and so returned back to Paris.
There had been no time to learn whether this was so or not if I was to
catch the 10.25. Also, it might have landed its passengers anywhere
along the river. I may say at once that neither of these two things
happened, and my calculations regarding her movements were accurate to
the letter. But a trap most carefully set may be prematurely sprung by
inadvertence, or more often by the over-zeal of some stupid ass who
fails to understand his instructions, or oversteps them if they are
understood. I received a most annoying telegram from Denouval, a lock
about thirteen miles above that of Meulan. The local policeman,
arriving at the lock, found that the yacht had just cleared. The fool
shouted to the captain to return, threatening him with all the pains
and penalties of the law if he refused. The captain did refuse, rung
on full speed ahead, and disappeared in the darkness. Through this
well-meant blunder of an understrapper those on board the launch had
received warning that we were on their track. I telegraphed to the
lock-keeper at Denouval to allow no craft to pass toward Paris until
further orders. We thus held the launch in a thirteen-mile stretch of
water, but the night was pitch dark, and passengers might be landed on
either bank with all France before them, over which to effect their
escape in any direction.

It was midnight when I reached the lock at Meulan, and, as was to be
expected, nothing had been seen or heard of the launch. It gave me
some satisfaction to telegraph to that dunderhead at Denouval to walk
along the river bank to Meulan, and report if he learnt the launch's
whereabouts. We took up our quarters in the lodgekeeper's house and
waited. There was little sense in sending men to scour the country at
this time of night, for the pursued were on the alert, and very
unlikely to allow themselves to be caught if they had gone ashore. On
the other hand, there was every chance that the captain would refuse
to let them land, because he must know his vessel was in a trap from
which it could not escape, and although the demand of the policeman at
Denouval was quite unauthorised, nevertheless the captain could not
know that, while he must be well aware of his danger in refusing to
obey a command from the authorities. Even if he got away for the
moment he must know that arrest was certain, and that his punishment
would be severe. His only plea could be that he had not heard and
unde