 Log entry the catch scarlet Queen Philip Carney master Position 112 degrees 32 minutes east 21 degrees six minutes north Wind light sky fair Remarks Departed Hong Kong China 9 p.m. After break down and schedule reason for delay the jewel thieves and the straw filled dummy My main purpose when the Scarlet Queen slipped past stone cutters Island that into the teeming harbor of Hong Kong Was to locate my Chinese boss koojee Kang or at least to get some word of instruction for the charter voyage That had brought me all the way from San Francisco But three days pass and I had no luck I Combed the city of Victoria from the peak to Broadway on the waterfront But the Queen I'd least scraped offenders on the dock my crew poured their money into bar tails My chief mate Gallagher threatened to sign on any ship that was going any place And I grew more disgusted every minute of being stuck not knowing where to go or what to do By the end of the fourth day, I didn't care I didn't care about anything, but relaxing and forgetting I started with a small bar on the waterfront And by the time I graduated through the British Club the Hong Kong Club the commercial club Four out of every five non-club bars. I passed getting from place to place. I had almost succeeded in forgetting I Swung into the emperor hotel Crossed a lobby people by a scattering of stiff backed crown colonists and made the doorway to the bar to look for a table. I stopped She was sitting alone with an untouched drink in front of her She looked up at me her face set cold Her eyes flashed away for a second back And she smiled stood up and came to me darling. There you are. I've been waiting so long I didn't know what to think. Oh, you're so late. We'll have to rush to get dressed in time for dinner Come on. I have the key to our room. I Stopped thinking it was the new Hong Kong approach when she took my arm to swing me back into the lobby Her nails dug in and her arm and the body behind it was shaking The plea in her eyes gave me the rest. She was scared stiff and she needed me We turned around and walked out into the lobby And so mutual continues the voyage of the Scarlet Queen written by gilded out and Bob Talman and starring Elliot Lewis Scarlet Queen proudest ship to plow the seas bound for uncharted adventure Every week a complete entry in the log and every week a league further in the strange voyage of the Scarlet Queen She led me across the lobby without another word her nails still digging through my coat sleeve her arms still shaking When we stopped to buzz for the elevator, I looked back a very erect thinly built man was coming out of the bar His walk was mincing he stopped by a pillar and looked at us while he put a cigarette in the middle of his mouth with graceful fingers Lid it and flourished the match delicately to the floor a Powerfully built little five by five walked up and joined him They were still watching us when the elevator took us out of sight The room was at the front of the building on the third floor Here she handed me the key to unlock the door But when it closed everything drained out of her she slumped down on the edge of the bed I don't know what i'm gonna do I'm so frightened. I take it easy Do you want to try a drink or something? A glass of water sure can't hold it. Yeah, I'll hold it for you I think so who was your self-like little friend downstairs? His name is Neil gainer the other one five by five I don't know what his name is. They really knock you to pieces don't think neil says. He's going to kill me Why they were going to follow me out of the barn. I don't know why I swear. I don't know They want something from me, but I don't know what it is I don't know what they've done to my husband. Where is your husband? Neil says he's dead He says he's dead and I'm neck Now this is no time to cry. You're all right I've no right to ask you But could you stay with me? It's been my fortune to only occasionally see a woman cry as she did because she had to It wasn't an act. It wasn't a game sympathy There's a cry of complete Terrafil desolation She quit shaking A long time after that she got up Went into the bathroom to put some cold water on her face. I'm awfully sorry for everything. This happened. I'm all right now really Please I didn't have any right to ask you and I don't want you to feel you have to stay here with me any longer. I don't But you aren't leaving. No Look I was on hand when you needed me You're bargaining Believe me. I don't know what I'm doing. Maybe I'm taking advantage of you because you're in trouble But if it is that it's unconscious because I don't work that way Maybe my world's kind of falling to pieces right now too when I need somebody I'd hate to think that because I've been self-contained for a long time You aren't going You could make me go Or you could come with me Where some place where you could forget being afraid of neil some place where he wouldn't find