midnight
Our game is to pretend that we know nothing -- that we believe Karamaneh to have had a bad dream . '' `` But , Smith , '' I began -- `` It would be useless , Petrie , '' he interrupted me . `` You can not suppose that I overlooked the possibility of some creature of the doctor 's being among the lascars . I can assure you that not one of them answers to the description of the midnight assailant . From the girl 's account we have to look -LRB- discarding the idea of a revivified mummy -RRB- for a man of unusual height -- and there 's no lascar of unusual height on board ; and from the visible evidence , that he entered the stateroom through the porthole , we have to look for a man more than normally thin . In a word , the servant of Dr. Fu-Manchu who attempted the life of Karamaneh is either in hiding on the ship , or , if visible , is disguised . '' With his usual clarity of vision , Nayland Smith had visualized the facts of the case ; I passed in mental survey each one of the passengers , and those of the crew whose appearances were familiar to me , with the result that I had to admit the justice of my friend 's conclusions .