It was with great delight that the four Representatives met again and shook hands.  Each of these three generals at this demonstrative moment maintained the character of his temperament.  Lamoriciere, impetuous and witty, throwing himself with all his military energy upon “the Bonaparte;” Cavaignac, calm and cold; Changarnier, silent and looking out through the port-hole at the landscape.  The sergents de ville ventured to put in a word here and there.  One of them related to the prisoners that the ex-Prefect Carlier had spent the night of the First and Second at the Prefecture of Police.  “As for me,” said he, “I left the Prefecture at midnight, but I saw him up to that hour, and I can affirm that at midnight he was there still.”

They reached Creil, and then Noyon.  At Noyon they gave them some breakfast, without letting them get out, a hurried morsel and a glass of wine.  The Commissaries of Police did not open their lips to them.  Then the carriages were reclosed, and they felt they were being taken off the trucks and being replaced on the wheels.  Post horses arrived, and the vehicles set out, but slowly; they were now escorted by a company of infantry Gendarmerie Mobile.

When they left Noyon they had been ten hours in the police-van.  Meanwhile the infantry halted.  They asked permission to get out for a moment “We consent,” said one of the Commissaries of the Police, “but only for a minute, and on condition that you will give your word of honor not to escape.”  “We will give our word of honor,” replied the prisoners.  “Gentlemen,” continued the Commissary, “give it to me only for one minute, the time to drink a glass of water.”  “No,” said General Lamoriciere, “but the time to do the contrary,” and he added, “To Louis Bonaparte’s health.”  They allowed them to get out, one by one, and they were, able to inhale for a moment the fresh air in the open country by the side of the road.

Then the convoy resumed its march.

As the day waned they saw through their port-hole a mass of high walls, somewhat overtopped by a great round tower.  A moment afterwards the carriages entered beneath a low archway, and then stopped in the centre of a long courtyard, steeply embanked, surrounded by high walls, and commanded by two buildings, of which one had the appearance of a barrack, and the other, with bars at all the windows, had the appearance of a prison.  The doors of the carriages were opened.  An officer who wore a captain’s epaulets was standing by the steps.  General Changarnier came down first.  “Where are we?” said he.  The officer answered, “You are at Ham.”

This officer was the Commandant of the Fort.  He had been appointed to this post by General Cavaignac.

The journey from Noyon to Ham had lasted three hours and a half.  They had spent thirteen hours in the police van, of which ten were on the railway.

They led them separately into the prison, each to the room that was allotted to him.  However, General Lamoriciere having been taken by mistake into Cavaignac’s room, the two generals could again exchange a shake of the hand.  General Lamoriciere wished to write to his wife; the only letter which the Commissaries of Police consented to take charge of was a note containing this line:  “I am well.”