The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-01-28
CHAPTER XIII.
WE MEET NJ. PIGoT.

II
How are you feeling today, LESTER
he asked.
Not as fit as I might" said.
Have You arranged to start on thai
vacation Thursday"
| I don't think that's a good joke
Godfrey"
ut isn't a joke at all. want you &c
arrange It. But meanwhile, how would
you like whiff OF salt air this eve
ning?"
First rate. How will get it7'
| The Savoie will get to quarantine
about o'clock. I'm going down or
our boat to meet her. want to have
talk with Inspector Pigot-the French
detective. WIN you come alOng?"
viii Il" said. where shall meet
your" -.l..
AT the foot of Liberty street at |
O'Clock"
I'm be there" promised. And was
The boat was cast loose as soon as
we got aboard, backed out into the
busy river, her whistle shleking shrilly
| then swung about and headed down
stream. 1t was a fast boat-the Rec
ord, which prided itself on outdistanc.
ing its contemporaries in other direc-
| lions, would OF course try TO do SO
In this-and when she got fairly into
her stride, with her engines throbbing
rhythmically. the shore on either hand
SllppSu past uB TaplOly.
The New York sky line, as seen from
the river, is one Of the wonders Of the
world, and 1 stood looking at II until
we swung out into the bay There were
two other men on board-the regular
ship reporters, / suppose-and Godfrey
had gone into the cabin with them to
talk over some detail OF the evening
work; so went forward to the bow
where L would get the full benefit OF
| hran1n hn 20 cta %
my lips. The statue OF Liberty was
just ahead, and already the great
| searchlight in her torch was winking
| across the water. Craft innumerable
crossed and recrossed, their lights re-
| Elected in the waves. and far ahead, a
little to the left, could see the white
glow against the sky which marked the
position of Coney Island.
Godfrey joined me presently, and we
stood for some time looking at this
scene In silence.
ITS a great sight, isn't it?" he said
| at last. Hello! look at that boat" he
added, as yacht, coming down the
bay, drew abreast of US and then slow
ly forged ahead. "She can go some
SLOUGH. you know: but just look how
that one walks away from US. I won
der who she is? What boat is that
captain?" he CT led to the man on the
bridge.
Don't know. SIR" answered the cap
tain, after a look through his glasses
Private yacht-can't make out her
name-there's q flag or something
hanging over the stern. She's flying
the French flag There come the other
press boats behind us, SIR" he added
| And there's the Savoie just slowing
down at quarantine"
| Far ahead we could see the great hull
Of the liner, dark against the horizon
and crowned with row upon row OF
| glowing lights.
"One doesn't appreciate how big
from the water" remarked. "Isn't
she immense?"
And yet she's not an especially big
boat, either" said Godfrey. ITO SWING
in under the really big ones-like the
Olympic-is an experience to remem-
ber."
The Savoie had by this time slowed
down until she was just holding her
own against the tide and one of her
lower ports swung open. A moment Ia
ter, boat puffed up beside her, made
fast, and three or four men clambered
aboard and disappeared through the
port.
There go the doctors" said God
frey. And there is that French boat
going alongside"
The tug from quarantine dropped
astern and the French yacht took her
place. After a short colloquy, one man
from her was helped aboard the Savoie
Then it was our turn, and after what
| seemed to me a tremendous swishing
and swirling at imminent risk of coll
lision, we swung UP to the open port, a
line was flung out and made fast, and
a moment later Godfrey and and the
other two men were aboard the liner
My companions exchanged greetings
with the officer In charge OF the open
port, and then we hurried forward
along q narrow corridor, smelling OF
rubber and heated metal, then UP stair
after stair, until at last we came to
the main companionway. Here the two
men left US, to seek certain distin-
guished passengers, I suppose, whose
views upon the questions OF the day
were presumably anxiously awaited
by an expectant public. Godfrey stopped
In front Of the purSer's office and pass
ed his card through the little window
| to the man inside the cage.
Il should like to see NJ. Pigot, of the
Paris Service du Surete," he said.
Perhaps you will be so kind as to
have steward take my card to him 20
That Is unnecessary sir" replied
the purser, courteously. That Is M
Pigot yonder-the gentleman with the
Wnlte nalr, with his back to us. You
will have TO walt for q moment, how
ever; the gentleman speaking with him
Is from the French consulate, and has
but this moment came aboard"
could not see Inspector Pigot's face
but l could see that he held himself
very erect, in a manner bespeakinG
military training. The messenger from
the legation was a youngish man, with
waved moustache and wearing an eye
glass. He was greeting M. Pigot at the
moment, and, after a word or two, pro-
duced from an inside pocket an official
| looking envelope, tied with red tape
and secured with an immense red seal
M. Pigot looked at it an instant
while his companion added a sentence
In his ear: then, with nod OF assent
| the detective turned down one of the
passageways, the other man az his
heels.
Official business, no doubt" com
mented the purser. who had also been
watching this little scene. m. Pigot is
one OF the best of our officers, and you
will find II pleasure to talk with him
He will no doubt soon be disengaged.'
Yes. but meanwhile my esteemed
contemporaries will arrive" said God
frey, with a grimace. They are on my
heels-here they are nowl
In fact. for the next 20 minutes, re-
porters from the other papers kept ar
irving, till there was quite a crowd be-