“Don’t mind me, old sprout,” urged Algy. “I’ll tool along an’ chip in as soon as I can—and I hope you’ll have left the bounder who pipped me for me to clean up.”
There was really no reason for anyone staying with him, and Patricia agreed to Orace’s suggestion.
They crawled out and replaced the hatch and tarpaulin cover as they had found it. Then, as they hesitated under cover of the bulwarks, Orace said:
“Mr. Templar ’ud be right—they’ll be thunderin’ short-’anded. Seemster me, there won’t be no more thanna nengineer below, an’ p’r’aps a cook in the galley. These motor ships is that luck-shurious yer don’ avta be offended by more’n a nanful o’ vulgar seamen. Assoomin’ that, jer finkyer c’u’d l’y aht the pertaterstoor wile I dots the metchanic one? I wouldn’t letcha go alone, cept I knows be ixperience that pertaterstoors ain’t like ord’n’ry men.”
“I’ll manage all right,” Patricia assured him. “Hurry up about it, and I’ll meet you under that awning in front of the saloon. Then we can arrange to tackle the men who’re loading the gold.”
“Righ-char, miss. . . . Remember that companion opposyte where we come over the side? Go dahn—yer mos’ likely ter find the galley aft.”
Orace accompanied her as far as the top of the companion, and there they separated. He had unostentatiously bagged the most ticklish job in the programme for himself; for he had already located the engine-room companion aft of the hatch where the Tiger Cubs were working, and to reach it unobserved he would have to travel most of the way hanging over the side of the ship by his fingers, returning by the same method. But this fact he did not consider it his duty to disclose.
As soon as the girl had disappeared, he climbed over the rail and let himself down out of sight. In his younger days, Orace had been able to awe recruits with displays of gymnastic prowess, and he had not yet lost the knack. He worked swiftly and smoothly along the side, and did not halt until his ears told him that he was level with the after-hatch. There he paused and edged himself up till he could peep over the coaming. He saw a crate go rattling down into the hold, and then someone unseen said something, and one of the men went to the starboard rail.
“Wot’s ’e s’y?” queried the man at the winch.
The man at the rail passed on the enquiry, and presently was able to answer it.