Riche, who was listening, assented willingly, and the two gentlemen departed at once by a special train for Bordeaux. They stopped at Marseilles to change engines and have a hurried dinner at the buffet, and then travelled right through to Bordeaux, merely stopping to make a few enquiries at Agen, and to examine the body which was lying in the inspector's room at the station. M. Patrigent accompanied by Riche enquired at the office of the Compagnie de Navigation. Unfortunately, no one answering either to the print in the newspapers, or to the description of him given by Violette had been discovered there, but all the police were informed, and were on the alert to pounce upon him. Detectives were examining the faces of every person seen on the landing-stages and wharfs, while others inspected the visitors' books at the various hotels--but all to no purpose. For three days every available policeman and detective in Bordeaux was hunting up and down the streets examining every hotel, and examining every ship and steamer in the port, but no trace of Duval could be found. At length, about two hours before the _Divona_ was notified to sail the chef de police received a lengthy telegram from Villebois. It read as follows:-- "Last night Professor Delapine had a psychic vision; he saw Pierre Duval in a room changing his clothes. He disguised himself as a Gascony farmer. Was dressed in his Sunday coat with large buttons, a slouch hat with broad brim, and leggings. He put on a long yellow-brown beard, and the same coloured hair hanging down to his shoulders, blue spectacles and a crooked stick. He left the inn in a cab, with a large wooden box, and went on board steamer as a third-class passenger. Act immediately on this information. Villebois." M. Patrigent at once had copies of the telegram distributed to the chief centres by boys on bicycles, and hastening with Riche on board the _Divona_ they inspected the third-class passengers and rooms. Suddenly Riche in his excitement called out. "See, there he is," and he pointed with his finger. "Where?" asked the chief of the police, trembling with excitement. But Riche had spoken so loud that the person in question slipped away and vanished among the crowd. At that moment the ship's siren uttered a loud blast, while several sailors prepared to unfasten the gangway. "Keep an eye on him, doctor," said Patrigent, bounding on deck as the visitors were leaving the ship. At length the chef de police shrugged his shoulders in despair, and stepped on the gangway to depart. "You must have been mistaken, doctor, he cannot possibly be on board, he must have eluded us and escaped by another route." "Monsieur, for God's sake stay where you are, I am convinced he is hiding on board." Monsieur Patrigent hesitated for an instant, but observing Riche's look of entreaty, turned back behind the sailors, while Riche rushed up the gangway and joined him.