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Page 13
"No, Mr. Fix," replied the consul. "She was bespoken yesterday at Port Said,
and the rest of the way is of no account to such a craft. I repeat that
the Mongolia has been in advance of the time required by the company's
regulations, and gained the prize awarded for excess of speed."
"Does she come directly from Brindisi?"
"Directly from Brindisi; she takes on the Indian mails there,
and she left there Saturday at five p.m. Have patience, Mr. Fix;
she will not be late. But really, I don't see how, from the
description you have, you will be able to recognise your man,
even if he is on board the Mongolia."
"A man rather feels the presence of these fellows, consul,
than recognises them. You must have a scent for them,
and a scent is like a sixth sense which combines hearing,
seeing, and smelling. I've arrested more than one of these gentlemen
in my time, and, if my thief is on board, I'll answer for it;
he'll not slip through my fingers."
"I hope so, Mr. Fix, for it was a heavy robbery."
"A magnificent robbery, consul; fifty-five thousand pounds!
We don't often have such windfalls. Burglars are getting to be so
contemptible nowadays! A fellow gets hung for a handful of shillings!"
"Mr. Fix," said the consul, "I like your way of talking, and hope
you'll succeed; but I fear you will find it far from easy.
Don't you see, the description which you have there has
a singular resemblance to an honest man?"
"Consul," remarked the detective, dogmatically, "great robbers
always resemble honest folks. Fellows who have rascally faces
have only one course to take, and that is to remain honest;
otherwise they would be arrested off-hand. The artistic thing is,
to unmask honest countenances; it's no light task, I admit,
but a real art."
Mr. Fix evidently was not wanting in a tinge of self-conceit.
Little by little the scene on the quay became more animated;
sailors of various nations, merchants, ship-brokers, porters, fellahs,
bustled to and fro as if the steamer were immediately expected.
The weather was clear, and slightly chilly. The minarets of the town
loomed above the houses in the pale rays of the sun. A jetty pier,
some two thousand yards along, extended into the roadstead.
A number of fishing-smacks and coasting boats, some retaining
the fantastic fashion of ancient galleys, were discernible on the Red Sea.
As he passed among the busy crowd, Fix, according to habit,
scrutinised the passers-by with a keen, rapid glance.
It was now half-past ten.
"The steamer doesn't come!" he exclaimed, as the port clock struck.
"She can't be far off now," returned his companion.
"How long will she stop at Suez?"
"Four hours; long enough to get in her coal. It is thirteen hundred
and ten miles from Suez to Aden, at the other end of the Red Sea,
and she has to take in a fresh coal supply."
"And does she go from Suez directly to Bombay?"
"Without putting in anywhere."
"Good!" said Fix. "If the robber is on board he will no doubt
get off at Suez, so as to reach the Dutch or French colonies in
Asia by some other route. He ought to know that he would not be
safe an hour in India, which is English soil."
"Unless," objected the consul, "he is exceptionally shrewd.
An English criminal, you know, is always better concealed
in London than anywhere else."
This observation furnished the detective food for thought,
and meanwhile the consul went away to his office. Fix, left alone,
was more impatient than ever, having a presentiment that the
robber was on board the Mongolia. If he had indeed left London
intending to reach the New World, he would naturally take the
route via India, which was less watched and more difficult
to watch than that of the Atlantic. But Fix's reflections were
soon interrupted by a succession of sharp whistles, which announced
the arrival of the Mongolia. The porters and fellahs rushed
down the quay, and a dozen boats pushed off from the shore to go
and meet the steamer. Soon her gigantic hull appeared passing
along between the banks, and eleven o'clock struck as she anchored
in the road. She brought an unusual number of passengers,
some of whom remained on deck to scan the picturesque panorama
of the town, while the greater part disembarked in the boats,
and landed on the quay.
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