William Seil - The Furt The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Titanic Tragedy

Mr Svensson said he had spent little time in the two bars but he did enjoy an occasional trip to the smoking room, where he could light up his pipe and play a recreational game of cards with the other men. When he grew tired of cards, he tried chess, draughts and dominoes. Most of all, he enjoyed meeting other passengers, and discovering where they had been and where they were going.

Mrs Svensson said she had been concerned about the hundreds of men who, travelling alone, were berthed in the forward end of the ship. Some were in six- or eight-berth cabins, while others, mostly immigrants, shared dormitory-like areas on G Deck. While families and single women were berthed far away, in the aft end of the ship, all steerage passengers shared decks and public rooms during the day. She admitted that she had no reason to believe that any of these men were dangerous. Still, she kept a careful eye on her children.

Though not sharing his wife’s concerns, Mr Svensson did say that there were a few troublemakers on board. The steerage bar on the forward end of E Deck seemed to be a gathering point. Word had already spread about a shouting match that had erupted the night before, when the crew attempted to close the bar for the night. A group of gamblers, who had been drinking whisky much of the evening, had objected to the game being interrupted. They then apparently moved the late-night session into one of the cabins.

After finishing our tea and wishing the Svenssons good luck in America, Futrelle and I continued on to the bar at the forward end of the ship. We had little to go on, so seeking out trouble seemed to be as good an idea as any.

We made our way up to E Deck, and travelled along a corridor that connected the forward and aft steerage accommodation. It was called ‘Park Lane’ by the officers and ‘Scotland Road’ by the crew. The sound of our footsteps echoed down the steel-walled hallway as we walked along the linoleum-tiled floors. This was a far cry from the regal pathways of first class.

As we walked along the corridor, Futrelle and I poked our heads into some of the open doorways. This area was largely taken up by quarters for cooks, stewards and waiters. There was a good deal of running about, as these industrious crew members travelled to and from their duties. A few, who were having a rest or were off duty, relaxed in their bunks or sat in chairs reading. After passing through the crew area, we found ourselves in a short section of corridor with third-class cabins on either side. Not much activity here. The passengers were away enjoying the various entertainments provided.

At the forward end of the corridor, we rounded the corner and found ourselves at the entrance to the saloon. The room was open, although alcoholic refreshments were not yet being served.

The saloon was small, compared to those in first class. The oak-panelled walls and teak tables and chairs created an atmosphere that was simple, but cheerful. Cheerful, that is, except for the dreary-looking souls who were seated around two tables joined together at the rear of the room. Their faces were unshaven and their clothing was unkempt. They appeared to be very tired, but still they went through the motions of a poker game.

One man was clearly winning. A mound of red, white and blue chips lay on the table before him. Unlike his companions, he was fresh and neatly dressed. His grey tweed suit was crisply pressed, and he wore a newly cut carnation in his lapel. This dapper card player, much to my surprise, was Hugo Brandon.

‘Why Doctor Watson, Mr Futrelle, whatever are you doing down here?’ Brandon rose and beckoned us over. His companions remained seated and eyed us suspiciously. ‘Are things getting a little dull in first class?’

Futrelle replied. ‘No, no, not at all. I am writing an article on the maiden voyage of the Titanic , and the captain has given me permission to roam about. Doctor Watson very kindly offered to accompany me. But what about you? Surely you are not preparing a travel review.’

Brandon laughed. ‘Writing is not my forte. But I do enjoy a good game of cards. And while the games in first class are for far higher stakes, I find them a little tame. Playing with my friends here helps to sharpen my skills for bigger games.’

The men at the table continued to stare at Futrelle and me. Aside from Brandon, this was not a congenial group.

‘Oh, I do beg your pardon, allow me to introduce you to my companions.’ Brandon grabbed his walking stick from the table and used it as a pointer. ‘The gentleman to my left is Charlie, and there is Kurt, Willy and Swede. Swede, incidentally, does some wonderful card tricks. Perhaps we can persuade him to show you some, after he has finished his coffee.’

Swede said nothing. Instead, he picked up the coffee pot at the centre of the table and poured a half cup. He then reached inside his coat and pulled out a dull, metal flask. However, the motion of his arm was interrupted when the tip of Brandon’s walking stick tapped the side of the flask.

‘Now, Swede, as a friend, I cannot allow you to overdo it on the spirits. Remember, you have a busy day planned today, and it is still only mid-morning.’

Swede begrudgingly put the flask back inside his pocket.

‘I only wanted a touch to get my blood moving.’

‘Then try a little more of this excellent coffee,’ replied Brandon, filling Swede’s cup to the top. ‘That’ll bring you to life.’

My attention was fixed, not on Swede’s problem, but on a small bottle containing a clear liquid. It was on the table next to Kurt, resting on a folded handkerchief. Brandon looked at me, and then at the bottle.

‘Oh dear, what have we here?’ said Brandon. ‘More spirits? Gentlemen, if you are going to insist on drinking, I may have to step away from the game. And I know you would all like the chance to win your money back.’

‘I understood that there was some trouble last night,’ I said. ‘Do you happen to know what it was all about?’

Brandon, his temperance speech interrupted, stroked his chin, as if trying to recall anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he smiled and pointed his finger in my general direction.

‘I think I know what you are referring to. These gentlemen and I were in this room just before ten last night, when the barman announced that he would be closing down soon. Naturally, it was thought that this was a little early and some raised objections. There was a minor confrontation that eventually involved some of the crew. After a time, I was able to convince them all that we could continue the game just as comfortably in their cabin. And that is all there was to it... My word, has that story spread all over the ship?’

‘Oh, no, indeed not. A man in the dining room happened to mention it.’

‘Good, you know that these stories can get out of hand.’

‘Well, Mr Brandon, gentlemen, we must be getting on,’ I said. ‘Perhaps we will meet you again later.’

‘Nice to see you, Doctor, Mr Futrelle. I would invite you to join in the game but, as you can see, everyone is eager to win their money back. You are most welcome to stay and watch.’

‘Thank you, but, as I said, we must be on our way. Mr Futrelle has a good deal of research to do for his article.’

We shook hands with Brandon, and exchanged nods with his companions.

When we were back in the corridor, I placed my hand on Futrelle’s shoulder and looked back towards the door to the bar.

‘What did you think of the bottle, the one on the table?’ I asked.

‘Very unusual. It seemed as though the handkerchief was being used to pad the bottle from the surface of the wood.’

‘That is exactly what I thought. Let us proceed on deck to tell the captain.’ I reached into my pocket and pulled out a deck map that the captain had given us before we began our tour. It was at that moment that Brandon and Swede chose to step through the door from the bar. Brandon was carrying the coffee pot.