De Lery pushed back his mug.
"All very well," he answered; "but your position here does not command the lake. If the English chose they could blockade you in the river, and your anchorage would go for naught. Furthermore, there is great difficulty in navigating craft this far up the river against a current of nearly three leagues an hour."
"Bah!" exclaimed Joncaire. "You know everything."
"I am an engineer," returned de Lery pompously. "You are a soldier. I should not attempt to dictate to you."
Joncaire appealed to me. He was on his third mug of wine, and the mellow stuff had rekindled his odd friendship for me.
"Come, mon Jean," he cried, "what do you say to it! You are a man of experience. You have been to Arles. I think you implied that you had seen service in the Army in France?"
"As a sergeant only, monsieur," I answered modestly. "In the Regiment de la Reine."
"A famous corps," he proclaimed. "Your opinion has weight with me, Jean. You are a man of sense and judgment. What is your opinion on this subject we debate?"
"Ma foi, monsieur," I said cautiously, "I am scarcely fitted to discuss it with two gentlemen of your wisdom and experience. I am frank to say I do not understand the issue."
"De Lery, we will leave the matter to this youth's honest candor," suggested Joncaire.