Stratton and Roche volunteered to accompany Eric, and receiving the Scoutmaster's permission, they went ashore.
Inquiries of people on the quay soon put the searchers on the track. The young English Sea Scout had been a fairly conspicuous feature on the French landscape. After proceeding down three or four streets, Flemming received the startling information that the lost youth had been seen taken into the police-station under the care of a gendarme.
"What's he been doing, I wonder?" asked Roche. "Butting up against some rotten red-tape regulation, I expect. Hadn't we better inform Mr. Armitage?"
"Let's make certain that Alan's under arrest first," suggested the Patrol Leader, and, led by a gamin, the Sea Scouts proceeded to the police-station.
At the door they nearly collided with the lost youth. Hepburn, looking rather red in the face, showed no enthusiasm at seeing his chums.
"I made a mistake," he admitted. "I mistook the police-station for the post-office, and it took me some time to explain."
Flemming roared with merriment.
"You're a bright one!" he exclaimed. "I know what you did: you asked for 'le poste' instead of 'la poste'. The first means a police-station, the second a post-office. That's one up against you, my festive."
The letters having been stamped and posted, the four Sea Scouts returned to the Olivette, where Hepburn made a belated breakfast to the accompaniment of a running fire of chaff from his chums.
"You wait," declared Alan, imperturbably; "I'll score off you fellows yet."