CHAPTER XI
A RECONNOISSANCE
Hullin's orders had all been carried out; the defiles of the Zorne andof the Sarre were well guarded; while that of Blanru, the extreme pointof the position, had been put into a state of defence by Jean-Claudehimself and the three hundred men who composed his principal force.
We must now transport ourselves to the southern slopes of the Donon,two kilometres from Grandfontaine, and await further events.
Above the high-road which winds round the hillside up to withintwo-thirds of the summit, was a farm, surrounded with a few acres oftilled land, the freehold of Pelsly the anabaptist: it was a largebuilding with a flat roof, much needed, so as to prevent its beingblown away by the high winds. The out-houses and pigsties weresituated at the back, toward the summit of the mountain.
The partisans were encamped near: at their feet lay Grandfontaine andFramont; in a narrow gorge farther on, at the point where the valleytakes a turn, rose Schirmeck and its old mass of feudal ruins; lastly,among the undulations of the chain, the Bruche disappears in a zigzag,under the grayish mists of Alsace. To their left arose the arid peakof the Donon, covered with rocks and a few stunted pines. Before themwas the rugged road, its shelving banks thrown down over the snow, andgreat trees flung across it with all their branches.
The melting snow let the yellow soil be seen in patches here and there,or else formed great drifts, heaped up by the north wind.
It was a grand and severe spectacle. Not a single traveller, not acarriage appeared along the whole length of the road in the valley,winding as far as the eye can reach: it was like a desert. The firesscattered round the farm-house sent up their puffs of damp smoke to thesky, and alone indicated the position of the bivouac.
The mountaineers, seated by their kettles, with their hats slouchedover their faces, were very melancholy: three days they had beenawaiting the enemy. Among one of the groups, sitting with their legsdoubled up, bent shoulders, and pipes in their mouths were old Materneand his two sons.
From time to time Louise appeared on the step of the farm, then quicklyre-entered, and set herself again to her work. A great cock wasscratching up the manure with his claws, and crowing hoarsely; two orthree fowls were strutting up and down among the bushes. All that waspleasant to look upon; but the chief pleasure of the partisans was tocontemplate some magnificent quarters of bacon, with red-and-whitesides, which were spitted on greenwood sticks, the fat melting drop bydrop on to the small coals--and to fill their flasks at a small cask ofbrandy placed on Catherine Lefevre's cart.
Toward eight o'clock in the morning a man suddenly appeared between thegreat and little Donon; the sentinels perceived him at once; hedescended, waving his hat.
A few minutes later Nickel Bentz, the old forest-keeper of the Houpe,was recognized.
The whole camp was roused; they ran to awaken Hullin, who had beensleeping for an hour in the farm-house, on a great straw mattress, sideby side with Doctor Lorquin and his dog Pluto.
The three came out, accompanied by the herdsman Lagarmitte, nicknamedTrumpet, and the anabaptist Pelsly--a silent man, having his armsburied to the elbows in the deep pockets of his gray woollen tunictrimmed with pewter clasps, with an immense beard, and the tassel ofhis cotton cap half way down his back.
Jean-Claude seemed light-hearted. "Well, Nickel, what is going on downthere?" cried he.
"At present, nothing new, Master Jean-Claude; only on the Phalsbourgside one hears something like the rumbling of a storm. Labarbe saysthat it is cannon, for all night we have seen flashes through theforest of Hildehouse, and since the morning gray clouds have beenspreading over the plain."
"The town is attacked," said Hullin; "but what about the Lutzelsteinside?"
"One can hear nothing," replied Bentz.
"Then the enemy is trying to turn the place. In any case, the alliesare down there: there must be hosts of them in Alsace." And turningtoward Materne, who was standing behind him, "We cannot remain anylonger in uncertainty," said he; "thou, with thy two sons, go on areconnoissance."
The old hunter's face brightened. "So be it! I can stretch my legs alittle," said he, "and see if I can't knock over one of those rascallyAustrians or Cossacks."
"Stop an instant, my old fellow! it is not now a question of knockinganybody over; we want to see what is going on. Frantz and Kasper willremain armed; but I know thee: thou must leave thy carbine here, thypowder-flask, and thy hunting-knife."
"What for?"
"Because thou wilt have to go into the villages, and if thou art takenin arms, thou wilt be shot directly."
"Shot?"
"Certainly. We do not belong to the regular troops; they do not takeus prisoners; they shoot us. Thou wilt follow, then, the road toSchirmeck, stick in hand, and thy sons will accompany thee at adistance, in the underwood, within musket-range. If any maraudersattack thee, they will come to thy rescue; if it is a column, or ahandful of troops, they must allow thee to be taken."
"They are to let me be taken!" cried the old hunter, indignantly. "Ishould like to see that."
"Yes, Materne; it will be the best plan: for an unarmed man would bereleased, an armed shot. I do not need to tell thee not to sing out tothe Germans that thou art come to spy upon them."
"Ah, ah! I comprehend. Yes, yes, that is not badly planned. As forme, I never quit my gun, Jean-Claude, but war is war. Hold! there ismy carbine, and my powder-flask, and my knife. Who will lend me hisblouse and his stick?"
Nickel Bentz handed him his blue blouse and his cap. They weresurrounded by an admiring crowd.
After he had changed his clothes, notwithstanding his large graymustaches, one would have taken the old hunter for a simple peasantfrom the high mountains.
His two sons, proud to be of this first expedition, looked to thepriming of their muskets, and fixed to the end of the barrel aboar-spear, straight and long as a sword. They felt theirhunting-knives, flung their bags upon their backs, and confident thatall was in order, they glanced proudly round them.
"Ah," said Doctor Lorquin, laughing, "do not forget MasterJean-Claude's advice. Be careful. One German more or less in ahundred thousand would not make much difference in our affairs; whereasif one or the other of you came back to us injured, you would bereplaced with difficulty."
"Oh, fear nothing, doctor: we shall have our eyes open."
"My boys," replied Materne, haughtily, "are true hunters; they know howto wait the moment and profit by it. They will only fire when I call.You can rest assured! and now, let us start; we must be back beforenight."
They departed.
"Good luck to you!" shouted Hullin, while they mounted the snow inorder to avoid the breastworks.
They soon descended toward the narrow path, which turns sharply on theright of the mountain.
The partisans watched them. Their red frizzy hair, long muscular legs,their broad shoulders, and supple, quick movements,--all showed that incase of an encounter, five or six "kaiserlichs" would have littlechance against such fine fellows.
In a quarter of an hour they had reached the pine-forest anddisappeared.
Then Hullin quietly returned to the farm, talking to Nickel Bentz.
Doctor Lorquin walked behind, followed by Pluto, and all the othersreturned to their places round the bivouac fires.