“They looked at each other. The commanding officer shook his head. Such suspicions as the one which had entered his head are not defended easily. He did not even state it openly. The boarding officer finished his report. The cargo of the ship was of a harmless and useful character. She was bound to an English port. Papers and everything in perfect order. Nothing suspicious to be detected anywhere.
“Then passing to the men, he reported the crew on deck as the usual lot. Engineers of the well-known type, and very full of their achievement in repairing the engines. The mate surly. The master rather a fine specimen of a Northman, civil enough, but appeared to have been drinking. Seemed to be recover-ing from a regular bout of it.
“'I told him I couldn't give him permission to proceed. He said he wouldn't dare to move his ship her own length out in such weather as this, permission or no permission. I left a man on board, though.'
“'Quite right.'
“The commanding officer, after communing with his suspicions for a time, called his second aside.
“'What if she were the very ship which had been feeding some infernal submarine or other?' he said in an undertone.
“The other started. Then, with conviction:
“'She would get off scot-free. You couldn't prove it, sir.'
“'I want to look into it myself.'
“'From the report we've heard I am afraid you couldn't even make a case for reasonable suspicion, sir.'