n, "a church and
village on a point of rock far above the river. At a turn of the road
Venanson is left behind; and in front, three thousand feet above the
sea, surrounded by snow mountains, lies St. Martin Lantosque. The air
is cold, the people are different from the Nicois--it is another
world. These gentlemen have a wonderful ride before them, and there is
a moon. If I were a younger man--but there! I am married, and have
two children. Also I am afraid of my wife. Mon Dieu! I make no
concealment of it. My comrades know that I fear nothing that comes in
the way of our business; but I tremble before my wife--a little woman
as high as my elbow. What will you? A tongue!--_Pstt_!"

And with his forefinger he described in the air the descent of a fork
of lightning.

"These are the horses, gentlemen."

And indeed he had done us well.

"Your comrades," I said, "must be fine fellows," as I climbed up the
side of a horse as tall as one of my own hunters at home.

We were soon on the road, which was plain enough, and Alphonse had
crammed a handful of the hotel matches into his pocket in case we
should have to climb the sign posts.

My companion, it may be imagined, was in high good humour, and sat on
the top of his great charger in a state of ebullient excitement worthy
of a schoolboy on his first mount.

"Ah!" he cried, as we clattered along the dusty road before the great
mad-house, "this is sport, my friend. Surely, fox-hunting cannot beat
this?"

"'Tis rather like riding to covert, but we cannot tell what sport this
fox will give us."

The police horses were heavy footed, and wore part of their
professional accoutrement, so we made a military clatter which
obviously pleased the brave soul of my companion.

We had to make all speed, and yet spare no care, for should we make a
false turn there would be no stopping Monsieur Miste on this side of
the frontier. There were, fortunately, many carts on the road with
teams of four or five horses, carrying vast loads of produce from the
outlying villages to Nice. Of the drivers of these we made careful
inquiries, though we often had to wake them for the purpose, as they
lay asleep on the top of the load of hay or straw. One of these men
thanked us for arousing him, and would have detained us to relate a
tale of some carter who, at a spot called the "Saut du Francais," had
been thrown thus, as he slept, from the summit of his hay cart, and
was broken to pieces on the roc