That morning, a little before sunrise, there was an alarm. The inhabitants were awakened3 by the loud tramp of men on the highway. The women were already on their knees, making the sign of the cross, when some of the people, peering cautiously through the partially4 opened windows, recognized the red pantaloons. It was a French detachment. The captain immediately asked for the mayor of the district and remained at the mill after having talked with Pere Merlier.
The sun rose gaily6 that morning. It would be hot at noon. Over the wood floated a golden brightness, while in the distance white vapors7 arose from the meadows. The neat and pretty village awoke amid the fresh air, and the country, with its river and its springs, had the moist sweetness of a bouquet8. But that beautiful day caused nobody to smile. The captain was seen to take a turn around the mill, examine the neighboring houses, pass to the other side of the Morelle and from there study the district with a field glass; Pere Merlier, who accompanied him, seemed to be giving him explanations. Then the captain posted soldiers behind the walls, behind the trees and in the ditches. The main body of the detachment encamped in the courtyard of the mill. Was there going to be a battle? When Pere Merlier returned he was questioned. He nodded his head without speaking. Yes, there was going to be a battle!
Francoise and Dominique were in the courtyard; they looked at him. At last he took his pipe from his mouth and said:
“Ah, my poor young ones, you cannot get married tomorrow!”
Dominique, his lips pressed together, with an angry frown on his forehead, at times raised himself on tiptoe and fixed9 his eyes upon the wood of Gagny, as if he wished to see the Prussians arrive. Francoise, very pale and serious, came and went, furnishing the soldiers with what they needed. The troops were making soup in a corner of the courtyard; they joked while waiting for it to get ready.
The captain was delighted. He had visited the chambers10 and the huge hall of the mill which looked out upon the river. Now, seated beside the well, he was conversing11 with Pere Merlier.
“Your mill is a real fortress,” he said. “We can hold it without difficulty until evening. The bandits are late. They ought to be here.”
The miller12 was grave. He saw his mill burning like a torch, but he uttered no complaint, thinking such a course useless. He merely said:
“You had better hide the boat behind the wheel; there is a place there just fit for that purpose. Perhaps it will be useful to have the boat.”
The captain gave the requisite13 order. This officer was a handsome man of forty; he was tall and had an amiable14 countenance15. The sight of Francoise and Dominique seemed to please him. He contemplated16 them as if he had forgotten the coming struggle. He followed Francoise with his eyes, and his look told plainly that he thought her charming. Then turning toward Dominique, he asked suddenly:
“Why are you not in the army, my good fellow?”
“I am a foreigner,” answered the young man.
The captain evidently did not attach much weight to this reason. He winked17 his eye and smiled. Francoise was more agreeable company than a cannon18. On seeing him smile, Dominique added:
“I am a foreigner, but I can put a ball in an apple at five hundred meters. There is my hunting gun behind you.”
“You may have use for it,” responded the captain dryly.
Francoise had approached, somewhat agitated19. Without heeding20 the strangers present Dominique took and grasped in his the two hands she extended to him, as if to put herself under his protection. The captain smiled again but said not a word. He remained seated, his sword across his knees and his eyes plunged22 into space, lost in a reverie.
It was already ten o’clock. The heat had become very great. A heavy silence prevailed. In the courtyard, in the shadows of the sheds, the soldiers had begun to eat their soup. Not a sound came from the village; all its inhabitants had barricaded23 the doors and windows of their houses. A dog, alone upon the highway, howled. From the neighboring forests and meadows, swooning in the heat, came a prolonged and distant voice made up of all the scattered24 breaths. A cuckoo sang. Then the silence grew more intense.
Suddenly in that slumbering25 air a shot was heard. The captain leaped briskly to his feet; the soldiers left their plates of soup, yet half full. In a few seconds everybody was at the post of duty; from bottom to top the mill was occupied. Meanwhile the captain, who had gone out upon the road, had discovered nothing; to the right and to the left the highway stretched out, empty and white. A second shot was heard, and still nothing visible, not even a shadow. But as he was returning the captain perceived in the direction of Gagny, between two trees, a light puff26 of smoke whirling away like thistledown. The wood was calm and peaceful.
“The bandits have thrown themselves into the forest,” he muttered. “They know we are here.”
