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took their eyes off him. The keepers of General Changarnier were of
ordinary strength and stature. Those of Charras were almost giants.
Charras is exceedingly tall; they topped him by an entire head. These
men who were galley sergeants, had been carabineers; these spies had
been heroes.
Charras questioned them. They had served when quite young, from 1813.
Thus they had shared the bivouac of Napoleon; now they ate the same
bread as Vidocq. The soldier brought to such a sorry pass as this is a
sad sight.
The pocket of one of them was bulged out with something which he was
hiding there.
When this man crossed the station in company with Charras, a lady
traveller said,--
"
Has he got M. Thiers in his pocket?"
What the police agent was hiding was a pair of pistols. Under their
long, buttoned-up and doubled-breasted frock coats these men were armed.
They were ordered to treat "those gentlemen" with the most profound
respect, but in certain circumstances to blow out their brains.
The prisoners had each been informed that in the eyes of the different
authorities whom they would meet on the road they would pass for
foreigners, Swiss or Belgians, expelled on account of their political
opinions, and that the police agents would keep their title of police
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