They weren't very far from the east coast, perhaps four or five miles.

But we must be at least ten miles from the coast.

You see, I'd had to clear out from the coast because of trouble.

They had expected an attack from the much closer east coast.

Yes, it is still two thousand miles from the coast!

But they were still a long way from the eastern coast when the first attack took place.

Your 150 miles from south or east coast covers the whole country.

"But at that period what distance were we from the coast?"

"And at what distance is it from the American coast?"

This was what had brought the detective north from the coast.