WO THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



" * There we found a charcoal-burner and all his 

 family at table, to which they immediately invited 

 us. My young man needed no urging. We sat 

 down, eating and drinking, or he at least, for I busied 

 myself examining the place and the countenances of 

 our hosts. They had the appearance of charcoal- 

 burners, but the house might have been taken for an 

 arsenal. It was full of guns, pistols, sabers, knives, 

 cutlasses. It all displeased me, and I saw well that 

 I on my part was equally displeasing to our enter- 

 tainers. 



" 'My comrade, on the contrary, made himself one 

 of the family; he laughed, chaffed with them, and, 

 with an imprudence that I ought to have foreseen, 

 told them at the very first whence we came, whither 

 we were going, who we were. Frenchmen, imagine 

 it ! Amongst our most mortal enemies, alone, lost, 

 far from all human aid ; and then, to add to our prob- 

 able ruin, he acted the rich man, promising these 

 people whatever they wished in payment and for the 

 hire of guides on the morrow. Finally, he spoke of 

 his valise, begging them to be very careful of it and 

 to put it at the head of his bed: he said he did not 

 wish any other bolster. Ah ! youth, youth, how your 

 immaturity is to be pitied ! Cousin, you would have 

 thought we were carrying the crown diamonds ! ' 



"That young man was certainly very imprudent, " 

 commented Jules. "Could he not hold his tongue, 

 seeing he was in the hands of wicked people 1 9 ' 



"Silence is very difficult for giddy, careless young 

 persons. I will go on : 



" 'Supper finished, they left us. Our hosts slept 



