“I think I am the more suitable person in every way,” Edward Drake intervened.
“I agree with you,” Gaunt answered, “for I have other work for your brother. The engineers and artificers will be easily found, for we are willing to pay them well. But the other men will require careful selection. We shall want a number of men with military training, and can you find them? They must not be ‘wasters,’ and they must be able to hold their tongues. My present idea is that these men should concentrate at the Canary Islands where the cruiser could pick them up. Can I leave this part of the business in your hands?” Gaunt asked of Captain Drake.
“Yes, I think I can manage it. At the present moment I know dozens of men—gentlemen—who would be keen at the chance of going with us, just for the fun of the thing. I am one of them,” the latter answered.
“It is a mad idea,” Lady Mildred cried vehemently, “and a dangerous one. Should you go on the cruiser?” she asked with a look of anxiety at her husband.
“I could not very well let the others go and stay at home,” Gaunt answered with a smile. “At first, the scheme may seem a little mad, but if you look into it you will see that it is quite feasible. As soon as we leave the Canary Islands we shall be all right. The danger is that our plans may be discovered before we can get away. There is that wretched Foreign Enlistment Act.”
“I am sure I can get the right sort of men who won’t blab,” Lindsay Drake said confidently.
They proceeded to discuss their plans in detail, and it was decided that negotiations should be commenced the next day for the hiring of the cruiser. Lady Mildred did not interrupt them and upon realizing that their talk was likely to be a prolonged one, she rose, and bade them good-night.
Captain Drake was the next to depart for he expected Gaunt and his brother wished to be alone, and in this he was right. But there was silence for some time after he had gone, until Gaunt began to tell of his interview with the foreign secretary which concerned the Marillier affair.
“And there can be no doubt that the Baron will carry out his threat,” he wound up.
“He is a dangerous enemy, and the terrible part is that we can do nothing. Do you think that the magistrate would be likely to send you to the Congo for trial?” Drake asked in a low voice.