Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Dragos Twice Setbacks

The Carpathian Mountains draw a large arc in the north of Hungary, and the two ends are divided into two branches.One branch extends to Pressburg on the Danube and disappears; the other branch meets the Danube near the town of Gland, crosses the Danube and continues on the right bank, forming the Pilish Mountain at an altitude of 766 meters. It was at the foot of this modest mountain that the crime had been committed, and it was there that Dragosh had his first encounter with the most diabolical bandits he had been ordered to capture. After leaving the shipowner without saying goodbye, Dragos, regardless of his physical weakness, worked hard to follow Ullman to investigate the crime scene.Just a few hours before this, a fully loaded carriage pulled up in front of a humble roadside inn.The inn was built under a hill where the Pilish Mountain meets the Danube.From a commercial point of view, the location of this inn is very appropriate.Here is the junction of three roads: one road goes north, bypassing the Pilish Mountains; one road goes southeast, leading to the city of St. André;These three roads all lead to the Danube River. It can be said that this inn is located in the center of a water and land thoroughfare. Since vehicles must pass through here to transport goods by road, the business of the inn is particularly prosperous.

When the carriage stopped at the door of the inn, the sun had just risen from the east.The people in the inn were still still, and the thick shutters were all closed. Hello!Hello!shouted one of the two shopkeepers driving the carriage, knocking on the door with the handle of his whip. come on!The shopkeeper was awakened by the shout and quickly replied. After a while, a shaggy head poked out from the window on the second floor. what do you wantthe shopkeeper asked bluntly. Get something to eat first, then get some sleep.said the man pulling the cart. just come.After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he disappeared into the house.

The side door was opened and the carriage was drawn into the yard.The two coachmen quickly unhasted the two horses, drove them to the stable, and brought a lot of fodder for the horses to eat.At this moment, the shopkeeper kept walking around the two customers who left the store early in the morning. Obviously, he wanted to strike up a conversation with the customers.However, the two coachmen didn't seem to want to talk to him. Dude, you got there early!The storekeeper said in a roundabout way, it seems that you have been driving all night. Probably.one of them replied. Are you still going far?

Whether it is far or near, this is our own business.The driver gave him a nod. The innkeeper stopped asking after hearing what he said. Vogue, why did you treat this kind man so roughly?The other driver, who hadn't spoken yet, interrupted, saying that we're going to Saint-André, and there's no reason to hide it from you. We have nothing to hide, that's true, Vogel retorted gruffly, but I don't think it's anyone else's business. Of course, of course, the shopkeeper agreed, smiling all over his face, he is really a businessman who knows how to do business.I asked those words just now, just a few small talk Do you two gentlemen want something to eat?

'Yes,' said the kinder-looking of the two drivers, 'bread, and bacon, and ham, and sausages, and take what you have. The carriage must have gone a long way, for the two drivers were very hungry, and devoured food and drink as soon as they came.They were also very tired, so they didn't linger at the table and eat endlessly.Swallowing the last bite of food in a hurry, they hurried to find a place to sleep. One slept on the straw mat in the stable with the horse, and the other slept under the cloth awning of the carriage. When they woke up in the afternoon, they couldn't wait to order a second meal, which was still eaten in the lobby of the inn, just like breakfast.This time, they rested well, and they ate more carefully.After the meal, I used some desserts, and then poured soju into my stomach cup by cup like drinking water.

In the afternoon, many carriages traveling from south to north stopped at the inn.Many passers-by went in for a drink or two, most of them peasants, with their satchels on their shoulders and long sticks in their hands, going to or returning from Grange, almost all regular customers.The innkeeper can't help but be proud of his ability to keep a clear head, which is also a professional requirement, because in order to make the business more prosperous, he has to clink glasses with all the customers frequently without getting drunk.People chatted while drinking. If they talked too much, their throats would become more and more dry. Once their throats were dry, they would naturally pour down a few more glasses of wine.

