Yes, and I am certain you intended to stay true to the spirit of my words, and not to manipulate their letter against me.

Let us be frank, sir: you do not trust me. I do not begrudge that. But we must find a way to coexist in our conversations without exasperating one other. Of the two of us — of any of us — I am the only one consistently and openly staying true to my stated intentions.

I continue to sponsor your travels, I make every effort to insinuate you in the outposts you visit, I facilitate your interaction with local officials, and, to whatever success, I attempt to further our investigations. I stand to gain from it, absolutely. But I have at no point failed in my commitments to any of you.