us Oh, we couldn't get out of here without being followed. I've been tailed through cities before pack your bags. I'm gonna take you someplace You're going to take me someplace No one has said that to me for such a long time It won't take me long to pack The hotel by a rear door we shouldn't have bothered There was enough light for me to see neil gainer leaning against the building When we got into our cab he got into one park behind it We want speed driver turn left at the end of the alley and I'll give you a direction from then on Driver knew what speed meant but his idea of threading through traffic was based on the theory of the straight line Modified by the belief that the line would open through the snarl traffic ahead Had a bit of he made enough noise with his bust and recross the level sections of town with neil and the other cab trailing in our wake We paralleled the waterfront Dodged through a maze of warehouses Finally lost him We climbed halfway up victoria peak took one of the terrace roads to the left Dropped to within a block of sea level I finally shouted the driver to a stop in front of a chinese flat right here charlie The one called carney The year have been many suncho it's time before me We need a room for the lady kim you'll we it is done her baggage is outside by the steps My son will bring it Thanks very much kim She crossed the room to the single window and opened the shutters to look out over the flinking restless movement of the harbor The maze of kaolun's lights across the bay And for the first time she was smiling They keep playing that same record over and over again, don't tell me the truth Could you tell the difference if they weren't certainly? I can tell the difference between one with a singer and one without They'll put you right up in my class Feeling better, of course I am Your friend downstairs called you carney. That's right phil phil carney You must have one too, huh? I don't want to tell you give me a phony then tell me something No, no, it's not that I want to hide anything from you. You just won't like it. My last name is aenly What aenly you won't like it It's henry edda. Oh, no, I told you it's all right. It's a fine name, but you Becomes you like uh like a diving suit. I told you well still ain't doing anything legal about it I'll call you hank. Oh, do you think that's prettier hank? Not too feminine, but when you look like you do they could call you sam. It wouldn't matter So it's all right, huh? Sure everything is Just for a little while everything is all right Don't talk about it. If you don't want them. I think I do want to It's simple enough. I guess You see my parents were killed out here during the war and after it was over. I was all alone And I married lucian aenly He was good to me I don't know what he was mixed up in with neil. I never asked him about anything What is last time he saw him that was over three weeks ago You see our home was in calcutta and he he just left one day and didn't come back And then I got a cable to meet him here, but when I got here it wasn't lucian. It was neil And I just don't know what it all means because the way neil said it I think he killed lucian if if I just only take it easy if I knew what he was We're out of the emperor remember We came out here so you could forget being scared I'm sorry phil everything is all right Really it is what's the matter phil Everything's Little frightening What phil you Know What happens to me Come here hank I just want your face like this So I can look at it What phil I wondered what makes you so beautiful Your mouth's a little too wide your eyes are a little too widely spaced Your cheekbones A little too high They're playing that same record again Maybe you don't like comparisons, but this is supposed to be a compliment There's a woman who's very important in my life Oh You look like her Where is she She's on my ship. Her name is the scarlet queen She's carved from wood and she spends all her time under the bowsprit from where she keeps a good watch on what she's leading the rest of us into You look like her Do you mind? Uh-huh. I think it's wonderful I think it takes care of everything that wasn't taken care of before phil Phil wait. All right. Phil I I wanted to tell you I was scared again when you said there was a woman I was jealous I I want to tell you what what's happening to me that Puts you right up in my class Then it's all right Phil You and your wooden woman After I got kim yui to put me up in a room farther away from the incessant phonograph I lay awake Remembering that I'd started out to forget the senseless frustration that had bogged down the voyage of the scarlet queen And that I'd succeeded Hank and I didn't move out of kim yui's building the next day We spent most of our time watching the street from the window to see if our taxi dash of the night before had really shaken off her persistent friends Nobody bothered us nothing