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"We had built already the chapel and the library, with its map-room, and the Prince and I were busy there together on the plans for his observatory in the late afternoon when the caravels were sighted: and the news being brought, his Highness left me at work while he rode down to the port to receive his captains.
"All this, Sir, by little and little the pilot Morales told us, there in the Prince's map-room: and you may be sure we kept it to ourselves. Gonsalvez was leader, of course, with Tristram Vaz: and to my great joy the Prince appointed me third in command. "We sailed from Lagos in June and reached Porto Santo without mishap.
Napoleon had just finished his breakfast, and entered his map-room to conceive there the plans of future campaigns, when the door of the reception-room opened, and Minister Maret, Duke de Bassano, came in.
I was still working by lamplight in the map-room when he returned, bringing them and a third man, the old Spaniard Morales. "Seating himself at the table, he bade me leave my plans, draw my chair over, and take notes in writing of the captains' report.
From the map-room a little room is gained where the debates in the Great Council Hall might be secretly overheard by interested eavesdroppers, but in particular by Cosimo I. A part of the cornice has holes in it for this purppse, but on regaining the hall itself I found that the disparity in the pattern was perfectly evident even to my eye, so that every one in those suspicious days must have been aware of the listener.
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