`And you would have taken it?'
She shrugged. `Of course. I am not afraid of death, only of pain.'
That same evening their pleasant privacy was temporarily interrupted by a visit from Hugo Wellesley. With the initiative so frequently displayed by British officers when abroad however reluctant to make themselves conspicuous when at home the handsome Colonel had gone to the local circus and hired an elephant and its mahout to transport him about through the floods.
He had a depressing tale to tell of devastation and distress. Only the higher ground sloping up to the mountains now remained above water. Millions of pounds' worth of goods had been rendered useless by the flooding of countless basements. Still worse, many of the favelas the sprawling shack towns on the hillsides had been swept away by the torrents. Thousands of people now had no roof over their heads, hundreds had been seriously injured and several score were believed to be dead.
Gregory was anxious to trace his rescuer and asked Hugo's help. Except that he was an exceptionally tall young man and a South Sea Islander, there was nothing to go on, and if a city of nearly four million inhabitants this would be no easy task, but the Colonel promised to do his best. Then, after finishing his second drink, and being satisfied that Gregory lacked for nothing and was in good hands, Hugo took his departure.
For a further forty eight hours the rain continued without ceasing. It was not until the fifth day that it eased to a drizzle, the low, black clouds remaining overhead. The four days' downpour had resulted in the worst disaster Rio had suffered for over eighty years. The only access to the city is along the coast roads. These had been cut, so it was isolated and food had become short. Over twelve thousand people had been rendered homeless and there were three hundred and sixty dead. The sewers had been disrupted, so there was acute danger of a serious epidemic. But the ever generous Americans had rushed in teams of medicos with a newly invented injection gun, which punctured arms and sterilised itself, so that a queue of a hundred people could be immunised in a matter of minutes.
As Gregory was rousing from his siesta on the fifth day, a page brought to his room a bouquet of flowers that had wilted a little from the intense humid heat. Attached to them was a card, inscribed Ratu James Omboloku, and beneath that was written: I do hope you are fully recovered, and an address: Hotel Gloria.
Gregory had a vague idea that 'Ratu' was the equivalent in the South Sea Islands to Rajah or Prince. Later that evening, after two unsuccessful attempts, he got on to James Omboloku and asked him to lunch next day; for he had already had the hotel carpenter make him a crutch, and with it was now able to get about without Manon's assistance.
Taking note of this, Manon had decided that her next, move should be to make Gregory miss her. Actually she knew very few people in Rio; but she invented several whose invitations she said she could hardly refuse, now that the flood was subsiding. Gregory accepted the situation with a readiness that by no means pleased her; but he had become so used to making his arrangements without reference to any one else that he was glad that she had already said she was going out. Feeling no obligation to ask her to join them when he gave lunch to the Ratu, he had not even mentioned his own appointment.
It was on Wednesday, the 12th January, that the Rata James lunched with Gregory. Jackets had to be worn when eating in the restaurant; but it was air conditioned, so, in spite of the intense heat outside, they felt no discomfort while partaking of an excellent meal.
On seeing the South Sea Island Prince again, Gregory was more than ever impressed by him. His bronzed features had a noble cast and he displayed the quiet self assurance that is the hallmark of the aristocrat whatever the colour of his skin. Gregory soon learned that his guest was the hereditary Chief of the Nakapoa Group, which lay between Fiji and New Caledonia, but was nearer the former although it had, since 1853, been subject to France.
When Gregory expressed surprise that he spoke English so well, he smiled and said, `I have many relatives by marriage among the hereditary royalty of the South Pacific. Queen Salote of Tonga was my aunt and the Ratu’s of Fiji are my cousins. So, although I happen to be a French citizen, my family has always preferred to think of itself as British. I was sent to school in New Zealand and afterwards took my degree there at the University of Dunedin.'
Over their meal they talked of many things and formed an increasing liking for each other. Two hours had sped past very pleasantly and they were sitting over their brandy when Gregory remarked casually
`I've no wish to pry into your affairs, but you say business brought you to Rio. You don't seem at all like a business man and I'd be most interested to know what your business is.'
The young Ratu hesitated for a moment, then shrugged his broad shoulders. 'Mr. Sallust, I feel that you are a man I can trust, but this should go no further. Off Tujoa, the main island of my group, there is the sunken wreck of an old Spanish ship. I have good reason to believe that when she went down she had aboard her a great fortune in gold. Should others learn of this, they might forestall me in retrieving it. I have come to Rio because there is a prospect of forming a company here that would finance the salvaging of this gold.'
Gregory nodded. `I see. You speak of a prospect. Does that mean you are fairly certain of getting all the money you require to finance this venture?
'I would not say that. My prospective backer is very rich, but he is hesitating to assume the sole responsibility for this enterprise.'
For a moment Gregory remained thoughtful. For a long time now he had been at a loose end, with no interest to engage his mind fully. The vivacious and attractive Manon had dropped into his lap, but, as far as he was concerned, after Erika no woman was capable of doing more, for any length of time, than assuming the role of a pleasant playmate. The retrieving of sunken treasure offered both activity and excitement. At length he said
`I happen to be fairly rich. And I owe you a debt that no money could repay. Unless you can get all the finance you require without difficulty, let me know, and I'll consider rowing in with a few thousand.'
4 ?Spanish Gold
The Rata gave Gregory a look of pleased surprise. `You really mean that?
'Yes, providing there is a reasonable prospect of getting my money back. What evidence is there that the ship does hold a cargo of gold?'
`She is in fairly deep water, but not too deep for our best native divers to have gone down to her many times during the years, and several of them have brought up gold coins. Last year I bought an aqualung and went down to her myself. In one of the stern cabins I could see several chests. One of them had broken open and had spilled on the floor a crucifix, a chalice and other items, which undoubtedly are treasure. But I could not get at them because part of the roof of the cabin had fallen in, blocking my way. To move those heavy beams without endangering the lives of the divers will require special machinery: powerful cranes and so on.'
`That certainly sounds promising. What share are you prepared to give your backers for providing the machinery and expert divers?'
`Forty per cent.'
Gregory gave a sudden smile. `In the event of success, the other sixty per cent might make you a very rich man.'
The Ratu shook his head. `It is not for myself that I wish to do this, but for my people. For many centuries they lived happily, the produce of our islands supplying their simple wants. But that is so no longer. As is the case in many Pacific islands, we are being swamped by immigrants from India. The Hindus are clever and industrious. Already they have bought up much of my people's agricultural land. This has led to the dispossessed then being exploited by the Indians, and having to work for a pittance which buys them barely enough food to live. Still worse, the Hindus breed like rabbits. Soon they will outnumber the islanders and by their majority vote have laws passed that will turn us into an underprivileged minority.'