There was a lot of talk on this day.The crime of the previous night had disturbed the hearts of the people.The first passers-by brought the news, and each traveler added a detail not known to everyone, or offered a little opinion of his own. In this way, the innkeeper learned one after another: 500 meters away from the bank of the Danube, the magnificent villa of Earl Hagno was ransacked, and Christian, the gatekeeper, was seriously injured.This case may be the work of those extremely hard-to-catch villains who have done so many times along the Danube and have not yet been arrested.The police forces of various countries have finally united, and a special operations brigade aimed at monitoring the Danube River Basin has been newly established to hunt down these criminals.

This incident made the inn seething, people were talking loudly, expressing emotion from time to time, and shouting excitedly.However, the two coachmen never joined the conversation, but just stayed quietly.However, not a word of the conversations of the people around them escaped their ears, because they would never be indifferent to this event that shocked everyone. The uproar slowly subsided.It was nearly evening, around half past six, and there were only the two of them left in the hall, and even the last passer-by had gone away.A coachman immediately called the shopkeeper.The innkeeper was busy cleaning the wine glasses on the counter, when he heard someone yelling, he hurried forward and asked:

What are your orders, gentlemen? Supper, replied a coachman. and sleep, eh?the shopkeeper asked. No, boss, said the nicer driver, we're going to leave tonight Traveling at night?The shopkeeper was very surprised. Oh, and it's for getting to market at first light.The customer continued. San André's market? Or go to Grand, depending on the situation.We are waiting here for a friend who has gone to inquire about the market.He will tell us where our goods are better sold. The shopkeeper left the hall to prepare dinner. Did you hear that, Keselik?said the young coachman, leaning over to his companion.

I heard. Things were out. I don't think you can expect the paper to cover the fire forever. The police are hunting us everywhere. Let them go. Everyone said it was led by Dragos. Vogel, that's another matter.The way I see it, those who are only afraid of Dragosh can rest easy. What do you mean by that? That's what it means, Vogel. So Dragos was? What happened? Got killed! Tomorrow you will understand, until then, don't say anything.When the coachman saw the innkeeper returning, he ended the conversation. The man the two coachmen were waiting for did not come until late at night.The three discussed it hastily.

