Lambertie interrupted him.

"I beg your pardon. I speak the English ver' well; but _mordieu_ if
I can comprehend a word as you speak it! _Tenez donc_--You are a spy?"

"Not a bit."

"Well, well," said the Grand Provost, altogether gravelled, "you
_must_ be something--come!"

He called the sergeant again; who plainly could give no information,
and was quite as plainly surprised that any fuss should be made over
an affair so trivial. Indeed, the sergeant ventured to suggest that
Tristram should be branded on the off-chance of its turning out for
his good.

"But no," said M. de Lambertie, "I am a man of justice and of logic.
It is incredible that a youth who cannot speak a word but English
should be a deserter from our Majesty's army. Moreover, I am a
physiognomist, and his face is honest. Therefore," concluded the man
of logic, "he shall go to the galleys."

This was interpreted to Tristram, who found the argument fallacious,
but fell on his knees and kissed M. de Lambertie's hand.

"Take him away," said the Grand Provost. He was dragged to his feet
and led to the door, followed by the desperate eyes of his comrades.
He heard their sobs and outcries renewed above the steady pant of the
bellows. Then the door clanged. The soldiers took him upstairs and
cast him back into the great dungeon.

The next morning he started in a chain of thirty-five slaves for the
galleys at Dunkirk.

CHAPTER XI.

THE GALLEY "L'HEUREUSE."

The archers, or constables, in charge of the slaves took them
through Ypres and Furnes; and as the distance is about twelve
leagues, it was not till the third day that Tristram saw the spires
and fortifications of Dunkirk rising against the greyish sea.
But in that time he learnt much, being tied to a brisk rotund
Burgundian, the cheerfullest of the gang, who had made two campaigns
with the English Foot Guards in Turenne's time, and had picked up a
smattering of their language. He knew, at any rate, enough English
to teach Tristram some rudiments of French on the road, and gave him
much information that went far to alter his notions of the world.

Tristram was deeply shocked at the sight of one or two of the men
whom he had left in the hands of M. de Lambertie. He now ceased to
wonder at the agony of apprehension they had exhibited, and, while
compassionating their horrible case, did not forget to thank God for
having interposed to save him from a similar fate.

"Ah, yes," sai