Suddenly the Flotilla Commodore, who was sitting in the back of the car, said so loud that I could hear him: "Look, there is à searchlight on the top of that house.
"What's: there?" T said, turning round, following. with my eye the gaze of the two officers.
But before I could see what had struck their attention the car swung quickly round a. corner. and the object, whatever it was, was invisible, searchlight, sir," said the Commodore, "is mounted on top of one of the houses over there" (pointing):
A searchlight, I must. explain, is a considerable apparatus of about the size of a big drum.
"Surely," I said, "that is unlikely in the middle of the Highlands. Do you know anything about it, Admiral?"
The Director of Intelligence knew nothing, He was sure, however, that it could serve no British naval purpose. On the other hand, both officers were certain they had seen it.
In war-time everything that is unexplained requires to. be ' probed, and here' me were confronted with a complete mystery. We racked our brains for the rest of the journey and no-one could suggest any. reasonable or innocent explanation.
As we swept along through the night I could not help thinking perhaps we might fall into a hornet's nest.
If the sinister hypothesis was justified, if the searchlight was an enemy signal and a Scotch shooting lodge a nest of desperate German spies, we might receive a warm welcome.
"We are quite close here now, sir, said the Commodore, directing th driver to reduce speed, "the entrance gate is in this clump of trees. I marked it myself this morning."
"We had better get out," I said, "and walk up, and the chauffeur can report if any thing goes wrong."
Accordingly with our pistols in our pockets we marched up the drive and after a couple of hundred yards arrived at the entrance of a good-sized stone house at one end of which there stood a tall square tower.
"We rang the front-door bell. It was duly answered by a portly respeciaBe butler. My three companions were in naval uniform, and the butler seemed startled at such a visit.
"Is your master at home "Yes, sir," he said, "he is at dinner with the house party."
"Tell him that some officers from the Admiralty wish to see him at once."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.