“Oh, as many as you like, Madam. The yacht is practically an ocean liner.”
“Is there any landing stage on the eastern side of the rock?”
“Practically none, Madam. The steamer stood out, and I was landed in the cove I spoke of at the foot of the stairway.”
“It wouldn’t be possible to bring a steamer like ‘The Walrus’ alongside the rock, then?”
“It would be possible in calm weather, but very dangerous even then.”
“Could you find that rock if you were in command of a ship sailing the Baltic?”
“Oh, yes, Madam.”
“If twenty or thirty determined men were landed on the stairway, do you think they could capture the garrison?”
“Yes, if they were landed secretly, but one or two soldiers at the top with repeating rifles might hold the stairway against an army, while their ammunition lasted.”
“But if a shell were fired from the steamer, might not the attacking company get inside during the confusion among the defenders?”