‘A passport,’ said Tiger, his voice unsteady. ‘People in our country use passports when they travel abroad.’
Vargo’s expression changed as he understood the significance of what they had found. ‘So, there was an Earthman on the ship that crashed here?’
‘An Englishman, in fact,’ rejoined Rex, looking up from the passport. ‘A man called Jacob Clarke.’
Toby started. ‘Could I see that?’
‘Of course.’ Rex passed the document over.
Toby shook his head, then said very quietly, ‘I used to know a man called Jacob Clarke – Nobby Clarke, we called him. He was in my squadron.’ He pointed to the photograph in the passport. ‘This is the man.’
‘But that’s fantastic,’ declared Rex. ‘You’re saying that, as we wander around in the depths of space, we happen to find a passport belonging to somebody that you know?’
Toby shrugged helplessly. ‘I agree, it sounds ridiculous. But that’s Nobby Clarke. There’s no doubt in my mind.’
‘When did you last see – er – Nobby Clarke?’ This time it was the Professor who asked the question.
Toby thought hard. ‘It was – yes. I remember. I bumped into him a few weeks before Tiger asked me to join the Professor’s crew. He was going out to Egypt, to visit some friends he had made during the war.’
‘Hmm.’ The Professor now had possession of the passport, and was turning the pages. ‘Observe. There is a Cairo stamp here, which he must have got when he entered Egypt. It is certainly of about the right date.’ He thumbed through the pages again. ‘Strange. There is nothing after that date. It is almost as if –‘
‘ – As if he was picked up from Egypt on that date,’ Tiger finished. ‘That would explain why there are no more entries on the passport.’
Vargo frowned. ‘You are saying, then, that this Earthman was kidnapped, by the people who fly these spaceships, some considerable time ago. And now you have found his – passport – you think he was on this spacecraft all that time?’
‘Not necessarily.’ Tiger furrowed his brow. ‘In fact, that sounds very unlikely, doesn’t it? Particularly as we know how fast these ships can go.’ He tapped at the passport thoughtfully. ‘He could have been taken back to the home planet. It’s perfectly possible.’
‘Wouldn’t anyone have noticed that he was missing?’ queried Rex.
‘Not necessarily,’ put in Toby. ‘He might not have told that many people where he was going. And after all, Egypt isn’t quite the same as England. There may have been other people taken at the same time, and the news never got reported properly.’
‘If he was taken back, why is his passport here?’ As soon as Rex asked the question, he felt that it was a foolish one.
Tiger laughed. ‘I don’t expect he was that bothered about keeping it, considering what had happened to him. After all, he couldn’t use it to get home!’ His smile faded. ‘The passport would be just junk to these slave traders – possibly an interesting curio. It could have been passed from one person to another, ending up far from its owner.’ He looked serious. ‘That’s not really important, however. We really ought to find out what has happened to this man, if we can.’
‘We can try,’ agreed Toby. ‘But it’s not at all obvious where we should start.’
