Evening star., 1907-10-27
THE VANISHING FLEETS
tonp pavI
Continued from page II

ions was tracked. The return Journey of the
vehicle, if such there had been, was not no
tlced, and therefore led to the theory that
somewhere within the Empire the Kaiser and
Chancellor were being held prisoners.
The puzzling feature of the occurrence was
that the Emperor must have been acquainted
and even terms of friendlinesS with the
who decoyed him away. No anarchistic
attempt could be deduCed from the situation.
because with the careful search that had been
made it was certain that there could have been
no assassination unless a most remarkable con-
Cealment had been made of all evidences of
the crime. Nor was it even tenabe that the
party had crossed the border line, because in
a condition of threatened war all travellers
were being closely watched.
Over every foot of the Empire and into the
most inaccessible portions, search was being
made for the place where the nations ruler
and the Chancellor might be held: but SO far
there had been nothing whatever that threw
aboutS. The attempts of the secret service
men and members of His Majesty's family to
keep his disappearance a secret failed and in
deed was unnecessary, for the people them
selves had to be enlisted in quest involving
the whole country
1t was at this JunCture that a Romany horse
trader, scenting reward, offered his services
and suggestion to the police which was
promptly acted upon. He described having
met the carriage which was supposed to have
instincts of the horSeman, he scrutinized the
animals more closely than the CONVEYANCE.
He said he was walking round turn in the
road, and was almost run over before he had
almost brushed him in passing, and he noticed
not only a singularity of gait but a peculiar
white mark on the animals flank.
The secret service men had already become
convinced that the team belonged within the
city, and so, as forlorn hope rather than In
the belief that cine would he uained thew
employed the Gypsy, giving him license to
adopt whatever means seemed the most likely
to discover and identify the horse. With
Romany cunning, he Immediately secured a
seat facing one of the most fashionable park
way drives, where he remained for hour after
hour, apparently occupied in smoking short
black pipe and presenting no marked differ
ence in appearance from that of a hundred
other lOungers.
1t was on the second dav of the trader
watch that he jumped to his feet and excitedly
after passing turnout, until he could at
tract the attention of a mounted officer, who
had been posted on the driveway for the pur-
pose of assisting him in case his quest should
develop anything worth following The man
pointed to the carriage ahead and in broken
German asserted his conviction that it was
the which had been used in the abduction.
The officer, after giving him hasty instructions
to report to headquarters, galloped down the
boulevard IN pursuit.
story, and a group of the most prominent
officials awaited the return of the mounted
officer One hour passed, and still another
before he appeared. and suspense by this time
was at high pitch. They began to look at the
horse trader with considerable suspicion, fear
ing a canard, and were almost on the point of
sending Others to search for the missing officer,
when the latter appeared, clinking his spurs
across the tiled floor of the entryway. He
looked sheepishly about him before saying
anything, and then addressing the Captain,
said, This man is either mistaken, or else the
affair promises to be more serious than we at
first believed"
Well" said his superior questioningly,
what about the carriage?"
The officer leaned over and spoke in a con-
fdential tone. The carriage was that of the
American Ambassador
The Captain started back as if paralyzed.
He impaired the news In an undertone to his
comrades in the room, and the excitement
grew. They dared go no further in this quest
without consulting those of higher authority,
and gathered into private chamber, taking
the Romany with them, where they waited
till they were joined by the supreme head of
the secret service department. This latter,
in person, questioned both the Gipsy and the
officer who had followed the carriage. All
that could be elected from the horse trader
was that he had been accustomed to observe
Ill