Whereupon I became positive that Herr Schmidt had
not the document upon his person. Where then was it?
It was an easy matter at the steamship offices to find out the number
of Schmidt's stateroom. He had engaged room 48 on the first promenade
deck. I immediately asked for the rooms on the other side, and by a
judicious use of my favorite "palm oil" I secured them. It was
imperative now to board the steamer and keeping out of sight until she
left port. I had made up my mind to try and obtain the document
between Bremen and Cherbourg. This being successful I should be able
to leave the ship at the latter port and return at once to London.
From the moment the big North German Lloyd liner steamed out of port,
I kept a close watch on Schmidt, still to no purpose. There was only
one moment day or night, when the messenger left his dispatch box
unguarded and when I finally got at it, I found no document.
Obviously the dispatch box was a blind. Herr Schmidt was not guilty
of a single piece of carelessness that would betray the hiding place
of the _dossier_. All this had to be done between Bremen and
Cherbourg, and when the liner pulled into the French harbor nothing
had been accomplished. It was a question of remaining on board and
solving the problem before reaching New York.
Now it was risky business to attempt anything for the next few days
for I was traveling on a ship of a line that was subsidized by the
German government.
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