A sergeant whose six months' furlough had expired that evening and who in consequence of his long absence knew nothing of what was going forward, reached Béfort on the evening of 1 January just in time to answer to the roll-call and to assist in the preparations. When these preparations were accomplished, he wished to show proof of his promptness and zeal to his captain by going to tell him the regiment was ready. "Ready for what?" asked the captain. "To march." "To march where?" "To the place which has been appointed." The captain gazed at the sergeant. "What is it you say?" he asked again. "I say that the knapsacks are packed, captain, and the flints are in the muskets." "You are either drunk or mad," cried the captain; "take yourself off to bed." The sergeant was just about to withdraw, in fact, when another officer stopped him and questioned him more minutely, gathering by the accuracy of his replies that it was really the truth. "How could such an order be given unless the two captains had known of it?" "Who gave the order?... Doubtless it must have been the lieutenant-colonel?" "No doubt," the sergeant replied mechanically. Both the captains rose and went to find the lieutenant-colonel. He was equally astonished and as much in the dark as they were. The order must have come from M. Toustain, deputy-governor and commander-at-arms of the fortress of Béfort. They all three went to M. Toustain. He had not heard anything of the rumour they brought him; but suddenly an idea struck him. It was a plot. The two captains at once rushed back to the barracks to order the knapsacks to be unstrapped, the flints to be taken out of the muskets and the soldiers to be confined to the barracks. In the meantime the deputy-governor visited the posts. The two officers rushed to the barracks and M. Toustain began his inspection. One of the first posts he came to was that guarded by Manoury. As he came nearer he saw by the light of his lantern a group of four people. This group struck him as looking suspicious and he accosted them. They were four young men dressed like citizens. The king's lieutenant interrogated them. "Who are you, gentlemen?" he asked. "We are citizens of this neighbourhood, commandant." "What are your names?" Whether from carelessness or from surprise, or whether they did not want to lie, these four youths gave their names-- "Desbordes, Bruc, Pegulu and Lacombe."