Chapters (12)
“Place a strong guard—a guard of thirty picked men, with a relief of thirty—over the place from whence the elephant was stolen, to keep strict watch there night and day, and allow none to approach—except reporters—without written authority from me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Place detectives in plain clothes in the railway, steamship, and ferry depots, and upon all roadways leading out of Jersey City, with orders to search all suspicious persons.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Furnish all these men with photograph and accompanying description of the elephant, and instruct them to search all trains and outgoing ferry-boats and other vessels.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If the elephant should be found, let him be seized, and the information forwarded to me by telegraph.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let me be informed at once if any clews should be found,—footprints of the animal, or anything of that kind.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get an order commanding the harbor police to patrol the frontages vigilantly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Despatch detectives in plain clothes over all the railways, north as far as Canada, west as far as Ohio, south as far as Washington.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Place experts in all the telegraph offices to listen to all messages; and let them require that all cipher despatches be interpreted to them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let all these things be done with the utmost secrecy,—mind, the most impenetrable secrecy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Report to me promptly at the usual hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go!”
“Yes, sir.”
He was gone.
Inspector Blunt was silent and thoughtful a moment, while the fire in his eye cooled down and faded out. Then he turned to me and said in a placid voice,—
“I am not given to boasting, it is not my habit; but—we shall find the elephant.”
I shook him warmly by the hand and thanked him; and I felt my thanks, too. The more I had seen of the man the more I liked him, and the more I admired him and marvelled over the mysterious wonders of his profession. Then we parted for the night, and I went home with a far happier heart than I had carried with me to his office.