lads!" shouted the commandant. "You have done your work
well. Those who get out of this with a whole skin may well be proud
of their day's work.

"Don't mind the shells," he continued, as two more of the missiles
burst, in quick succession, within a short distance of them. "They
make an ugly noise; but they won't hurt us, at this distance."

The German artillerymen had apparently arrived at the same
conclusion, for they now ceased to fire; and the retreating corps
were only exposed to an occasional shot from the infantry, who had
followed them from the bridge.

"The artillery and cavalry will be up, before we reach the wood,"
Percy said to his brother, as they trotted along, side by side.

"They may come up," Ralph said, "but they can do us no harm, on the
broken ground; and will catch a Tartar, if they don't mind."

The ground was indeed unfavorable for cavalry, and artillery. It
was broken up with the spurs of the hill. Here and there great
masses of rock cropped out of the ground, while patches of forest
extended over a considerable portion of the ground. In one of
these, standing upon rising and broken ground, Major Tempe halted
his men; and opened so heavy a fire upon the enemy's cavalry, when
the column appeared, that they were at once halted; and although,
when the artillery arrived, a few shells were fired into the wood,
the franc tireurs had already retired, and gained the forest
without further molestation. Upon calling the roll, it was
discovered that six men, only, were missing. These had fallen--either
killed or wounded--from the fire of the enemy's infantry, during the
time that the operation at the bridge were being carried out.

There was great rejoicing at the success of their enterprise, the
effect of which would certainly be to block the traffic along that
line, for at least a week. Their satisfaction was, however,
somewhat damped by the sight of several dense columns of smoke in
the plain; showing that the Germans had, as usual, wreaked their
vengeance upon the innocent villagers. The feeling of disgust was
changed to fury when some of the peasants--who had fled into the
woods, upon the destruction of their abodes--reported that the
Germans, having found that three of the franc tireurs were only
wounded, had dragged them along to the entrance to the village; and
had hung them there upon some trees, by the roadside. Had it not
been for Major Tempe's assurance, that their comrades should be
av