did Because there didn't seem to be anything else in the world except this dream that had picked us up out of the center of reality That we couldn't Wouldn't leave we went out that evening and walked Holding to the darkest streets holding hands A light fog had rolled in to blur the lights in the harbor by the time we got back And the fog horns were calling nervously to one another the next morning. We hired a taxi had followed the winding picturesque road around to repulse bay We swam in the blue water Lay on the sand in the sun Drank in the hotel bar It was just before sunset when we got back to kim yui's climbed the stairs Opened the door Find the dream invaded The room had been ripped to pieces and it was cluttered by the things from her luggage in the middle of it Stood the slight mincing man from the emperor lobby neil gainer his graceful fingers holding a small japanese automatic Ah three stineni salt it do come in neil neil go away. How come to you? Really the door captain can't close it if you will Dear henry yet. You're actually blowing what's happened to her must know please neil give me just two hours I promise i'll come to you the power of man really the utter effectiveness of him What has he wrought in reality look nola straighten up and say something I'm losing my temper and i'm going to make you kill me to keep me from getting my fingers around that dimple throw to Your fill please please don't fill what the salt means is that i would put out both your eyes before you took two steps bang bang I don't see how you stand the noise my aunt we brave all right my man of action annoying your type I will show you how sweetly my little one speaks just the tip of your right ear You can call yourself henry at a turn your head captain c Just a slow welling of good healthy blood just nick And another one beside the first now my man of action I hope you feel some respect for my little one And I will leave my warning unspoken Sit down henry at a your man will remain behind you Much have you told him about what neil oh you're such a young innocent aren't you How much have you told him? I don't know what you're talking about neil. How could I tell him anything? Who are you trying to impress after all the captain shouldn't mind if you're only a few hundred thousand pounds sterling outside the Law should captain as long as you're enjoying yourself. I don't know what you're talking about neil How interesting you mean the disposal of jewels valued at 200 000 pounds was too unimportant to be discussed in your home neil No Do you mean my husband? I do indeed and you know it Lucian anely and the brilliant robbery of the rebellion transport company You believe it or you wouldn't have flown so rapidly to hong kong after my cable to room. I was worried about lucian. You were worried about the jewels Where is lucian? He is dead my dear And you and your captain will be also unless you tell me where the jewels are neil I don't know anything about them lucian never told me anything believe me. I I don't know. I miss neil neil You tell me the same story for 40 minutes. I'll try to believe you I'd moved two inches closer to the chair while he backed halfway across the room He had a thin leather belt in one hand and he held his automatic in the other Justice's arm went back and he was briefly off balance. I dropped to my knees behind the chair Grabbed the legs and threw everything chair rising girl in my 210 pounds on him all at the same time I stumbled across hank and the tangles rolled forward into neil's legs justice's automatic snap I got my feet on the meat pulled him partway up by his hair and one shoulder gave him my right knee I hurt his breath leave him when the pain doubled him up. I hit him just above the chin with my right I got to my feet lifted neil by his clothes I took him out of the room I stopped at the head of the stairs to be hurt you Very much the devil he didn't Oh, could we go someplace else? You mean five by five might show up now? Oh, I think so and we aren't going any place else. Well, wait for him Go get some decent clothes on Do something with your face. You're a mess We didn't have to wait long for our next visitor When I heard his footsteps on the stairs leading to our floor, I hustled hank into a corner where she'd be out of sight I waited at the door with neil's automatic Funny approach and for a split second I had the crazy hunch that it wasn't five by five The hunch was right. It wasn't Skipper What the devil happened to you gallagher? What are you doing here? Well, I came up to talk Talk to you. What do you want red? I just wanted to talk to you Don't you think this vacation has gone on long enough What do you mean? I just want to know if you're going to turn into a hong kong playboy or come back to the ship That's all I think the least I deserve is the truth. Don't you? Yes, well, I'm not thinking about myself. I'm thinking about the boys and the