"I happened to be at my window." "Tell me what you saw," said he. I told him and he nodded at intervals. "Just what a couple of other witnesses have told me," he said. "Submarines?" I asked. He shook his head. "The odds against a torpedo sending a ship straight up like that are enormous. And one would have heard two explosions--which nobody did. Besides, the one man who was picked up has luckily been able to talk a little already. I am certain there was no torpedo attack." "She simply blew up then?" "That was it." "Accident or design?" "God knows! Perhaps no one else ever will. It may have merely been the ammunition. As you know, that has happened before now. But it's a very curious coincidence that it should have happened off Ransay, knowing what we know. I hear a lot of the men were ashore buying things. I wonder what they brought aboard with them!" "I can tell you what one lot brought: eggs, poultry, cheeses, and a large parcel in newspaper which I took to be butter. But that was only one party I happened to see. They were all over the island." He thought in silence for a few moments, and then he glanced at his watch. "Look here, old chap," he said, "I'm afraid I must be getting off again now. Walk back with me as far as it's safe and I'll tell you something that you must know. We can discuss the evidence later, when a little more has been collected. The point that concerns you is that Bolton has been sent for again." "The devil he has! Do I retire then?" "Not at all. You see nobody in these parts is in the Hobhouse secret, so they sent for Bolton at once to make his own kind of enquiries while we make ours. You of course go on making yours in your own way just the same. All the same I think it would be tactful to stand aside--with your eyes open of course--while Bolton is on the job." "Tactful," I agreed, "but a little annoying." "Well, Roger, it can't be helped, I'm afraid. I'm not the boss here and the man is on his way now as fast as he can travel. And now what about telling him who you really are? I've been thinking it over, and if you are agreeable I think I ought to." I saw that this meant that he had decided he was going to, so I merely said: "If you think it best, certainly tell him. Only swear him to secrecy." "Certainly. And I'm sure the man himself will see the point in that. But you see if I didn't tell him who you really were, he'd very likely put you down as a suspicious character and recommend your removal." "You're quite right," I agreed. "Besides what you know may help him, and it would be a dog in the manger kind of game to keep back anything, now that he has taken up the business." "Right again. Well, I'll keep my nose out of the business till Bolton has had his innings." "Good man!" said Jack. "Well, we'd better separate now. Good luck to you both!"