to pull oneself up this long rope by the arms, a most painful proceeding for a man as corpulent as Georges.  At last the seven Chouans were gathered at the top of the cliff, and under the guidance of Troche, son of the former procureur of the commune of Eu, and one of the most faithful adherents of the party, they arrived at the farm of La Poterie, near the hamlet of Heudelimont, about two leagues from the coast.  Whilst the farmer, Detrimont, was serving them drinks, a mysterious personage, who called himself M. Beaumont, came to consult with them.  He was a tall man, with the figure of a Hercules, a swarthy complexion, a high forehead and black eyebrows and hair.  He disappeared in the early morning.

Georges and his companions spent the whole of the 24th at La Poterie.  They left the farm in the night and marched five leagues to Preuseville, where a M. Loisel sheltered them.  The route was cleverly planned not to leave the vast forest of Eu, which provided shaded roads, and in case of alarm, almost impenetrable hiding-places.  On the night of the 26th they again covered five leagues, through the forest of Eu, arriving at Aumale at two o’clock in the morning, and lodging with a man called Monnier, who occupied the ancient convent of the Dominican Nuns.  “The stout man” rode a black horse which Monnier, for want of a stable, hid in a corridor in the house, the halter tied to the key of the door.  As for the men, they threw themselves pell-mell on some straw, and did not go out during the day.  M. Beaumont had reappeared at Aumale.  He arrived on horseback and, after passing an hour with the conspirators, had left in the direction of Quincampoix.  They had seen him again with Boniface Colliaux, called Boni, at their next stage, Feuquieres, four leagues off, which they reached on the night of the 27th.  They passed the 28th with Leclerc, five leagues further on, at the farm of Monceaux which belonged to the Count d’Hardivilliers, situated in the commune of Saint-Omer-en-Chaussee.  From there, avoiding Beauvais, the son of Leclerc had guided them to the house of Quentin-Rigaud at Auteuil, and on the 29th he had taken them to Massignon, the farmer of Saint-Lubin, who in turn had passed them on, the next day, to his brother Nicolas, charged, as we have seen, to help them cross the Oise and direct them to the wood of La Muette, where Denis Lamotte, the vine-dresser of Saint-Leu, had come to fetch them.

Such was the result of Manginot’s enquiries.  He had reconstructed Georges’ itinerary with most remarkable perspicacity and this was the more important as the chain of stations from the sea to Paris necessitated long and careful organisation, and as the conspirators used the route frequently.  Thus, two men mentioned in the disembarkation of August 23d had returned to Biville in mid-September.  On October 2d Georges and three of his officers, coming from Paris, had again presented themselves before Lamotte, who had conducted them to the wood of La