People say the police are hunting here.Keselik whispered. Let them search, but they won't be able to catch us. So what about Dragos? locked up. Who did it? ticha. This is great!What about us, what should we do next? Hit the wagon now. where to? Go in the direction of San André.But when you get to a place 500 meters away from here, you will turn back the same way.At that time, the inn was closed.You come here without being seen, and then take the road going north.Others think that you have gone to one end, but actually you are on the other end. Where is the barge now? Stop at Pelish Creek. Just meet there? No, a little closer, meet at the glade on the left side of the road.Do you know that place? Know. We gathered about fifteen people, and you go and join them. how about you? I went back to the rest, who I had left there to watch, and I went and brought them. Then hit the road.The two coachmen agreed. Five minutes later, the cart set off with bumps.The shopkeeper hurriedly opened the door leading to the vehicle, and bid farewell to the guests politely. So you must be going to Grand, right?he asks. No, replied the coachmen, to Saint-André, sir. Bon voyage, lads!said the shopkeeper. thank you. The carriage went out, turned right, and headed east toward Saint-André.When the carriage disappeared into the night, the man whom Keselik and Vogel had been waiting for all day also got up and left, turning in the opposite direction to Grand. The innkeeper hardly noticed his absence.After dismissing this group of guests who were likely to never visit again, he hurriedly closed the door, got into bed and went to sleep. At this time, the cart pulled away by the horses at a slow pace ran for about 500 meters according to the leader's instructions, then turned back suddenly, and turned back along the route it had just walked. When the carriage drove back to the vicinity of the inn, it turned out that the doors and windows of the house were already closed.The carriage passed by smoothly at first, but a dog sleeping in the middle of the road suddenly jumped up and ran away, barking wildly.The coachmen hurriedly pulled the horses into the middle of the road, and the carriage disappeared into the thick night again. About half-past ten the carriage left the main road and drove into a dark and secluded grove on the left.After the wheels turned a few times, the carriage was blocked by someone. who?A voice in the dark questioned. Keselick and Vogel.replied the coachman. Come on, said the voice. After driving through a few rows of woods, the carriage entered a forest glade, where fifteen big men were sleeping on the moss. Is the boss there?Keselik asked. Not yet. He told us to wait for him here. It didn't take long.It was only half an hour after the carriage arrived, the boss, who was going to the inn later, came in a mighty way, surrounded by a dozen or so clerks.Including the accomplices who have arrived, there are nearly thirty people in total. Is everything here?he asked. It's all here.Keselik replied that he seemed to be a minor leader in the gang as well. What about Ticha? I'm here.A loud voice answered. How's it going?the boss asked him anxiously. All is well and the bird is already in the cage. Then let's start, hurry up, the boss ordered, six people will go ahead to explore the road, and the rest will go behind, and the car will go in the middle.The Danube is less than 500 meters away, and the cargo can be unloaded in no time.After the cargo was unloaded, Vogel drove the empty truck away, the locals quietly returned to their homes, and the rest got on the barge. Everyone was about to carry out the boss's order, when a guy who was on guard on the side of the road rushed over, out of breath, and said in a low voice: "There is a situation!" What's up?asked the bandit leader. listen! Everyone pricked up their ears.There was the sound of a procession walking on the other side of the road, and after a while, muffled voices were heard.They will not be more than two hundred meters away from here. We stayed in the glade first, and the boss ordered, let these people go first, they can't see us. Indeed, because of the darkness of night, they could not be seen.However, if in case of bad luck, the team heading for the Danube is a group of policemen responsible for monitoring this area, then the problem will be serious.Of course, they probably wouldn't find the barge, not to mention that the barge had been prepared for a long time. Even if the police searched the barge inside and out, they wouldn't find anything suspicious.However, even if this group did not suspect that the stolen ship was here, they might still be lying in ambush near the river bank.In such a case, it would be very dangerous to pull the carriage out. In short, we must judge the situation and act accordingly.If necessary, they would wait all day in the glade, and at night send a few people to the Danube to investigate and investigate, and make plans when they are sure that there is no police force. At present, the top priority is not to expose yourself, and don't disturb the approaching team. After a while, this group of people came to the road outside the glade.Even though the night was thick, it was still vaguely discernible that there were a dozen or so of them in total, and the clanging noises from their bodies indicated that they were all fully armed. Originally, they had already walked through the forest