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Article SANTERRE. * ← Page 12 of 15 →
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Santerre. *
"' What—what is to happen ? ' asked I , hastily . ' Is it the brigand's band ?' " ' The same , ' said he , smiling ; ' they are expected to play their pranks this same night—we do not know at what hourat this old man ' s , where they propose to make him taste steel in order to carry off his crowns . '
" ' How have you learned this ?' " ' A member of the office of the public prosecutor of Amiens has heard of the affair , and told the officers of Peronne and the second magistrate . Our captain was called , and I immediately received orders to command twenty of our stoutest fellows to hide themselves in the house that the gang are to
attack . Some are come from as far as Marchelpot , not to awaken suspicion here , and all our party are to meet at nine o ' clock , at Father Dufeuilley ' s . For myself , now that I have warned you of what is about to happen , I return to my people , and w e hope to bring you good news during the night . ' " I leave you to judge of my astonishment at what I had just heard ; my mother-in-law trembled like a leaf , to think that this gang of robbers was coming so near to us that very night . I assured her I would do my best , and occupied
myself with my fire-arms , which are always in good condition , as I now shoot with the same ardour that I did when you first knew me—that is , from morning till night . " Without mentioning the affair to my servants , I gave them to understand that I might wake them in the night , in order to watch for the dawn . They were not surprised , for they had
often risen for a similar purpose . This done , and having seen my mother to her bed-room , I waited tranquilly in the arrn-chair in which I am now sitting , for news of the gens d ' amies . Hearing nothing at half-past twelve , I thought that the secret had been divulged , and that consequently the gang would not set foot in the village that night , or for some time
to come . Quite out of humour with this idea , I rose to go to bed , worn out by the fatigues of the day and longing for sleep . I had just taken this step , when seven or eight reports of guns , fired one after the other , gave me the idea that I had been too hasty in my conclusion . In the twinkling of an eye I seized my arms and awoke my people . ' Rise / said I' riseand
, , follow me . Have you all your guns ? ' Three minutes after I found these brave fellows , whom I hastily made acquainted with the facts , with me at the door of Father DufeuiHey ' s , motionless , but armed to the teeth , and ready to fire at my command .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Santerre. *
"' What—what is to happen ? ' asked I , hastily . ' Is it the brigand's band ?' " ' The same , ' said he , smiling ; ' they are expected to play their pranks this same night—we do not know at what hourat this old man ' s , where they propose to make him taste steel in order to carry off his crowns . '
" ' How have you learned this ?' " ' A member of the office of the public prosecutor of Amiens has heard of the affair , and told the officers of Peronne and the second magistrate . Our captain was called , and I immediately received orders to command twenty of our stoutest fellows to hide themselves in the house that the gang are to
attack . Some are come from as far as Marchelpot , not to awaken suspicion here , and all our party are to meet at nine o ' clock , at Father Dufeuilley ' s . For myself , now that I have warned you of what is about to happen , I return to my people , and w e hope to bring you good news during the night . ' " I leave you to judge of my astonishment at what I had just heard ; my mother-in-law trembled like a leaf , to think that this gang of robbers was coming so near to us that very night . I assured her I would do my best , and occupied
myself with my fire-arms , which are always in good condition , as I now shoot with the same ardour that I did when you first knew me—that is , from morning till night . " Without mentioning the affair to my servants , I gave them to understand that I might wake them in the night , in order to watch for the dawn . They were not surprised , for they had
often risen for a similar purpose . This done , and having seen my mother to her bed-room , I waited tranquilly in the arrn-chair in which I am now sitting , for news of the gens d ' amies . Hearing nothing at half-past twelve , I thought that the secret had been divulged , and that consequently the gang would not set foot in the village that night , or for some time
to come . Quite out of humour with this idea , I rose to go to bed , worn out by the fatigues of the day and longing for sleep . I had just taken this step , when seven or eight reports of guns , fired one after the other , gave me the idea that I had been too hasty in my conclusion . In the twinkling of an eye I seized my arms and awoke my people . ' Rise / said I' riseand
, , follow me . Have you all your guns ? ' Three minutes after I found these brave fellows , whom I hastily made acquainted with the facts , with me at the door of Father DufeuiHey ' s , motionless , but armed to the teeth , and ready to fire at my command .