‘Could make a first-rate story. Golombek, shall we go?’

‘Why not give it a try?’ agreed Mr Golombek and slipped off the desk he was sitting on.

‘That’s the gentleman over there,’ said the landlord in jevíško.

Sitting legs apart at a table in the garden was a fat gentleman in a white cap, drinking beer and thoughtfully drawing his fat forefinger over the table. The two gentlemen made straight for him.

‘I’m Valenta.’

‘I’m Golombek.’

The fat gentleman raised his eyes. ‘Whassat? What?’

‘My name’s Valenta and I’m a journalist.’

‘And I’m Golombek. Also a journalist.’

The fat gentleman lifted himself with dignity. ‘Captain van Toch. Very glad to meet you. Sit down, boys.’

The two gentlemen obligingly sat down and placed their notepads before them.

‘What are you drinking, boys?’

‘Raspberry juice,’ Mr Valenta said.

‘Raspberry juice?’ the captain repeated incredulously.

‘Whatever for? Landlord, fetch some beer. Well, what is it you’re after?’ he said, planting his elbows on the table.

‘Is it true, Mr Vantoch, that you were born here?’

‘Sure. Born right here.’

‘How on earth did you manage to go to sea?’

‘Well, via Hamburg.’

‘And how long have you been a captain?’

‘Twenty years, my boy. Got my papers here,’ he said, importantly tapping his breast pocket. ‘Like to see them?’

Mr Golombek would have liked to see what a captain’s papers looked like but he suppressed his curiosity. ‘That means, captain, that in those twenty years you’ll have seen a good deal of the world, what?’

‘Sure. A good deal. Yes.’

‘Whereabouts mostly?’

‘Java. Borneo. Philippines. Fiji Islands. Solomon Islands. Carolines. Samoa. Damned Clipperton Island. A lot of damned islands, my boy. Why?’

‘Well, because it’s interesting. We’d like you to tell us more, you know.’

‘That’s all, is it?’ The captain fixed his pale blue eyes on them. ‘So you’re from the police - that it?’

‘No, we’re not, captain. We’re the press.’

‘The press, is it? Reporters, eh? OK, take it down: Captain J. van Toch, master of the Kandong Bandoeng - ’

‘How’s that again?’

‘Kandong Bandoeng, home port Surabaya. Purpose of visit: vacances - how d’you say it?’

‘Vacation.’

‘Hell, yes, vacation. Well then, print it in your paper under “ships berthed”.