"I set off for France after finalizing the plan. Our cargo was to be landed in the Gulf of Lyon, which was difficult because it was 1829. Perfect peace had been restored, and the vigilance of customs officers had doubled. Their strictness had increased even more because of the trade fair at Beaucaire.
Our expedition began favorably. We anchored our vessel, which had a hidden compartment where our goods were concealed, among numerous other vessels lining the riverbanks. Upon arrival, we began unloading our cargo at night and transporting it into town with help from the innkeeper we worked with.
Whether success made us careless or we were betrayed, I don't know. But one evening around five o'clock, our cabin boy came running breathlessly to tell us he'd seen a group of customs officers heading in our direction. It wasn't their proximity that alarmed us, patrols constantly walked along the riverbanks, but according to the boy, they were taking care to avoid being seen.
