Chapter 30
THE WATER was almost tepid. His thin evening clothes folded themselves dank about his body. Heedless of their encumbering embrace, however, he struck out in an easy trudgeon for the shore. He tried to keep the bulk of the Astarte between him and the speed-boat tethered on the far side; but the tide caught him and he promptly recognized that he would have no chance of making the Rosemount beach against it— the most he could hope to do, by swimming sideways to the current, was to land in front of the Yacht Club or, maybe, farther down.
He was a strong swimmer and he had no fear of the water. He let the tide carry him while steadily he edged towards the shore. He kept his ears open for any sound on board the Astarte behind him— he had to reckon that the moment his flight was disc
