INTO THE UNDERWORLD.
Hal did not see the look of understanding upon Uncle John's face, as they
were led along, but Chester did. He smiled to himself.
"Uncle John has caught on," he said to his friend.
"Caught on?" echoed Hal.
"Yes. He knows that we have hoodwinked him."
"So much the better, then," said Hal. "It will save our mothers some
worry." He turned to the officer who conducted them as soon as they were
out on the street. "It's all right now," he said. "We can go the rest of
the way alone."
"Perhaps you can," was the reply, "but you won't. You'll come right
along with us."
"But," protested the lad, "we must first go to our other hotel and get
the clothes we have secured for our work."
"You will have to talk to General Gallieni about that," said the
officer gruffly.
"But General Gallieni knows all about our plans."
"Does he? I'm not so sure. However, I guess he will before long?"
"Look here," said Hal, "what's the matter with you?"
"Come, now," said the officer, "that's enough of that. March."
Chester broke into a laugh, and Hal glanced at him in surprise.
"What are you laughing at?" he demanded.
"Why," said Chester, "I am laughing because you can't see through this."
"Is that so?" said Hal, somewhat nettled. "Perhaps you can see
through it?"
"Of course," said Chester. "General Gallieni simply sent this squad after
us. He didn't explain the situation to the officer."
"By Jove!" said Hal. "Now, why didn't I think of that? It's plain enough,
now that you speak of it."
They marched along in silence, and soon were ushered into the presence of
General Gallieni. The latter dismissed the other officers with a wave of
his hand and turned to the lads.
"Well, I see you escaped," he said, with a semblance of a smile on his
grim features.
"Yes, sir; thanks to you, sir," said Hal, also smiling.
"Thank yourselves," said the general. "It took some resourcefulness to
think of such a plan. It proves to me that you can use your heads. I
am, therefore, more confident that you may be successful in your
desperate work."
Hal and Chester were greatly flattered by this high praise, but they
simply saluted and said:
"Thank you, sir."
"Now," said the general, "you may as well go about the work at once.
Further delay is useless. But you cannot go in those uniforms. Didn't you
lay in some other clothes, as you suggested?"
"We did, sir," replied Hal, "but the officer who conducted us here
wouldn't let us go after them."
"True," said the general. "I didn't explain the situation to him, because
I feared that he might possibly give the _coup_ away. Perhaps I can fix
you up here, however."
He struck a little bell on his desk a sharp tap. Immediately an orderly
entered and to him the general spoke briefly. The orderly saluted and
departed, returning a few moments later with a bundle of ragged clothing.
"You may go into the next room and change," said the general, and the
lads hastened to obey.
Ten minutes later, dirty, ragged and unkempt, they once more stood before
General Gallieni. The latter surveyed them critically.
"You'll do," he said at last, with an approving nod. "Now--are you
armed?"
"Two automatics each, sir, and a good supply of cartridges," said Hal.
"_Bien_! Here," the general handed each a little silver whistle, "should
you ever be in a tight place and in need of assistance, blow these, and,
if help is near, you will get it."
The lads shoved the whistles out of sight in the clothes.
"I guess that is about all," said the general. "Remember, the main thing
I want is Duval. Establish his true identity and learn where he can be
found and you will have done enough. The rest of the work will be for
other hands. By the way, if I were you, I would go first to the _Quartier
Latin_, and loiter about there. You know where it is?"
"No, sir," said Hal.
The general gave them the necessary directions and then rose.
"That is all," he said, and the lads, realizing that their interview was
at an end, saluted and took their departure.
For an hour they walked along the streets, and at last found themselves
in the midst of the Latin Quarter of the French capital. Here they saw
many others of their own apparent ilk, dressed in rags, dirty, and
carrying a certain hangdog and famished look.
"Guess we are in the right place," said Hal to Chester in a low voice.
"Looks like it," said Hal, "but the question is, how are we going to find
out anything?"
"We'll have to trust to luck," said Chester.
