In the Company of Sherlock Holmes by Leslie S. Klinger

Author:Leslie S. Klinger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus

They got back to Dover by about 4:00 a.m. It would have been sooner, but they were so overloaded that Duffy ran at half speed or less as the chop came up with the rising tide. They’d boarded seventy-two men, almost twice Duffy’s maximum allowance. For future trips—and they’d be going around the clock until Operation Dynamo ended—Sigerson and Duffy pegged the number they’d allow aboard firmly at sixty. They were hearing rumors at the docks that the numbers of troops who’d made it back to England during these first hours was already in the thousands.

This was galvanizing news.

After they’d filled the petrol tanks and again cleared the harbor at Dover, the eastern sky lightened to a gunmetal gray. Duffy had the wheel while Sigerson put the boys to sleep below, then mounted to the bridge.

The huge high plumes of smoke from the oil fires, which had been so helpful during the night, continued to mark their destination by day. Duffy corrected his steering, then stood off the seat and stretched. “How are you holding up?”

The old man nodded. “The dry clothes help.”

“Not too tired to take us halfway over?”

“All the way if needed.”

Duffy shook his head. “And here I thought—meaning no disrespect—that you’d be a burden. What about your own sleep?”

“There’ll be time later, I’m sure.”

“All right. You’re a tough old bird, I’ll grant you that. Give me one hour, then wake me up and I’ll take us in. I want to let the boys get as much rest as they can. It might be a long few days.”

Sigerson moved into the seat behind the wheel, pushed the speed up a couple of knots. All around them now, in the dull gray morning, other boats of all sizes, designs, and draughts were making their way east.

In spite of his admitted fatigue, Duffy made no move to go below. Instead, he walked across the cabin and stood looking out over the water. He rubbed the back of his neck, glanced below to where the boys slept, shook a cigarette from his pack, and lit it.

“They’ll be all right,” Sigerson said. “The boys.”

Duffy wheeled on him. “How did you . . .? Did I say something about the boys?”

“Not aloud, no. But clearly.”

“You’re a very observant fellow, Mr. Sigerson. Has anyone ever mentioned that to you?”

A small smile lifted Sigerson’s lips. “I’ve heard it remarked on,” he said. “And you are worried about the boys.”

The captain sighed. “My sister will kill me if anything happens to either of them. But I didn’t see any way I could leave ’em—they wouldn’t hear of it. And they do know this old crate better than anyone.”

“They do good work.”

“Oh, sure and that. I’m not worried about that. They’re fine boys and good seamen. But it might get ugly as sin over there any time now. This trip.”

“You could assign them both below.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. If there’s shooting. Any of the regular troops can handle the ladder once they’re aboard.” Duffy, now obviously relieved by the adjustment in their plans, drew heavily on his cigarette.

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