ldiers, and many of these, though they dare not say so, hate
what is going on just as much as we do. I have met one of them with
Emile Moufflet, who served with you, captain, for two or three
years. When we have been chatting together, he has said things
about the committee that would have cost him his head, if he had
been overheard. I know that his chum is in charge of some stores,
but whether they are powder or not, I cannot say. But at any rate,
Emile will be able to find out for me the name of several of them
who have charge of powder; and he would be likely to know which of
them had sentiments like his own, and how far they could be
trusted.

"That would not take long, but to get hold of forty hands for the
other work would take some time. One dare go only to men one is
very intimate with, and get them to approach men whom they know
well; for even among us, there are fellows who take the committee's
money to spy over the others, and to find out whether any trouble
is likely to come, or Royalists to be shipped off. One generally
knows who they are, because they overdo their parts, and rail at
the Convention more roundly and openly than an honest man would
dare to do. Some of them one finds out that way; others, again, one
spots by their always having money to spend. If they are too shrewd
to betray themselves in that way, our wives find them out for us,
by telling us that their women and children have new clothes, and
we know well enough that there is no buying new clothes out of
fish, at their present price. Besides, most of these fellows give
up fishing altogether, and lounge about the wharves talking and
smoking, and one knows that a man and his family cannot live on
air. Still, there may be others who are too sly to let out their
secret in either way, and therefore one must be very careful whom
one speaks to. One would not think of telling anyone about what is
intended until, just as it comes off, one could simply say that one
has heard that there is something in the air, and that report says
that every man who will lend a hand will earn--how much, captain?"

"Two hundred francs."

"When one sees how a man takes that, one can go a step or two
further.

"Well, I should not think of letting out to a soul what the nature
of the work would be, simply saying that every precaution will be
taken to prevent its being known that any fishermen are engaged in
it. All that will take time. I should say that it might be