But Dame Fortune smiled upon them sooner than they could possibly have
anticipated, and it came about in this wise:
As the lads walked slowly along they were attracted by a terrible din and
confusion in the distance. They stopped for a moment and listened and
then went forward swiftly.
Rounding a corner into a dark side street they came abruptly upon the
scene of the confusion. A dirty little street Arab was defending himself
with bravery and skill against an overwhelming number of other rowdies.
The little fellow was fighting with tooth, nail and foot, but in spite of
his agility and stubbornness, he was getting the worst of the encounter.
He went down and the others piled on top of him.
"Come on, Hal," exclaimed Chester, "let's give the fellow a hand."
"All right," agreed the latter; "but, remember, no guns. It would
give us away."
They dashed quickly forward, and, striking out right and left, cleared a
path for themselves and were soon at the side of the fallen man. While
Hal stood off the enemy Chester bent down and lifted the little man to
his feet. The latter recognized the touch of a friendly hand and quickly
jumped up.
"Thanks," he said briefly, and jumped to Hal's side to renew the
encounter.
Chester sprang forward with him. And these reënforcements reached Hal
none too soon, for he was being sorely pressed by his foes. One of the
enemy, making a slight detour, suddenly launched himself headlong at Hal,
and came down on his shoulder, and with his talon-like fingers clawed at
the lad's face.
With a quick twist of his arm the lad succeeded in catching his opponent
by the throat, and, exerting great pressure with his other arm, bore
upward heavily. There was a choking screech from the man and he lay limp
in Hal's arms. Then the lad, raising him at arm's length, dashed him full
in the faces of the foe.
The little man to whose help the lads had come took this in out of the
tail of his eye.
"_Bien! Bien!_" he exclaimed, and dashed forward.
Hal and Chester were right behind him.
Hal struck out with his right, and one of the enemy toppled over with an
oath. Another went down before his left fist. Chester, with a heavy blow,
felled another of their opponents, and the little man, snarling and
fighting with hands and feet, quickly disposed of two more.
The enemy drew back and the three had time for a breathing spell. Their
foes, however, had no mind to give up the fight, and with a sudden
concerted dash, surrounded the trio.
The fighting became fast and terrific. The weight of numbers was
beginning to tell, and suddenly Chester went down before a heavy smash on
the jaw. He was badly shaken up, but was not unconscious. As he scrambled
to his feet, the clear sound of a whistle shattered the night.
Immediately the fighting stopped and the assailants drew back.
"_Les Gendarmes_!" exclaimed one, and took to his heels, followed
by the rest.
"_Les Gendarmes_!" exclaimed the little man to whose assistance the lads
had come. "_Voila_!"
Chester got to his feet quickly, and, with Hal, dashed forward upon the
heels of the little man. Round corner after corner, through dark streets
and darker alleys he ran, the lads following close behind him. Finally,
out of breath and tired of limb and body, he came to a halt in a secluded
spot in a narrow street.
The lads came to a stop beside him. The man immediately threw himself
upon the ground and the lads did likewise. Here, for a few moments, all
lay silent, panting.
Finally the little man spoke.
"You came to my aid just in time," he said, "and I thank you. But for you
I should have been killed."
"Killed!" exclaimed Hal. "And why would they have killed you?"
"Because," said the little man, "I myself picked the pocket of a man whom
one of their number was trailing."
"I see," said Chester, manifesting no surprise, for he was well aware
that the street Arab had taken them for his own kind. To have betrayed
surprise would have been to invite suspicion.
"Now," said the little man, "we shall have to hide. The police will be
scouring the neighborhood. Have you a refuge handy?"
"No," said Hal.
"Then you shall come with me." He hesitated a moment, then added: "Which
do you love best, your country or gold?"
Hal took a long chance.
"Gold," he said briefly.
The little man slapped him familiarly on the back.
"As all true Apaches!" he exclaimed. "_Bien_! Then you shall come with
me."
He led the way along the dark street and the lads followed him.