Neither Leigh nor Jean Martin was at Saumur, when this decision was
arrived at. The very night that the town was taken, one of the
former's band, who was wounded and, greatly against his
inclination, had been left behind, arrived there on horseback. He
was the bearer of terrible news.
[Illustration: He was the bearer of terrible news.]
Early on the previous day, a troop of the enemy's cavalry had
arrived. They had apparently ridden all night, and without exciting
any alarm on the way. They had made straight for the chateau,
without going into the village. Beyond the fact that they belonged
to the force operating from Nantes, none knew the route they had
followed. They had doubtless expected to arrest Jean at the chateau
but, on finding him absent, had seized his wife, had placed her in
their midst, set fire to the chateau, and ridden off before any
force could be gathered to oppose them. Jean and Leigh were horror
stricken at the news.
"What is to be done?" the former exclaimed. "What can be done?"
"I should say," Leigh said, "that the first thing to do will be to
tell the generals that we must, for the present, leave them. Then
we must go to Nantes in disguise, find out where she is imprisoned,
and see what can be done to rescue her."
"Certainly that is the best thing, Leigh. Let us start at once."
"It will be daylight in two hours, Jean, and that will make no
difference. I will go and talk with my boys. They are asleep
together on the steps of the church of Saint Marie. They may be
useful to us, and I am sure would follow us anywhere."
Jean made no reply. He had buried his face in his hands, and deep
sobs broke from him. Tears were streaming down Leigh's cheek as he
spoke, but he put his hand upon Jean's shoulder and said, in a
voice which he tried to keep steady:
"It is terrible, Jean, but we must not give up hope. We have beaten
the Blues in the field, and it is hard if we cannot manage to beat
them, somehow, in this business."
The other made no reply, and Leigh, feeling that it would be best
to leave him to himself for the present, went downstairs.
The lad who had brought the message was seated against the wall,
holding the horse's bridle in his hand. Being a stranger in the
place, he did not know where to go.
"Come with me, Philippe. The others are all in the great square, a
hundred yards away. They got their bread yesterday morning, and
will have plenty of it left for you and the horse. It can take a
drink at the fountain, in the centre.
"Ah," he exclaimed stopping suddenly, "you said nothing about the
child, and we did not think to ask. Did my sister take it away with
her, or was it left?"
"I did not hear, captain. My mother ran into the house crying, and
said:
"'The Blues have come, and have set fire to the chateau and carried
madame away prisoner. Take the horse and ride to the army, and tell
Monsieur Martin what has happened.'
"I ran into the stable and saddled it, took two loaves of bread,
one for him and one for myself, and started. I should have been
here in the middle of the day, but I lost my way in the lanes last
night, and had to stop till daylight and, even then, rode for a
long time in the wrong direction."
Leaving the lad and horse in the middle of the square, Leigh went
to the steps of the church. A great number of peasants were
sleeping there. He was not long in finding his own band. He roused
Andre and Pierre with some difficulty for, having both been up all
the previous night, they slept heavily.
"Come with me," Leigh said, as soon as they were sufficiently
roused to understand who was speaking to them. "I want to have a
talk with you.
"I have some bad news," he went on, as they passed beyond the
sleepers; "the Blues have been at the chateau. They have burned it
down, and have carried off Madame Martin."
Exclamations of rage broke from both the lads. Patsey had, during
the months she had spent on the estate, made herself extremely
popular among the peasantry; whose cottages she constantly visited,
and who always found her ready to listen to their tales of trouble,
and to supply dainty food for the sick. The thought, too, that the
chateau had been burned down was also a blow, for all the tenantry
considered that they had a personal interest in the affairs of
their seigneur.
"How was it that there was no defence?" Andre asked. "I know that
most of the men were away, but surely enough might have been
gathered to keep the Blues back, until madame escaped to the
woods."
"It seems they rode by night, and arrived there soon after day
broke. They had evidently come on purpose to seize your lord for,
as soon as they found that he was not there, they went away at
once, only stopping to set fire to the chateau. They were evidently
in a hurry to be off.
