The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-08-08
THE
EET OF THE TIGER
MAURICE LEBLANC
TRANSLATED BY
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS

low you"
He was the last out, leaving the
electric light full on.
In the hall he asked the chief
detective to blow his whistle.
When all the plain clothes men
had assembled, he sent them out
of the house together with the
porter, and shut the door behind
him. Then, calling the detectives
who were watching the boulevard,
he said:
"Let everybody stand a good
distance away; push the crowd
as far back as you can; and be
quick about it. We shall enter
the house again in half an hour"
"And you, Monsieur lie Pre-
fetf' whispered Mazeroux. "You
won't remain here, I hope2"
"No, that l shan't!" he said
laughing. eff I take our friend
Perenna's advice at all, I may as
well take it thoroughly"
"There is only two minutes
left"
"Our friend Perenna spoke of
3 o'clock, not of two minutes to 3.
So"
He crossed the boulevard, &C
companied by his secretary gen.
eral, the chief detective, and
Mazeroux, and clambered up the
slope of the Notifications opposite
the house.
} perhaps we ought to stoop
down. suggested Maneroux.
"Let's stoop, by all means"
said the prefect, still in a good
humor. "But, honestly, if there 8
no explosion, l shall send a bullet
through my head. / could not 60
on living after making myself look
so ridiculous"
"There will be an explosion,
Monsieur lie Prefet," declared
Mazeroux.
What confidence you must
have in our friend Don Luis!"
"You have just the same conf
dence, Monsieur lie Prefet."
They were silent, irritated by
the wait, and struggling with the
absurd anxiety that oppressed
them. They counted the seconds
singly, by the beating Of their
hearts. 1t was interminable.
Three o'clock sounded from
somewhere.
"You see," grinned M. Desma-
lions, in an altered voice, "you
see! There's nothing, thank good
ness!'
And he growled:
"It's idiotic, perfectly idiotic !
How could any one imagine such
nonsense!"
Another clock struck, farther
away. Then the hour also rang
from the roof Of a neighboring
building.
Before the third stroke had
sounded they heard a kind Of
cracking, and, the next moment,
came the terrible blast, complete,
but so brief that they had only, so
to speak, a vision of an immense
sheaf of flames and smoke shoot
ing forth enormous stones and
pieces of wall, something like the
grand finale of a fireworks dis
play. And it was all over. The
volcano had erupted.
"Look sharp.' shouted the pre-
feet of police, darting forward.
Telephone for the engine, qaick
in case of fire !"
He caught Nazerotrx by the
arm:
run to my motor; you II see
it 100 yards down the boulevard.
Tell the man to drive YOU to Don
and, if you find him, release
him and bring him here"
Under arrest, Monsieur lie Pre-
fet?"
"Under arrest? You re mad!' ~
"But, if the deputy chief"
"The deputy chief will keep his
mouth shut. I'll see to that. Be
off,"
Mazeroux fulfilled his mission,
not with greater speed than if he
had been sent to arrest Don Luis,
for MazerouX was a conscientious
man, but with extraordinary
pleasure. The fight which ne had
been obliged to wage against the
man whom he still called "the
chief had often distressed him
to the point of tears. This time he
was coming to help him, perhaps
to save his life.
That afternoon the deputy
chief had ceased his search of the
house, by M. Dcsmalions' orders,
as Don Luis escape seemed GER
tain, and left only three men on
duty. Mazeroux found them in a
room on the ground floor, where