"Just think of it!" Hutin replied; "that great patriot has not dared to put his nose outside his door! It was all I could do to get him to give me back General La Fayette's proclamation!"
"I hope you have brought it!"
"Rather! Look here! here it is!"
"Give it me.... Good! Now to business!"
"And what have you done?"
"I have acquired this hatchet from M. Jousselin's fireplace.... We are going to break open the door of the powder magazine, load it on to a waggon Moreau has gone to fetch and then we will depart."
"Can you rely on Moreau?"
"As I would on myself!... By the way, what has become of Quinette?"
"He has disappeared—vanished—flown! But we will not bother ourselves about him. Set to work!"
It was not such an easy task to accomplish. The lock that we had to burst was fixed into the wall itself and the wall was built of flint rubble, so every badly aimed blow which fell on the wall instead of the lock or woodwork produced millions of sparks. Lieutenant-Colonel d'Orcourt was a stout-hearted man, but, at the third blow which sent out a shower of sparks, he shook his head and turned to his companions.