rs of the corridors," the man said, taking
down one bunch. "The others are of the cells."

"Now, go before us and open them all--every one, mind."

They were soon joined by Leigh with his party, who had made short
work of the few guards who remained at their post outside the
prison.

"Set your men to blow in the doors," Jean said; "It would take half
an hour to unlock them all, at this rate."

Pistols were at once applied to the keyholes, and the locks
destroyed. There were a few separate cells, but the prisoners were
for the most part crowded, twenty or thirty together, in the larger
rooms. As he entered each room, Leigh shouted the directions agreed
on to the prisoners. In a short time he came upon Jean who, as had
been arranged, had first gone to the rooms where his father and
Patsey were confined. Jean started with these at once, with six of
his men, leaving Leigh and Desailles to see to the release of the
rest of the prisoners.

As soon as all rooms had been burst open or unlocked, he and his
party, with that at the gate, hurried away. The streets were light,
as a sheet of flame rose from the stores of Jacques Martin. The
musketry fire on the wharves showed that there were troops
stationed there. As they hurried along, the shouts of alarm which
rose in the town showed that the news of the attack upon the prison
had spread rapidly. As soon as the released prisoners knew that
they were well above the bridge, and the silence on the wharves
showed that none of the troops were stationed there, shouts of
delight arose. There were a good many boats moored to the bank, and
the fugitives threw themselves into these.

"Get out your oars and row straight across," Leigh shouted. "If you
drift down the stream, you will come under the fire of the troops
there."

Then, having done their work, he and his band went up a hundred
yards farther, where they knew that three large boats were lying.
In these they took their places and started to row across the river
and, in five minutes, reached the opposite bank. They sprang out,
with a shout of joy at finding themselves again in their own
country. Most of the fugitives also gained the opposite bank; but
some boats, in which there were but few capable of handling the
oars, drifted down the river, and lost most of their number from
the fire of the troops on the bank, before they could land among
the men of Charette's army.

Leigh with his boys soon joined the other party, who