ng for
others to come up. At last they debouched into the plain; but, to my
surprise, they wheeled about to the right, leaving the farmhouse on
their flank, as if to march beyond it. This was to lose their way
totally; nothing would be easier than to carry the position of the
farm, for the Germans were evidently few, had no vedettes, and thought
themselves in perfect security. I crept out from my ambush, and, holding
my cap on a stick, tried to attract notice from our fellows, but none
saw me. I ventured at last to shout aloud, but with no better success;
so that, driven to the end of my resources, I set to and beat a
_roulade_ on the drum, thundering away with all my might, and not caring
what might come of it, for I was half mad with vexation as well as
despair. They heard me now; I saw a staff-officer gallop up to the head
of the leading division and halt them; a volley came peppering from
behind me, but without doing me any injury, for I was safe once more in
my bucket. Then came another pause, and again I repeated my manouvre,
and to my delight perceived that our fellows were advancing at quick
march. I beat harder, and the drums of the grenadiers answered me. All
right now, thought I, as, springing forward, I called out--"This way,
boys, the wall of the orchard has scarcely a man to defend it!" and I
rattled out the _pas de charge_ with all my force. One crashing fire of
guns and small-arms answered me from the farmhouse, and then away went
the Germans as hard as they could!--such running never was seen! One of
the guns they carried off with them; the tackle of the other broke, and
the drivers, jumping off their saddles, took to their legs at once. Our
lads were over the walls, through the windows, between the stockades,
everywhere, in fact, in a minute, and, once inside, they carried all
before them. The village was taken at the point of the bayonet, and in
less than an hour the whole force of the brigade was advancing in full
march on the enemy's flank. There was little resistance made after that,
and Kaunitz only saved his artillery by leaving his rear-guard to be cut
to pieces.'

The cannonier nodded, as if in full assent, and Pierre looked around him
with the air of a man who has vindicated his claim to greatness.

'Of course,' said he, 'the despatch said little about Pierre Canot, but
a great deal about Moreau, and Kleber, and the rest of them.'

While some were well satisfied that Pierre had well establis