ill slay me if I disobey him!
Besides," he added, with cowardly cunning, "they are going to do the
same thing in Lorient, too--and everywhere--in Paris, in Bordeaux, in
Marseilles--even in Quimperle! And when all these cities are flying
the red flag it won't be comfortable for cities that fly the
tricolor." He began to bluster. "I'm mayor of Paradise, and I won't
be bullied! You get out of here with your circus and your foolish
elephants! I haven't any gendarmes just now to drive you out, but you
had better start, all the same--before night."

"Oh," I said, "before night? Why before night?"

"Wait and see then," he muttered. "Anyway, get out of my house--d'
ye hear?"

"We are going to give that performance at two o'clock this
afternoon," I said. "After that, another to-morrow at the same hour,
and on every day at the same hour, as long as it pays. Do you
understand?"

"Perfectly," sneered the mayor.

"And," I continued, "if the governor of Lorient sends gendarmes to
conduct us to the steamship in Lorient harbor, they'll take with them
somebody besides the circus folk."

"You mean me?" he inquired.

"I do."

"What do I care?" he bawled in a fury. "You had better go to
Lorient, I tell you. What do you know about the commune? What do you
know about universal brotherhood? Everybody's everybody's brother,
whether you like it or not! I'm your brother, and if it doesn't suit
you you may go to the devil!"

Watching the infuriated magistrate, I said in English to Speed: "This
is interesting. Buckhurst has learned we are here, and has paid this
fellow heavily to have us expelled. What sense do you make of all
this?--for I can make none."

"Nor can I," muttered Speed; "there's a link gone; we'll find it
soon, I fancy. Without that link there's no logic in this matter."

"Look here," I said, sharply, to the mayor, who had waddled toward
the door, which was guarded by Kelly Eyre.

"Well, I'm looking," he snarled.

Then I patiently pointed out to him his folly, and he listened with
ill-grace, obstinate, mute, dull cunning gleaming from his half-closed
eyes.

Then I asked him what he would do if the cruiser began dropping shells
into Paradise; he deliberately winked at me and thrust his tongue into
his cheek.

"So you know that the cruiser has gone?" I asked.

He grinned.

"Do you suppose Buckhurst's men hold the semaphore? If they do, they
sent that cruiser on a fool's errand," whispered Speed.

Here was a