Evening star., 1935-10-13


Thompson gun aboard. In the wheel
house he held it up. aimed at the light
u and showed his dirty teeth in broad
grin. He didn't know then of course that the
gun was going to get him in the end.
Two days later as the tug was entering the
lagoon. he grabbed the gun and began pouring
lead at the shore. A single shot fired from
the mangrove bushes on the starboard side had
caused him to flare up like that. The bullet
splintered the glass in front of Terry at the
wheel, and let out a moan as it ricOcheted to
the opposite shore.
When the glass splintered, Terry and
"Dopie" Finch had dropped to the deck and
out of the line of fire. But not the Greek. Get
him mad or scared and he had to retaliate
The vibration of the gun shook his body all
over. Yet Terry knew that he couldn't see
what he was shooting at. Whoever had fired
from the shore had very sensibly disappeared
into the dense wall of mangroves.
Then Terry knew that he'd have to get
back to the wheel. He got to his knees and
saw that the tug had swung off her course. She
was headed for the shore. He spun the wheel
over and kept well below the line of port
holes - just in case.
When he had crawled over the side out of
Tampa Bay four days before, Terfy had seen
Finch and the Greek for the first time Even
through the glass of his diving helmet. he
could see what they were. Looking like
couple of scarecrows, they stood with their
backs to the deck house watching him while
he got out of his suit. You could see from
the first that the Greek wanted to put up a
good show. He had on shiny black suit and
felt hat which looked ridiculous in the heat
and squalor of the waterfront But it wasn't
so with Finch. His suit was ragged and
about three sizes too large. He had beak
like hawks, and his eyes were sunk deep
in his head. He looked half-starved.
The Greek seemed nervous, and began talk
ing business as soon as he had extended a
greasy card. The card read, Joseph Para
dopolous With the Creeks elaborate intro
duction, Finchnodded briefly and looked away.
Then the Greek said, when will you be
finish here2"
Terry looked over the side. He was raising
lighter which had foundered in loading
Another day, maybe two. Why1"
The Greek knocked the ashes from a cheap
cigar and looked wise. I'VE gotta nice
proposition" He hesitated and looked around.
The crew was standing about. watching them,
waiting for the order to 60 ashore. Finally the
Greek said, "You care for glassa beer3"
They went ashore then, and drank beer
around table. They had the place to them
selves. They began to get somewhere when
Finch shut the Greek up and turned to Terry.
Ever hear of the Amarillis2"
Terry nearly spilled his beer Finch cackled
Then the Greek pulled newspaper from
his pocket, and jabbed dirty forefinger at an
editorial. Terry read. It said something about
the disappearance of the yacht Amarillis
finding its place in the list of unsolved mari
time mysteries THAT undoubtedly the1aft had
found watery grave, and that the sum of
$8OO,OO in currency and gold, alleged to have
been taken aboard by the banker, Drayton,
was recently substantiated by an auditing of
the books of the firms in which he was in
volved. 1t was re-hash of what Terry had
read in the papers for months.