While these orders were being executed O'Loghlin went below to start up his beloved motors. He usually spent the greater part of his waking hours below tinkering with the engines. Even in the Red Sea and in the sweltering heat of the Malacca Straits he kept up the performance, and the hitherto-neglected engines were now a picture of polished and easy-running mechanism.
Keeping within a distance of two miles from the reef, the Titania skirted the south-eastern sides of the island. Although a careful watch was maintained there were no signs of human habitation ashore, except a ruined hut that might have been built by the crew of a trading-vessel during their search for bêche-de-mer.
"Good thing there are no natives," remarked Harborough "They'd only tend to complicate matters. We wouldn't dare leave any stores on the beach; they'd vanish. Right-o, Swaine; up aloft with you."
Like a cat Swaine swarmed up aloft, hand over hand, by means of the throat-halyards, for the Titania was not fitted with ratlines. Barely had he settled himself on the cross-trees when he shouted:
"Vessel at anchor in the lagoon, sir!"
"By Jove!" ejaculated Villiers, and without expressing his thoughts he, too, went aloft.
Beyond a low-lying spur of land fringed with an irregular line of coco-nut palms, he could discern the upper parts of the hull and the mast and funnel of a steamer. She had evidently only recently arrived, for smoke was issuing from her funnel.
"It's the Zug, sir," he announced.
The explosion of a 42-centimetre shell could hardly have produced greater surprise. Beating her rival only by a few hours, the Zug had dropped anchor not at Ni Telang but at Nua Leha, and almost over the spot where the wreck of the Fusi Yama was supposed to be lying. By what freak of fortune had von Giespert's minions chosen that spot, when, had they acted upon instructions given in the false chart, they should have been fifty miles to the west'ard?
"That's a nasty one, sir," remarked Villiers, as he gained the deck.