Amstetten. It seemed a tremendous
time before we got there. From behind my paper I could see five or six
policemen on the platform, one quite close. He opened the door, looked
at me, and walked through the carriage into the corridor. I took some
tobacco and rolled up a cigarette, but it shook, Harz lifted the ivy
twig, like this. In a minute the conductor and two more policemen came.
'He was here,' said the conductor, 'with this gentleman.' One of them
looked at me, and asked: 'Have you seen a policeman travelling on
this train?' 'Yes,' I said. 'Where?' 'He got out at St. Polten.' The
policeman asked the conductor: 'Did you see him get out there?' The
conductor shook his head. I said: 'He got out as the train was moving.'
'Ah!' said the policeman, 'what was he like?' 'Rather short, and no
moustache. Why?' 'Did you notice anything unusual?' 'No,' I said, 'only
that he wore coloured trousers. What's the matter?' One policeman said
to the other: 'That's our man! Send a telegram to St. Polten; he has
more than an hour's start.' He asked me where I was going. I told him:
'Linz.' 'Ah!' he said, 'you'll have to give evidence; your name and
address please?' 'Josef Reinhardt, 17 Donau Strasse.' He wrote it down.
The conductor said: 'We are late, can we start?' They shut the door. I
heard them say to the conductor: 'Search again at Linz, and report to
the Inspector there.' They hurried on to the platform, and we started.
At first I thought I would get out as soon as the train had left the
station. Then, that I should be too far from the frontier; better to go
on to Linz and take my chance there. I sat still and tried not to think.

"After a long time, we began to run more slowly. I put my head out and
could see in the distance a ring of lights hanging in the blackness. I
loosened the carriage door and waited for the train to run slower still;
I didn't mean to go into Linz like a rat into a trap. At last I could
wait no longer; I opened the door, jumped and fell into some bushes.
I was not much hurt, but bruised, and the breath knocked out of me. As
soon as I could, I crawled out. It was very dark. I felt heavy and sore,
and for some time went stumbling in and out amongst trees. Presently I
came to a clear space; on one side I could see the town's shape drawn in
lighted lamps, and on the other a dark mass, which I think was forest;
in the distance too was a thin chain of lights. I thought: 'They must
be the lights of a bridge.' Ju