"I tried to help you rally the crowd, my colonel, but it was hopeless. Yet with a few good soldiers behind his back, one could easily have cleared the streets of those hulking gendarmes. Do I hurt you?" he continued as he tied the knot.
"No," answered Tournay. "Tie it quickly and then come with me."
"I must go to the barracks, Colonel Tournay," replied Dessarts. "Your old regiment has been disbanded. I am here with my company, ordered to join another regiment and proceed to the Vendée."
"Where are your men quartered?" asked Tournay excitedly.
"Two streets above here."
"Will they obey you absolutely?"
"To the last man, my colonel."
"Will you follow me without a question?"
"To the death, my colonel."
"Come then, and bring me to your men at once. Every instant is worth a life. Let us run."