Jewel Thieves and the Straw Filled Dummy ( )

Log entry, the catch-scall at 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 breakdown and schedule. Reason for delay, the jewel thieves in the straw-filled dummy.

My main purpose when the scholar-queen-slipped-pass stone-cutters islanded into the teeming harbor of Hong Kong It was to locate my Chinese boss, Kuji Kang, or at least to get some word of instruction for the charter voyage that had brought me all the way from San Francisco.

The three days passed and I had no luck. I combed the city of Victoria from the peak to Broadway on the waterfront, but the queen idly scraped to fenders on the dock. My crew poured their money into bar tilts.

My chief mate, Gallagher, threatened to sign on any ship that was going anyplace, and I grew more disgusted every minute at 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, and 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. Oh darling, there you are. I've been waiting so long I didn't know what to think.