Cumming, who seemed to understand Billy at once, smilingly gripped hands, and the next minute we were all three hurrying towards the steps which led down to the water. Leaving the car, Wilton and the chauffeur came running along the quay to join us.
"Got room for me, guv'nor?" inquired the latter anxiously.
"What about the car?" I asked, as Cumming, jumping into a dinghy, hastily pulled out the sculls from under the seat.
He grinned cheerfully. "Car's all right, sir. I've given the old boy five bob to look after her."
"Come on, then," I said; "the more the better." And without wasting any more time, we all five scrambled into the boat.
A few strokes brought us alongside the launch, to which we rapidly transferred ourselves. Cumming at once squatted down in front of the motor and began to play with the levers and switches, while the rest of us distributed our weight about the little craft in the most even fashion possible.
"Shall I steer her out for you, sir?" asked the chauffeur. "I've done a bit of this work over in France."
Cumming nodded his consent, and as the man gripped the tiller he started up the engine. The next moment we were swiftly threshing our way through the crowd of anchored vessels towards the centre of the estuary.
Directly we were fairly under way, and the engine was running with proper smoothness, Cumming scrambled to his feet and took over the charge of the boat.
"She can do twenty easy," he observed, with a satisfied chuckle; "we shall be up to them before they're past the sands." Then he paused. "What's the programme?" he added. "Hail them, or run up alongside and jump?"