clearing, but an unexpected situation completely disrupted the robbers' overall plan. One of the two horses in the harness snorted in surprise when he heard the sound of the crowd walking on the road, and then neighed again, and the other horse neighed immediately. The marching team stopped immediately. This is really a group of policemen, they are walking towards the Danube, and the leader of the team is Karl.Dragosh, who had recovered from his morning drowning. If the bandits in the forest know that they are facing Karl.Dragos, perhaps, would multiply their uneasiness.But, as you can see, their leader thought the fearsome sheriff was out of the fight.Why did he make such a mistake?Why did he think there was no need to worry about this rival?And at this moment, this formidable enemy was right in front of him!This is exactly what will be explained to the reader below. That very morning Dragos jumped ashore from a small fishing boat and waited for his men to lead him upriver.After walking two to three hundred meters, the two police detectives came to a small boat hidden in the grass on the shore.When they boarded the boat, Ullmann paddled hard, and the light boat quickly sailed to the other side of the Danube. Did the case happen on the right bank?At this time, Dragos asked. Yes.Ullmann replied. in which direction? Upstream, near the city of Gland. how!Is it near Grand?Dragos exclaimed, didn't you just say that you only need to walk a little way to get there? It's not far, Ullman explained, but it's still three kilometers away. In fact, it was four kilometers. For a person who had just escaped from death, it would not be without difficulty to walk such a long distance.Dragos stretched his body from time to time in order to catch up with Qi. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, he finally arrived at Earl Hagno's villa, which was the place where his mission called him to go. He hurriedly ordered a potion of medicinal wine and drank it, and when he felt his strength recovered, the first thing he thought of was to have someone take him to the gatekeeper, Christian.Joel's bedside.A few hours earlier, a nearby surgeon had come to bandage the wound.At this moment, the janitor's face was still pale, his eyes were closed, and he was panting with difficulty.Although his injury was very serious and his lungs were damaged, there was still hope of being revived. The most important thing was not to make him tired at all. Dragosh still learned something from the janitor. The patient's voice was very weak and intermittent, and it took a long time to utter a word.Dragos showed great patience and finally figured out the whole story roughly.A group of gangsters, at least five or six people, broke into the villa late last night and robbed the villa.Guard Christian.Joel was awakened by the sound, and was stabbed in the heart just after getting out of bed.He fell down.So he was not very clear about what happened afterwards, and could not provide any clues about the perpetrator.One thing he knew, however, was that their chief was a man named Radko, and his accomplice had called that name several times at the top of his voice, in an incomprehensibly loud voice.As for Radko, who covered his face with a mask, he was a tall young man with blue eyes, a big blond beard, and blond hair. This last detail did not confuse Dragosh, but rather diluted his suspicion of Brush.True, Brush was blond too, but he had dyed it brown.The coloring of a person's hair cannot be removed overnight and returned the next day, like wearing a wig.Therefore, Dragos can't justify himself on this issue for the time being, so he has to leave it for later investigation. The gatekeeper Christian failed to provide him with more detailed information. Apart from this, he could no longer tell the appearance of the other gangsters.These fellows, like their leader, were all discreetly masked. After the detective inquired about these circumstances, he asked some questions about Earl Haguenot's villa. He knew that the residence was very magnificent, and the luxury of furniture and facilities was comparable to that of the prince's residence.The drawers are full of gold, silver, jewelry and rare antiques, various art treasures are displayed on the mantel plate and furniture, and the walls are also decorated with ancient tapestries and paintings by famous masters.A safe on the second floor also contained various securities, so the gang of thieves undoubtedly made a fortune on their trip. After inspecting the various rooms of the house, Dragos could easily come to the following conclusion: it was a thorough robbery, carried out with great skill.This group of thieves has very good taste and will never take anything of no value.Most of the precious objects were gone, the wall where the tapestry had been hung had been swept away, leaving large bare squares on the wall; The frame hung there miserably.Apparently, the robbers also stole the most luxurious of the hangings and the finest of the rugs.The safe was smashed open, and everything inside was missing. With so many things, it is impossible to carry them away by manpower. After seeing the looted scene, Dragosh said to himself, these things can fill a whole car.The car must now be searched. The inquiries and preliminary investigations took a considerable amount of time.It was getting dark, and according to the sheriff's analysis, the thieves had to use a large carriage to transport their stolen goods. Therefore, if there was time, it was necessary to find the imprint left by the carriage before dark.So, he hurried out of the villa. