Beadle's Dime Library No. 157 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

quay at Marseilles, escaped from the perils of tne sea and enemies, but none the less hungry, cold and penniless in their native land, for they had been robbed of all their money when they were first put m irons on the brig. ‘‘Upon my word, this isa hospitable way to receive escaped prisoners,” remarked the Gas- con, ruefully. ‘‘ Whatshall we do?” ‘** Report tothe commandant,” said St. George, promptly. ‘It is our duty as soldiers. I kuow ae way to his quarters, for I have been here )efore., The plodded wearily through the streets till they found the house of the commandant, when the sentry stopped therm. “You can’t go in ae The general sleeps. The adjutant’s office will be open at ten in the morning.” | ‘* But we are prisoners escaped from the. Eng- lish, with news trom Egypt, and the general will be glad to see us.” “Tt cannot be done. Stand back.” “‘ But is there no place where we can find shel- ter for the night? 1 tell you we are escaped prisoners—oflicers.” ‘‘A likely story! Begone!” And they had to obey, for the sentry cocked his musket as he spoke, and there is no glory in being shot by one’s own people. They wan- dered round the city till they found anarchway, where they were forced to go to sleep like beg- gars for the night, and Lafangere observed, bitterly: ‘if this is the way mew French city, I shall wish I was back in the English vessels again.” “Patience, comrade.” answered Mourad. ‘We are, after all, in France, which I bave not seen for twelve years. There is a mistake somewhere. It is night. We don’t know the proper place toapply. It will be very different m the morning.” St. George said nothing, He seemed to be in a brown study. In the morning they found themselves the ob- jects of curiosity to a crowd of small boys, who stared at their Mameluke dresses and threw stones at them from round the corners, but still Mourad remarked: ‘That is nothing. They never saw a Mame- luke before. Who has any money or anything to sell, so that we can get breakfast?’ But no one had anything, so that they were forced to go without eating till it was time to present themselves at the adjutant’s office, which they did the moment the doors were opened, ' The adjutant was a rough man, who had risen from the ranks, and was a republican of the old terocious stamp of ninety-three. When St. George saluted politely, this person gave a grunt, ‘‘Who are you, citizen? The Republic has no time to waste on bows, Leave that to the emigrants. What do you want, and why are vou masquerading in those clothes? Are you a play actor?” ‘‘T am an officer of the Guides, promoted by my general on the field of battle,” returned St, re proudly. ‘*T come from Egypt with lispate ‘‘T know: from that hypocrite Bonaparte, who thinks himself better than any man in France. Well, thank fate, he is gone and the Republic will no longer be bothered with his airs and proclamations.” Lafangere started forward to give a fiery answer; but St. George restrained him witha look and replied calmly: ‘*T do not propose to dispute with you on the merits of my commanding officer, citizen, but merely to remind you that I also am in the service, that I am an escaped prisoner and that I need money to enable me to get to Paris and treat veterans in a deliver my dispatches.” The adjutant sneered. “Very possibly, but as General Bonaparte does not command this department, you can get none here.” ‘‘ But I have an order from him to the pay- master-general—” ‘‘Itis useless. A week ago we would have honored it. To-day Bonaparte has lost us a fieet and the Republic must take care of itself.” The adjutant turned away, but St. George made a last effort. ‘‘Can we not even procure uniforms from the quartermaster?” ‘‘No. Go to your own department. We have nothing to do with the army of Egypt.” Then they came away and asthey went down the steps St. George ground his teeth and said in a low savage tone: ‘‘So much the worse for you all, gentlemen of the Directory. You will rue this when he comes back,” ‘‘What do you mean?’ asked the Gascon, amazed at hearing St. George, usually so quiet, give way to passion. The creole smiled in a singular way. ‘You will see when he comes back. In the mean time Il am going to Paris. Itis tae month ot September and the chestnuts are ripe. Ceesar’s soldiers lived on roots before the bat- tle of Pharsalia, but they were masters of the world after it.” $$$ Lafangere was puzzled. ‘What are you talking of, comrade? I have heard of Cesar, but I don’t see what he has to do with us, and 