E-text prepared by Roger Frank
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team
(http://www.pgdpcanada.net)
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Copyright, 1902, by Robert W. Chambers.
All rights reserved.
Published September, 1903.
PREFACE
As far as the writer knows, no treasure-trains wereactually sent to the port of Lorient from thearsenal at Brest. The treasures remained at Brest.
Concerning the German armored cruiser Augusta, thefollowing are the facts: About the middle of Decembershe forced the blockade at Wilhelmshafen and ran forIreland, where, owing to the complaisance of the Britishauthorities, she was permitted to coal.
From there she steamed towards Brest, capturinga French merchant craft off that port, another nearRochefort, and finally a third. That ended her activecareer during the war; a French frigate chased herinto the port of Vigo and kept her there.
To conclude, certain localities and certain charactershave been sufficiently disguised to render recognitionimprobable. This is proper because “The Lizard”is possibly alive to-day, as are also the mayor of Paradise,Sylvia Elven, Jacqueline, and Speed, the latterhaving barely escaped death in the Virginius expedition.The original of Buckhurst now lives in New York,and remains a type whose rarity is its only recommendation.
Those who believe they recognize the Countess deVassart are doubtless in error. Mornac, long dead,is safe in his disguise; Tric-Trac was executed on thePlace