AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
Hal and Chester made a profound bow.
"I have been informed," continued the Prime Minister, "that you bear a
message from General Joffre containing proof of information you obtained
bearing on a plot to kidnap the President of France."
"Yes, sir," replied Hal, and from his pocket produced the document, which
he passed to the Prime Minister.
The latter broke the seal and ran through it hurriedly.
"Hm-m-m," he said at last. "Not as much information as I believe we
shall need."
"But surely you know enough to protect the President," said Hal.
The Prime Minister looked at him somewhat coldly, and Hal drew back,
confused at having been so bold. The Prime Minister touched a bell upon a
desk and an attendant entered.
"Have General Gallieni summoned here immediately," he instructed.
The attendant bowed and departed. For half an hour the Prime Minister
paced up and down the room, deep in thought. The lads stood silent,
neither caring to interrupt his meditations. Finally the attendant again
entered the room, and announced:
"General Gallieni!"
A short, squat man, attired in a brilliant red-and-blue uniform, with
medals flashing upon his breast, strode into the room and came to
attention before the Prime Minister.
"You summoned me, sir?"
"Yes, General. These," indicating Hal and Chester, "are the two officers
who overheard the plot to kidnap President Poincaré. I have called you
here that you may hear their story at first hand." He turned to the two
lads. "This," he said, "is General Gallieni, military governor of Paris.
You will repeat to him what you overheard."
In a few brief words Hal did so, and, when he had concluded the Prime
Minister passed the message from General Joffre to General Gallieni.
The latter ran his eye over it quickly, and for some moments thereafter
was silent.
"And you say that this plot was to be carried out in the event that the
German offensive failed?" he asked at length.
"Such is my understanding, sir," replied Hal.
"And you say a German agent is supposed to have been in communication
with Pierre Duval, recognized as King of the Apaches?"
"Yes, sir."
General Gallieni turned to the Prime Minister.
"I have made inquiries," he said, "and I have learned enough to
substantiate this story. We can, of course, foil the plot with ease, but
that is not enough."
"No," the Prime Minister agreed, "that is not enough."
"We must apprehend Duval himself," continued the military governor.
"Exactly," said the Prime Minister, "and with him sufficient of his men
to cause the others to realize that when they plot treason to France
their necks are in jeopardy."
"Precisely," agreed General Gallieni. "But this Duval is a slippery
fellow and hard to catch. I have learned that, unlike other Apaches, he
comes of better blood; in fact, is supposed to be a gentleman. But,
beyond this, I have learned nothing except the existence of the plot to
kidnap the President."
"But the police and the secret service men," said the Prime Minister,
"haven't they been able--"
"The police and secret service men, bah!" interrupted General Gallieni.
"They have learned nothing. Their faces are so familiar to the denizens
of the underworld as to make them absolutely useless. I have set some of
my officers on the trail, but they seem to have met with no better luck.
No; we must have men whose identities cannot be so easily established;
strangers, say, who are willing to risk their lives by going into the
haunts of the Apaches, and, perhaps, putting themselves in their power."
"Then, sir," said Chester, taking a step forward, "you need seek no
further. My friend and I shall be glad to undertake the work."
"You!" exclaimed the Prime Minister, starting back in surprise. "Why, you
are nothing but boys."
"True," said Hal, somewhat nettled, "but more than once we have
accomplished men's work."
General Gallieni looked at them long and carefully. Then he once more
turned his eyes upon the contents of General Joffre's message.
"General Joffre," he said quietly, "speaks highly of you both. He says
that you are to be trusted implicitly and he appears to have great
confidence in your resourcefulness. Upon his recommendation I should say
that, if you are willing to undertake the work, you would come as near
bringing it to a successful termination as any men we might find."
"Thank you, sir," said Hal quietly. "We are both willing and eager to
make the attempt."
"Then," said the general, "we shall consider the matter settled."
"But," protested the Prime Minister, "it seems to me that they are much
too young to be allowed to assume such a risk."
"From General Joffre's letter," remarked the military governor of Paris
dryly, "I should say that they have already assumed risks every whit as
great." He turned again to Hal and Chester. "Do you know anything of the
Apaches of Paris?" he asked.
"Only what we have read," replied Chester. "I should say that they are of
the lowest possible order of criminals."
