f the _chateau_.

Days passed, while my dull brain and the kindled fancy of the new
Nazzolini were inventing plans. Pietro had schemes enough, for his
imagination was both vivid and ceaseless; but whenever he came to
reduce them to words, it was always found that they required a little
more "_polishing_ in certain links," which he forthwith retired to
perform.

One of our greatest difficulties was, how to deal with my officers,
who had proved so false on the Senegal. We debated the matter for a
long time; but, considering that they were sick of long confinement
and bereft of future comfort without my labor we resolved to let them
partake our flight, though, once outside the chateau, we would
abandon them to their own resources.

Accordingly, we imparted our scheme, which was eagerly embraced; and,
through the kindness of our Spanish girls, we secretly despatched all
our spare garments, so that we might not issue bare into the
censorious world.

All being prepared, it was proposed by _Signore Pietro_ that New Year,
which was at hand, should be signalized by our enterprise. As I had
carefully kept and secreted the saw received from my Goree friends, we
possessed a most valuable implement; so that it was resolved to attack
a bar the moment we had been mustered and locked up on that auspicious
night. At eleven, a descent into the court beneath the window was to
be commenced, and, if this proved successful, there was no doubt we
could reach the beach across the parade. But the sentinel still
required "polishing" out of the court-yard! This was a tremendous
obstacle; still, Germaine once more put on his fancy-wings, and
recommended that our fair Catalans, whose occupation made them
familiar with the whole regiment, should ascertain the sentinels for
the night in question, and, as it was a festival, they might easily
insinuate a few bottles of brandy into the guard-house, and prepare
the soldiery for sleep instead of vigilance. But the success and merit
of this plan were considered so doubtful, that another scheme was kept
in reserve to silence the soldier whose duty required a continual
march beneath our window. If the women failed to accomplish our wishes
with liquor, and if the sentry persisted in a vigilant promenade, it
was proposed, as soon as the bar parted, to drop the noose of a _lazo_
quietly over his head, and dragging him with a run to the window-sill,
knock out his brains, if necessary, with the iron.

The