Dennis Wheatley - They Found Atlantis

The band blared out the Portuguese National Anthem and then, in deference to the British visitors who are the mainstay of all entertainment enterprises on the island, God Save the King. The two girls, Nicky, and the McKay joined the others on the terrace. Ten minutes later the attendants began to put out the lights so Camilla's party decided to return to the Hotel.

Sally insisted on going back in a Bullo-carro, one of those strange square curtained contraptions like a four-poster bed on sleigh runners—a form of conveyance peculiar to the island of Madeira. Camilla told her that she was certain to pick up fleas from the cushioned seats, but the McKay volunteered to accompany her so they set off in their musty chariot while Camilla and the others, disdaining to walk the half mile through the scented night, were whirled away in a big car.

Beside the Bullo-carro walked its tattered driver urging on his lazy bullocks with a constant stream of profane Portuguese and frequent prods from a long bamboo cane. Occasionally he ran forward and threw a sausage-like sack filled with mutton fat beneath the runners to grease them and facilitate the progress of the vehicle as it slithered and jolted over the thousands of closely packed little round pebbles which formed the surface of the road.

'What do you think our chances are of finding this lost city?' Sally asked idly.

'About as good as of the King sending a boy scout to tell me that he is recalling me from my retirement to make me an Admiral of the Fleet,' grunted the McKay. 'The Doctor's a nice little man but he's nuts, m'dear—nuts 1'

'Count Axel doesn't seem to think so.'

'No, the Count's got all sorts of bees in his bonnet. I like

him but he's gone cranky from too much learning. He treated me to a long dissertation on ancient languages this evening and made quite a good case of it too, but hieroglyphics are like figures in a balance sheet, you can make 'em prove anything provided you juggle with them cleverly enough.'

'What he told us about the Flood legends after lunch fitted in with the Doctors theory perfectly.'

'Fairy tales m'dear—all of 'em. As well believe in theGorgon's head or the one-eyed Cyclops. If there were any truth in these old wives' tales the scientists would have got on to it long ago.'

Sally was silent for a moment. If the McKay was so sceptical about the motive for the expedition why was he so keen to come on it? Perhaps—Sally's mouth curved into a pleased smile in the darkness—because he welcomed the chance of spending several weeks in the same party as herself. Till now she had refrained from examining her feelings about him and her thoughts were vacillating like the needle of a compass on a merry-go-round. True he was no handsome young gallant but he had the high spirits of youth coupled with the poise of a man of the world—moreover he never even glanced at Camilla. Sally was jealous, bitterly jealous that an unjust God had created her so like Camilla in colouring, face, and form yet denied her just that millimetre of difference in features which made her only good looking where Camilla merely had to look at a man to turn his head. She never quite succeeded in cheating herself into the belief that Camilla's adorers were only after her money, but now, here was a very personable man who paid no attention whatever to Camilla—instead he quite unostentatiously, but persistently, sought her own company. Sally gave a little secret chuckle as she felt him put out a hand gropingly in search of hers.

Even if he was right in his belief that they were setting out on a fool's errand she felt that the party would be fun, if he was going solely to be with her and, wishing to make him admit that she sought to give him a lead by labouring its possibilities.

'I don't agree with you,' she said softly as he took her hand. 'For hundreds of years all the learned people scoffed at the local folk tale that there were two buried cities at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. They changed their tune though when a farmer stink a well one day and went slap through the roof of a building twenty feet underground which led to the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Look at the ridicule all the wiseacres used to pour on that poor old Greek Herodotus too. They laughed at his account of his travels in ancient Egypt and Asia Minor for over two thousand years and dubbed them sheer romance, but we know now that his descriptions of the countries that he visited were true, and marvellously accurate. Why shouldn't Plato's account of Atlantis be the same?'

"Because he never visited it m'dear. He got the story from some old boy who got it from someone else and even then it was a nine thousand year old chestnut. If Camilla expects to find any lost cities under the ocean she's just pouring her money down the drain I tell you.'

"But-'

'Now stop it,' he interrupted quickly. 'I've had my fill of erudition for one evening. You just be a good little girl and don't bother your head with such nonsense. We're all going to have a darn good trip at Camilla's expense, and she'll get plenty of fun herself exercising her "circus".'

As he squeezed her hand Sally's heart gave a thump. She waited a little holding her breath and then asked with deliberate casualness, 'Well if that's all there's going to be to it why are you so keen to come?'

'That's easy, he replied without hesitation. 'I'm poor, I love the sea, and it amuses me to watch the "circus".' Then, like a bolt from the blue he added meditatively: 'I don't think I've ever seen a better looking woman than Camilla.'

Sally pulled her hand away as if she had been stung. 'I thought you didn't like her!' she snapped angrily.

'Yo ho!' he laughed. 'Sits the wind in that quarter. You're jealous m'dear. Interested in one of the "circus" yourself, eh? But believe me jealousy's a great mistake—even in a pretty woman.'

There was a sudden silence in the Bullo-carro. Sally thanked God for the friendly darkness. Her cheeks were scarlet and her face burning. Only the creaking of the springless box broke the uncomfortable silence. The stuffy air behind the thick curtains was charged with emotions as heavily as is a battery with electricity.

It even began to penetrate the McKay's weather-beaten skin that Sally might resent his last speech and he searched clumsily in his mind for words with which to comfort her.

'I'm afraid that wasn't very polite,' he said nervously, 'I'm sorry m'dear. You know I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of you on board. I always thought you had a rotten time with Camilla. It can't be any fun seeing her get away with everything. Now be sensible and the old man will do his best to console you-'

'And himself I suppose,' she flashed, then her eyes filled with angry tears as she hurried on, 'But don't worry—the trip isn't coming off. Camilla's not all that set on going to sea for weeks on end if there's no real excitement of finding lost cities to be had. We're due in Scotland at the end of the month and she was looking forward to that.'

'Hi! Half a moment, you're not thinking of trying to persuade her to back out, are you?' the McKay exclaimed in some alarm.

'I am.'

'That would be awfully hard lines on the little doctor.'

'Oh, you needn't concern yourself about him,' said Sally bitterly. 'Nothing's signed yet but I don't doubt she'll compensate him. She has so much money that she wouldn't miss it if she financed him to set off on his own. Anyhow I might just as well save her from being sponged on by people like Captain McKay.'

'Tut-tut,' he murmured. 'Naughty, naughty temper. However, you were saying only this morning that Camilla never consulted you about anything and she's keen on this trip, stupid as its object may be, so the chances are all against your being able to get her to alter her decision now.'