ng
there," he thought to himself; "mind you don't keep him company in the
galleys."

An odd fancy to cross a stranger's mind.

Was it prophetic?

CHAPTER XCV.

PLANS FOR OUR FRIENDS' RELEASE--MURRAY'S COUNTER-PLOT--THE LETTER, AND
HOW IT WAS INTERCEPTED--HERBERT MURRAY TRIUMPHS--CHIVEY WORKS THE
ARTFUL DODGE.

"Well," exclaimed the unfortunate Mole, "this is a nice go!"

"I'm glad you think it nice," said young Jack, bitterly.

As they spoke, they were being led through the streets of Marseilles,
handcuffed and two abreast, with a brace of gendarmes between each
couple.

The people flocked out to stare at the "notorious gang of forgers,
which"--so rang the report--"had just been captured by the police,
after making a desperate resistance."

The first impulse of Jack Harkaway himself had been naturally to resist
his captors.

But he was speedily shown the uselessness of such a course.

When they were brought up before the judge for examination, they
protested their innocence, and told the simple truth.

But this did not avail them.

Herbert Murray had prepared the way for their statements to be regarded
as falsehoods.

By this means, when Jack protested that his name was Harkaway, it went
clearly against him, inasmuch as it corroborated what Murray had said.

So they were remanded, one and all, and sent back to the cells.

Mr. Mole's indignation could not be subdued.

"These people are worse than savages!" he exclaimed; "but we'll let
them know. They shall make us ample reparation for this indignity."

He talked threateningly of the British ambassador, and made all kinds
of threats.

But he was poohpoohed by the authorities.

Harry Girdwood was the only one of the party who kept his coolness.

He put forth his request with so much earnestness, to be allowed to see
the English consul, that his request was granted at once.

He drew up a letter and entrusted it to the gaoler, who promised to
have it forwarded.

Now this became known to Herbert Murray, and he then saw that he had
still a task of no ordinary difficulty before him--that it was not
sufficient alone to have his hated enemies arrested.

The greater difficulty by far was to keep them now that he had secured
them.

In this crisis he once more consulted with his worthless servant and
confederate, Chivey.

"Our next job," said Chivey, doubtfully, "is to get at the gaoler, and
stop the letter he has received from reaching it