He began a concise account of the discoveries he had made; showing Kenwardine's association with the German, Richter, and giving particulars about the purchase of the Adexe coaling wharf. Jake leaned forward with his elbows on the table, listening eagerly, while Dick sat motionless. Part of what he heard was new to him, but the Spaniard's statements could not be doubted, and he envied Kenwardine's nerve. The latter's face was, for the most part, inscrutable, but now and then he made a sign of languid agreement, as if to admit that his antagonist had scored a point. "Well," he said when the other finished, "it is a story that might do me harm, and there are parts I cannot deny; but it is not complete. One finds awkward breaks in it. For example, you do not show how the raider got coal and information from the Adexe Company." "I think Senor Brandon can do so," said Don Sebastian, who turned to Dick. Taking his cue from the Spaniard, Dick related what he had noted at the coaling wharf and learned about the movements of the tug when the auxiliary cruiser was in the neighborhood. His account to some extent filled the gaps that Don Sebastian's narrative had left, but now he came to put the different points together and consider them as a whole, their significance seemed less. He began to see how a hostile critic would look at the thing. Much of his evidence was based upon conjecture that might be denied. Yet, while it was not convincing, it carried weight. There was a pause when he finished, and Jake was conscious of a strong revulsion of feeling as he studied his companions. In a way, the thin, dark-faced Spaniard and tranquil Englishman were alike. Both wore the stamp of breeding and were generally marked by an easy good humor and polished wit that won men's confidence and made them pleasant companions. But this was on the surface; beneath lay a character as hard and cold as a diamond. They were cunning, unscrupulous intriguers, who would stick at nothing that promised to serve their ends. Jake knew Kenwardine now, and felt angry as he remembered the infatuation that had prevented his understanding the man. Then he glanced at Dick, who sat waiting with a quietly resolute look. Dick was different from the others; he rang true. One could not doubt his rather naive honesty, but in spite of this there was something about him that made him a match for his scheming opponent. Kenwardine, of course, had courage, but Dick was armed with a stern tenacity that made him careless of the hurt he received. Now, though he had nothing to gain and much to lose, he would hold on because duty demanded it. The contrast between them threw a lurid light upon Kenwardine's treachery. Then the latter said: "You have stated things clearly, Brandon, but, after all, what you offer is rather plausible argument than proof. In fact, you must see that your evidence isn't strong enough."