“Have you the ‘Shipping Gazette’?” inquired the major.
“No, sir; we don’t go in for that much, and I have no recent copies by me. I’ll tell you what, though; if it is very important that you should know where the ‘Merry Maid’ is, why don’t you cable to the owners?”
“A very good idea, if I knew where to cable to,” said Mr. Cory. “But I have not the slightest notion who the owners are.”
“There I am better informed than you,” put in Annie, eagerly. “Hilton gave me the name and address of the owners, and I have them here in my note-book.”
“Capital!” cried the major. “We shall manage it yet. Now for the address.”
“Messrs. Rose and Gibney, agents, Great Water Street, London.”
“Good. The next thing is to decide what to say. You don’t want your own name to figure, I suppose? No? I thought not. Then you had better cable in my name, and direct the reply to come to my house.”
After a little delay, the following message was sent to Messrs. Rose and Gibney:—“At what port, and when, is ‘Merry Maid’ due?”
The answer to this, which had been prepaid, was—“Due at Cardiff, 4th proximo, from Antwerp, to load for Port Said.”
“Splendid. That will suit you to a T,” exclaimed the major. “You can stay here two or three weeks, to give yourself time to hunt up as much information as possible about Stavanger. Then, failing success, you can proceed from here direct to Port Said, and board the ‘Merry Maid’ in the canal. By the time you get to Cardiff, the vessel might have started on her voyage, so your surest chance of success lies in waiting for this Captain Cochrane at his port of destination. And I think you had better take the authorities into your confidence. They might help you to find Stavanger.”