However，it was only after the expiration of seven or eight minutes that the idea of following that'person'had occurred to him.
But it was too late；the person was already in the thicket，night had descended，and Boulatruelle had not been able to catch up with him.
Then he had adopted the course of watching for him at the edge of the woods.'It was moonlight.'
Two or three hours later，Boulatruelle had seen this person emerge from the brushwood，carrying no longer the coffer，but a shovel and pick.
Boulatruelle had allowed the person to pass，and had not dreamed of accosting him，because he said to himself that the other man was three times as strong as he was，and armed with a pickaxe，and that he would probably knock him over the head on recognizing him，and on perceiving that he was recognized.Touching effusion of two old comrades on meeting again.
But the
shovel and pick had served as a ray of light to Boulatruelle；he had hastened to the thicket in the morning，and had found neither shovel nor pick.
From this he had drawn the inference that this person，once in the forest，had dug a hole with his pick，buried the coffer，and reclosed the hole with his shovel.
Now，the coffer was too small to contain a body；therefore it contained money.
Hence his researches.Boulatruelle had explored，sounded，searched the entire forest and the thicket，and had dug wherever the earth appeared to him to have been recently turned up.
In vain.
He had'ferreted out'nothing.
No one in Montfermeil thought any more about it.
There were only a few brave gossips，who said，'You may be certain that the mender on the Gagny road did not take all that trouble for nothing；he was sure that the devil had come.'
BOOK SECOND.——THE SHIP ORION
Ⅲ THE ANKLE-CHAIN MUST HAVE UNDERGONE A CERTAIN PREPARATORY MANIPULATION TO BE THUS BROKEN WITH A BLOW FROM A HAMMER
Towards the end of October，in that same year，1823，the inhabitants of Toulon beheld the entry into their port，after heavy weather，and for the purpose of repairing some damages，of the ship Orion，which was employed later at Brest as a school-ship，and which then formed a part of the Mediterranean squadron.
This vessel，battered as it was，——for the sea had handled it roughly，——produced a fine effect as it entered the roads.
It flew some colors which procured for it the regulation salute of eleven guns，which it returned，shot for shot；total，twenty-two.It has been calculated that what with salvos，royal and military politenesses，courteous exchanges of uproar，signals of etiquette，formalities of roadsteads and citadels，sunrises and sunsets，saluted every day by all fortresses and all ships of war，openings and closings of ports，etc.，the civilized world，discharged all over the earth，in the course of four and twenty hours，one hundred and fifty thousand useless shots.
At six francs the shot，that comes to nine hundred thousand francs a day，three hundred millions a year，which vanish in smoke.
This is a mere detail.
All this time the poor were dying of hunger.
The year 1823 was what the Restoration called'the epoch of the Spanish war.'
This war contained many events in one，and a quantity of peculiarities.A grand family affair for the house of Bourbon；the branch of France succoring and protecting the branch of Madrid，that is to say，performing an act devolving on the elder；an apparent return to our national traditions，complicated by servitude and by subjection to the cabinets of the North；M.le Duc d'Angouleme，surnamed by the liberal sheets the hero of Andujar，compressing in a triumphal attitude that was somewhat contradicted by his peaceable air，the ancient and very powerful terrorism of the Holy Office at variance with the chimerical terrorism of the liberals；the sansculottes resuscitated，to the great terror of dowagers，under the name of descamisados；monarchy opposing an obstacle to progress described as anarchy；the theories of'89 roughly interrupted in the sap；a European halt，called to the French idea，which was making the tour of the world；beside the son of France as generalissimo，the Prince de Carignan，afterwards Charles Albert，enrolling himself in that crusade of kings against people as a volunteer，with grenadier epaulets of red worsted；the soldiers of the Empire setting out on a fresh campaign，but aged，saddened，after eight years of repose，and under the white cockade；the tricolored standard waved abroad by a heroic handful of Frenchmen，as the white standard had been thirty years earlier at Coblentz；monks mingled with our troops；the spirit of liberty and of novelty brought to its senses by bayonets；principles slaughtered by cannonades；France undoing by her arms that which she had done by her mind；in addition to this，hostile leaders sold，soldiers hesitating，cities besieged by millions；no military perils，and yet possible explosions，as in every mine which is surprised and invaded；but little bloodshed，little honor won，shame for some，glory for no one.Such was this war，made by the princes descended from Louis XIV.，and conducted by generals who had been under Napoleon.
Its sad fate was to recall neither the grand war nor grand politics.
Some feats of arms were serious；the taking of the Trocadero，among others，was a fine military action；but after all，we repeat，the trumpets of this war give back a cracked sound，the whole effect was suspicious；history approves of France for making a difficulty about accepting this false triumph.
It seemed evident that certain Spanish officers charged with resistance yielded too easily；the idea of corruption was connected with the victory；it appears as though generals and not battles had been won，and the conquering soldier returned humiliated.
A debasing war，in short，in which the Bank of France could be read in the folds of the flag.
Soldiers of the war of 1808，on whom Saragossa had fallen in formidable ruin，frowned in 1823 at the easy surrender of citadels，and began to regret Palafox.