"Yes, I quite understand that," assented de Puisaye. "Now, how is that garrison going to work for us? I presume that there are night-watchmen about in the various sheds and throughout the works." "There are," replied Leroux briefly, "two in every shed, and Mathurin, the chief overseer of the foundries, sleeps in one of the main buildings, too. At night--if it is necessary--the alarm is given by ringing the bell in one of the clock towers. There are two of these towers in the precincts of the works, one in the main building of the foundries, the other above the Lodge in the powder factory, where I sleep." "Therefore," commented Prigent dryly, "the first thing that you and your garrison will have to do, my man, will be to hold the two clock towers, and then to surprise and overpower the various night-watchmen as simultaneously as possible ... as silently as may be." "Exactly," rejoined Leroux curtly. "Well," added de Puisaye eagerly, "having disposed of the night-watchmen, what would you do next?" "Some of us will stay behind on guard in the different sheds, and a score or so will march on the compound, where the rest of our mates are penned up as if they were savage beasts that must be kept in cages." "Aha! That means another hundred and fifty of you?" "Yes, another hundred and fifty. There are sentries at the gates of the compound, but we can easily overpower those. The watch will not be quite so strict now that the General has come home." "Ah!" ejaculated de Puisaye, "matters slacken up at the works when the master is home--what?" "Not exactly," replied Leroux. "But those military overseers have been absolute brutes. Things cannot be quite so bad now they have gone." "M. de Maurel is more easy-going, or more indifferent--which?" Leroux shrugged his shoulders, then said gruffly: "The General has altered a good deal since he has been away." "At any rate," here interposed Madame la Marquise impatiently, "Laurent and I can vouch for the fact that the watch round the compounds is not over strict just now. We went past there last night. There were only a couple of sentries at the gates." "Even so you will have to be careful, my good Leroux," added M. de Courson, "so as not to raise the alarm." "No, we won't do that," rejoined Leroux. "We can deal with the sentry easily enough." "And do you think that a couple of hundred men can march from the compound back to the works without being seen or heard." "Oh, yes! if they are determined not to make a noise. It is not far to the factories. Less than a kilometre. The roads are soft under foot. We'll be careful not to be seen or heard, you may be sure of that." "And once you are all back at the works?" queried M. d'Ache. "We'll just wait there, ready to let you in when you come," replied the man simply. "What about arms?" "There are thousands in the stores and in the cellars below the buildings! Enough to equip an army!"