"Here is Philippe Rehan, who has brought the news. He only knows
what I have told you, as he mounted and rode off at once."
"I suppose they have taken our young lord, too?"
"Philippe does not know about that. He says they came from the
direction of Nantes, and no doubt my sister has been taken there."
"What is to be done, captain?" Andre asked, as he and Pierre looked
at each other helplessly, in face of this trouble.
"Monsieur Martin and I are going to leave, at once. We don't know
what we are going to do yet, but we shall certainly try, by all
means, to get her out of prison. How it is to be managed we have
not even thought, but if it can be done, we shall do it. Now, I am
sure that we can rely upon your assistance."
"We will do anything," Andre exclaimed; while Pierre said, "We will
be cut to pieces for you, captain."
Leigh gave a hand to each.
"I am sure of it," he said. "And the band?"
"Every one of those we had at first we could answer for," Andre
replied. "And I believe that the others can be trusted, too. They
all esteem it a high honour to have been received into the band of
Cathelineau's scouts. They knew that there would be danger, when
they joined, and that they must be prepared to die for the cause.
All would certainly be faithful; there would be no fear about
that."
"I have not the least idea, at present, what I shall want you to
do; but at any rate we shall go to Nantes, and it is there that you
must meet us. We shall ride off in an hour's time. Let the others
sleep till there is a general movement, then you can tell them what
has happened, and that my orders are that you shall march home, at
once. You can be there by tomorrow night, can you not?"
"It will be two long marches, but we will be there, captain."
"We shall not be much before you. By that time we shall have
determined how we shall set about the matter, and shall be able to
give you instructions; which will probably be that you are to meet
us, at some point we will arrange, just outside the town. Of
course, you will not go in a body, but singly or in pairs; crossing
the river at various points, and travelling by different roads.
Enter the town as if you belonged to villages round.
"I will ask Monsieur de la Rochejaquelein to let you have another
pistol, each, before you leave. Of course, you will hide your arms
under your clothes. I don't know that it will be necessary to use
force; of course, at first we shall try bribery.
"At any rate, you will both be most useful in obtaining
information. There are very many people who know Monsieur Martin by
sight, and a few who know me. Possibly some of your band may have
friends in Nantes; and these, if they are of our party, would be
able to ask questions, and to find out the place in which my sister
is imprisoned, much better than strangers could do.
"We have heard nothing of what is passing in Nantes for many weeks
and, as they have sent troops to arrest Monsieur Martin, it is
possible that his father may also be arrested. If he is at liberty,
he would be sure to know where my sister is imprisoned."
The day was breaking now, and Leigh went next to the large house
which had been set apart for the use of the generals. He knew
Rochejaquelein's room, having been chatting with him till late, the
evening before. The young count sat up in bed, as he opened the
door.
"You have given me a start, Leigh," he said, with a smile. "I was
dreaming that the Blues had retaken the town and, when the door
opened, thought that it was a party come to make me prisoner.
"Is there any bad news? You look grave."
"Bad news as far as Jean Martin and I are concerned. A messenger
arrived, two hours ago, with the news that a party of Blues from
Nantes arrived at his chateau, without being observed, as they had
travelled all night and reached it at daybreak. They had no doubt
been specially sent to arrest Jean but, finding that he was away,
they burnt the chateau, and carried off my sister a prisoner.
"We are going to start at once. I trust that you will explain, to
the other generals, the cause of our absence."
"I am sorry, indeed, to hear your news," Rochejaquelein said
warmly. "A curse upon the Blues! Why can't they content themselves
with making war on men, without persecuting and massacring women?
"Certainly I will explain, to Cathelineau and the others, the cause
of your absence. But what are you thinking of doing?"
"That we have not even considered. We mean to get her out of their
hands, if possible; but until we see whether she has been really
taken to Nantes--of which I have little doubt--which prison she is
placed in, and how it is guarded, we can form no plan. If possible,
we shall bribe the jailers. If not, we will try to rescue her by
force.
