"Not unless our plans come to the ears of General Joffre. If he knew of the plan he might, of course, hurry up reënforcements enough to stop it."
"And if, by any chance, this offensive fails, the other plan will be put into execution, you say?"
"Yes, it has been arranged, I understand, down to the last detail. The Paris Apaches, as you know, have neither love of country nor love of fellow-men. They seek only gold. Well, a man, Pierre Duval, by name, the King of the Paris Apaches, has been reached by one of our agents. I am told he has 500 underworld denizens at his command. These, at an auspicious moment, will seize the president, who will be hustled into a closed automobile surrounded by the army of Apaches, and the rest will be easy."
"But Poincaré's bodyguard?"
"Ach! It will not be strong enough to cope with the Apaches. Besides, the surprise itself augurs well for the success of the plan."
"Well, I hope neither plan fails."
"You may rest easy on that score. If one fails the other is sure to succeed."
Hal and Chester, from their concealment, heard the men rise and move off in the opposite direction.
"Great Scott!" cried Chester. "Do you know what that means?"
"I do," said Hal simply. "It means that, unless General Joffre is warned, the French army may suffer a crushing blow; also, if President Poincaré is not warned, he may be kidnapped by the enemy!"