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.In the courtyard in front of the villa, right next to the smashed gate, there were deep ruts left by large wheels on the muddy ground.A little farther away, there are still many horseshoe marks on the ground, as if they were stepped by horses that have been waiting there for a long time. Dragos came to these conclusions with just a glance, and then he stepped closer to where the horses had trodden and looked carefully at the mud.Then he walked across the yard to the iron gate facing the road, and inspected it carefully again.Finally, he walked more than 100 meters along the road before turning back the same way. Ullmann.he yelled as he returned to the yard. What's up?replied the policeman, who came out of the house and approached his officer. How many of us are there? eleven. too little.Dragos said. However, Ullman disagreed with his superior. Did Christian, the gatekeeper, estimate the number of gangsters to be only five or six? The janitor can have his opinion, and I have mine, Dragos explained, and that's all there is to be satisfied with anyway.You leave one here, and take ten, and with the two of us, there are twelve in all.That's pretty good. Did you find any clues?Ullmann asked. I know where the bandits are or at least which direction they're in. may i ask youUllmann asked. How can I be sure?Dragosh went on to say that it is actually very simple, even a child can understand it.At first, I thought to myself that they had stolen too many things, and they couldn't transport them without a car.So I looked for traces of the car, and sure enough I found it.It was a cart drawn by two horses, and one of the horses, the head horse, left a special mark in that a nail was missing from its right front shoe. How do you know?Ullmann asked dumbfounded. Because it rained last night, the muddy ground was not dry yet, so their footprints were left faithfully.In the same way, I learned that after the carriage left the villa, it turned to the left, that is to say, it went in the opposite direction to Grand.We are also going in this direction now, and if necessary, follow the horseshoe print with the missing shoe.There is no chance that our opponents will be on their way in broad daylight.They probably hid somewhere, and left at night.And this area is sparsely populated and the houses are not densely populated.If necessary, we can search all the houses on both sides of the road.Gather your men, for it looks like it will be dark and the beasts will be out of their burrows. It took Dragos and his party a long walk to find a new clue.They searched two or three farms but found nothing, and it was nearly half past ten when they came to the intersection of three roads and the door of the inn where the two coachmen had stayed all day.Unfortunately, they had already left the inn three quarters of an hour ago.Dragos knocked desperately on the door of the inn. Perform official duties!Dragos said so when he saw the shopkeeper sticking his head out of the window.The owner of the shop was sleepy, and it seemed that he hadn't slept well all day, from morning to night. Perform official duties?The innkeeper was terrified to see so many policemen surrounding his inn.What law did I break? Come down, and tell you not to procrastinate, Dragos said impatiently. The store owner ran to open the door before he even had time to put on his clothes.The detective asked a quick barrage of questions.Did a carriage pass by this morning?How many people are driving?Has the car ever stopped?Have you gone far again?Which direction did you go? The owner answered very simply.Yes, two persons with a carriage came to the inn early in the morning, and stayed till evening.The two coachmen waited until after the third man arrived, and then drove to St. Andrew in the carriage after half past nine in the evening. Going in the direction of San Andres?Dragos stressed, are you sure? Yes, the store owner certainly said. Did you hear it, or did you see it with your own eyes? I saw it with my own eyes. Um!Dragos grumbled, then added, well, you go back to sleep now, brave friend, but keep quiet. The store doesn't have to wait for him to say it a second time.The door slammed shut, leaving only the police force on the highway. Wait a moment!Dragosh ordered them to stay still while he took a signal light and scanned the road carefully. At first, he didn't see anything suspicious, but when he crossed the road and walked to the roadside slope, the situation was different.On this muddy ground, there are fewer ruts of passing vehicles. In addition, the stones here are not as solid as the road surface, and the soil is easy to deform. Dragos found the horseshoe print missing a nail at a glance, and recognized the The horse neither went to Saint-André nor returned to Gland, but took the northward road directly to the Danube.So Dragos himself led the team towards the Danube. They walked about three kilometers through a deserted country, and nothing happened along the way.Until the horse neighed on the left side of the road, Dragos quickly made a gesture to stop the procession.On the left, a small forest can be vaguely discerned in the darkness.He went all the way to the edge of the