"You are entirely right," replied General Gallieni. "The Apaches of Paris
have not acquired an undeserved reputation. There is no crime on the
calendar they would not commit for a few cents. From petty thievery to
murder they have advanced by degrees, until to-day the life of a person
who ventures among them is not worth a cent, should they believe he had a
franc in his pocket.
"The Apaches infest the poorer sections of the city, notably the banks of
the Seine and portions of the Quartier Latin. They seldom venture from
their own haunts, and, like cats, do most of their prowling and evil
deeds during the darkest hours of the night. Nowhere in the world is
there a more villainous band of cutthroats. You would think that, in
times like these they would rally to the support of their country, but
they have not. And now comes this plot to turn their President over to
the enemy."
The lads had listened with great interest to this account of the men, in
whose midst they had volunteered to risk their lives. They realized the
danger that confronted them in such a venture, but neither was minded to
give it up because of this.
"Well, we shall have to be careful, sir," said Hal. "We will dress poorly
and will show no money. If you will put us on the right road I am sure
that we shall learn something of value in the course of a day or two."
"It is still not too late to draw out," said the general, eying
them closely.
"Well, we won't draw out," said Hal quietly.
"I should say not," agreed Chester.
"Report to me to-night at my quarters in the Hotel de Ville, say at 9
o'clock, and I will give you your directions and what other information I
can that will be of service to you. In the meantime, I would advise that
you seek rest, for you are likely to need it."
The military governor took his departure, and soon the lads also left the
presence of the Prime Minister, who had directed them to a hotel nearby.
In this little hotel, clean and comfortable, the lads sent out and
procured some old clothes that would give them the appearance of dire
poverty. Then they examined and cleaned their automatics and laid in an
extra supply of cartridges.
"Well, I guess that's about all we can do till to-night," said Hal.
"Let's get a little sleep."
"My sentiments exactly," said Chester.
It was perhaps 4 o'clock in the afternoon when they arose. Outside the
sun was shining brightly.
"By Jove!" said Chester. "This is too nice a day to remain in the hotel.
Let's take a walk."
"Agreed," said Hal.
They left the hotel, and for an hour strolled about the city, looking at
the sights of interest.
"By the way," said Chester, "what's this Hotel de Ville where we are to
report to General Gallieni to-night?"
"Why," said Hal, "that's the city hall, or at least what we would call
the city hall in America. I suppose that when Paris was put under martial
law the military governor, who, of course, superseded all civic
authorities, at once took up his quarters there."
"I see," said Chester.
Strolling along Bois de Boulougne, the lads saw, some distance ahead of
them, a crowd gathered about what appeared to be a knot of struggling
men. They hurried up and peered over the shoulders of the other
onlookers.
In the center of the throng was a young man, defending himself as best he
could, against the attacks of half a dozen smaller assailants, young
rowdies and ruffians.
Even as the lads looked the assailed snatched a club from the hands of
one of his opponents, and laid about him lustily, clearing a small space
on all sides of him.
But the weight of numbers was bound to tell, and the assailants closed in
again, while the crowd stood and laughed.
Such unequal odds did not appeal to the two lads.
"Come on, Hal," said Chester. "We can't stand idly by and let that crowd
of ruffians beat that fellow up."
"I should say not," said Hal. "Come on."
Elbowing and shoving, the lads forced their way through the crowd and
fell upon the assailants from the rear. The young man to whose assistance
they had come welcomed this unexpected aid with a slight smile, and the
three stood side by side and fought off the ruffians.
But the ranks of the latter were increased now, and the lads were hard
pressed. They were giving a good account of themselves, but it was
evident that, unless help arrived, they would get the worst of it.
Suddenly a tall man in a heavy fur overcoat, who had alighted from an
automobile to see what the excitement was about, after a quick glance at
the combatants, uttered a cry and dashed forward, elbowing his way
through the crowd.
Hal and Chester each felt himself seized by the shoulder by a strong
hand, and a voice exclaimed:
"So! I have found you young scalawags at last!"
At the sound of this voice Hal and Chester stood stockstill, and from the
crowd came the cry of: "The police!"
Hal glanced quickly into the face of the man who held him and his chum
firmly by the arm. The face was set in a stern expression, but there was
a kindly smile behind it and the eyes twinkled.
Chester voiced his astonishment with two words.
"Uncle John!" he cried.