Nicky asked, paused for a moment, then said with a start, 'Ah—what's that?'
'Tell us. I'd much rather know the worst,' Camilla urged him.
'It's the worst all right,' he muttered. 'Oscar says that Kate's just come on board and wants to see us.'
'Oh heavens 1' exclaimed Sally, 'I knew this would happen. What are we going to do?'
'Steady m'dear,' the McKay took her hand and pressed it. 'Kate won't try and eat you. Besides the tender should be alongside by now and we'll—' He broke off suddenly as he remembered the Bozo was within six feet of him, placed there by Slinger for the special purpose of reporting any further measures against their captors which they might be indiscreet enough to discuss in his hearing.
'How can the tender help? Its crew won't be armed and it would be hours before they could get us assistance. Whereas Kate's there—already—up on deck—waiting for us,' Sally burst out excitedly.
'But what are you so scared he's going to do to you m'dear?'
'Oh, I don't know—I don't know. But he's found out about that will and he'll be furious. You know that horrid cold merciless stare of his.'
'I've got much more to fear than you darling,' Camilla gulped and suddenly burst into tears.
Vladimir did not know how to contain himself any longer. The sight of his so beautiful Duchess weeping in a fit of uncontrollable terror from fear of this bully Kate was too much for him. Bozo was seated immediately in his rear. With a sudden totally unexpected movement he swung round and smashed his great fist into the gunman's face.
Bozo's head was jerked backward and hit the steel side of the bathysphere a terrific crack. His gun slipped from his fingers before he knew what had hit him and he slid down to the floor unconscious, black blood streaming from his broken nose.
The Prince grabbed the automatic and laughed with boyish glee. 'Now,' he declared waving the weapon dangerously in challenge to the world, 'who shall lay a touch upon my pet-lamb. Camilla my so loved remit your fears I beg. Anyone who speaks unpleasantness to you so beautiful I will shoot, yes instantly—just as I would a dirty dog.'
'For God's sake be careful with that thing!' cried the McKay.
'Have no troubles my nice Captain. With firearms I am an intimate, and in shooting I crack like a double dab.'
'Well I congratulate you Prince,' said Count Axel. 'That was a courageous piece of business and admirably executed. This man's pistol may come in handy if the fears of the Duchess and Sally are justified, but I do hope you won't use it except in the last extremity. Remember there will be at least a dozen like it against you and a couple of machine guns as well.'
'I don't see that you've done much good anyhow,' remarked Nicky gloomily. 'It will only infuriate them when they find that you've knocked out one of their men, and we've no means of getting rid of the body even if he were dead. The moment he fails to come out of the sphere and they find him unconscious they'll cover us with their rods and take that one off you.'
'My poor Nicky you are made jealous,' the Prince 192
laughed again, 'because I also can now say "I hit him— didn't I—right on the nose."'
The incident at least had the effect of stopping Camilla's tears and she clung to Vladimir's free arm while she stared out of the porthole; no longer even registering the great lemon yellow Finger Squid they were passing on their way up, but endeavouring to persuade herself that her brave young Roumanian would protect her from Kate's wrath when they reached the surface.
Sally sat silent, clutching the McKay's hand in both of hers and trying to still her fears, while he, Count Axel and the Doctor considered the new position. Although they did not voice their thoughts all three had come to the conclusion that, courageous as Vladimir's action had been, considering that he might well have received a bullet in the back, his bravado would be of little use to them when the bathysphere was hoisted on to its supports. The McKay placed his chief hope in obtaining help through the people on the tender, but he was not acutely worried by Kate's arrival since he could not convince himself that there was any real reason why Kate should have any cause to put them through the mill.
Count Axel was dreading that Vladimir's rashness might precipitate a general massacre and had determined to keep within clutching distance of him directly they left the sphere; in order that he might prevent the Prince using the weapon he had secured unless it came to the unlikely point of their lives being actually threatened.
'Sally,' said Camilla in a low voice.
'Yes, darling?'
'Don't you think we ought to tell them—now.'
'I don't see that it matters dear. When we discussed it we agreed that their knowing would not make the least difference to our chances of escape. But tell them if you like.'
'Well,' Camilla hesitated. 'This is why Sally and I are so frightened. When Kate forced me to sign that will he didn't know that-'
She got no further. They had risen about 800 feet and only just moved on after one of the regulation halts for a tie to be removed. Now, quite unexpectedly, they stopped again.
For a moment they sat silent, expecting their steady up-t.F.A.—G 193
ward progress to be resumed, but nothing happened. The ball continued to hang motionless.
'Ask what is the matter,' said the Doctor. He had a faint but uncomfortable thought that the crane machinery might have jammed.
'What's happened? Anything wrong?' enquired Nicky into the telephone.
Oscar's voice came back in reply: 'Orders from the bridge that we are to let you remain suspended where you are mein Herr.'
Nicky informed the others and, as they pondered silently on this change of plan, he turned back to the instrument. 'Lets have it Oscar—what's the big idea?'
'Wait,' said Oscar. Then, after a pause of quite two minutes, he spoke again in a guttural whisper: 'A warship has arrived. It is British and they have lowered a boat.'
'Good man!' said Nicky, 'keep me posted if you can. With a beaming face he swung round and passed on the news.
'By Jove! ! Then my signals were picked up after all.' The McKay suddenly burst into song.
'What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? Shave his chin with a rusty razor Early—in—the-'
'Stop!' shouted Sally, among a chorus of excited enquiries. 'What signals?'
'Why,' he announced with modest pleasure, 'I've been morsing from my cabin with the light switch every night since Kate first seized the yacht. Someone was bound to spot the flashes from the porthole sometime—but I didn't hope for much until we crossed the shipping belts on our way South.'
'O! you hero!' Sally's big grey eyes were damp with relief and joyful emotion. 'You never told us a thing about it— you've saved us after all!'
'By Crikey!' Vladimir slapped the McKay on the shoulder enthusiastically. 'You are a black horse and no mess up!'
'What's that,' Nicky asked eagerly at the telephone. Then he turned again: 'Oscar says that a Naval Officer and a party of men have just come on board.'
The McKay winked at Sally. 'Aren't you glad that scoundrel Kate came back now? He's arrived just in time to meet the Navy.'
Count Axel gave a low delighted chuckle. 'It has been an amazing experience and we are no worse after all. Now that the world knows of the hold-up the Duchess's fortune is safe, and while Kate has spent thousands in organising his coup, we have been quietly carrying on our diving just as we planned. All his schemes have gone for nothing while we have actually found Atlantis!'
'The exploration—you will not stop now Gnadige Hertz-ogin—but permit it to go on,' the Doctor asked anxiously.