But now I know you and know what's been happening here, and
particularly what's happened yesterday, it's a different story. Do you
mind just telling me in your own words about what you saw last time and
anything you've noticed this trip?"
My opinion of Mr. Bolton's shrewdness continued to rise as I noticed his
close attention to my tale and how much to the point his questions were.
Every now and then he stopped me while he made a jotting in a fat little
brown leather pocket book, and at the end he observed.
"Well, Mr. Merton, it's a queer case but I daresay I may be able to
throw a bit of light on things before I've done."
I wondered very much, and from the look on his face I do not believe for
a moment that he saw a single blink of light at that time.
"And now," said he, "coming to this explosion, I don't want to hear
anything more about the flames and smoke and such like. All that is for
the Navy people. It doesn't come under the head of my department, Mr.
Merton; but this buying of stuff ashore and taking parcels aboard the
ship, that does come under it. In fact that's what I'm up here to
investigate, for it's pretty clear even to a man like me that knows
nothing of ships that any one on this island couldn't swim out and hold a
match to a ship o' war and blow her up that way! If it _was_ done from
here, it must have been by one of those parcels.
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