woods. Who is there!he shouted loudly. No one answered his question, a policeman lit a pine torch in accordance with his order, the flame was belching thick black smoke, and drew a strong light in this dark night without moon, but unfortunately, the trees ahead The blocking of the branches and leaves made the darkness more intense, and the firelight could not shine in at all.The torch only illuminated the surrounding area a few paces away. go ahead!Dragosh ordered, and at the same time led the patrol of police officers into the jungle, he himself rushed to the forefront. However, there are guardians hiding in the bushes.They had just crossed the edge of the woods when they heard a domineering voice shouting coldly: One more step and we will shoot! The threat didn't deter Dragos, what's more, in the faint light of the torch, he seemed to see a pile of stationary objects, which looked like the shadow of a carriage, and there were a group of people around the carriage, but he couldn't see clearly Exactly how many. go ahead!He ordered his men again. The officers followed his orders and moved on, taking hesitant steps deep into the unfamiliar woodland.Suddenly their difficulties increased, for the torch was suddenly snatched from the hands of the police, and darkness fell again. How stupid!cursed Dragos, light the torches, Vryanz!Light the torches! He was furious, especially with the last light of the torch just now, he seemed to see the carriage start to retreat and hide in the woods.It's a pity he couldn't rush up and give chase.They encountered a living rampart, and each policeman had to deal with two or three enemies.Dragos finally realized that he was short of manpower and his chances of winning were slim, but it was too late. Until now, neither side fired fire, neither the police nor the gangsters. Ticha!At this time, a voice called another person in the night sky. arrive!Another voice answered. Where is the carriage? gone. Well, it's time to end it. Dragos clearly recorded these two voices in his mind, and he will never forget them. As soon as the voice fell, the pistol immediately began to shoot out flames, bullets shot out from the forest, and the clear gunshots shook the night sky.Several policemen were shot, and Dragos, realizing that it would be foolish to keep fighting, ordered a retreat. A group of police retreated to the road, and the gangsters did not take the risk of chasing after the victory.The night sky, which had been disturbed for a while, regained its tranquility. First of all, they had to take care of the wounded. There were three wounded in total, but the injuries were not serious. After hastily bandaging them, they withdrew to their original place under the escort of four companions.Dragos led Ullmann and the other three policemen, crossing the fields in the direction of Grand, heading straight for the Danube. He had no trouble finding the place where he had disembarked hours before, and the boat that had carried him and Ullman across the river.Five policemen boarded a boat and crossed the Danube, down the left bank. Although Dragos said that he suffered a tragic defeat just now, he is already confident and determined to pay back.Elijah.The fact that Brush was the exact same person as the notorious Radko was no longer just a suspicion to him.He firmly believed that his traveling companion was responsible for the robbery the night before. From all indications, after Radko hid the stolen goods, he quickly resumed his false identity. Until now, he has evaded it skillfully. The police searched and arrested him, but he didn't know that his trick had been exposed.Before daylight he must have been in the skiff again, waiting for his passengers in the cabin, reverting to the honest fisherman he had always claimed to be. Little did he know, there were already five brave detectives in ambush, and these five men, repulsed by Radko and his associates, would smash the resistance of the same Radko all the more easily, because he wanted to play the role of Bush. character, had to go back to the fishing boat single-handedly. Unfortunately, this brilliant plan could not be put into practice.Dragos and his men searched every corner of the river bank but could not find the fisherman's small fishing boat.In fact, Dragos and Ullmann had no trouble identifying the exact spot where Brush had landed, but the fishing boat was gone, and Brush was gone with it. Needless to say, Dragosh was tricked, which made him furious to the brim. Frederick, he told his men, I am too exhausted to move a step.Let's take a nap on the grass to recover our strength.However, a man must be sent to sail back to Grand to make a telegram as soon as the post office opens.Light the signal lamp, I will dictate, and you write down the telegram. Ullmann executed the order silently, recording: There was a robbery near Grand tonight.The stolen goods have been loaded onto the barge, please strictly monitor them. This is the first telegram, Dragosh said after a breath, and now write another. He continued to dictate: Radko, alias Ilya, was wanted by subpoena.Brush, the self-proclaimed champion of the Danube Association's last Zigmaringen Fishing Competition.Radko, that is, Ilya.Bush, charged with theft and homicide. This telegram was sent early in the morning to all the towns along the Danube, so that no one would be missed.After Dragos gave the order, he lay down on the ground exhausted.