Papillon by Henri Charrière Read Free Book Online Page A

group of men dressed very differently from the guards we had known. They wore sky-blue suits of a military cut and looked well dressed. They weren’t police and they weren’t soldiers. They all wore wide belts with holsters hanging from them; we could see the handles of their guns. There were about eighty of them. Some wore stripes on their sleeves. All were sunburned and looked to be between thirty-five and fifty. The older men seemed sympathetic; the young ones stuck out their chests with an air of importance. The commanding officer of the group was accompanied by the director of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, a police colonel, three or four army doctors in colonial dress and two priests in white cassocks. The police colonel put a loudspeaker to his mouth. We expected an “Attention!” but not at all.
    “Listen carefully,” the colonel said. “From here on you are under the jurisdiction of the officials of the Ministry of Justice representing the Penal Administration of French Guiana, whose administrative center is the city of Cayenne. Warden Barrot, I transfer to you the eight hundred prisoners present and listed here. Will you certify that they are all present.”
    The roll call began: “So and so, present; so and so, present, etc.” It took two hours; everything was in order. Then we watched the exchange of signatures by the two administrations on a small table provided for the occasion.
    Warden Barrot (he had as many stripes as the colonel, though his were colored instead of silver) took his turn at the loudspeaker. “Transportees, from here on that’s what you’ll be called—Transportee so and so, or Transportee such and such a number, whichever you are given. From this moment on you are under the special laws of the bagne , its regulations, its internal tribunals which, when called upon, will make the decisions they think necessary. These autonomous tribunals can punish you, depending on the offense you commit in the bagne , with anything from a simple prison sentence to the death penalty. These disciplinary sentences, whether for prison or solitary confinement, may be carried out in any one of the places that belong to the Administration. The police you see before you are called wardens. When you address them, you must call them ‘Mister Warden.’ After supper each of you will receive a navy pack with your clothing for the bagne . Everything has been anticipated; these are all you’ll need. Tomorrow you will board La Martinière . We will make the trip together. Don’t feel sorry to leave; you’ll be better off at the bagne than in a penitentiary in France. You can talk, play cards, sing, smoke. Don’t worry about being mistreated so long as you behave. I ask that you wait until you’re in the bagne to settle any personal differences you may have. Discipline during the trip must be very severe and I trust you understand why. If there are any of you who don’t feel well enough to undertake the trip, go to the infirmary, where you’ll be examined by the medical captains who are accompanying the convoy. I wish you ‘bon voyage.’” The ceremony was over.
    “So, Dega, what do you think?”
    “Papillon, old man, I see I was right when I told you the biggest danger was the other cons. That thing he said about ‘wait until you’re in the bagne to settle any personal differences’ spoke volumes. There must be a lot of killings!”
    “Don’t worry about it. Just trust me.”
    I sought out François la Passe and asked, “Is your brother still an orderly?”
    “Yes, he’s a relégué .”
    “Go see him as soon as you can and ask him to give you a lancet. If he wants money, tell me how much and I’ll pay him.”
    Two hours later I was the owner of a lancet with a very strong steel handle. Its only drawback was that it was a little too long, but it was a fearsome weapon.
    I sat down near the toilets in the middle of the courtyard and sent for Galgani so that I could give him back his plan , but it must