ctive
left Paris, crossed the Channel. He then went to America. For scarcely
had he arrived in London when he learned that the bandits had gone off
to the United States.

Juve travelled from place to place for some months. It was a vain quest:
Fantomas had vanished, leaving not a trace behind, and the disgusted
detective, now convinced that he had followed a false trail, returned to
France.

He determined to set himself to study anew the prison world; he was all
the more interested in it because, before his supposed death, Juve had
effected the arrest of several members of a band of which Fantomas was
the leader. Among these were the Cooper, the Beard, and old Mother
Toulouche.

Then, at the prison connected with the asylum, Juve had come across a
warder, who, some years previous to this, had been the warder in charge
of a man condemned to death, one Gurn, who had not been guillotined
because a substituted person had been executed in his stead. Juve was
convinced that the condemned criminal was none other than Fantomas. Juve
strongly suspected that this warder, Nibet by name, knew a great deal
about this old affair. But soon Nibet passed to the Depot. The
accomplices of Fantomas, having served the time of their respective
sentences, some at Melun, others at Clermont, all this nice collection
of criminals would meet once more on the pavements of Paris. Juve,
therefore, had imperious reasons for mingling with this charming
crowd!...

Fandor had followed Juve's rapid narrative with the most intense
interest.

"And then, Juve, what then?" insisted Fandor.

"And then," said the detective, "to make an end of it--for we must not
be forever going over the past adventures--let me tell you, that after
many and diverse happenings, a band of smugglers and false coiners,
among whom are to be found individuals already known to you, notably the
Beard, the Cooper, and also that wretch of a Mother Toulouche, one fine
day made the acquaintance of a poor sort of creature, simple-minded, and
anything but sharp-witted--an individual who goes by the name of
Cranajour!"

"Cranajour?" queried Fandor, "I don't in the least understand."

"Yes, Cranajour," repeated Juve. "Here is how it came about. You
remember when Fantomas got an unfortunate actor named Valgrand executed
in his stead? Well, our mysterious Fantomas, the better to mislead and
bamboozle those who might suspect this atrocious jugglery, our bandit of
genius--for Fantomas