Dennis Wheatley - The White Witch of the South Seas

`That cannot be,' James declared with fatalistic optimism. 'The gods made us for one another… It is certain that they will smile upon our love. And owing to her we have little to fear. We shall sail away in the yacht.'

Tightening his grip on the wheel, Gregory took the bend opposite the Headquarters of the Pacific Commission at forty five miles an hour. When they had made it he snapped angrily, `You poor boob. With a couple like the de Carvalho’s, who do you think the Captain takes his orders from? Him or her? Him, of course, unless she happens to be on the yacht without him. If we showed the Captain that trinket she gave me he'd immediately jump to it that we'd stolen it with all her other jewels, and had thought up a clever plan to make use of him for a quick get away. It's all Lombard Street to a china orange that he'd have his crew grab us while he sent for the police.'

Subsiding, James asked dolefully, `What then are we to do?

'I don't fancy taking to the mountains,' Gregory replied after a moment. `Our best bet would be to try to find another yacht or, rather, a small cabin cruiser with no one aboard. If we could make off in her, and be well out of sight of Noumea before dawn, we'd stand a fair chance of getting away.'

Five minutes later they turned into Fisherman's Bay. The waterfront was almost deserted. As they drove past a long line of sheds Gregory, noticed one with the doors standing open. Swerving, he drove the van into it. They got out, closed the doors, then walked quickly along to the wharf, to which a number of the smaller boats were tied up. A few of them showed lights, but none of their occupants was on deck. A patrolling gendarme came into view.

`If we try to hide, and he spots us, we'll be in trouble,' Gregory whispered. `We'll just stroll casually past him, talking about anything, but stick to French.' In a louder voice, he added, `Have you ever been to Europe?'

`No,' James replied. `But I would like to, particularly to England; oh, and of course France. Paris must be wonderful.'

They were just under one of the arc lights when they drew level with the gendarme, so they saw that he was a native. He gave them a sharp look, murmured `Bon soir' and walked on. Two minutes later he was hidden from view behind some sheds. Swiftly Gregory ran his eye over the twenty or more launches that were moored along the quay. Pointing to one about twenty five feet in length, he said, `That looks about our mark. You will make less noise than I should. Slip aboard her and make certain that there is no one sleeping in the cabin, then check the tanks to see if she has plenty of petrol and water. I'll keep watch here and give a loud warning cough should the gendarme come back this way. If he does, lie doggo and don't worry about me.'

While Gregory hauled in the painter, James took off his shoes, then dropped almost silently into the stern of the launch. Two minutes later he called softly, 'OK. Come aboard.' Gregory untied her and joined James on the deck.

Going forward he took the wheel, started the engine, and nosed the launch slowly out. A minute later a figure emerged from the cabin of one of the boats that had lights on further along the row, and a voice called

`Where are you off to at this hour, Mathieu?'

It was a nasty moment, as Gregory had no idea how well the man who had hailed him knew 'Mathieu', and what type of man Mathieu was. But to have failed to reply would have been certain to arouse suspicion, so he took a chance. Praying that his voice would not give him away as a stranger, he called back facetiously:

`Maybe Marseilles; maybe New York.'

To his relief a laugh greeted his sally. Switching on the navigation lights, he headed at half speed for the harbour entrance. When they had cleared it he asked James, `How far do you reckon it is from here to Tujoa?'

`About four hundred and fifty miles. As I once told you, it is nearer Fiji than New Caledonia. By rights it should have been included in the Fijis, but it is our misfortune that in 1853 the Nakapoa Group, as well as New Caledonia, came under France:

`Do you think you could navigate us to Tujoa? If not, we'll have to head down the coast here and try to hide up in some lonely inlet.'

James laughed. With his mercurial nature, now that they were temporarily out of danger, he seemed to have forgotten that barely an hour ago he had probably killed a man. `Of course. I come of a race of great seafarers. I could take you anywhere in the South Pacific with my eyes shut. As a youth I spent many nights at sea. Even when the stars are hidden I would know my way by the feel of the wind, the look of the water and the smell of the air.'

As the night sky was clear, he had only to look up for a few moments to give Gregory a course. Then he said, `The prevailing wind is against us, so it will take us three, perhaps four, days to make it. In these seas there is little traffic, so the danger of our coming into collision with another boat in the dark is negligible. But there are numerous islands and many reefs; so, although we can lash the wheel, one of us must always keep watch. Reefs can be seen at some distance because of the phosphorus in the waves that break over them. We call it “the breath of Daucina”, the great Shark God who is the light giver and ‘protector of seafarers.'

When the lights of Noumea had become pinpoints behind them, Gregory murmured, `So far, so good. Owing to your height, you and I make such a conspicuous couple that the gendarme we passed on the wharf is certain to remember us. I was afraid that soon after we left, a general police alert might reach him, then they would tumble to it that we had pinched this launch and got away by sea, and come after us in a 'speed boat. But, as they won't know which direction we have taken, we've got far enough now for the odds to be all against their catching us.'

James made up one of the two bunks in the small cabin and split the remainder of the night into two watches. The morning dawned cloudy and by eight o'clock it had begun to rain. On examining their food supply, they found that the things Gregory had whipped up from the trolley had become a glutinous mess, embedded in which were four thick slices of the delicious Terrine Maison, a score of prawns that had been in aspic, and four small birds. With care it would be enough to last them four to five days and if they did run short James said they could always pick up some coconuts and wild bananas from one of the many deserted islands they would pass or, failing that, they could catch fish. The supply of water was also satisfactory, but Gregory had serious misgivings that the petrol would not prove sufficient for so long a voyage.

By midday the sky had cleared and the sun blazed down. Soon the roof of the cabin became so hot that they could not bear to touch it. All through the long afternoon, sweltering and sweating, they alternately dozed and kept watch. Over their evening meal, Gregory asked, `Have you decided what to do if and when we reach Tujoa?'

James looked at him a little unhappily. `Stay there, I suppose. What else can I do? If I have killed that swine, they will come after me; but my people are loyal and would hide me up in the mountains.'

`Sooner or later someone would betray you, and the police would run you to earth. Even if you haven't killed de Carvalho they will institute a search for you and you'll get a long prison sentence if you are caught. I think the best plan would be for us to go on to Fiji. As that is British territory, they would have to get a warrant to extradite you. They will, of course, if de Carvalho dies; but if he is only injured they may not bother. Once we are in Fiji, too, we could probably get to Manon's island without being traced and lie up there.'

Putting a long arm round Gregory's shoulders, James said, `Dear Gregory, what a good friend you have been to me. But for you I expect I would already be in prison. Yet you got me away and came with me, when you need not have done. You had no part in my act and Olinda would have sworn to your innocence.'