Then the firing continued, growing more and more vigorous, between the French soldiers posted around the mill and the Prussians hidden behind the trees. The balls whistled above the Morelle without damaging either side. The fusillade was irregular, the shots coming from every bush, and still only the little puffs27 of smoke, tossed gently by the breeze, were seen. This lasted nearly two hours. The officer hummed a tune28 with an air of indifference29. Francoise and Dominique, who had remained in the courtyard, raised themselves on tiptoe and looked over a low wall. They were particularly interested in a little soldier posted on the shore of the Morelle, behind the remains30 of an old bateau; he stretched himself out flat on the ground, watched, fired and then glided31 into a ditch a trifle farther back to reload his gun; and his movements were so droll32, so tricky33 and so supple34, that they smiled as they looked at him. He must have perceived the head of a Prussian, for he arose quickly and brought his weapon to his shoulder, but before he could fire he uttered a cry, fell and rolled into the ditch, where for an instant his legs twitched35 convulsively like the claws of a chicken just killed. The little soldier had received a ball full in the breast. He was the first man slain36. Instinctively37 Francoise seized Dominique’s hand and clasped it with a nervous contraction38.
“Move away,” said the captain. “You are within range of the balls.”
At that moment a sharp little thud was heard in the old elm, and a fragment of a branch came whirling down. But the two young folks did not stir; they were nailed to the spot by anxiety to see what was going on. On the edge of the wood a Prussian had suddenly come out from behind a tree as from a theater stage entrance, beating the air with his hands and falling backward. Nothing further moved; the two corpses39 seemed asleep in the broad sunlight; not a living soul was seen in the scorching40 country. Even the crack of the fusillade had ceased. The Morelle alone whispered in its clear tones.
Pere Merlier looked at the captain with an air of surprise, as if to ask him if the struggle was over.
“They are getting ready for something worse,” muttered the officer. “Don’t trust appearances. Move away from there.”
He had not finished speaking when there was a terrible discharge of musketry. The great elm was riddled41, and a host of leaves shot into the air. The Prussians had happily fired too high. Dominique dragged, almost carried, Francoise away, while Pere Merlier followed them, shouting:
“Go down into the cellar; the walls are solid!”
But they did not heed21 him; they entered the huge hall where ten soldiers were waiting in silence, watching through the chinks in the closed window shutters43. The captain was alone in the courtyard, crouching44 behind the little wall, while the furious discharges continued. Without, the soldiers he had posted gave ground only foot by foot. However, they re-entered one by one, crawling, when the enemy had dislodged them from their hiding places. Their orders were to gain time and not show themselves, that the Prussians might remain in ignorance as to what force was before them. Another hour went by. As a sergeant45 arrived, saying that but two or three more men remained without, the captain glanced at his watch, muttering:
“Half-past two o’clock. We must hold the position four hours longer.”
He caused the great gate of the courtyard to be closed, and every preparation was made for an energetic resistance. As the Prussians were on the opposite side of the Morelle, an immediate5 assault was not to be feared. There was a bridge two kilometers away, but they evidently were not aware of its existence, and it was hardly likely that they would attempt to ford46 the river. The officer, therefore, simply ordered the highway to be watched. Every effort would be made in the direction of the country.
Again the fusillade had ceased. The mill seemed dead beneath the glowing sun. Not a shutter42 was open; no sound came from the interior. At length, little by little, the Prussians showed themselves at the edge of the forest of Gagny. They stretched their necks and grew bold. In the mill several soldiers had already raised their guns to their shoulders, but the captain cried:
“No, no; wait. Let them come nearer.”
They were exceedingly prudent47, gazing at the mill with a suspicious air. The silent and somber48 old structure with its curtains of ivy49 filled them with uneasiness. Nevertheless, they advanced. When fifty of them were in the opposite meadow the officer uttered the single word:
“Fire!”
A crash was heard; isolated50 shots followed. Francoise, all of a tremble, had mechanically put her hands to her ears. Dominique, behind the soldiers, looked on; when the smoke had somewhat lifted he saw three Prussians stretched upon their backs in the center of the meadow. The others had thrown themselves behind the willows51 and poplars. Then the siege began.
For more than an hour the mill was riddled with balls. They dashed against the old walls like hail. When they struck the stones they were heard to flatten52 and fall into the water. They buried themselves in the wood with a hollow sound. Occasionally a sharp crack announced that the mill wheel had been hit. The soldiers in the interior were careful of their shots; they fired only when they could take aim. From time to time the captain consulted his watch. As a ball broke a shutter and plowed53 into the ceiling he said to himself:
“Four o’clock. We shall never be able to hold out!”
Little by little the terrible fusillade weakened the old mill. A shutter fell into the water, pierced like a bit of lace, and it was necessary to replace it with a mattress54. Pere Merlier constantly exposed himself to ascertain55 the extent of the damage done to his poor wheel, the cracking of which made his heart ache. All would be over with it this time; never could he repair it. Dominique had implored56 Francoise to withdraw, but she refused to leave him; she was seated behind a huge oaken clothespress, which protected her. A ball, however, struck the clothespress, the sides of which gave forth57 a hollow sound. Then Dominique placed himself in front of Francoise. He had not yet fired a shot; he held his gun in his hand but was unable to approach the windows, which were altogether occupied by the soldiers. At each discharge the floor shook.
