led to Suippe, which, like the first, extended,
straight as an arrow's flight, far as the eye could see. The men marched
at the route-step in two straggling files along either side of the road,
thus leaving the central space free for the officers, and Maurice could
not help noticing their anxious, care-worn air, in striking contrast
with the jollity and good-humor of the soldiers, who were happy as
children to be on the move once more. As the squad was near the head of
the column he could even distinguish the Colonel, M. de Vineuil, in the
distance, and was impressed by the grave earnestness of his manner, and
his tall, rigid form, swaying in cadence to the motion of his charger.
The band had been sent back to the rear, to keep company with the
regimental wagons; it played but once during that entire campaign. Then
came the ambulances and engineer's train attached to the division, and
succeeding that the corps train, an interminable procession of forage
wagons, closed vans for stores, carts for baggage, and vehicles of
every known description, occupying a space of road nearly four miles in
length, and which, at the infrequent curves in the highway, they could
see winding behind them like the tail of some great serpent. And last of
all, at the extreme rear of the column, came the herds, "rations on the
hoof," a surging, bleating, bellowing mass of sheep and oxen, urged on
by blows and raising clouds of dust, reminding one of the old warlike
peoples of the East and their migrations.

Lapoulle meantime would every now and then give a hitch of his shoulders
in an attempt to shift the weight of his knapsack when it began to
be too heavy. The others, alleging that he was the strongest, were
accustomed to make him carry the various utensils that were common to
the squad, including the big kettle and the water-pail; on this occasion
they had even saddled him with the company shovel, assuring him that
it was a badge of honor. So far was he from complaining that he was now
laughing at a song with which Loubet, the tenor of the squad, was trying
to beguile the tedium of the way. Loubet had made himself quite
famous by reason of his knapsack, in which was to be found a little
of everything: linen, an extra pair of shoes, haberdashery, chocolate,
brushes, a plate and cup, to say nothing of his regular rations of
biscuit and coffee, and although the all-devouring receptacle also
contained his cartridges, and his blankets were rolled