With this Frank was forced to be satisfied.
His four hours up, Frank was relieved by Lord Hastings, to whom he related what had occurred.
Lord Hastings listened quietly.
“I’m sure he will try no tricks,” he said. “However, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Still,” said Frank, “I have a premonition that all is not right.”
Lord Hastings laughed, and Frank retired.
Now the Kiel canal is not very long, sixty-one miles of water connecting the North and Baltic seas. It extends across the narrowest portion of Germany close to the boundary between Germany and Denmark, thus making a passage for German vessels from one sea to the other.
Lord Hastings had kept his own reckoning and believed, while he was not familiar with these waters, that he could determine when the Baltic end of the canal had been reached.
And, indeed, it seemed that he was right.
It was just after his watch, when Jack had relieved him and while he lingered in the compartment, that the German turned to Lord Hastings and said: