第20章 VILLA RUBEIN(18)

Harz went on, twisting a twig of ivy in his hands: "There was another man in the carriage reading a paper.Presently I said to him, 'Where do we stop first?' 'St.Polten.' Then I knew it was the Munich express--St.Polten, Amstetten, Linz, and Salzburg--four stops before the frontier.The man put down his paper and looked at me; he had a big fair moustache and rather shabby clothes.His looking at me disturbed me, for I thought every minute he would say: 'You're no policeman!' And suddenly it came into my mind that if they looked for me in this train, it would be as a policeman!--they would know, of course, at the station that a policeman had run past at the last minute.I wanted to get rid of the coat and cap, but the man was there, and I didn't like to move out of the carriage for other people to notice.So I sat on.We came to St.Polten at last.The man in my carriage took his bag, got out, and left his paper on the seat.

We started again; I breathed at last, and as soon as I could took the cap and coat and threw them out into the darkness.I thought: 'Ishall get across the frontier now.' I took my own cap out and found the moustache Luigi gave me; rubbed my clothes as clean as possible;stuck on the moustache, and with some little ends of chalk in my pocket made my eyebrows light; then drew some lines in my face to make it older, and pulled my cap well down above my wig.I did it pretty well--I was quite like the man who had got out.I sat in his corner, took up his newspaper, and waited for Amstetten.It seemed a tremendous time before we got there.From behind my paper I could see five or six policemen on the platform, one quite close.He opened the door, looked at me, and walked through the carriage into the corridor.I took some tobacco and rolled up a cigarette, but it shook, "Harz lifted the ivy twig, "like this.In a minute the conductor and two more policemen came.'He was here,' said the conductor, 'with this gentleman.' One of them looked at me, and asked: 'Have you seen a policeman travelling on this train?' 'Yes,'

I said.'Where?' 'He got out at St.Polten.' The policeman asked the conductor: 'Did you see him get out there?' The conductor shook his head.I said: 'He got out as the train was moving.' 'Ah!' said the policeman, 'what was he like?' 'Rather short, and no moustache.

Why?' ' Did you notice anything unusual?' 'No,' I said, 'only that he wore coloured trousers.What's the matter?' One policeman said to the other: 'That's our man! Send a telegram to St.Polten; he has more than an hour's start.' He asked me where I was going.I told him: 'Linz.' 'Ah!' he said, 'you'll have to give evidence; your name and address please?' 'Josef Reinhardt, 17 Donau Strasse.' He wrote it down.The conductor said: 'We are late, can we start?' They shut the door.I heard them say to the conductor: 'Search again at Linz, and report to the Inspector there.' They hurried on to the platform, and we started.At first I thought I would get out as soon as the train had left the station.Then, that I should be too far from the frontier; better to go on to Linz and take my chance there.I sat still and tried not to think.

After a long time, we began to run more slowly.I put my head out and could see in the distance a ring of lights hanging in the blackness.I loosened the carriage door and waited for the train to run slower still; I didn't mean to go into Linz like a rat into a trap.At last I could wait no longer; I opened the door, jumped and fell into some bushes.I was not much hurt, but bruised, and the breath knocked out of me.As soon as I could, I crawled out.It was very dark.I felt heavy and sore, and for some time went stumbling in and out amongst trees.Presently I came to a clear space; on one side I could see the town's shape drawn in lighted lamps, and on the other a dark mass, which I think was forest; in the distance too was a thin chain of lights.I thought: 'They must be the lights of a bridge.' Just then the moon came out, and I could see the river shining below.It was cold and damp, and I walked quickly.At last I came out on a road, past houses and barking dogs, down to the river bank; there I sat against a shed and went to sleep.I woke very stiff.It was darker than before; the moon was gone.I could just see the river.I stumbled on, to get through the town before dawn.

It was all black shapes-houses and sheds, and the smell of the river, the smell of rotting hay, apples, tar, mud, fish; and here and there on a wharf a lantern.I stumbled over casks and ropes and boxes; Isaw I should never get clear--the dawn had begun already on the other side.Some men came from a house behind me.I bent, and crept behind some barrels.They passed along the wharf; they seemed to drop into the river.I heard one of them say: 'Passau before night.'

I stood up and saw they had walked on board a steamer which was lying head up-stream, with some barges in tow.There was a plank laid to the steamer, and a lantern at the other end.I could hear the fellows moving below deck, getting up steam.I ran across the plank and crept to the end of the steamer.I meant to go with them to Passau! The rope which towed the barges was nearly taut; and I knew if I could get on to the barges I should be safe.I climbed down on this rope and crawled along.I was desperate, I knew they'd soon be coming up, and it was getting light.I thought I should fall into the water several times, but I got to the barge at last.It was laden with straw.There was nobody on board.I was hungry and thirsty--I looked for something to eat; there was nothing but the ashes of a fire and a man's coat.I crept into the straw.Soon a boat brought men, one for each barge, and there were sounds of steam.

As soon as we began moving through the water, I fell asleep.When Iwoke we were creeping through a heavy mist.I made a little hole in the straw and saw the bargeman.He was sitting by a fire at the barge's edge, so that the sparks and smoke blew away over the water.