he might play the part successfully."

148

"Yes, but is he ? I never heard of him as

an expert in disguise. He has not the guile

and cunning of the serpent. He is a wild

boar, ferocious, terrible, who charges in

blind fury."

Poirot said:

"All the same. . . ."

Drouet agreed quickly.

"Ah yes, he is a fugitive from justice.

Therefore he is forced to dissemble. So

he may—in fact he must be—more or

less disguised."

"You have his description ?"

The other shrugged his shoulders.

"Roughly only. The official Bertillon

photograph and measurements were to

have been sent up to me today. I know

only that he is a man of thirty odd, of a

little over medium height and of dark

complexion. No distinguishing marks."

Poirot shrugged his shoulders.

"That could apply to anybody. What

about the American, Schwartz ?35

"I was going to ask you that. You have

spoken with him, and you have lived, I

think, much with the English and the

Americans. To a casual glance he appears

to be the normal travelling American. His

149

passport is in order. It is perhaps strange

that he should elect to come here--but

Americans when travelling are quite incalculable.

What do you think yourself?55

Hercule Poirot shook his head in perplexity.

He said:

"On the surface, at any rate, he appears

to be a harmless slightly over-friendly, man.

He might be a bore, but it seems difficult to

regard him as a danger." He went on: "But

there are three more visitors here."

The Inspector nodded, his face suddenly

eager.

"Yes, and they are the type we are looking

for. I'll take my oath, M. Poirot, that

those three men are at any rate members

of Marrascaud's gang. They're racecourse

toughs if I ever saw them! and one of the

three may be Marrascaud himself."

Hercule Poirot reflected. He recalled the

three faces.

One was a broad face with overhanging

brows and a fat jowl --a hoggish, bestial

face. One was lean and thin with a sharp

narrow face and cold eyes. The third man

was a pasty-faced fellow with a slight

dandiacal air.

150

FR1;Yes, one of the three might well be

Marrascaud, but if so, the question came

insistently, why\ Why should Marrascaud

and two members of his gang journey together

and ascend into a rat-trap on a

mountain side ? A meeting surely could be

arranged in safer and less fantastic surroundings

--in a cafe --in a railway station

--in a crowded cinema --in a public

park --somewhere where there were exits

in plenty --not here far above the world

in a wilderness of snow.

Something of this he tried to convey to

Inspector Drouet and the latter agreed

readily enough.

"But yes, it is fantastic, it does not make

sense.39

"If it is a rendezvous^ why do they travel together^ No, indeed, it does not make sense."

Drouet said, his face worried:

"In that case, we have to examine a