On the evening after Clare's refusal, Dick entered the principal café at
Santa Brigida. The large, open-fronted room was crowded, for, owing to
the duty, newspapers were not generally bought by the citizens, who
preferred to read them at the cafés, and the Diario had just come in.
The eagerness to secure a copy indicated that something important had
happened, and after listening to the readers' remarks, Dick gathered that
the French liner had sunk and a number of her passengers were drowned.
This, however, did not seem to account for the angry excitement some of
the men showed, and Dick waited until a polite half-breed handed him the
newspaper.
A ship's lifeboat, filled with exhausted passengers, had reached a bay
some distance along the coast, and it appeared from their stories that
the liner was steaming across a smooth sea in the dark when a large
vessel, which carried no lights, emerged from a belt of haze and came
towards her. The French captain steered for the land, hoping to reach
territorial waters, where he would be safe, but the stranger was faster
and opened fire with a heavy gun. The liner held on, although she was
twice hit, but after a time there was an explosion below and her colored
firemen ran up on deck. Then the ship stopped, boats were hoisted out,
and it was believed that several got safely away, though only one had so
far reached the coast. This boat was forced to pass the attacking vessel
rather close, and an officer declared that she looked like one of the
Spanish liners and her funnel was black.
Dick gave the newspaper to the next man and sat still with knitted brows,
for his suspicions were suddenly confirmed. The raider had a black
funnel, and was no doubt the ship he had seen steering for Adexe. An
enemy commerce-destroyer was lurking about the coast, and she could not
be allowed to continue her deadly work, which her resemblance to the
Spanish vessels would make easier. For all that, Dick saw that anything
he might do would cost him much, since Clare had said that she and
Kenwardine must stand together. This was true, in a sense, because if
Kenwardine got into trouble, she would share his disgrace and perhaps his
punishment. Moreover, she might think he had been unjustly treated and
blame Dick for helping to persecute him. Things were getting badly
entangled, and Dick, leaning back in his chair, vacantly looked about.
The men had gathered in groups round the tables, their dark faces showing
keen excitement as they argued with dramatic gestures about international
law. For the most part, they looked indignant, but Dick understood that
they did not expect much from their Government. One said the English
would send a cruiser and something might be done by the Americans;
another explained the Monroe Doctrine in a high-pitched voice. Dick,
however, tried not to listen, because difficulties he had for some time
seen approaching must now be faced.