Thousands of men
were employed, and thousands more drafted in as volunteers to render this
outcome assured.
It was an army deployed in an irregular circle and moving inward toward
its center. Men of the highest executive ability commanded it, saw to its
necessary deliberation, eliminated all possibility of a confusion through
which any man could slip. The occasion was serious, and it was taken
seriously.
Of the outcome no one in touch with the situation had a moment's doubt.
The messages and the phenomena had continued to come from the danger zone.
It was of course evident that they could not have been sent from any
portion of the zone actually searched and occupied by the searchers. The
remaining portion of the zone, from which they were still coming, had been
completely surrounded. After that the manifestations had ceased.
Therefore, Monsieur X must be within the beleaguered circle. To add to the
probabilities, as Eldridge pointed out, the remaining district compassed
the highest hills in the zone--a fact on all fours with his hypothesis.
On the appointed morning the army moved toward the center. Men beat the
ground carefully, so close to one another that they could touch hands. As
they closed in, the ranks became thicker. Animals of many kinds, confused
as the ranks closed in on them, tried to break through the cordon and were
killed. Captains held order in the front row, that the army might not
become a crowd.
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