separately or in batches they went up on deck to reconnoitre the enemy's position; found all the approaches to the bridge and wireless house roped off and strictly guarded as on the previous day; stared morosely for a few moments at the gunmen who were on duty and then resumed their silent, unhappy speculations.
No one except the McKay felt any inclination to use the swimming pool despite the brilliant sunshine and when he appeared in his bathing robe, Sally remarked:
'Well, you're a nice sympathetic friend. Quite happy to enjoy yourself as usual eh! While the rest of us are racking our brains to try and think of some way out of this ghastly mess we're in.'
The old brain's had an overdose of thinking in the last twenty-four hours m'dear,' he replied quietly. 'So we're
going to turn our attention to the imperial carcass for a bit
instead.'
'You've given up hope already then?'
Not a bit of it. I never give up hope about anything, even that you might fall in love with me one day, and that's as unlikely as our getting out of this tangle with flying colours.' He slipped off his robe and stood, just five foot seven inches of bronze muscular body in a pair of dark blue trunks, poised ready to dive into the water.
Sally's heart missed a beat. He had never said anything quite so nice to her before. Their troubles faded almost magically out of her mind. The sunshine seemed brighter and life full of pleasant possibilities once more, but before she had a chance to reply he had somersaulted into the water, swum round the pool beneath its surface, and come up puffing like a grampus as he shook the water from his eyes and crisp sandy grey hair.
'Don't sit there like a broody hen you young idiot,' he admonished her. 'Get your clothes off and come in for a swim.
After all, why not, thought Sally. So she went down to her cabin and donned a backless bathing suit which displayed her figure to perfection, then joined him in the water.
Prince Vladimir cast a disapproving eye upon them now and again as he restlessly paced the deck near the pool. He was not a young man of great intelligence, perhaps, but the heart of a lion beat with splendid regularity under his great breast bone and he was utterly disgusted to find himself in the company of men who possessed so little courage. In Nicky he felt 'damp feet' as he called it, could be forgiven, for after all Nicky was a 'cad' and one did not expect bravery from such people; but that Count Axel should sit placidly smoking right up in the bows of the ship, whole skinned yet unashamed, and the English Captain disport himself with senseless laughter while they were all held prisoners, filled him with disgust and contempt for both of them.
Even when Doctor Tisch appeared to tell them that the bathysphere had been sent down for a trial descent the announcement only roused them from their despondency for a moment. In their extreme preoccupation with the knowledge that, unless they could devise some way to outwit their captors, they were all to be shipped off to a desert island on the borders of the southern iceberg zone, where they would suffer moftths of acute distress, if not death— from exposure—they had forgotten all about Atlantis. With the exception of the McKay they had not even noticed consciously that the ship had left its anchorage off Horta in the previous night and now lay in the open sea, with the land only showing as a distant smudge on the horizon.
Upon being reminded of the object which had brought them all on board their reaction was only an added fury that any enterprise so speculative should have lured them into this damnable trap, and they soon relapsed into their squirrel-like mental revolutions upon the now sickening subject of their uncertain future.
After his swim the McKay joined Count Axel up in the bows of the vessel. 'Well,' he enquired with a smile, 'did sleep bring you inspiration?'
The Count shrugged. 'No I confess myself at my wit's end. There are ways of course in which we could prevent Slinger leaving us in five days' time. Mussolini's for example which was used to prevent communist leaders from addressing public meetings when Italy very nearly went Red after the war—a pint of castor oil or its equivalent—that would lay him out for two or three days at least, but we couldn't put it into practice as long as he is accompanied by a couple of these gunmen each time he visits us. Have you had any ideas?'
'Not a ghost of one,' lied the McKay.
'Then it seems that we shall have to face a situation which I do not care to dwell upon. Think of these poor young women on the rock where we are to be left stranded. The hideous discomfort, the piercing cold of those southern regions. We may be there for a year before we are picked up by a passing vessel or can get away. I have few possessions but I would give them all to be assured that I am only dreaming of this colossal frame up.'
'Yes, we're in it up to the neck,' the McKay agreed bitterly. He had had no brilliant brainwave for their salvation, only a simple almost automatic idea, for one of his training, which might, as an outside chance lead to their rescue. Having little faith in it himself he did not even consider it worth mentioning and entirely shared the Count's extreme anxiety.
'The others don't know what they're in for yet,' he added thoughtfully, 'so best keep it from them till they have to face it for themselves. It would be no kindness to the women to cause them suffering in anticipation as to what we're likely to be up against this time next month; and I blamed myself afterwards for saying as much as I did when we had our conference yesterday. Unless we can detain Slinger I don't think there's the least chance of that will being set aside—do you? This bloke "Kate's" been a damn sight too clever for the lot of us.'
'Yes, he must have worked everything out to the last detail, and if we move against Slinger or these gunmen we would just be asking to be shot. The whole affair must have been planned months back, that's why I hinted that the Doctor was in it, yesterday. What do you make of him?'
'Oh, he's not a bad little cuss. Absolutely potty on this Atlantis business of course, but he's a genuine scientist all right. I looked up his record in the ship's library so I hardly think your theory about his being in with all these crooks can be right.'
Count Axel smiled lazily. 'It is just because he is so potty —a monomaniac almost, one might say—about what he terms his life work of the rediscovery of the lost continent that I believe him to be involved. Such expeditions as this are very costly you know and it is not easy to find anyone with sufficient money to finance them. Most capitalists who could afford to do so are hard-headed business men requiring a definite return for such an outlay. The uncertainty of actually securing gold from the venture would bar it out except in the case of a limited few. Farquason was such a one. A man of great vision who knew how to apply his dreams to modern commercial undertakings, and when he had made big money he was willing to apply that to the realisation of dreams which might bring no financial reward.
'Unfortunately he dreamed once too often. He will come back again of course, such men always do, but in the meantime he's had a nasty set-back and had to leave the Doctor in the lurch. Honestly I believe that Slinger or his Chief heard of the Doctor's project in Paris and j the plight in which Farquason had left him, then tempted him to bring this ship down to Madeira by a promise that if he kept his eyes and mouth shut they would enable him to continue with this work in which he is so passionately interested.'