‘Thank you, Mr. Huston, that is all I want at present. Now, can I see the captain of the Bullfinch?’
‘Certainly. Come over and I’ll introduce you.’
Captain M’Nabb was a big, rawboned Ulsterman, with a hooked nose and sandy hair. He was engaged in writing up some notes in his cabin.
‘Come in, sir, come in,’ he said, as Huston made the Inspector known. ‘What can I do for you?’
Burnley explained his business. He had only a couple of questions to ask.
‘How is the trans-shipment done from the railway to your boat at Rouen?’
‘The wagons come down on the wharf right alongside. The Rouen stevedores load them, either with the harbour travelling crane or our own winches.’
‘Would it be at all possible for a barrel to be tampered with after it was once aboard?’
‘How do you mean tampered with? A barrel of wine might be tapped, but that’s all could be done.’
‘Could a barrel be changed, or completely emptied and filled with something else?’