第 9 页

beer and, with much laughing and fun, each man sat down on the

grass, or scattered rocks, to eat his breakfast.

Many of the villagers had come down; and these brought, for the

most part, little presents: a few apples, a little fresh cheese, or

a bunch of grapes. It was a merry meal, and the boys agreed that it

was the jolliest picnic that they had ever been at.

At two o'clock the bugle sounded. The cooking things were packed up

and placed in the cart again; the blankets and haversacks slung on,

and the rifles shouldered and, with many a good wish from the

peasants, they marched forward again.

Eight miles further marching brought them to the end of their day's

journey, the village of Destord. It was a tiny place, with scarcely

over a half-dozen houses. Major Tempe in consequence determined, as

the weather was fine, upon bivouacking in the open air. For a time,

all were busy collecting wood. A sheltered place was chosen, for

the village lay very high, close to the source of a little stream

running into the river Mortagne.

The cooking places were again prepared for supper. At seven o'clock

the meal was served, differing but little from that of the morning;

except that after the men had eaten the soup, and the meat from it

(in France called bouilli), they fried some thin slices of meat in

the lids of their canteens, and concluded the meal with a cup of

coffee.

Then four large fires were lit--one for each company--and a smaller

one for the officers. Blankets were spread out on the ground round

these fires, and the men lit their pipes and chatted gaily. All

were more or less tired for, although their month's hard drill had

accustomed them to work, eighteen miles with arms, ammunition, and

accouterments had tired them more than they had anticipated.

As this was their first night out, Major Tempe told them that he

should not place a regular cordon of sentries; but that in future

he should do so, whether they were near the enemy or not. By nine

o'clock the fires began to burn low, the talking gradually ceased,

and the men--rolling themselves up in their blankets, and putting

their haversacks under their heads, for pillows--soon dropped off

to sleep; a solitary sentry keeping guard against pilferers.

A short march of ten miles took them, next day, to Rambervillers,

where they were billeted among the inhabitants; and fourteen miles

on the day after to Baccarat, on the river Meurthe, where they also

obtained quarters. They were now approaching the neighborhood of

the enemy, and Major Tempe advised a halt for the next day; in

order that he might make inquiries, and investigate thoroughly the

best route to be pursued.

Chapter 5: The First Engagement.

The news which the commandant of the franc tireurs heard, at

Baccarat, determined him to change his intentions; and to push on

without delay to Halloville--a tiny hamlet on the lower spurs of

the Vosges, some four miles from Blamont; and overlooking the

valley of the Vexouse, in which the latter town was situated.

It was a long march, and the weather had again changed, the rain

descending all day in a steady pour. The men--in their light,

waterproof cloaks, and the flaps of their forage caps down--plodded

steadily on; their spirit sustained by the thought that, ere

another twenty-four hours, they might be in action. The news which

hurried them forwards had been to the effect that a body of two

hundred Uhlans had left Sarrebourg, and were advancing towards

Blamont. They were going quietly, stopping to levy contributions at

the villages on the way. It was probable that they would enter

Blamont on the same evening that the franc tireurs reached

Halloville. It was supposed that they would proceed, with the sheep

and cattle that they had swept up, by the valley of the Vexouse to

Luneville.

To within four miles of Halloville, the road had been a fair one;

but it was here necessary to turn off, by a track that was little

better than a goat path. In vain, a dozen of the men were told off

to help with the cart; in vain they pushed behind, and shoved at

the spokes of the wheels. The road was altogether impracticable. At

last the horse and cart were taken aside into a thick wood and left

there; with Tim Doyle, a corporal, and six of the men who were the

most footsore, and incapable of pushing on. Tim was dreadfully

disgusted at being thus cut off from the chance of seeing, and

joining in, any fighting; and only consoled himself with the hope

that a vacancy would be likely to occur the next day, and that he

would then be able to exchange his whip for a rifle.

