, 1891-08-30
CHAPTER VIII.

Cipher writing is so ancient an art
that there is little or nothing to be said
about it, and perhaps there are no new
cipher types to be invented. The ideal
cipher is M that is easily written and
read by those in the secret, and yet Is
practically undecipherable by outsiders.
In such a cipher all the time and labor are
expended upon determining its funda-
mental principles of construction. Once
those are settled, the practical working
of it is simple.
The cipher which Keppel was dealing
with was of this species, and perhaps
no more nearly perfect one was ever
made. 1t was based upon the philo-
sophie structure of language, and upon
the mathematical principle that gives
different values or meanings TO n char
acter according TO its place in n combi-
nation. This plan enables words to be
written with much fewer letters than
are contained in the ordinary alphabet
and to be expressed with not more than
four characters-as, one to represent the
root of the word, one for the termina-
tons, one for the part Of speech, one for
such common combinations as ion, ght,
ment, phi, and so on. Thus, IL in the
cipher ikmn meant writing, her kim
would mean writer, iknm written or
wrote, and kiln to write. Further mod
i6cations were indicated by the capital
letters, and Others of a different kind by
the periods and commas.
But it will not be necessary to carry
these hints any further. Enough has
been said to enable the reader, if he be
30 minded, to work out the problem.
Keppel in the course of twenty minutes
had read the cipher letter. which, trans
lated from the French into English, ran
as follows:
Arrangements nave been perfected.
Name of messenger, Maurice Solange.
Trust him. He leaves Paris February
fifteen. Will take easterly route, and
should arrive not later than June. He
will telegraph from Panama. Send to
meet him at New Orleans. Treasure
packed in box, concealed, as already ad-
vised. Approximate value, twenty mill
ion pounds sterling. In case Of rob-
berry, death or accident inform us by
cable. On receiving treasure store quiz
city (phno) in private vault. Rate of
commission, n per cent. per annum
We intend to declare wa in early sum
mer, but circumstances may delay.
Winter campaign not desired. If sue
cessful Solange will bring back treasure.
Keep him with you meanwhile. If de-
feated we shall leave ut once for New
York incognito mgil F. Empress and
son to England. Keep us constantly in
formed of your movements. Estimate
SO far IS possible whether American
sympathies incline toward France or
Germany. Would it be advisable to
bring about collision between Germany
and United States? Is it possible that
arrangements can still be made about
Mexico? If we miscarry with Germany
something must be lone to consolidate
and stimulate imperial sentiment here.
Our hand and seal"
The political immortality indicated by
this document did not at the time par
ticularly impress Keppel; his interest
was m%onopolized by that part of the let
ter relating to the treasure. For some
minutes his mind staggered in bewilder-
ment at the suggestion presented to it.
1t seemed far more incredible now than
before that "a great fortune should actu-
ally be within his reach. He had dreamed
a wild dream of hundreds of thousands
of dollars, and it had almost seemed real
to him, but now that he heard, as it
were, the very jingle of n hundred mill
ions he could not believe it. And yet
the evidence that a fortune not less vast
lay possibly within a few yards of where
he was sitting was more than plausible.
The more he examined it the more plaus-
ible did it appear.
He endeayored to review the situation
step by step. He had found a man who
manifestly carried some weighty secret
on his mind. This man, who was dying
Of yellow fever, spoke of one Maurice as
being dead and as haunting him. Who
could Maurice be but the Maurice So
LANCE mentioned in the cipher letter?
Maurice, then, according to the letter,
had been dispatched in charge of a treas
ure to America by way of India and the
Pacific. 1t was not uncommon for ships
making u n voyage to be visited by
yellow fever. Maurice may nave died
OF it, or he may have been murdered.
Be that as it might, the man whose body
lay within there had evidently got hold
Of the treasure and had brought it here.
be had said that he meant to dispose of
1t piece by piece. He had spoken of the
emperor. Who could this emperor be
but Napoleon? And by whom, unless by
Napoleon, could the cipher letter nave
been written? Napoleon. for reasons of
hls own, had determined to send this
treasure to some one in New York. Who
was that person? The cipher letter had
been found in the pocket of Harry Trent.
Ihsrs vs. therefore no escape from the
Hoeiff6 that Harry Trent must have
H. th4 c%onsignee of the treasure.
H&rry Trent, again, vas a dealer in
precious stones, and was known to be
personally acquainted with h French
emperor. The pieces of the puzzle fitted
into one another hke a mosaic. And by