"Not so much as you have done by chipping in," replied Major Ferriter. "Unwittingly, of course, but none the less unfortunate. I assume that what I tell you will be treated in strict confidence. For nearly two months the authorities have been aware of the Greek spy's activities. He was shadowed from Barcelona to Athens, and thence to Port Said. I was instructed to keep in touch with him, and as luck would have it I succeeded. In this disguise I completely hoodwinked him; lived with him; assisted him at his work of espionage—only I took care to transmit the messages sent by wireless from the German U-boats to the Eastern Mediterranean myself. It paid the Government handsomely to let the fellow pursue his activities. It enabled us to account for nearly a dozen hostile submarines, and now you've put the hat on it all."
"Couldn't you arrange to escape with the spy?" enquired Osborne, almost panic-stricken at the result of his unintentional blunder.
"Might," replied Major Ferriter. "Only Hymettus might smell a rat and slip away to some more congenial atmosphere. I must think it over. Now, Scott, I think you had better hand me over to the tender mercies of your men. I must keep up the disguise a little longer, but for goodness' sake, old man, see that I am smuggled out as soon as it is safe to do so. After weeks of existence upon dates, pilau, and goats' milk, I pine for the flesh-pots of civilization."
Osborne and his chum waited until the supposed Bedouin prisoner was marched off under escort; then, bidding the infantry Major farewell, they set off in the gathering darkness, to their quarters.
For some minutes they spoke not a word; but when at length the Lieutenant broke the silence, his remark was brief, forcible, and to the point:
"My word, old bird; what a proper lash up!"
CHAPTER XXII
The Fouled Propellers
For the next few days the chums heard nothing more of the spy and his disguised tracker, nor did they deem it wise to make enquiries. It was not until the end of the week that news circulated rapidly through the native quarter to the effect that a Greek and an Arab, arrested by order of the Kafir authorities, had broken out of their place of detention. Europeans "not in the know" heard the same story. Vaguely they wondered how such an escape could be effected, in the face of the strict measures taken for the safe custody of malefactors and criminals. And when Osborne and Webb were told of the incident they glanced at each other in a way that denoted that they were not at all surprised.