The rest of the corps plodded on until, long after dusk, they

arrived at the half-dozen houses which form the village of

Halloville. Their appearance, as they marched up to it, was greeted

by a scream from a woman, followed by a perfect chorus of screams

and cries. Men, women, and children were seen rushing out of the

houses, and taking to flight; and it was with the greatest

difficulty that they were made to understand the truth, that the

formidable body, which had so suddenly dropped upon them, was not

composed of the dreaded invaders.

When the truth was known, they did their best to receive them

hospitably. Their means, however, were small; their houses equally

so. However, in a short time blazing fires were lighted on the

hearths; blankets having been put up before the windows, to prevent

any light being visible from the valley. A fire was allotted for

the cooking of each company, and preparations for supper were soon

commenced. Then an examination was made of the facilities in the

way of sleeping; and two barns were found, well provided with

straw. This was shaken out and, after eating their suppers, the men

packed close together upon the straw, and soon forgot both damp and

fatigue; numerous sentries being thrown out, in various directions,

to prevent the possibility of surprise--for the peasants had

informed them that the information which they had received was

correct; and that the Uhlans, about two hundred strong, had entered

Blamont that afternoon, and had laid a requisition of twenty

thousand francs upon the inhabitants, besides a considerable amount

of stores of all sorts.

At three o'clock they were roused and found, to their great

pleasure, that the rain had ceased. Guided by one of the villagers,

they made their way down to a point where the wood approached quite

close to the road, at a narrow point of the valley. Here Major

Tempe posted his men along in the wood. Several coils of wire had

been brought with them; and these were now stretched tightly from

tree to tree, at a distance of about eighteen inches from the

ground. Some forty yards farther back, young trees were felled and

branches cut; and these were laid with the bushy parts towards the

road, wires being twisted here and there among them, so as to form

abattis perfectly impenetrable for horsemen, and difficult in the

extreme for infantry. All worked hard and, by eight o'clock in the

morning, everything was in readiness.

A small party had been left upon the high ground near Halloville,

and one of them had brought down news every half hour. Soon after

daybreak, a party of Uhlans had been seen to leave Blamont, and to

visit Barbas and Harboise--two villages in the flat of Blamont--and

then to retire, driving some cattle and sheep before them. At ten

o'clock the rest of the men from Halloville came down, with the

news that the Uhlans--about two hundred strong--had just left

Blamont, and were coming down the valley.

Each man now took the station allotted to him: thirty men behind

the trees, next to the road; the main body being stationed behind

the abattis, each man having previously settled upon a spot where

he could fire through the leaves, which entirely concealed them

from view from the road. Number one company was placed to the right

and, consequently, near to Blamont. Ralph and Percy were both in

the front line, behind the trees.

Not a shot was to be fired, on any consideration, until Major Tempe

gave the word. The men behind the trees were all ordered to lie

down among the low undergrowth and brushwood. The line extended

nearly a hundred yards. The waterproofs, blankets, and all other

impediments had been left behind at Halloville, so that the men had

the free use of their arms. The rifles were loaded, the pouches

shifted round so as to be ready at hand and--orders having been

given that not a word should be spoken, even in a whisper--a

perfect silence reigned over the spot.

Ralph and Percy were near to each other. They had exchanged a

hearty grip of the hand, before lying down; and now lay, with

beating hearts and hands firmly grasping their rifles, in readiness

for the signal.

The time was not very long--only a few minutes--but it seemed to

them an age before they heard the tramp of horses. Nearer and

nearer they came, and now they could hear the jingling of

accouterments First, through their leafy screen, they could see two

Uhlans pass at a walk; scanning keenly the woods, and looking for

possible danger. The bushes were thick, and they noticed nothing,

and kept on at the same pace. It is probable, indeed, that they

really anticipated no possibility of an attack, as the Dijon franc

tireurs were the first who appeared upon the scene of action; and

the Prussians were, consequently, in entire ignorance of the

vicinity of any armed body of the enemy and, at worst, apprehended

a stray shot from a straggler from one of the French armies, hidden

in the woods.