“Attention! Attention!” suddenly cried the captain.
He had just seen a great dark mass emerge from the wood. Immediately a formidable platoon fire opened. It was like a waterspout passing over the mill. Another shutter was shattered, and through the gaping58 opening of the window the balls entered. Two soldiers rolled upon the floor. One of them lay like a stone; they pushed the body against the wall because it was in the way. The other twisted in agony, begging his comrades to finish him, but they paid no attention to him. The balls entered in a constant stream; each man took care of himself and strove to find a loophole through which to return the fire. A third soldier was hit; he uttered not a word; he fell on the edge of a table, with eyes fixed and haggard. Opposite these dead men Francoise, stricken with horror, had mechanically pushed away her chair to sit on the floor against the wall; she thought she would take up less room there and not be in so much danger. Meanwhile the soldiers had collected all the mattresses59 of the household and partially stopped up the windows with them. The hall was filled with wrecks60, with broken weapons and demolished61 furniture.
“Five o’clock,” said the captain. “Keep up your courige! They are about to try to cross the river!”
At that moment Francoise uttered a cry. A ball which had ricocheted had grazed her forehead. Several drops of blood appeared. Dominique stared at her; then, approaching the window, he fired his first shot. Once started, he did not stop. He loaded and fired without heeding what was passing around him, but from time to time he glanced at Francoise. He was very deliberate and aimed with care. The Prussians, keeping beside the poplars, attempted the passage of the Morelle, as the captain had predicted, but as soon as a man strove to cross he fell, shot in the head by Dominique. The captain, who had his eyes on the young man, was amazed. He complimented him, saying that he should be glad to have many such skillful marksmen. Dominique did not hear him. A ball cut his shoulder; another wounded his arm, but he continued to fire.
There were two more dead men. The mangled62 mattresses no longer stopped the windows. The last discharge seemed as if it would have carried away the mill. The position had ceased to be tenable. Nevertheless, the captain said firmly:
“Hold your ground for half an hour more!”
Now he counted the minutes. He had promised his chiefs to hold the enemy in check there until evening, and he would not give an inch before the hour he had fixed on for the retreat. He preserved his amiable air and smiled upon Francoise to reassure63 her. He had picked up the gun of a dead soldier and himself was firing.
Only four soldiers remained in the hall. The Prussians appeared in a body on the other side of the Morelle, and it was clear that they intended speedily to cross the river. A few minutes more elapsed. The stubborn captain would not order the retreat. Just then a sergeant hastened to him and said:
“They are upon the highway; they will take us in the rear!”
The Prussians must have found the bridge. The captain pulled out his watch and looked at it.
“Five minutes longer,” he said. “They cannot get here before that time!”
Then at six o’clock exactly he at last consented to lead his men out through a little door which opened into a lane. From there they threw themselves into a ditch; they gained the forest of Sauval. Before taking his departure the captain bowed very politely to Pere Merlier and made his excuses, adding:
“Amuse them! We will return!”
Dominique was now alone in the hall. He was still firing, hearing nothing, understanding nothing. He felt only the need of defending Francoise. He had not the least suspicion in the world that the soldiers had retreated. He aimed and killed his man at every shot. Suddenly there was a loud noise. The Prussians had entered the courtyard from behind. Dominique fired a last; shot, and they fell upon him while his gun was yet smoking.
Four men held him. Others vociferated around him in a frightful64 language. They were ready to slaughter him on the spot. Francoise, with a supplicating65 look, had cast herself before him. But an officer entered and ordered the prisoner to be delivered up to him. After exchanging a few words in German with the soldiers he turned toward Dominique and said to him roughly in very good French:
“You will be shot in two hours!”
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1
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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2
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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3
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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4
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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5
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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6
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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7
vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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8
bouquet
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| n.花束，酒香 | |
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9
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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10
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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11
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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12
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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13
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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14
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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15
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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16
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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17
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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18
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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19
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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20
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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21
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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22
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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23
barricaded
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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24
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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25
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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26
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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27
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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28
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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29
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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30
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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31
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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32
droll
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| adj.古怪的，好笑的 | |
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33
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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34
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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35
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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36
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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37
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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38
contraction
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| n.缩略词，缩写式，害病 | |
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39
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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40
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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41
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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42
shutter
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| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
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43
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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44
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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45
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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46
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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47
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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48
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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49
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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50
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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51
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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52
flatten
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| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
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53
plowed
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| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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54
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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55
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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56
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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58
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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59
mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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60
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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61
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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62
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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63
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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64
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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65
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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