Newton Moore came into the War Office in response to a code telegram and a hint that speed was the essence of the contract. Sir George Morley plunged immediately into his subject. "I've got a pretty case for you," he said. "I suppose you have never heard of such a thing as the Mazaroff rifle?" Moore admitted his ignorance. He opined that it was something new, and that something had gone wrong with the lethal weapon in question.