In another minute or two four more Uhlans passed; and after the

same interval came the main body, escorting a number of cattle and

sheep. The greater portion had passed the spot where the boys were

lying, and were opposite the whole line of franc tireurs, when the

silence of the wood was broken by Major Tempe's shout:

"Now!"

Before the Uhlans had time to rein in their horses, or to ask each

other what was the meaning of the cry, the flash of thirty rifles

broke from the trees, and several men fell from their horses. There

was a momentary panic, followed by a hurried discharge of carbines

at the invisible foe.

The captain of the Uhlans--a handsome young officer, with light

mustache and beard--shouted to his men:

"Steady, they are only a handful. Form line, charge!"

Quickly as the maneuver was executed, the franc tireurs had time to

fire again; and then--in accordance with their orders--retreated,

and joined their comrades by passages left in the abattis, on

purpose. In another instant the Uhlans charged but, as quickly, the

direst confusion reigned, where before had been a regular line. The

wire had served its purpose. Horses and men went down on the top of

each other, and thirty rifles again fumed their deadly hail into

the confused mass.

The second line of Uhlans--who had not charged--returned the fire

of their invisible enemies and, although they could not see them,

several of the balls took effect. Nothing could be cooler than the

officers of the Uhlans, and their voice and example steadied their

men. Under cover of the fire of their comrades the men, in part,

extricated themselves and their horses, and drew back behind the

wood. Orders were then given for all to dismount and, leaving their

horses to be held by parties of their comrades--four horses to one

man--the rest advanced on foot against their apparently greatly

inferior foe, keeping up a heavy fire with their carbines. This was

what the commandant of the franc tireurs had hoped for, and

expected.

The wire had been broken down by the weight of the horses; and the

Prussians advanced, opposed only by a feeble return to their heavy

fire, until within five paces of the leafy wall. Then the fire from

a hundred rifles flashed out upon them.

The effect was terrible, and a cry of surprise and rage burst from

those who had escaped its effect. It was evident that they had fallen

into an ambush. The captain--wild with rage and mortification, at

the fault he had committed--rushed forward; and his men gallantly

seconded his efforts. In vain, however, did they try to separate the

interlaced boughs while, as they struggled, the shots from the enemy

flashed out thick and fast. In another moment the young captain

threw up his arms and fell, shot through the heart. The officer next

in command ordered a retreat, the horses were regained and, amidst a

continuous fire from the franc tireurs, the diminished troop

galloped back towards Blamont.

The franc tireurs now quitted their leafy fortress. A small party

was at once sent forward up the valley, to give notice if the

Uhlans showed any signs of returning. A strong body set to work to

drive in the scattered animals--which were galloping wildly about

the valley--while the rest collected the dead and wounded.

Of the franc tireurs eight were killed, fourteen wounded. Of the

Uhlans forty-seven were killed, and nineteen wounded remained on

the ground. Their large number of killed, in proportion to the

wounded, was accounted for by the fact that the firing was so close

that, in many cases, the coats of the dead men were actually singed

by the explosion; while the slightly wounded men had been able to

regain their horses, and escape.

The first impulse of the young Barclays, when the fire ceased, was

to turn round and to embrace each other with delight--on finding

that they had each escaped without a scratch--and then to shake

hands heartily with their cousins, whose fortune had been equally

good. There was no time for words, however; for Major Tempe's order

came, sharp and decisive:

"You the Barclays, you also the Duburgs, sling your arms, and go

assist to drive in the cattle. Quick, lose no time.

"You have done well. I am content with you, my boys."

With a flush of pleasure, the boys started off to carry out the

orders; which had been given, by their commander, with the kind

thought of sparing the lads the terrible sight of the battle

ground.

The short but desperate conflict through which they had passed