cc.floodtide-第113章

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nswers　and　solutions　that　led　searchers　to　successful　shipwreck　discoveries；　he　failed　more　often　than　he　succeeded。　Most　ships　that　vanished　into　thin　air　left　no　thread　to　follow。　They　were　simply　swallowed　up　by　the　infinite　sea　that　very　rarely　gave　up　her　secrets。
　
　On　the　surface；　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　looked　to　be　simply　another　one　of　the　many　dead　ends　Perlmutter　had　experienced　during　his　decades　as　a　marine　historian。　He　launched　the　search　by　scouring　his　own　immense　collection　of　sea　lore　before　expanding　into　the　many　marine　archives　around　the　United　States　and　the　rest　of　the　world。
　
　The　more　impossible　the　project；　the　more　he　tackled　it　with　inflexible　tenacity；　laboring　all　hours　of　the　day　or　night。　He　began　by　assembling　every　shred　of　known　historical　information　concerning　the　Princess　Dou　Wan；　from　the　time　her　keel　was　laid　until　she　went　missing。　He　obtained　and　studied　plans　and　designs　of　her　construction；　including　engine　specifications；　equipment；　dimensions　and　deck　plans。　One　particularly　interesting　bit　of　data　he　gleaned　from　the　records　was　a　description　of　her　sailing　qualities。　She　was　revealed　as　a　very　stable　ship；　having　survived　the　worst　storms　during　her　time　in　service　that　the　seas　around　Asia　could　throw　at　her。
　
　A　team　of　fellow　researchers　was　hired　to　dig　through　archives　in　England　and　Southeast　Asia。　By　using　the　expertise　of　other　marine　historians；　he　saved　himself　considerable　time　and　expense。
　
　Perlmutter　sorely　wished　he　could　consult　his　old　friend　and　fellow　marine　historian　Zhu　Kwan　in　China；　but　it　was　his　understanding　that　Pitt　wanted　no　revelations　making　their　way　back　to　Qin　Shang。　He　did；　however；　contact　personal　friends　on　Taiwan　for　leads　to　still　living　rades　of　Chiang　Kai…shek　who　might　shed　some　light　on　the　missing　treasure　trove。
　
　In　the　early　hours　of　the　morning；　when　most　of　the　world　was　asleep；　he　stared　into　a　puter　monitor　the　size　of　a　home…entertainment　video　screen　and　analyzed　the　data　as　it　accumulated。　He　peered　at　one　of　the　six　known　photographs　of　the　Princess　Dou　Wan。　She　was　a　stately…looking　ship；　he　thought。　Her　superstructure　was　set　far　aft　of　the　bow　and　appeared　small　in　relation　to　her　hull。　He　studied　the　colored　image　of　her；　magnifying　the　white　band　in　the　center　of　the　green　funnel；　focusing　on　the　emblem　of　the　Canton　Lines；　a　golden　lion　with　its　left　paw　raised。　Her　maze　of　loading　cranes　suggested　a　ship　that　could　carry　a　substantial　cargo　besides　her　passengers。
　
　He　also　found　photos　of　her　sister　ship；　the　Princess　Yitng　Thi；　which　was　launched　and　entered　service　the　year　after　the　Princess　Dou　Wan。　According　to　the　records　the　Princess　Yung　Thi　was　broken　up　six　months　before　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　was　scheduled　to　be　scrapped。
　
　A　tired　old　liner　doomed　for　the　scrappers　at　Singapore　would　not　have　made　an　ideal　transport　to　move　China's　national　treasures　to　a　secret　location；　he　thought。　She　was　beyond　her　time　and　hardly　in　prime　condition　to　weather　heavy　seas　on　an　extended　voyage　across　the　Pacific。　It　also　seemed　to　Perlmutter　that　Taiwan　was　the　more　sensible　destination　since　it　was　where　Chiang　Kai…shek　eventually　set　up　the　Chinese　Nationalist　government。　It　was　not　conceivable　the　last
　
　known　report　of　the　ship　had　e　from　a　naval　radio　operator　in　Valparaiso；　Chile。　What　possible　purpose　could　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　have　for　being　over　six　hundred　miles　south　of　the　Tropic　of　Capricorn　in　an　area　of　the　Pacific　Ocean　far　off　the　traditional　shipping　lanes？
　
　Even　if　the　liner　was　on　a　clandestine　mission　to　hide　China's　art　treasures　somewhere　on　the　other　side　of　the　world　in　either　Europe　or　Africa；　why　go　across　the　vast；　empty　region　of　the　South　Pacific　and　through　the　Strait　of　Magellan　when　it　was　shorter　to　steer　west　across　the　Indian　Ocean　and　around　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope？　Was　secrecy　so　consuming　that　captain　and　crew　could　not　risk　going　through　the　Panama　Canal；　or　did　Chiang　Kai…shek　have　an　unknown　cavern　or　man…made　structure　hidden　in　the　Andes　to　conceal　the　immense　treasure；　if　indeed　it　could　be　proven　the　ship　was　carrying　China's　national　historic　wealth？
