Blue Hand · Chapter
XLVI explained
Eunice barricades herself in her cabin on the Pealigo after discovering the bolts have been removed.
What happens
Eunice barricades herself in her cabin on the Pealigo after discovering the bolts have been removed. Digby Groat learns from the ship's captain that a wireless message has been received offering a £5,000 reward for his arrest on charges of murder and conspiracy. The captain, revealing he speaks English, negotiates with Digby for a bribe of £100,000 to ensure safe passage. Meanwhile, a warship's searchlight forces the yacht to change course. Digby eventually pays the captain a portion of the money, and the sentry outside Eunice's door is removed.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Manipulation
The captain feigns ignorance of English and then reveals his true understanding to manipulate Digby into a bribe; Digby attempts to deceive the captain about his intentions.
Greed and Inheritance
The captain's demand for a £100,000 bribe and Digby's willingness to pay highlight the theme of greed; the reward for Digby's arrest also underscores financial motivations.
Characters to notice
- Eunice Weldon
Barricades herself in her cabin after discovering the bolts have been removed; searches for a weapon but finds only a hairbrush and a long-handled brush.
- Digby Groat
Confronts the captain after learning of the reward for his arrest; negotiates a bribe and later pays the captain a bundle of bonds to ensure his escape.
- Jim Steele
Not directly present in this chapter, but the wireless message offering the reward is attributed to Salter & Salter, his employers.
- Mr. Salter
Mentioned as part of the firm Salter & Salter, which issued the reward for Digby's arrest.
Key passages
“Arrest and detain Digby Groat, height five foot nine, stoutly built, complexion sallow, had small moustache but believed to have shaven. Speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese, and is a qualified surgeon and physician, believed to be travelling on the S.Y. Pealigo , No. XVM . This man is wanted on a charge of wilful murder and conspiracy; a reward of five thousand pounds will be paid by Messrs. Salter & Salter, Solicitors, of London, for his arrest and detention.”
A wireless message orders the arrest of Digby Groat, describing his appearance and skills, and offers a £5,000 reward for his capture on charges of murder and conspiracy.
This message is the catalyst for the captain's negotiation with Digby.
“I am no traitor to my salt, and I should like to serve you, but you readily understand that this would mean a terrible thing for me, if, knowing that you were wanted by the English police, I assisted you to make an escape?”
The captain claims he is loyal but fears the consequences of helping a wanted man escape.
The captain uses this as a pretext to demand a bribe.
“If I had a hundred thousand pounds, senhor, I should settle down on a plantation which I have bought and be a happy and a silent man for the rest of my life.”
The captain suggests that £100,000 would allow him to retire and keep quiet about Digby's situation.
This is the captain's explicit demand for a bribe.