In the Shadow of the Pyramid
My only hope was that Wimpole, solacing himself with the thought that he had effectually put me hors de combat, would loiter on his way. But this ray was soon extinguished for inquiry at the villages on our route informed us that the Englishman’s party had gone through by motor! At the word my heart sank; all thought of overtaking him was out of the question. Yet, desperately, we kept on.
It was late at night when the lights of Cairo twinkled in the distance. Leaving our horses and chartering a powerful car we were soon speeding towards Alexandria. The first sun’s rays lighted the listless sails and gleaming hulls of the ships at anchor, battered tramps and giant liners from overseas, trim yachts, an occasional sombre battleship and thousands of sturdy fishing craft. Two vessels were my immediate object, the Wimpole’s Undine and my own Kawa. A long scrutiny from the rising ground back of the Port failed to disclose them. Parking our car we lost ourselves in the forest of masts along the harbor’s edge. It was impossible that Triplett had failed me but locating him was like finding one’s automobile after a foot-ball game. Standing on various pier heads I cupped my hands and bellowed “Kawa-a-hoy” until I was twice threatened with arrest by the local constabulary. Meanwhile Swank and Whinney were paging my captain in other directions, the former cruising about in a rented rowboat while the latter conducted a personal canvass of the water-side drinking-parlors. In one of these Triplett was eventually discovered. He was amazed at my early arrival.
“I didn’t look fur ye fur a week,” he protested.
“Is the Undine in the harbor?” I asked.
“Wuz, last night ... takin’ on supplies all day; moved out by the lighthouse at sundown.”
“Quick, man; let’s get aboard. We must board her.”
The Kawa lay surrounded by a huddle of small boats the crews of which objected violently to being shoved aside but we forced our way through and eventually cleared the end of the pier and stood out toward the mole, our kicker-motor chugging valiantly. I had fetched my glasses from below and soon located the Undine. She was nearly two miles distant and to my consternation showed every indication of being about to get under weigh.