"I am taking my band with me. I can depend upon them, and there is
no one in Nantes on whom we can rely. They will, of course, enter
the town singly; and will, I am sure, give us their loyal service,
should we require it."
"If they serve you as well as they serve the cause, you could
scarce have better assistants. I would that I could go with you. It
would be an adventure after my own heart, but private friendship
must give way to our country's needs. I hope, Leigh, that it will
not be long before we meet again, and that I may hear that you have
been successful."
Half an hour later, Leigh and Jean Martin started. The latter's
first question, when Leigh returned, had been regarding the child.
It was now nearly fifteen months old but, in the terrible shock
caused by the news of his wife having been carried off, Jean had
not thought of it till Leigh had left the room.
"The child is as nothing to me," he said, when Leigh had told him
that the messenger had heard nothing of it. "It would have been,
some day; but so far 'tis as nothing compared to Patsey. It slept
with the nurse, and may possibly have escaped; unless, indeed,
Patsey wished to take it with her."
"I do not think that she would do that," Leigh said. "No doubt it
would have been a comfort, to have it with her; but she would have
known that its chances of life would be slight, indeed, and for
your sake she would have concealed it, if possible, before she was
seized."
They reached the ruins of the chateau at noon next day, having
stopped for the night at Chemille, in order to rest their horses
and keep them in condition for another long ride, if necessary. The
outhouse had been left standing. Francois came out, on hearing the
sound of the horses' hoofs.
"Thank God you are back, master!" he said. "It has been a terrible
time."
"Is the child safe, or was it taken with its mother?" Jean asked.
"He is safe, sir. Marthe saved it. When madame heard the Blues ride
up, and looked out and saw their uniforms, she ran into Marthe's
room and said:
"'Hide the child, Marthe! Run with it downstairs, without waking
it, and put it in a cupboard in the kitchen. They will never think
of searching for it there. Then return to your bed again. Tell your
master, when he comes back again, I have left little Louis for
him.'
"I was getting up when I heard the horsemen, and guessed that it
was the Blues and, without waiting a moment, dropped from my window
and ran past the stable, and hid myself in the shrubbery behind it.
I had scarcely done so when I heard them come round the house.
"Then there was a great knocking at the door and, a minute later, a
pistol shot was fired. I heard afterwards that madame told Henri to
open the door. As he did so, the officer of the Blues shot him
through the head.
"For ten minutes I heard nothing more. Then someone came to the
stable, took out the two horses, and then set fire to it. Looking
out through the bushes, I saw the smoke coming out from two or
three windows of the chateau. Then I made off as quickly as I
could, got into the church, and set the bells ringing; thinking
that it might frighten off the Blues, though I knew that the men
were all away, and there was no chance of help.
"Soon they came riding along at full speed, and I saw madame in the
middle of them. As soon as they had gone, the women all ran out
from their houses. We tried our best to put out the flames, but the
fire had too much hold.
"As we were doing this, I saw Marthe with the child in her arms. It
had been saved well-nigh by a miracle, she said, and she told me
how her mistress had run in to her. She caught up the child, and
then, thinking that if they saw its clothes they would search for
it, she opened the drawers, seized them all, and ran down and put
them and the child into the kitchen cupboard, as her mistress had
told her, then ran back to her bedroom and began to dress.
"She heard her mistress call to Henri to go down and open the door.
She heard the pistol shot, and the Blues pour into the house. She
hurried on her clothes and went out. They were searching all over
the chateau. The officer came up to her, with a pistol in his hand.
"'Where is your master?' he said.
"'I do not know,' she replied. 'He rode away from here ten days
ago, and has not been back since.'
"'That is the tale your mistress tells,' he said.
"'It is true, sir. You go into the village and ask any of the women
there, they will tell you the same thing. I will swear on the cross
that it is so.'
"He seemed very angry, but turned away from her. Presently the
mistress came down, under a guard of two soldiers and, as she
passed, she said:
"'Goodbye, Marthe. Tell your master that I am thankful, indeed,
that he was not here.'