1 am very hungry. I for one, would not be ashamed to go to the first soldier’s raess we see and ask a comrade for a share.” ‘** On the contrary,” said Mourad, who seemed to be ruminating over the singular treatment they had received, “I agree with St. George that we walk to Paris. Iam ready to march.” Lafangere, who seemed to be bewildered by the turn affairs had taken, followed them in silence out of the city and out into the great chestnut woods that abound in the south of France, where they were fain to satisfy their hunger along with the village swine, and Mou- rad observ ‘‘God isa great deal kinder than man. We shall not starve on the road to Paris.” They set off on the road and tra steadily along till nightfall overtook them by the edge of a forest where they found a warm shelter among the leaves in a hollow, resumed their march and. tramped on, finding the roads in a strangely deserted condition. —_— ——<—<—— = eee and asthe bandits seemed to be a jolly lot of fellows who had no fear of arrest, they allowed them to pass on, Vidocq sending affectionate messages to his friend, Cartouche, whenever they met him on their way. at night they slept in a stone quarry and Mourad the Mameluke thoughtfully observed: ‘Ts it not strange that the only kind words we have heard in France should come from the lips of a thief? I don’t know but what I would almost prefer Egypt again; yet 1 have dreamed of France for twelve years as the sweetest place on earth.” No one made any answer, for they were all very much depressed in spirits, and thus the three adventurers traveled on, the same as the Gipsies, shunned by every one, till they a} last reached Paris. The only consolation they hau in their march _ was that there was no rural! police to ask them inconvenient questions or put them in prison as vagrants. Next day they | France seemed to have resolved itself in the countr that o into an anarchy strongly resembling the dark ages, when every man did This was explained to them next day when | what was right in his own eyes, and vagrants they were stopped by oy of armed men in | wandered abroad at their own sweet will. ed all sorts of rags, who them: ‘Where are you going and who are you?” St. George answered quietly: ‘* Officers sent from Egypt by General Bona- parte, with letters to dame. No one will give us anything to eat and we have no money. Now tell us who you are?” The leader of the party stared and laughed. ‘I thought you were Gipsies. Have you no money at all hidden away? There are too many people now a days trying to play tricks on us to cheat us of our dues,” ‘You can search us if you will,” answered the creole. ‘‘ We have nothing but this letter and these papers which seem to be of no value now. The other man took the letter and scanned the direction carefully. ** MADAME BONAPARTE, ** Rue de la Victoire, ** Paris.” He turned it over and was about to open it when St. George said, quickly: ‘* Pardon, comrade. it is to a lady and pri- vate. No Frenchman will open it.” The other man laughed. ‘* You are a bold fellow to object. Do you know who I am?” “No, but I guess.” “Who then?” ‘‘A brigand.” ‘* As you please. None the less, my name is Vidoceg and you seem to be a good fellow in dis- tress. Can you handle a sword?’ St. George waved his hand to his comrades. “This is Lafangere, I am St. George, and this is our friend Mourad, a Mameluke, who has turned Frenchman.” Vidocgq uttered a cry of delight. ‘You are just in time to join us. We want brave fellows like you. Lama bit of a master myself and I have heard of this Lafangere, Ceme, you will find France changed in the last three months. The only people that have an chance to-day are we gentlemen of the road. Join us and I have a plan to propose that will enrich us all.” ‘* What is it?’ asked Lafangere suspiciously. “Never mind,” interrupted St. George. ‘‘It is inadmissible. We are obliged to you for your offer, Monsieur Vidocq, but while the chestnuts are ripe we can live. When all fails we may take to the road for a living. Do you wish to search us?” Vidocq shrugged his shoulders, ‘* No, you are evidently poor devils, and be- sides, | have an admiration for your general. He is the only man who has given us the vic- tory wherever he goes. Iam sorry you will not join us. At least come and dine with us. There is no harm in that.” ; ‘“‘No indeed,” cried Lafangere eagerly: ‘‘ no harm at all; and I feel as if a change from chestnuts might. be acceptable, for it takes a great deal of stooping to find a meal.” The brigands laughed and took them to a hol- low in the woods where they found a