The Thirteen | Page 4

cavern after another to show him a
dried-up corpse at the end of the fourth volume, and inform him, by
way of conclusion, that he has been frightened all along by a door
hidden somewhere or other behind some tapestry; or a dead body, left
by inadvertence, under the floor. So the present chronicler, in spite of
his objection to prefaces, felt bound to introduce his fragment by a few
remarks.
/Ferragus/, the first episode, is connected by invisible links with the
history of the Thirteen, for the power which they acquired in a natural
manner provides the apparently supernatural machinery.
Again, although a certain literary coquetry may be permissible to

retailers of the marvelous, the sober chronicler is bound to forego such
advantage as he may reap from an odd-sounding name, on which many
ephemeral successes are founded in these days. Wherefore the present
writer gives the following succinct statement of the reasons which
induced him to adopt the unlikely sounding title and sub-title.
In accordance with old-established custom, /Ferragus/ is a name taken
by the head of a guild of /Devorants/, /id est Devoirants/ or journeymen.
Every chief on the day of his election chooses a pseudonym and
continues a dynasty of /Devorants/ precisely as a pope changes his
name on his accession to the triple tiara; and as the Church has its
Clement XIV., Gregory XII., Julius II., or Alexander VI., so the
workmen have their Trempe-la-Soupe IX., Ferragus XXII., Tutanus
XIII., or Masche-Fer IV. Who are the /Devorants/, do you ask?
The /Devorants/ are one among many tribes of /compagnons/ whose
origin can be traced to a great mystical association formed among the
workmen of Christendom for the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem.
/Compagnonnage/ is still a popular institution in France. Its traditions
still exert a power over little enlightened minds, over men so
uneducated that they have not learned to break their oaths; and the
various organizations might be turned to formidable account even yet if
any rough-hewn man of genius arose to make use of them, for his
instruments would be, for the most part, almost blind.
Wherever journeymen travel, they find a hostel for /compagnons/
which has been in existence in the town from time immemorial. The
/obade/, as they call it, is a kind of lodge with a "Mother" in charge, an
old, half-gypsy wife who has nothing to lose. She hears all that goes on
in the countryside; and, either from fear or from long habit, is devoted
to the interests of the tribe boarded and lodged by her. And as a result,
this shifting population, subject as it is to an unalterable law of custom,
has eyes in every place, and will carry out an order anywhere without
asking questions; for the oldest journeyman is still at an age when a
man has some beliefs left. What is more, the whole fraternity professes
doctrines which, if unfolded never so little, are both true enough and
mysterious enough to electrify all the adepts with patriotism; and the
/compagnons/ are so attached to their rules, that there have been bloody
battles between different fraternities on a question of principle.
Fortunately, however, for peace and public order; if a /Devorant/ is

ambitious, he takes to building houses, makes a fortune, and leaves the
guild.
A great many curious things might be told of their rivals, the
/Compagnons du Devior/, of all the different sects of workmen, their
manners and customs and brotherhoods, and of the resemblances
between them and the Freemasons; but there, these particulars would be
out of place. The author will merely add, that before the Revolution a
Trempe-la-Soupe had been known in the King's service, which is to say,
that he had the tenure of a place in His Majesty's galleys for one
hundred and one years; but even thence he ruled his guild, and was
religiously consulted on all matters, and if he escaped from the hulks he
met with help, succor, and respect wherever he went. To have a chief in
the hulks is one of those misfortunes for which Providence is
responsible; but a faithful lodge of /devorants/ is bound, as before, to
obey a power created by and set above themselves. Their lawful
sovereign is in exile for the time being, but none the less is he their
king. And now any romantic mystery hanging about the words
/Ferragus/ and the /devorants/ is completely dispelled.
As for the Thirteen, the author feels that, on the strength of the details
of this almost fantastic story, he can afford to give away yet another
prerogative, though it is one of the greatest on record, and would
possibly fetch a high price if brought into a literary auction mart; for
the owner might inflict as many volumes on the public