| 150 | 151 | 152 | 153 | 154 |
| 1 | 171 | 343 | 514 | 685 |
|
The loading of each vehicle occupied nearly half an hour. The successive
arrivals had raised the number of imprisoned Representatives to two
hundred and thirty-two Their embarkation, or, to use the expression of M.
de Vatimesnil, their "barrelling up," which began a little after ten in
the evening, was not finished until nearly seven o'clock in the morning.
When there were no more police-vans available omnibuses were brought in.
These various vehicles were portioned off into three detachments, each
escorted by Lancers. The first detachment left towards one o'clock in the
morning, and was driven to Mont Valérien; the second towards five
o'clock, and was driven to Mazas; the third towards half-past six, to
Vincennes.
As this business occupied a long time, those who had not yet been called
benefited by the mattresses and tried to sleep. Thus, from time to time,
silence reigned in the upper rooms. In the midst of one of these pauses
M. Bixio sat upright, and raising his voice, cried out, "Gentlemen, what
do you think of 'passive obedience'?" An unanimous burst of laughter was
the reply. Again, during one of these pauses another voice exclaimed,--
"
Romieu will be a senator."
Emile Péan asked,--
"
What will become of the Red Spectre?"
"He will enter the priesthood," answered Antony Thouret, "and will turn
into the Black Spectre."
152
Page
Quick Jump
|