diers were stationed in the tower, to whose charge
the prisoners were handed over.

The officer commanding the party was a gruff old fellow, who seemed to
have no feeling of compassion for his young prisoners.

After putting various questions to the sergeant who had brought them, he
made signs to them to accompany him to the top of the building, and led
the way, attended by two soldiers who followed close behind, up a flight
of exceedingly rickety stairs, which creaked and groaned as they
ascended.

On reaching the top the officer opened a door, which led into a small
room, the highest apparently in the building; he then signed to the boys
to go in, and without saying a word closed the door and locked it. They
soon afterwards heard him and his men descending the stairs.

"Here we are," said Jack. "I wonder what's going to happen next!"

"Why, if they leave us here long enough, the next thing that will happen
will be that we'll make our way out again," replied Bill. "Look at
those windows! Though they are not very big, they are large enough for
us to squeeze through, or it may be more convenient to make our way out
by the roof. I can see daylight through one or two places, which shows
that the tiles are not very securely fastened on."

"And if we do get out, where shall we go?" asked Jack.

"It won't do to return to the Turgots; we might be getting them into
trouble. We must make our way down to the sea shore, and then travel on
till we can reach some port or other, and when there try to get on board
a smuggling lugger, as Captain Turgot at first proposed we should do,"
replied Bill.

"It may be a hard job to do that," said Jack; "and I should say it would
be easier to run off with a boat or some small craft which we two could
handle, and make our way in her across Channel. I know where to find
the polar star. I have often been out at night when father steered by
it, and we should be sure, some time or other, to make the English
coast."

"I should not like to run away with a poor man's vessel. What would he
say in the morning when he found his craft gone?" observed Bill. "It
would be taking what is not ours to take. I never did and never would
do that."

Jack argued the point.

"The French are enemies of the English," he said, "and therefore
Englishmen have a perfect right to best them either afloat or on shore."

Bill said he would consider the subject, and in the meantime they made a
further s