regular encampment with women, chickens, pigs, sheep, ls of wine and all the proceeds of many a successful foray, and learned for the first time that half of France was in a simi- lar condition to the province they were in at the time. | ‘‘The white cockades (royalists) are up in Brittany, Schinderhannes holds the forests of Ardennes, Cartouche makes his quarters in Fontainebleau when he’s not in Paris, and I thought that I could do no better than live in clover here while the Directory is good encugh to leave the police without pay,” said Vidocq while they were at dinner. “ One must live and it’s no good to be a soldier in these times. The soldiers starve; the government officials steal, and the only way a man can live if he has no office is to steal too. You'd better join us, Monsieur St. George. The role of hon has brought. you mage and chestnuts, while we have pak coats an Plonty to eat.” But the three friends resisted all solicitations | | | | They saw evidences of organized bands of robbers in every department, and bordering every high road more than ten miles from a town, and were only saved from constant stop- pages by the meanness of their appearance. e towns within their old medeval walls seemed to be the only refuges of law and order, and into these they did not care toenter for fear of a rough reception. “By my faith,” observed Lafangere, as they at last stood on the top of Montmartre and saw Paris spread below them, ‘“‘I have always thought it strange that any man should hesitate to kill a vagrant or thief on sight, but I begin to think that eveo vagrants and thieves may once have been men like us, when I see the way people look at us as we we pass.” ourad sighed deeply as he muttered: _ ** France is not what I thought it.” In the whirl and roar of Paris they were swallowed up and not noticed as they bad been in the villages and country towns, but when they arrived at the Rue de la Victoire and asked a ceo sweeper for the house of the con- gueror of Italy the man grinned: *You’re from the country, I see,” he said. ‘** Don’t you know he’s gone to Egypt and the Turks have eaten him up? I’m glad of it for he killed one of my brothers, with his cursed ar- tillery in the Revolt of the Sections.” ‘*But Madame Bonaparte surely lives there yet,” suggested St. a ‘*Madame? Oh, no. She has bought a fine peace in the country that they call Malmaison n miles from here at least. She is too proud to live in that little house any more, citizens, Helas! what is the use of living under a repub- lic, Here am I, sweeping a crossing, parbleu —why, what is your business? Don’t hurry away.” But the three strangers were gone and Lafan- gere was saying: “It seems as if we should never get a chance to deliver those dispatches. Let us take a look at the city before we go.” They tn along, Mourad staring at all he saw with such wonder that Lafangere remarked sarcastically: ‘One would think you had never been in Paris, my friend.” “No more I have,” was the simple reply. “You forget that I was born in Martinique and taken for a slave on my voy to ce. This is the first time I ever was here, yet I can tell ing F t Isee. I have so often heard m mother of it. There, Yonder is the Tui- leries, I will wager.” “You say true, comrade, and the five kings rule there now instead of one, t say you, St. George, shall we go in and ask the rascals for our pay? "Twould be a good joke.” They were in just that careless, reckless state, produced by vagrant life in the fine autumn weather that the suggestion fell in with their humor and the three ragged vagabonds ran up the step past the gorgeous Swiss on guard and — asked to see the Directors, The usher in waiting stared at them as if he thought them crazy but Lafangere cried: “Jump, rascal, jump; don’t you know the people of the republic pay your wages and are we not representatives of the people? Go quick and tell Monsieur Barras that three officers from General Bonaparte are here to see bim or [ll know why.” There.was something so strange in the appear- ance of these three wild vagrants that the usher ran away to seek a guard, and St. George im- proved the opportunity to o all the doors and look in at the gorgeous offices that led into the hall. The others were similarly occupied till they heard the clash of muskets on the pave- ment and saw the usher pointing them out toa sour-looking lieutenant of Municipal Guards, who cried out, harshly: 7 ‘*Come, you three rascals, knaves, get out of this, if you don’t want to get into the salle de la ice. This place is not meant for vagabonds e you! Be off!” ) SEO) Eomicboo