Page:A Wild-Goose Chase - Balmer - 1915.djvu/67

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CHAPTER IV

THE SHIP CHARTERED

FOR whatever reason Latham was doing it, Geoff soon found that he was proposing to do it thoroughly. That evening a man left for Louisiana to investigate Robert Massey; but Margaret awaited neither his report nor his return. Latham had left her authority to charter any ship, engage any men and make any other arrangements she considered best.

"I always knew I was going to send a ship north. I guess I knew I must go with it," she admitted to Geoff as they were at work at home that night. She had been busy for hours with letters, telephone, telegrams.

In her address book were the present whereabouts of the four men who had come back from the Aurora. McNeal, the sailing master, was in England. She cabled him, offering command of another ship. Brunton, the second mate, was on a whaling vessel in Alaska.

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