"See that, comrade?" he cried.

"Yes, goats," said Pen wearily; and he stopped short, to throw himself
down upon a heathery patch, and removed his cap to wipe his perspiring
forehead.

"No, no; don't sit down. Don't stop yet," cried Punch. "I didn't mean
those old goats. Look away to the left in that hollow. Can't you see
it sparkling?" And the boy pointed to the place where a little rivulet
was trickling down the mountain-side to form a fall, the water making a
bright leap into a fair-sized pool. "Let's get up yonder first and sit
down and see what I have got in my haversack. Then a good drink of
water, and we shall be able to go on, and perhaps find where our fellows
are before night."

"Yes, Punch--or march right into the lines of the French," said Pen
bitterly.

"Oh, well, we must take our chance of that, comrade. One's as likely as
the other. There's the French troops about, and there's our English
lads--the lads in red as well as the boys in green. No, it's no use to
be down in the mouth. We are just as likely to find one as the other.
I wonder how they are getting on up there in the old mine. Shall we be
near enough to hear if there's any fighting going on?"

"Perhaps," said Pen, springing up. "But let's make for that water."

But it was farther off than it had at first appeared, and it was nearly
half an hour after they had startled the browsing goats when the two
weary lads threw themselves down with a sigh of content beside the
mountain pool, which supplied them with delicious draughts of clear cold
water as an accompaniment to the contents of the haversack which Punch's
foresight had provided.

"Ah!" sighed the boy. "'Lishus, wasn't it?"

"Yes, delicious," said Pen.

"Only one thing agin it," said Punch.

"One thing against it," said Pen, looking up, "Why, it could not have
been better."

"Yes," said the boy sadly. "It waren't half enough."

"Hark! Listen!" said Pen, holding up his hand.

"Guns firing!" exclaimed Punch in a whisper. "Think that's in the
little valley that leads up to the old mine?"

"It's impossible to say," replied Pen. "It's firing, sure enough, and a
long way off; but I can't tell whether it's being replied to or whether
we are only listening to the echoes."

"Anyhow," said Punch, "it's marching orders, and I suppose we ought to
get farther away."

"Yes," replied Pen with a sigh. "But how do you feel? Ready to go on
now?"

"No, not a bit. I feel