A Hero for Leanda

that you put him ashore in Kenya , which is the nearest bit of land to Heureuse.”
    “Another British colony!”
    “It sounds unwise, I know, but in fact it would be safer than most places. The coast is very empty, and there’s a lot of it. There’d be an element of double bluff—no one would be expecting you to go there. Also, I have people in Mombasa I can rely on—people who would set Kastella on the next stage of his travels.... But that is something you needn’t bother yourself about, Mr. Conway. Your mission would end at the moment of landing.”
    Conway grinned. “My troubles wouldn’t, though, would they? What would I do afterward?”
    “Take up the threads of your adventurous life, I imagine. Roam the oceans once more.”
    “There’d be a lot of ports I couldn’t enter. All the places where the Union Jack flies.”
    “Well, there aren’t as many of those as there used to be, are there?” Metaxas said. “And in much of the world you would be warmly welcomed because of what you had done.”
    Conway was silent for a while. Then he said, “It’s not my line of country, you know. I should think quite a bit of strong-arm stuff might be necessary, and I’ve no experience of that, and no taste for it, either. What you need for a job like this is an ex-commando.”
    “What I need is a man of courage, resource and intelligence” Metaxas said, “and I think I’ve found him. I don’t expect you to fight your way out of Heureuse. That would be stupid. In any case I wouldn’t want it—there’s been far too much bloodshed already for the good of our cause. I would hope for a skillful and silent departure.”
    “All the same, there must be many men better equipped than I am.”
    “On the contrary,” Metaxas said, “you are the first man I have come across who, in my view, could undertake the mission with any hope of success. Obviously, the rescuer must be a yachtsman—any larger expedition would be sure to arouse suspicion. There are, of course, other oceangoing yachtsmen, but...” Metaxas smiled, “... if you’ll forgive my saying so, Mr. Conway, most men who sail the oceans singlehanded are somewhat eccentric—which means that most of them, in fact, are Englishmen! Naturally, no Englishman of any caliber would look at my proposition. I’ve been thinking about a possible rescue operation ever since Kastella was interned, and I’ve actually made considerable preparations against the eventuality, but it wasn’t until I heard about you from my agent, Venizelos, that I saw any real hope. If you refuse my mission, I think it most likely I shall have to drop the idea altogether. That is why I have talked to you so freely, even before you have committed yourself in any way. It is now, or never.”
    Again, Conway fell silent. Presently he said, “You say that a rescue would be impossible with anything larger than a yacht, because suspicion would be aroused. But what makes you think the authorities wouldn’t be suspicious of a yacht? There can’t be many of them arriving in Heureuse waters—especially yachts flying the flag of Eire . If you ask me, the moment the police set eyes on that, they’d double the guard until I left. They’d be pretty stupid if they didn’t.”
    “It’s a good point,” Metaxas said, “and one that I’d already thought of. It would be advisable, I think, for you to sail under the British flag.”
    “I’d as soon sail under the skull and crossbones!” Conway said, with a grin. “Anyway, what about my Irish passport?”
    “You’d have to have a United Kingdom passport, of course, in a different name.”
    “You mean you could arrange that!”
    “I can arrange almost anything,” Metaxas said, “except the freeing of Alexander Kastella by the British government. The passport would be a very simple matter. You could be from Ulster . That would account for your slight brogue—and Ulstermen are considered even more British than the English, are they not?”
    Conway gave a preoccupied nod. “All the same, I still think the authorities on Heureuse would be suspicious of a yacht that arrived without any particular reason. I’d need some good story to disarm them, some cover, something to satisfy them that the visit was an innocent one .“
    “That would certainly help,” Metaxas agreed. “We must look into it. Some scientific purpose, perhaps...”
    “Anyway,” Conway said, “what about the boat?”
    “It is waiting for you. I am the