"Then the officers told the men to set fire to the house, in a
dozen places. They had all got bundles, having taken everything
they thought of value. As soon as they had set fire to the curtains
everywhere, and saw that the flames had got a good hold, they
mounted and rode off.
"They had not searched the kitchen much, as they had only opened
the closets large enough for a man to hide in and, not expecting to
find anything worth taking, had not troubled themselves to look
into the small ones; so Marthe had only to take the child out.
Fortunately it had not awoke. When we found that it was hopeless to
try and put the fire out, Marthe took the child over to the farm of
Madame Rehan who, as soon as she got the news of the mistress being
carried off, had sent her son away on horseback to tell you."
"Thank God, the child has been spared!" Jean Martin said,
reverently. "We will go to the cure's.
"The boys will all be back tonight. Give the horses a good feed. We
shall set out perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow morning."
"Ah, Monsieur Martin," the cure said, as they entered his house,
"this is a sad homecoming for you. If we had known that the Blues
were coming, but a quarter of an hour before they arrived, we could
have got madame away to a place of safety. I knew nought about it
until the church bells began to ring. Just as I was about to go
out, five minutes later, to learn the cause, I saw them ride past
with Madame Martin in their midst. We did not know that there were
any of them within twenty miles of us, and thought that there was
no chance, whatever, of their coming to a little village like
ours."
"They came, no doubt, for me," Jean said gloomily. "If they had
found Leigh and myself at home, they would not have taken the place
so easily. He and I and the two men could have made a stout
defence. I hear that there were not more than twenty of them, and I
warrant that there would not have been many of them left, when the
fight was over."
"I am sure," the cure said, "that if you had been there, and the
place had been defended, all the women within sound of the church
bell would have come in with arms, and would have fought like men
in the defence of yourself and madame; but as it was, the whole
thing was such a surprise, with everyone in bed and asleep, that
the enemy were off before anyone could think of what had best be
done. As it was, the women from all the farms round were here,
armed with hatchets or pitchforks, half an hour after the bell
began to ring. Of course, in the village here we knew that it was
too late to do anything, but to flock to the church and pray for
the safety of our good lady."
"Thank you, my friend. Leigh and I are going to Nantes, to see if
anything can be done to get her out of prison. Leigh's band are
coming also. Of course, they will travel singly. If of no other
use, they will be better able to ask questions than we.
"I am going over now to Rehan's farm, to see my boy and to thank
Marthe for saving him."
"It was well managed, indeed," the priest said. "I went over
yesterday to see the child, and the nurse told me how its escape
had been contrived. It was a happy thought on the part of its
mother, and the woman carried it out well.
"But before you go, you must take a meal. I am sure that you must
want it."
"I will not say no to that," Jean replied, "for we have not broken
our fast this morning."
In half an hour, the cure's table was most abundantly furnished
for, as soon as the news spread through the village that the
seigneur had arrived, and was at the house of the priest, the women
brought in little presents--a dozen eggs, a fowl, or some trout
that had been caught by the boys in the stream, that morning.
One or two of the women volunteered to assist the cure's servant.
Three fowls were hastily plucked, cut asunder, and grilled over the
fire. As soon as they were nearly ready, they were placed in front
of the fire to be finished, while the trout took their place. The
repast began with these, the fowls followed, and it was concluded
with an omelette.
"I have not eaten such a meal, father," Martin said, "since I rode
away. I think, after this, I shall be able to take a more hopeful
view of matters. In that respect the meal will be thrown away upon
Leigh, for he always takes the brightest view of everything, and
has never ceased to assure me that we are sure to manage to get my
wife out of the hands of these villains, somehow; and as he has so
far always succeeded in what he has attempted, I feel a good deal
of faith in him. I should be as hopeful as he, if I knew that the
Henriette was in the river at Nantes, and that I had to my hand a
dozen stout fellows I could thoroughly rely on."
After paying a visit to the farm, praising Marthe, and arranging
that she should continue to live there, they returned to the
village.
"We will go over to the chateau, Leigh, before we do anything else.
I want to see how hot the ruins are."
"I should think that they must be pretty cool by this time, Jean.
