minutes it ceased and, shortly afterwards, Louis Duburg ran up with
the tidings that the village was taken. The Germans, surprised in
their beds, had offered but a slight resistance. Four were killed,
and sixteen taken prisoners; one franc tireur, only, was slightly
wounded.

"Take two men with you," Major Tempe said, "and escort those five
prisoners to the village. Give them over to Lieutenant Houdin; and
tell him to send them, with the prisoners he has taken, under
charge of six men to the forest. Let their hands be tied behind
their backs, for we cannot spare a larger escort. Tell him to be
sure that the escort are loaded, and have fixed bayonets. Directly
he has sent off the prisoners let him join me here, with the rest
of his force."

Lieutenant Ribouville now set to work to inspect the bridge; and
ordered the men--who were provided with the necessary implements--to
set to, and dig a hole down to the crown of the principal arch. It
was harder work than they had expected. The roadway was solid, the
ballast pressed down very tightly, and the crown of the arch covered,
to a considerable depth, with concrete. Only a few men could work at
once and, after a half-hour's desperate labor, the hole was nothing
like far enough advanced to ensure the total destruction of the
bridge, upon the charge being fired. In the meantime the Prussian
sentries were arriving from up and down the line and, although not
in sufficient force to attack, had opened fire from a distance.

"Don't you think that will do, Ribouville?" Major Tempe asked.

"No, sir," the other replied. "It might blow a hole through the top
of the arch, but I hardly think that it would do so. Its force
would be spent upwards."

At this moment Ralph--who had done his spell of work, and had been
down to the stream, to get a drink of water--came running up.

"If you please, Lieutenant Ribouville, there is a hole right
through the pier, just above the water's edge. It seems to have
been left to let any water that gets into the pier, from above,
make its escape. I should think that would do to hold the charge."

"The very thing," Lieutenant Ribouville said, delightedly. "What a
fool I was, not to have looked to see if such a hole existed!

"Stop work, men, and carry the barrels down to the edge of the
water."

The stream was not above waist deep; and the engineer officer
immediately waded into it, and examined the hole. He at once
pronounced it to be admirably