The Stratagem and Other Stories

were the mere pieces of the puzzle of the master- thinker. For instance, I would get this message; owh- momdvvtxskzvgcqxzllhtrejrgscpxjrmsgausrgwhbdxzldabe, which, when deciphered (and the spy would gnash his teeth every time Dodu signalled a W), only meant: ‘The peaches of 1761 are luminous in the gardens of Ver- sailles.’ “Or again: ‘Hunt; the imprisoned Pope; the Pompa- dour; the Stag and Cross. ‘The men of the fourth of September; their leader divided by the letters of the Vic- tim of the Eighth of Thermidor.’ ‘Crillon was unfortunate that day, though braver than ever.’ “Such were the indications from which I sought to piece together our plan of escape! “Perhaps rather by intuition than by reason, I gath- ered from some two hundred of such clues that the guards Bertrand, Rolland, and Monet, had been bribed, and also promised advancement, and (above all) re- moval from the hated Island, should they connive at our escape. It seemed that the Government had still use for its first strategist. The eclipse was due some ten weeks ahead, and needed neither bribe nor promise. The diffi- culty was to ensure the presence of Bertrand as sentinel in our corridor, Rolland at the ring-fence, and Monet at the outposts. The chances against such a combination at the eclipse were infinitesimal, 99,487,306,294,236,873,489 to 1. “It would have been madness to trust to luck in so essential a matter. Dodu set to work to bribe the Gov- ernor himself. This was unfortunately impossible; for (a) no one could approach the governor even by means of the intermediary of the bribed guards; (b) the offence for which he had been promoted to the governorship was of a nature unpardonable by any Government. He was in reality more a prisoner than ourselves; (c) he was a man of immense wealth, assured career, and known probity.