help in their power to
enable me to provide for my safety. I also informed them that it would
be necessary for me to borrow certain portions of their habiliments, to
be used as a disguise.

"It is a dangerous game which you are about to play, monsieur," remarked
the elder of the two, who gave his name as Jean Leferrier. "The
greatest precautions are taken to prevent the access of spies into the
place. Most of the inhabitants are well known, and any stranger would
certainly be noticed and sharply questioned as to how he came there, and
upon what business. I greatly fear you will be arrested before you have
been three hours in the place. If monsieur will condescend to accept
the advice of a poor, ignorant fisherman like myself, he will abandon
his idea, and not embark upon so hazardous an enterprise."

This, however, I would not listen to for a moment, in fact every word
spoken only made me the more determined to go on; and this I intimated
pretty plainly.

"Perhaps if monsieur were to adopt the _role_ of an escaped prisoner
from the British fleet he might succeed in disarming suspicion,"
remarked Pierre Cousin, the other prisoner. "Monsieur's accent is
certainly not quite perfect (if he will pardon my presuming to say so);
still it may pass without attracting much notice, and if you, Jean, were
to give him a note to _la mere_, she could take him in and look after
him,--that is, if monsieur could endure the poor accommodation to be
found under her roof."

"Certainly," replied Jean, "that might be done. But monsieur would have
to report himself to Monsieur le Maire immediately on his arrival, and
would therefore have to be prepared with a good detailed plausible
story."

I replied that I thought I could manufacture a story which would hold
water sufficiently to satisfy the functionary referred to, the thought
flashing into my mind that I could personate the lad whom we had found
in charge of the "Mouette" on the eventful evening of her capture.

"Then if monsieur is still determined to pursue his adventure, I will
write the letter," remarked Jean.

"Do so at once, by all means," said I. "Tell her that, venturing too
far out, you have been made prisoners by a boat's crew from the British
fleet, and that you found, on board the ship to which you have been
taken, another prisoner, who had contrived to make preparations for his
escape, and that you had only time to write this note, informing your
mother of yo