ana_, and suffice it for the present we're having a
regal time. Come, cheer up, Monsieur Taltavull; you aren't half
enjoying yourself."

"It is terrible this uncertainty," groaned the old man, the words being
jolted out of him in gasps. "We do not know whether or no the wretches
are in that train after all. We may even be racing away from them.
Senores, you have been too precipitate."

"Precipitate?" rejoined Haigh; "not a bit of it, _amigo_. Both
'wretches,' as you are pleased to style them, are in a drab-lined
first-class compartment in the middle of the centre coach. I saw Madame
Cromwell looking at us through the window, and took off my hat to her.
She bowed, and mentioned our presence to M. l'Aveugle. So you see they
understand our game, and see that we have tumbled to theirs. Three
A.B.'s to a clever woman and a wily blind man. The latter combination
is slightly the weaker of the two, and therefore is allowed start
according to the ordinary handicap. Nothing could be fairer. I'm open
to back either side for a win in anything up to ten carats of
diamonds."

Bar accidents, it seemed to me certain that we must overtake the train;
but as we went along, the Book of our Fate read otherwise. Apparently
that was the only day in the record of the world when a Spanish train
had run true to time, and with anything approaching speed. There was
only one explanation for it: our rivals must have "got at" the
engine-driver. However, be that as it may, we hung very closely on to
their heels, and always viewed them when the course of the line was at
all straight.

Indeed, at the junction of the Manacor branch the train was still in
the station as we drove up outside at a furious gallop; but before we
could get in and past those infernally placid officials, she steamed
out again, and we had a desperate run along the platform for nothing.
At least, Taltavull and I did. Nothing could induce Haigh to pick up
his feet for anything quicker than a walk.

We lost ground over this excursion, as the old man was so infernally
blown with the sprint that he could scarcely totter back to the
carriage; and by the time we had got under way again, the tail of the
train was a good two kilometres ahead. But the mules were all the
better for the short breather, and entering gamely into the spirit of
the thing, stretched out into a long swinging lope that kept the chase
from gaining a single inch.

It was their frequent halts at the little ways