nigh a
couple of weeks before one could get the whole thing arranged."

"What do you think, Desailles?" Jean said. "Shall we have a
fortnight?"

Desailles shook his head.

"I could not say; you might have more than that, if the prisoners
were taken in the regular order in which they were condemned. The
jails are crowded and, as fresh captures are effected, room must be
made for them. Of course the committee have a list, and they make a
mark against the names of those who are to be executed, each day.
It might be three weeks before your friends' turn comes, it might
be only a few days."

"I tell you what, Rouget; you and your comrade had better land
tomorrow morning, and set to work. You might say that three
fishermen from Saint Florent, finding their boat too small, hired
yours for a week to try their luck. If they succeed they will give
you a fair price for her, if not they will simply pay the hire. You
can say that the price is not much, but as it is as much as you can
make at fishing, you thought that you might as well have an idle
week on shore.

"Leigh and I can work her. As soon as day breaks you shall shoot
your nets, so that we can see exactly how you work, and be able to
catch an average amount of fish each day. I am sure that no one
will know us in these disguises and, at any rate, we sha'n't be
clumsy either with the sails or oars. You can say that, as we are
strangers, you have agreed to sell our fish for us; which will be
an excuse for your coming down to us, with the news of how you are
getting on, each time that we come in."

"That will do very well, captain; but in that case, as a good deal
of the fishing must be done at night, we had better get out the
nets at once, and show you how they are managed."

For the next three days the work was carried on. Desailles had
undertaken to obtain, from a friend of his on the committee of
public safety, news of what was going on, and an early copy of the
names of the prisoners told off for execution on the following day.

On the third day after their arrival, Martin and Leigh rowed up to
the wood where they had directed the band to assemble and found
that, with two or three exceptions, all had arrived. Four or five
of them were at once told to return, to the estate and to the army,
with a message from Jean begging all his tenants to leave, and join
the party in hiding. Many of them would, no doubt, have returned to
their homes within a day or two of the