"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 doc.u.ment, which he pa.s.sed 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 Poincare. 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 pa.s.sed 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 ident.i.ties 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 a.s.sume such a risk."
"From General Joffre"s letter," remarked the military governor of Paris dryly, "I should say that they have already a.s.sumed 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.