In as few words as possible the entire story of the attempt made to steal the papers was told him. He listened intently, and shook his head gloomily at the end.
“He was a cunning rascal, indeed, that Lascar,” said he. “He took the packet and substituted another resembling it in order to delay the alarm long enough to permit him to get safe away.”
“But,” cried Paul Jones, “how could he know anything about the appearance of the packet?”
“You forget our young friend’s statement that the Lascar saw it lying upon the table between him and Mr. Hancock. For a fellow as keen as he it only required a glance and he carried away a picture of it in his mind.”
“The attack at the inn is more than I can understand,” said Ethan. “If they already had the dispatch why should they set upon us after demanding it? The matter has a queer look.”
“Most queer,” agreed the sage, wrinkling his brows. “And, to me, there seems to be only one explanation: The Lascar stole the dispatch and kept the fact hidden from his employer and comrades. He had come to understand that it was a very valuable thing and made up his mind that the profit to come from it was to be all his own.”
“Bravo,” cried John Paul Jones. “That must be it--and that fact holds out a promise.”
“We may recover the dispatch! The Lascar will be forced to sound every step of his way toward the disposal of the paper. He may know that it is valuable but he will not know to whom.”
“A good thought,” said Mr. Franklin. “As long as it does not reach the British ministers, who alone would understand it, the paper can do no harm.”
“It shall not reach them,” cried Ethan. “I’ll hunt this man, Siki, all over Europe but what I’ll have the dispatch from him!”
And Captain Jones reached forward and clasped him by the hand.
HOW ETHAN AND LONGSWORD MET A MAN NAMED FOCHARD
Captain Jones did not propose to leave Paris for a few days, and this gave Ethan an idea.
“When Danvers and Siki and the rest of them rode away from the Burgundian King the other night they came in the direction of Paris. I think that it would be as well were Shamus and myself to look about in the districts most frequented by sailors; we might come upon the Lascar, somewhere.”
As the commander of the Ranger approved of this, the two set out that afternoon.