Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 96: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

86 Adventure “Humph,” muttered Williams to himself as he walked along the beach, “the firm must have charters already from there— aren’t wasting any time,” So he walked along the beach of the large watering-place that he remembered as a boy as a small fishing village and, arriving at the end of the esplanade, sat down on a bench to smoke. Presently an old man sat down by his side and began to read a newspaper. “Terrible time coming,” remarked the old man after a while. “What do you mean?” drawled Williams indifferently. “What do I mean?” The old man was annoyed. “Well, I'll explain, if you can not see it for yourself. It means war. That shooting of the archduke was the starter.” “Qh?” The captain dimly remembered hearing of that affair. “Yes,” went on the other, “I believe it was arranged. Those Germans would do anything. Cunning devils.” “Well, we should trouble,” remarked Williams; “‘we won’t get into any scrap. Tf we did, we have the navy.” : The old man snorted. “Yes, we have. But we'll be into it; you'll see that. And the Germans will find some way of starving us out.” “Eh?” Williams was interested at last. “Yes, they will. Cunning devils. You can not tell them from Englishmen or Americans; they speak the language so well. Starve us out, they will. And the country’s full of them—all spies. Why, there goes one of them now.” Williams stared at the well-dressed man with the single eyeglass who walked slowly past them. “How do you know he’s a German?” he whispered. “That scar—on his cheek—look, quick,” hissed the old man. “They get them dueling.” For a moment Williams sat as if petrified. Then with an oath he jumped to his feet an? began to run toward the railway station, leaving the astounded old gentle- man to speculate upom his sanity. But Captain Williams was quite sane— as sane, if not more so, than ever before in his life—even if his mind was racing with maddening thoughts. For it was all clear now. He saw the for the brightest men, Sylvester had been because he had guessed—or knew—that Smith British. For Gib. is a bad place 5 ent: tured spies. Besides, Sylvester was a Bnitish subject—consequently, if he were a spy, he was also a traitor. Which ex- plained his agitation and Smith’s curious expression when Williams had referred to it. And how careless Smith had been about the price to be paid for the steamers on delivery. He had hardly mentioned it, allowing Williams to suggest the price. No wonder, when he knew that there was no intention of paying any delivery money. And how easy Smith had been about parting with the fifty thousand. Of course, such a thing might happen in business, and the contract signed by Williams in the Gibraltar bank had mentioned everything, gone into all the usual clauses, such as bottomry bonds, attachments and the like. How Smith must have smiled at that. What did he care about attachments, once the ships were delivered into German ports? And what was fifty thousand in such a deal—when the option money was all that they were going to pay? Oh, he saw it. Hesawit. And the options were called. Options on at least eight-tenths of the shipping of the British Empire. On the eve of war they were being delivered to German ports, The old man on the bench had said that Germany was only waiting till some prearranged moment before de- claring war, and Williams believed him, But would any one else believe? By God, he would force them to! Fight- tenths of British shipping lured into Ger- man ports for ten shillings or less a ton. Williams had given little heed that after- noon when Pilling had told him that all his ships were to be delivered in Hamburg and that the ships of other owners who had sold options were going to Bremen, Hamburg and other German ports. But he heeded now. Why, in a week or so all those ships would be in German ports, and, while the owners waited for their money, war would come! How cunning that time arrangement, which could be extended on excuse, with liberal demurrage. So comicbooks.com 5 Bee od —_— ——