You see, it is nearly four days since it was burnt."
"I have no doubt that the walls will be cool enough; but there was
a lot of woodwork about it. When the roof fell in it would smother
the fire for a time, but it might go on smouldering, even now."
"But what does it matter, Jean?"
"It matters a good deal. I have with me only a hundred francs, in
paper, which is not worth above a third of its face value. I have
here four thousand in gold, which I brought with me from Nantes, as
soon as the troubles began. I buried it one day under the
hearthstone of the kitchen, thinking it possible that the Blues
might come here. The money is of the utmost importance now, for we
may want it to bribe some of the jailers; and therefore I must get
it, even if it delays us for a day."
They found indeed that, as they had feared, there was still fire
among the mass of debris.
"We must quench it before we can do anything, Jean. I have no doubt
that the women will help."
Francois was at once sent round and, in a short time, all the women
in the place were assembled with pails. Martin and Francois worked
the windlass of the well, the women carried pails of water, and
Leigh threw the contents on to the smouldering mass above where he
knew the kitchen fireplace must have stood. Clouds of steam rose
and, from time to time, some of the women with rakes pulled off the
upper layer of ashes. They worked till nightfall, by which time
steam had ceased to rise.
"That will do for tonight," Jean said; "we will finish the job
tomorrow morning. Your band will be here by that time, and will
help us to get some of these heavy beams and timbers out of the
way. We can then rake the smaller stuff out, and get at the
fireplace."
At eight o'clock the band arrived. Leigh went down and spoke to
them, and thanked them for the two long marches they had made. He
had, during the afternoon, obtained a supply of bread and wine and,
after they fell out, a meal was eaten before they started for their
homes, promising to be back at six in the morning, to aid in the
work of clearing away the debris.
Jean and Leigh spent a couple of hours in talk with the cure, and
related to him the events that had passed since they had left.
Then, thoroughly tired out, they retired to the room that had been
prepared for them. The work that afternoon had been heavy; they had
had a long ride previously, and neither had slept much the night
before.
The next morning the work was recommenced. During the night the
fire had crept in again, from the surrounding mass; but there were
plenty of hands now, and in an hour it was again extinguished. The
hearthstone was soon cleared and raised, and Martin brought out a
crock, in which he had placed the gold.
"Now, Leigh," he said, "you had better have a talk with your boys,
and arrange where they are to meet you. I should not press any of
them who are unwilling to go. This is a private business, and I do
not think that it would be right to urge them."
"Certainly not," Leigh agreed. "I am quite sure that all our boys
will go with us, both for Patsey's sake, and because they are
furious at the chateau being burnt down; as to the others, I shall
put it to them that they are perfectly free to do as they wish.
They can go with us, or they can rejoin the army, just as they
like.
"If they go, I think that it would be as well that they did not
enter the town; but should take up their quarters in a copse, or in
a deserted house, a mile or two away, so that we could call them if
we wanted them. Even in a town like Nantes, forty strange boys
wandering about might be noticed."
Martin, after seeing that the workers all had refreshment, went to
the cure's; as he never interfered in any way with the boys,
thinking that it might lessen Leigh's authority, were he to do so.
"Now, I want to talk to you all," Leigh said, after they had drunk
their wine and eaten their bread. "In the first place, do I
understand that all who were first with me are ready to run a
considerable risk to attempt, with us, to carry off Madame Martin
from the hands of the Blues, and to save her from the fate that
falls upon every one that they once lay a hand upon?"
"They are all willing, captain," Andre said. "We spoke to them
again, just before we came in last night, and they all said that
they were willing and anxious."
"Good. Remember, lads, that it is not too late to draw back now."
"We should not dare show our face in the village again," Pierre
said, "if we were to hang back when there was a chance of our being
of service to so good a lady."
"I thank you with all my heart," Leigh said. "I tell you fairly
that I expected such an answer. Those who have shown such courage
as you have done, and have been so loyal to the promises made me
when I first enrolled you, would, I felt certain, not hang back
now. Now, do you draw aside for a minute or two, while I speak to
the others."
