"I have booked a berth on the
_Eurotas_," it concluded, "and go aboard to-night. She's a new ship,
owned by a new line, of which you may or may not have heard--the
'Southern Cross Line.' We hear enough about it in this town, the
Company having contrived to fall foul of the dock labour here.
I don't know the rights or wrongs of it, but some sort of boycott is
threatened. However, this sort of dispute usually gets itself
settled at the last moment; and anyhow I shall get to Sydney by some
means or other. So you may safely mail there. No need to cable.
I have plenty of money for immediate purposes."
"What had I best do?" asked Norgate. "Lloyd's are about giving the
_Eurotas_ up."
"Cable out and make sure," said I. "If he calls at the Bank, he
calls; and if he doesn't, there are no bones broken. _Something_ has
gone wrong with the ship; and in the mix-up he may easily have lost
his ready cash and be landed at Sydney without a cent."
I should have told you that, about a fortnight before this, Jimmy had
solved, or partially solved, the puzzle of that entry "Mr.
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