"A few, supplied four times a week, can plant a lot of mines," quizzed Darrin.
"Oh, yes."
"And the craft you were aboard was one of the smaller ones that brought cargoes of mines. Your people have some that carry much larger numbers of mines?"
"Yes, and the larger boats that bring mines over to the real mine-layers travel faster under water than our boat did."
"So that these larger boats can make at least five round trips a week?" Dave asked.
"Oh, yes."
"You have not told me the name of your base port," Darrin went on.
"And I don't intend to," retorted the seaman. "You are asking me too many questions. I should not have said as much as I did, and I shall not answer any more questions."
"You do not need to," Dave assured him. "I already know the answers to a lot of questions that I might have asked you. But you look like a reasonable fellow, and also like a fellow fond of some of the good things of life. Had I found you more ready to talk I might have arranged for you to have a pleasanter time in the English prison than your mates will have."
"A pleasanter time until the hangman called for us?" demanded the German, a cunning look coming into his eyes.