crew After all there is much your responsibility is mine and I'm not Can you come out here so I can talk to you? Yeah, sure What? Some dough was delivered to the ship for you and sail in orders from kang you open them. They were open the next port's high farm I was thinking if you want to stick around for a while and come down by land. I could take the queen down Well, it's none of my business. How'd you find me? Through the police You're mixed up with some nice hot company this time I know it red. They got their clamps ready for your your girl And I'd like to see you get out before they shut They've had their fingers on every move you've made since your matter. You're in deep enough scare. All right red All right gather the crew will sail at nine tonight Had a boy skipper. There are plenty more like her where we're going Yeah What is it phil? Come here. Hank sit down. Is this goodbye phil? You just tell me if it is What if I told you that red was taking the shepherd that I was going to stay here? Oh, that'd be bad for you and good for me and we'd make it somehow What about that 200,000 pound bundle of jewels? Would it make any difference phil? No Now what if I told you that the police here in hong kong were absolutely sure that you do know where the jewels are Phil that's impossible Unless neil made a sworn statement out of his suspicion. It's true hank They're ready to take you Listen if I could draw the police away from me and give you a break you draw the police away from me You wouldn't take the break with you drawing the police What kind of a break would that be with you in danger for no reason at all? Phil why are you saying all these things to get to the real way out and to make it sound as simple as it really is The scarlet queen is sailing tonight at nine and you're going with it. I could go with you You see how simple it is. Oh It's with you That's all I can see it's the way out hank. We'll figure the rest when it comes up. Okay. Oh, okay How can I answer that How can I answer a question as big as my whole life? Just say sure it's okay and shut up Better just shut up and come here. Everything's gonna be all right now darling Isn't it? I'm not afraid I'm not afraid of anything. You have to leave a lot of your stuff. That's all right You can only take one bag. I'll take it down to the ship right now. You're going to leave now I have to hank got things to take care of. Oh, yes. Yes. I know you do Yes, and you'll be back when I'll pick you up at eight thirty Phil Phil hurry back I've gotten so used to you About three hours darling We can handle that can't we? I don't know Hold me Phil. Oh, yeah Three hours I don't know if I can get through them or not I took her one small bag with me when I left Get down to the waterfront without being followed and took a bag into a dive Drank my way through the longest three hours of my life I had to do it this way. I'd asked her if she'd let me draw the police away and she'd refuse so I had to leave her I had to do it my way When she was counting the last 15 minutes to the time when we'd be together I made an anonymous phone call to the hong kong police In a quarter of nine. I staggered drunkenly aboard my ship Carrying in my arms a straw stuffed dress At the end of the pier. I saw the police. I'd called I walked a little slower Then I saw him The squat figure of five by five skulking in the lee of a warehouse I knew that in the mist The object in my arms would pass very well to all of them as henry at a Hank aimley On her way to high farm Crest passed the invisible stone cutters island and turned south into the steady roll of the south china sea The wind we picked up outside swirled great dampness across our decks Rattled the running rigging This foggy departure meant nothing to them They hadn't known hank aimley moved sluggishly up the mast And the moisture that clung to it gleamed dully in the faint glow of our running lights But the men moved like martyrs to a lost cause And the gyps moved out and the mizzen The scarlet queen groped her way into the fog. That's a bad night skipper But not much shippin down this way I guess we don't have to worry too much about collision. Do you think so? Come on skipper pull out of it What'd you do falling love or something? Shut up Get out of here galaga. Leave me alone. Hey skipper climb up. What did I do? Nothing red nothing look at you What's the matter with me? You've got us two points off course and the main cell is starting to flood up That proves she wasn't good for you You already got one lady in your life That scarlet beauty under our power spirit log entry The catch scarlet queen 11 30 p.m Miles traveled from san francisco 11,047 dense fog wind light Sail reduced because of bad visibility Ship secured for night signed Phillip carney Master age of the scarlet queen has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the united states armed forces radio and television service