There was a movement, and the two groups stood apart.
"Your case is different from that of the others," he said. "In the
first place, you have not been with me so long; and secondly--and
this is more important--that Madame Martin is not the wife of your
seigneur, and that you owe no duty to her. The enterprise on which
we are going to start does not concern the cause for which we are
fighting. It is a private business, and there is no occasion
whatever for you to take part in it. You are free either to choose
an officer among yourselves; or to rejoin the army, find Monsieur
de la Rochejaquelein, and tell him that I sent you to him in order
that he might find a suitable leader for you, among the gentlemen
with him. I would rather that you talked the matter over among
yourselves, and came and gave me an answer, in half an hour."
"Will you tell us what we shall have to do, captain?" one of them
said.
"That I can hardly do, for I do not know myself. However, I think
it probable that the greater portion of the band would remain
outside the town. There are copses, down by the riverside, where
you could wait in safety until you were wanted. Possibly you might
not be wanted at all. Possibly you might be summoned to take part
in so desperate an enterprise as storming one of the prisons. Of
course it would be done at night, when we should have the advantage
of a surprise. I can tell you no more than that.
"Now, my last word is, I shall not think any the worse of you, if
you decide not to go with me."
It wanted five minutes of the time, when two of the boys returned
to where he was talking with Pierre and Andre.
"We have decided, captain. You told us, when you marched away from
Saumur, that Monsieur de la Rochejaquelein had approved of your
taking us, and therefore we shall feel that we are still doing our
duty to the cause. You have been kind, good, and thoughtful while
we have been with you. All those of our own age in the army envied
us who were of Cathelineau's scouts, and regarded our position as a
great honour. Even if we were willing to go back, we could not do
so, and tell the others that we had left you and our comrades when
you were about to undertake some perilous service.
"But we do not wish it. We all desire to remain with you, and to
follow wherever you may lead us, and to die in your service, if
need be."
Leigh shook them warmly by the hand.
"Bravely said, and I thank you heartily. I am proud of my scouts,
and am glad to see that my confidence in you is well founded. Call
the others up."
After thanking these also, Leigh addressed the whole of them.
"Now, I will give you your orders. You must make your way by
different routes to Nantes. There are many villages on the bank
where you can find a boat that will take you across. Never travel
more than two together. You must all take the green ribbons off
your hats, leave your belts behind, and hide your pistols. If
questions are asked you, reply that you are going to get work at
Nantes, where you have friends, and that you are afraid to stay in
your own villages.
"I will give each of you assignats for five francs. It would not do
to give you silver. With this you can pay for your ferry across the
water, and buy food on the way. It were best that, both on this
side of the river and the other, you travel either by by-lanes or
through the fields.
"When you get near Nantes, keep close to the river, and enter the
last large copse before you get there. Andre or Pierre are likely
to be there first, and will be on the lookout for you. They will
join me in the town and bring you orders when necessary, and will
send two or three of you in, daily, to buy food for the rest.
"I can give you no orders beyond that. Now, I hope I shall meet you
all, in three days' time, at your rendezvous.
"Pierre and Andre, you will, on the evening after you arrive, enter
Nantes, following the river bank. You will go along to a spot where
a church faces the river. Sit down on its steps and wait for us,
until the clock strikes ten. If we are not there, return and come
back the next evening. If we are still not there, you will know
that some bad luck has befallen us; and the band will then
disperse, and you will all find your way up home.
"I should advise you all to travel by night, when you have once
crossed the Loire. In that way you will avoid any risk of being
questioned."
The boys then dispersed, and Leigh returned to the priest's. He and
Martin had already talked over their disguises, and had agreed that
those of fishermen would be the most appropriate; but until they
could obtain the necessary clothes, they would go in the attire of
fairly well-to-do people in a country town.
"We should only have to put on a tricolour scarf, Jean, and should
look like municipal authorities."
"It would go against the grain to put that rag on," Martin said;
"but your idea is a good one, and I would dress up as a general of
the Blues, or as Robespierre himself, on such an errand as we are
bound on.