　
　Perlmutter　was　a　pragmatic　man。　He　took　nothing　for　granted。　He　went　back　to　square　one　and　restudied　the　photos　of　the　ship。　As　he　examined　her　outline；　a　vague　notion　began　to　form　in　his　mind。　He　called　a　nautical　archivist　friend　in　Panama；　waking　him　from　a　sound　sleep；　and　charmed　him　into　going　through　the　records　of　ships　passing　west　to　east　through　the　Canal　between　November　28　and　December　5；　1948。
　
　With　that　lead　being　pursued；　he　began　reading　through　a　list　of　names　of　the　ship's　officers　last　known　to　have　sailed　on　the　Princess。　All　were　Chinese　except　for　Captain　Leigh　Hunt　and　Chief　Engineer　lan　Gallagher。
　
　He　felt　as　if　he　was　throwing　chips　on　every　number　of　a　roulette　table。　What　are　the　odds　of　losing？　he　mused。　Thirty…six　out　of　thirty…six？　But　then　he　had　to　consider　the　zero　and　double　zero。　Perlmutter　was　no　old　fool。　He　covered　every　bet；　firmly　believing　that　if　only　one　number　paid　off；　he'd　win。
　He　punched　the　buttons　on　his　speakerphone　and　waited　for　a　sleepy　voice　to　answer。　〃Hello；　this　better　be　good。〃
　〃Hiram；　it's　St。　Julien　Perlmutter。〃
　〃Julien；　why　in　God's　name　are　you　calling　me　at　four　in　the　morning？〃　Hiram　Yaeger's　voice　sounded　as　if　he　was　talking　through　a　pillow。
　〃I'm　in　the　middle　of　a　research　project　for　Dirk；　and　I　need　your　help。〃
　Yaeger　became　marginally　alert。　〃Anything　for　Dirk；　but　does　it　have　to　be　four　in　the　morning？〃
　〃The　data　is　important；　and　we　need　it　as　quickly　as　possible。〃
　〃What　do　you　want　me　to　investigate？〃
　Perlmutter　sighed　with　relief；　knowing　from　experience　that　the　NUMA　puter　genius　had　never　let　anyone　down。　〃Got　a　pencil　and　paper？　I'm　going　to　give　you　some　names。〃
　〃Then　what？〃　asked　Yaeger；　yawning。
　〃I'd　like　you　to　hack　your　way　through　government　census；　IRS　and　Social　Security　records　for　a　match。　Also；　check　them　out　through　your　vast　file　of　maritime　records。〃
　〃You　don't　want　much。〃
　〃And　while　you're　at　it。。。〃　said　Perlmutter；　forging　onward。
　〃Does　it　never　end？〃
　〃I　also　have　a　ship　for　you　to　trace。〃
　〃So？〃
　〃If　my　intuition　is　working；　I'd　like　you　to　find　what　port　it　arrived　at　between　November　twenty…eighth　and　December　tenth；　nineteen　forty…eight。〃
　〃What's　her　name　and　owner？〃
　〃The　Canton　Lines'　Princess　Dou　Wan；〃　he　replied；　spelling　it　out。
　〃Okay；　I'll　start　first　thing　after　I　arrive　at　NUMA　headquarters。〃
　〃Leave　for　work　now；〃　urged　Perlmutter。　〃Time　is　vital。〃
　〃You　sure　you're　doing　this　for　Dirk？〃　demanded　Yaeger。
　〃Scout's　honor。〃
　〃Can　I　ask　what　this　is　all　about？〃
　〃You　may；〃　replied　Perlmutter；　and　then　he　hung　up。
　
　Within　minutes　after　he　began　his　probe　of　Captain　Leigh　Hunt　of　the　Princess　Dou　Wan；　Yaeger　found　the　old　seaman　mentioned　in　various　references　in　maritime　journals　listing　ships　and　their　crews　that　sailed　the　China　Sea　between　1925　and　1945；　in　Royal　Navy　historical　documents　and　old　newspaper　accounts　describing　the　rescue　of　eighty　passengers　and　crew　from　a　sinking　tramp　steamer　off　the　Philippines　by　a　ship　captained　by　Hunt　in　1936。　Hunt's　final　mention　came　from　a　Hong　Kong　maritime　register；　a　short　paragraph　stating　that　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　had　failed　to　arrive　at　the　scrappers　in　Singapore。　After　1948　it　was　as　if　Hunt　had　vanished　from　the　face　of　the　earth。
　
　Yaeger　then　concentrated　on　lan　Gallagher；　smiling　when　his　search　ran　across　remarks　in　an　Australian　marine　engineer's　journal　telling　of　Gallagher's　colorful　testimony　during　an　investigation　into　a　shipwreck　he　had　survived　that　had　gone　aground　near　Darwin。　〃Hong　Kong〃　Gallagher；　as　he　was　referred　to；　had　little　good　to　say　about　his　captain　and　fellow　crewmen；　blaming　them　for　the　disaster　and　claiming　he　had　never　seen　any　of　them　sober　during　the　entire　voyage。　The　final　mention　of　the　Irishman　was　a　brief　account　of　his　service　with　Canton　Lines；　with　a　footnote　on　the　disappearance　of　the　Princess　Dou　Wan。
　
　Then；　to　cover　all　bases；　Yaeger　programmed　his　vast　puter　plex　to　conduct　a　search　of　all