`Big part of the deck caved in, jus' as we was about to knock off for the night. Couple of native boys trapped down there, poor sods; an' half the hull full of debris. Mr. Lacost had hoped to be through by termorrer night, an' he fairly blew his top. There's lots more of the stuff still down there and buried deep. He's kep' us hard at it all day, clearing a way down.'
How long do you reckon it will be before you reach it?'
`It's difficult to say. We Phil an' I working alone, it 'ud take us at least a week. But it's on this sort of job the native boys come in handy. Reckon we'll be down to the stuff again in another twenty four hours.'
`Very well, then,' Gregory nodded. `Now I'll make the position clear to you. These Frenchmen hold no licence to salvage the treasure. They are, therefore, committing what amounts to an act of piracy. I don't doubt that Lacost has offered you a pretty big sum for your help, but if you take it that will be regarded as accepting part of the swag, and you will be liable to be sent to prison. Unless you want to risk that, as soon as they do get down to the treasure again you will pretend to be stricken with sudden illness, or think up some other means of having yourself put ashore, and come at once to the Ratu's bure and let me know. Then you will be in the clear.'
Hamie shifted his feet uneasily, looked down at them and muttered, `That's all very well, baas; but Mr. Lacost is treating me very decent. Thirty pound a day he's promised me, an' a whackin' good bonus when the job's finished.'
Gregory gave a laugh that had no humour in it. `If you are counting on that, you don't know the man you are dealing with. He is a crook and a murderer. When he has no more use for you the odds are that, rather than cash out, he'll cut your air pipe on your last dive and leave you to feed the fishes. I need to have twelve hours' warning before the Pigalle is likely to sail. Bring it to me and you will not only be out of trouble but I'll pay you two hundred pounds.'
Obviously shaken by the picture Gregory had drawn of Lacost, Hamie cleared his throat, spat and said, `O.K., baas. Anyways, I know yer on the level. I'll get ashore somehow an' give you the tip off.'
Back at the Royal bure, Gregory found James and Olinda drinking rum on the rocks. James had just finished showing her over her future home and, delighted with it, she was enthusing over its suitability to such a climate and its beautiful vistas. Gregory told them about his arrangement with Hamie Baker, then asked if Commandant Elboeuf had yet put in an appearance.
`He sent to say that he would come here after dinner,' James replied, then added with a laugh, `I don't doubt the old boy picked his time so that he could get a good swig at my old brandy.'
As the dinner hour was approaching, Gregory knocked back the drink James had poured for him and went across to the twin bedded bure that had been assigned to him and Manon. She was seated at the dressing table, putting the last touches to her hair, and, as he kissed her on the nape of the neck, he was struck by the warm domesticity of the scene. To go to bed with a woman was one thing, to live with her quite another, and, although the room was not her own, her possessions scattered about it gave it a delightful intimate atmosphere.
When he had shaved in the bathroom that had been built on to the bure they rejoined the others and afterwards sat down to dinner. As the Resident was expected, they did not linger over the meal, but moved to the other end of the long room for their coffee and liqueurs.
They had hardly settled themselves there when Elboeuf was announced. Limping forward with his stick, he gallantly kissed the hands of the ladies, condoled with Olinda on her husband's death, then accepted a large ration of old brandy.
Contrary to South Seas custom, James got down to business right away, and asked him what steps he had taken to prevent the Colons from attempting to salvage the treasure in the wreck.
Raising his grey eyebrows, the old man replied, `None, my dear Ratu, and I have had no reason to suppose that any such steps should be taken. Monsieur Lacost arrived here on Friday last, and that evening he paid a courtesy call upon me. He told me of Senhor Maui de Carvalho's most regrettable demise, that Madame here now held the licence to salvage from the wreck that she would be arriving in Revika shortly and had asked him, in the meantime, to go ahead with the work on her behalf. When he and the de Carvalho’s were in Revika some weeks ago, de Carvalho showed me the licence he had secured in Noumea and told me that he had entered into a partnership with Lacost. So I naturally accepted Lacost's account of matters, and have not attempted to interfere with his operations.'
`Then, Commandant, I must acquaint you with the true situation,' said James. 'There was no legal partnership entered into between de Carvalho and Lacost. The Senhora intends to make the licence over to me. Lacost is a crook and his salvaging operations are illegal. They must be stopped at once.'
`Dear me! Dear me!' Elboeuf exclaimed with a sudden show of agitation. `While I am happy for you, Ratu, that you should have met with such good fortune, the situation now created may result in much unpleasantness. First thing tomorrow morning I will send Sergeant Marceau off with a couple of his gendarmes to the Pigalle to tell Lacost that he must desist from further salvaging and hand over any valuables that he may have already recovered. But what if he refuses?'
`He will,' Gregory put in. `I am sure of that. So you will have to back up your order by a show of force.'
The elderly Frenchman sighed. `I fear you are right, Monsieur. It seems that a situation has now arisen similar to one we envisaged some time ago. You will remember, Ratu, that I called upon you to enquire if I might count on your bodyguard to support my few gendarmes in the event of an illegal attempt being made to salvage any treasure in the Maria Amalia.'
`I do,' James smiled. `And I don't mind admitting now that I was secretly amused, because your request implied my using force against mys'e1f. I have always maintained that this treasure is mine by right of inheritance, and I was quite prepared to defy your government on those grounds. But now, thanks to the Senhora, my position is fully legalised and I will give you all the support of which I am capable to prevent Lacost robbing me of my property.'
Elboeuf nodded. `Then, Ratu, my duty and your interests are now one. But I understand that the Colons are armed, and I am most averse to provoking a conflict. So I think it best first to send off Sergeant Marceau, as I suggested, and only concert stronger measures should they refuse to obey the order he will convey to them.'
That having been settled, the old Resident began to talk of other matters, and would have stayed there until midnight, happily imbibing brandy, had not James, soon after ten o'clock, said that he must escort Olinda back to her yacht.
When they had gone, Manon did her best to persuade Gregory to come to bed; but, as he was anxious to talk to James about the morrow, he resisted her blandishments. In vain she pointed out that James might take hours in saying good night to Olinda on the yacht, but Gregory insisted that, however late James got back, he must see him again before morning; so, after a last drink, she went off in a huff to their bure.
Having settled down with a book, in anticipation of a lengthy vigil, Gregory was agreeably surprised when James returned after an absence of only three quarters of an hour. Throwing the book aside, Gregory said:
`About tomorrow. Lacost will tell Sergeant Marceau to take a running jump at himself and we've no time to lose; so we've got to be prepared for the next act. D'you think old Elboeuf will agree to order his gendarmes to arrest Lacost and Co.?'
James nodded, `I think he will, provided they have the backing of my body guard.'
`Yes. But how much confidence have you in your chaps? Do you really think they will go in and fight? That is what has been worrying me.'