"We cannot do better than go to Clisson. The place is in the hands
of our people, and the village authorities will not dare to ask us
any questions."
After dining with the cure, they mounted and rode to Clisson,
arriving there at five o'clock in the afternoon. They went to the
leader of the force there, as he was a friend of Jean's.
"I will send and get you the things," he said, when they told him
the object of their visit. "It is just as well, if any of the
people here are acting as spies for the Blues--which is likely
enough--that they should not be able to give any description of
you. We are all three about the same size, therefore I will go out
and buy two suits.
"As to the scarves, I am more doubtful. I doubt if any shopkeeper
here would admit that he had even a bit of tricolour ribbon in his
possession."
"It will not matter about that," Martin said; "and, at any rate,
when we get beyond the ground held by us, we shall find no
difficulty whatever in getting a couple of cockades of those
colours.
"Thank you very much indeed," he went on. "Here are five louis. I
have no doubt that you will be able to lay them out well for us.
But remember, please, that although we are all three the same
height, I am some four or five inches bigger round the shoulders
than Leigh; and want more room for my arms, also."
"I will remember," the other laughed. "Just let me pass this string
round you, and then round Monsieur Stansfield, and tie two knots in
it; and I will also measure you round the waist and leg."
In an hour he returned with one of his men, carrying two parcels.
"I had no difficulty in getting the clothes for your
brother-in-law," he said, "but I had to go to two or three shops
before I could get coat and breeches wide enough for you. What do
you intend to do with your horses?"
"We shall ride into Nantes as we are, after nightfall, and shall
put them up at a small inn. I know of one near the water. It is
kept by a man who was at one time in my lugger, but he had his leg
crushed in a storm, and had to have it taken off. He was a good
sailor, so I set him up, and can rely upon him. He will get
fishermen's clothes for us and, should we have to stay there any
time, buy a boat and nets. We may want such a thing, badly."
The clothes were tried on, and found to fit fairly well. In our
days the short-waisted coats with their long tails, and the
waistcoats extending below the waist, would be deemed laughable;
but as it was then the fashion among the middle classes, and
especially the Republicans, Jean saw nothing ridiculous in it,
while Leigh smiled at the figures they cut. Both had bright yellow
breeches and stockings, and low shoes.
They waited till midnight at Clisson, and then mounted again, and
by morning they were within a mile or two of a ferry, a short
distance above Nantes. They stopped at a small village, and there
purchased two tricolour cockades from the one shop it boasted,
these forming conspicuous objects in the window, as a proof of the
warm adherence of its owner to the Convention.
At the little cabaret they took breakfast, and saw that the horses
were fed, then they rode on to the ferry. The boat was on the
opposite side, and in half an hour it crossed. Then they took their
places, and were ferried over. A party of soldiers were posted at
the landing place.
"You are going to Nantes, I suppose, citizens?" the officer in
command asked.
"We are. We come from Vallet, and are going to consult the
commissary of the republic concerning some taxes that, as we
consider, it is impossible for the town to pay, which the
commissary there has imposed upon us."
"I should imagine that your errand is scarcely likely to meet with
success," the officer said, with a light smile. "I hear the same
complaints at Nantes, but have not heard that any remission has
been made. Well, citizens, at any rate I can wish you luck on your
errand."
It was still very early when they rode into Nantes, and but few
people were about the streets. Trade was almost at a standstill.
The town, which had been strongly Republican, was at once deeply
discontented with the crushing taxation imposed upon it, and
horrified at the constant executions that took place. Almost every
house had soldiers billeted on it, as it was considered necessary
to keep a large force there in order to overawe the south of
Brittany and, if necessary, to send supports to the generals
operating in the west of La Vendee.
There was scarcely any shipping in the river, and even the
fishermen had almost given up plying their business; their best
customers had fallen under the guillotine, and there was no demand
for fish on fast days--for to practise any of the observances of
religion was considered to be, in itself, a proof of hostility to
the Convention. Therefore Jean and Leigh rode into the courtyard of
the little inn without having attracted any attention, whatever.