Explore "The Bird of Paradise" by E. Phillips Oppenheim on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
A small but perfectly appointed seaplane circled gracefully round the Bay of Garoupe, and finally alighted within a yard or two of the _Aigle Noir_. A few moments later the Baron de Brett, looking very smart in his white flannels and rakish-looking panama, climbed the gangway of the boat and descended into the lounge. Mermillon, who had just finished working with a messenger from his bureau in Paris, sent the latter away. He swung round to greet his friend.
"Well, what luck?" he asked. "_Comme toujours, je gagne_," was the indifferent reply. "But enough of that. Explain to me quickly--what is the meaning of a gunboat in the bay?"