'Yes, I think I am right,' Sarrasin answered confidently. 'You see, we have the pull on them, for if their game is simple, ours is simple too. They want Ericson to die—we mean to keep him alive. You and I don't care two straws what becomes of our own lives in the row.'
'Not I, by Jove!' Hamilton exclaimed fervently.
'All right; then you see how easy it all is. Well, do you think we ought to wake up the Dictator? It seems unfair to rattle him up on mere speculation, but the business is serious.'
'Serious?—yes, I should think it was! Life or death—more than that, the ruin or the failure of a real cause!'
Hamilton knew that the Dictator had by nature a splendid gift of sleep, which had stood him in good stead during many an adventure and many a crisis. But it was qualified by a peculiarity which had to be recognised and taken into account. If his sleep were once broken in upon, it could not be put together again for that night. Therefore, his trusty henchman and valet took good care that his Excellency's slumbers should not if possible be disturbed. It should be said that mere noise never disturbed him. He would waken if actually called, but otherwise could sleep in spite of thunder. Now that he was in quiet civic life, it was easy enough for him to get as much unbroken sleep as he needed. The directions which his valet always gave at Paulo's Hotel were, that his Excellency was to be roused from his sleep if the house were on fire—not otherwise. Of course all this was perfectly understood by everybody in Seagate Hall.
'Must we waken him?' Sarrasin asked doubtfully.
'Oh, yes,' Hamilton answered decisively. 'I'll take that responsibility upon myself.'
'What I was thinking of,' Sarrasin whispered, 'was that if you and I were to keep close watch he might have his sleep out and no harm could happen to him.'
'But then we shouldn't get to know, for to-night at least, what the harm was meant to be, or whose the hand it was to come from. If there really is any attempt to be made, it will not be made while there is any suspicion that somebody is on the watch.'
'True,' said Sarrasin, quite convinced and prepared for anything.