de l'Etoile and the Avenue de la Grande Armee. The two taxis, of
the same horsepower, kept an equal pace, but the Marquis de Serac's
chauffeur seemed the smarter man. At any rate, he was the more daring.
He dodged in and out of the traffic and began to gain on his pursuers.

"He's taking us to the Bois," growled Juve, as they made a turn to the
left after passing the fortifications, before the Barriere de Neuilly.
The pace increased in the back streets and then, suddenly, the taxi of
the Marquis de Serac disappeared!

It had turned sharply down a narrow street.

At the risk of his neck, the detective sprang out of his taxi and rushed
round the corner, just in time to hear a door bang to.

Wulf now joined him.

"We have wasted our time, my dear Juve. The taxi we have been following
was empty. It made a circuit and passed me just now."

"Just what I expected!" cried Juve, "our man got out of it ... he is
still here."

Juve took out his revolver, and then an exclamation of surprise escaped
his lips. Fifty yards away, a figure appeared, vague and dressed in
white.

"What the devil does that mean? I've been following the Marquis de
Serac, of that I'm sure, and now I find this other one." Then turning to
Wulf, he gripped him by the arm. "You see that individual, well, he is
the Primitive Man Ouaouaoua."

* * * * *

Taking the utmost precaution, Juve and Wulf followed the enigmatic
Ouaouaoua for over an hour. The singular meeting had given the detective
food for thought. This man had figured prominently at the ceremony of
the Singing Fountains; again, he had been foremost in the demonstration
of the mob against the King outside the Royal Palace. It was now that a
suspicion came to Juve's mind, that this venerable beard and white
woollen robe concealed the person of the Marquis de Serac.

"Whatever happens," he muttered, "I must get to the bottom of this.
While it would be quite easy to bring him down with a shot from my
revolver, yet, once dead, I could get no information from him."

They arrived at the corner of the Boulevard Malesherbes and the Avenue
de Villiers, and Juve's excitement grew, for he knew that not far away
was the America Hotel, where Lady Beltham had put up under the name of
the Grand Duchess Alexandra. Ah! If it were possible to connect the
Primitive Man with her! In that case he would not hesitate to arrest
them both, although he suspected that Fantomas's mistre