I desire each man here to estimate the risk, and
choose, before we separate to-night, whether or not he will accompany
the expedition.
"Here is the compact made with Herr Goebel: I promised that, with the
help of my comrades, I would endeavor to open the Rhine to mercantile
traffic. On the strength of such promise he gave me the money."
At this announcement rose a wild round of applause, and with the thunder
of flagons on the table, and the shouting of each member, no single
voice could make itself heard above the tumult. These lads had no
conception of the perils they were to face, and Roland alone remained
imperturbable, becoming more and more serious as the uproar went on.
When at last quiet was restored, he continued, with a gravity in
striking contrast to the hilarity of his audience:
"Herr Goebel is filling his largest barge with bales of cloth, and he
has engaged an efficient crew, and a capable captain who will assume
charge of the navigation. The barge will proceed to-morrow night down
the Main, leaving Frankfort as unostentatiously as possible, while we
march across the country to Assmannshausen, and there join this craft.
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