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Updated: May 1, 2025
When they reached the wall of the Eperon, which separates the Saint-Germain forest from the Maisons-Laffitte Park, Labouise stopped his companion and explained his idea to him. Maillochon was moved by a prolonged, silent laugh. They threw into the water the grass which had covered the body, took the animal by the feet and hid it behind some bushes.
Labouise grasped the animal by the bridle. Maillochon asked in surprise: "What do you expect to do with that carcass?" Chicot this time opened his other eye in order to express his gaiety. His whole red face was grinning with joy. He chuckled: "Don't worry, sister. I've got my idea." He gave five francs to the woman, who then sat down by the road to see what was going to happen.
But it's big enough. But what is it? If I told you I'd be lying, and you know, sister, between us everything's above-board." Anxiously the man asked: "Think it's venison?" Labouise answered: "Might be and then again it might not! Venison? uh! uh! might be a little big for that! Mind you, I don't say it's a doe, because I don't know, but it might be."
The two men were doubled up with laughter and stamped their feet with joy. The woman, indignant, rushed forward; she did not want her donkey to be tortured, and she offered to return the five francs. Labouise threatened her with a thrashing and pretended to roll up his sleeves. He had paid, hadn't he? Well, then, he would take a shot at her skirts, just to show that it didn't hurt.
Still the dealer insisted: "Perhaps it's a buck?" Labouise stretched out his hand, exclaiming: "No, it's not that! It's not a buck. I should have seen the horns. No, it's not a buck!" "Why didn't you bring it with you?" asked the man. "Because, sister, from now on I sell from where I stand. Plenty of people will buy. All you have to do is to take a walk over there, find the thing and take it.
The woman, bent double, was pulling, turning round occasionally to strike the donkey with a stick. As soon as he saw her, Labouise exclaimed: "Say, Mailloche!" Mailloche answered: "What's the matter?" "Want to have some fun?" "Of course!" "Then hurry, sister; we're going to have a laugh." Chicot took the oars. When he had crossed the river he stopped opposite the woman and called: "Hey, sister!"
Toward noon Labouise drew a bottle of wine, some bread and butter and raw onions from a hiding place in their muddy, worm-eaten boat, and they began to eat. When the meal was over they once more stretched out on the dead donkey and slept. At nightfall Labouise awoke and shook his comrade, who was snoring like a buzzsaw. "Come on, sister," he ordered. Maillochon began to row.
Rowing about on the river day and night, watching for any prey, dead or alive, poachers on the water and nocturnal hunters, sometimes ambushing venison in the Saint-Germain forests, sometimes looking for drowned people and searching their clothes, picking up floating rags and empty bottles; thus did Labouise and Maillochon live easily.
Here they stopped their boat, tied it to a tree and went to sleep in the bottom of it. From time to time Labouise would sit up and look over the horizon with his open eye. The last of the morning mist had disappeared and the large summer sun was climbing in the blue sky. On the other side of the river the vineyard-covered hill stretched out in a semicircle. One house stood out alone at the summit.
Perhaps we might make a deal." Labouise, who seemed perplexed, pretended to consult Maillochon with a glance. Then he answered in a slow voice: "This is how it is. We were in the bushes at Eperon when something passed right near us, to the left, at the end of the wall. Mailloche takes a shot and it drops. We skipped on account of the game people. I can't tell you what it is, because I don't know.
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