"But where is my father?"
"I don't know. Bekovitch didn't know, or professed he didn't. I fancy he had taken care not to know, in case any unpleasant questions were asked."
"But someone must know. Confound it, Lieutenant, is the whole Staft a conspiracy of silence?"
"It appears that Bekovitch sent your father to Kriloff, and Kriloff is dead. I suppose enquiries were made, but so far as I know nothing has come to light."
"I never heard of such villainy!" said Jack, his indignation getting the better of him. "I had always believed the Russian officer was a gentleman."
"Oh, come now!" said Captain Kargopol, "you English haven't a monopoly of the virtues. You can't throw stones, after the dirty trick your government has played us."
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't heard? I forgot: I suppose your Ah Lum doesn't subscribe to the Manchurian Army Gazette. The Baltic Fleet was attacked by British torpedo-boats in the North Sea; Admiral Rozhdestvenski very properly fired and sank one or two. Some trawlers got in the way and were rather knocked about: unfortunately a few men were killed, and your canting press of course set up a howl and clamoured for war. But it's we who are the injured party: you may be the ally of Japan, but that's no excuse for an unprovoked attack on our fleet."
"Really, Captain, pardon me, but the story's absurd. When did this torpedo attack take place?"
"At night, of course; you don't suppose they'd dare to attack battleships in broad daylight."