eness of our
situation, as by anything in his remark.

'We never could bring our guns through a soil like this, colonel,'
said the aide-de-camp, as he struck his heel into the soft and clayey
surface.

'If we could ever land them at all!' muttered he, half aloud; then
added, 'But for what object should we? Believe me, gentlemen, if we are
to have a campaign here, bows and arrows are the true weapons.'

'Ah! what do I see yonder?' cried the aide-de-camp; 'are not those sheep
feeding in that little glen?'

'Yes,' cried I, 'and a man herding them, too. See, the fellow has caught
sight of us, and he's off as fast as his legs can carry him.' And so was
it: the man had no sooner seen us than he sprang to his feet and hurried
down the mountain at full speed.

Our first impulse was to follow and give him chase, and even without a
word we all started off in pursuit; but we soon saw how fruitless would
be the attempt, for, even independent of the start he had got of us, the
peasant's speed was more than the double of our own.

'No matter,' said the colonel, 'if we have lost the shepherd we have
at least gained the sheep, and so I recommend you to secure mutton for
dinner to-morrow.'

With this piece of advice, down the hill he darted as hard as he could;
Briolle, the aide-de-camp, and myself following at our best pace. We
were reckoning without our host, however, for the animals, after one
stupid stare at us, set off in a scamper that soon showed their mountain
breeding, keeping all together like a pack of hounds, and really not
very inferior in the speed they displayed.

A little gorge led between the hills, and through this they rushed
madly, and with a clatter like a charge of cavalry. Excited by the
chase, and emulous each to outrun the other, the colonel threw off his
shako, and Briolle his sword, in the ardour of pursuit. We now gained
on them rapidly, and though, from a winding in the glen, they had
momentarily got out of sight, we knew that we were close upon them. I
was about thirty paces in advance of my comrades, when, on turning an
angle of the gorge, I found myself directly in front of a group of mud
hovels, near which were standing about a dozen ragged, miserable-looking
men, armed with pitchforks and scythes, while in the rear stood the
sheep, blowing and panting from the chase.

I came to a dead stop; and although I would have given worlds to have
had my comrades at my side, I never once looked back to