point in the middle, and suggesting to me the beak of a snapping turtle, while his nose was long and acquisitive—a nose like the late King Leopold's.
Another thing in my favour was the fact that there was little danger of my being drawn into imprudence by such a hatred as Chu-Chu must have felt for me. There are certain human beings who are affected by the sight of an enemy just as you might expect a wild bull to be. It sends the blood to their heads and makes them a bit crazy, and even if they are able to control their actions their looks are apt to give them away. Chu-Chu was rather of this sort, I was inclined to think, and though he could be as acute as a fox when on the job, it wasn't unlikely that he d make some sort of a break once he thought that I was in his neighbourhood.
But what seemed to me by long odds the best card in my fist was the tip that Ivan had given me as we parted. Said Ivan: "Look out for an Oriental type of person with one nostril larger than the other. He is Chu-Chu's familiar. Some people say that he is Chu-Chu's brain."
Well, the stalk was on, and here I was out in the forest of St. Germain hidden in a clump of bay and laurel, rigging myself out like a prédicateur, or wandering preacher. I knew the part to perfection, for there had been one of these chaps doing missionary work at Cayenne, and several times I had talked with him and learned all about the fraternity. The costume, as well as the rôle, was ideal for my business. A man might wear anything under the long black soutane, and the round black hat had a wide brim that shielded the face by the least bend of the
