As soon as they had marched into the village, the principal inhabitants came forward, and a consultation4 was held as to providing lodgings5. After some conversation, it was agreed that the officers should have quarters in the village; and that the schoolrooms--two in number--should be placed at the disposal of the men. They were good-sized rooms, and would hold thirty men each, without difficulty. The company who were to march forward in the morning were provided with quarters in the village.
Ralph and Percy Barclay, as usual, acted as interpreters between Major Tempe and the inhabitants; for neither the major, nor any of his officers, spoke6 German. That language, indeed, was spoken only by a few men in the whole corps; and these the commandant had divided among the other companies, in order that each company might be able to shift for itself, when separated from the main body.
"Have you seen this proclamation?" one of the villagers asked. "You see that we are running no little risk, in taking you in."
Ralph read it, and as he did so his face flushed with indignation, and he exclaimed:
"What is it?" Major Tempe asked.
"It is a proclamation from the Prussian General commanding the district, major, giving notice that he will shoot every franc tireur he may catch; and also giving notice to the inhabitants that if any Prussian soldier be killed, or even shot at, by a franc tireur--if a rail be pulled up, or a road cut--that he will hold the village near the spot accountable; will burn the houses, and treat the male inhabitants according to martial8 law, and that the same penalties will be exacted for sheltering or hiding franc tireurs."
"Impossible!" Major Tempe said, astounded9. "No officer of a civilized10 army could issue such an edict. Besides, during an invasion of Germany, the people were summoned by the King of Prussia to take up arms, to cut roads, destroy bridges, and shoot down the enemy--just as we are going to do, now. It is too atrocious to be true."
"There it is, in black and white," Ralph said. "There can be no mistake as to the wording."
Major Tempe looked grieved, as well as indignant.
"This will be a terrible business," he said, "if the war is to be carried on in this way. Of course, if they give us no quarter, we shall give them none. That is, we must make as many prisoners as we can in order that, if any of our men are taken prisoners, we may carry out reprisals11 if they shoot them.
"It will, besides this, do us great harm. Naturally, the villagers, instead of looking upon us as defenders12, will regard us as the most dangerous of guests. They will argue:
"'If we make no resistance, the Prussians may plunder13 us, but at least our houses and our lives are safe; whereas if these franc tireurs are found to have been with us, or if they make any attack in our neighborhood, we are not only plundered14, but burnt out, and shot!'
"Of course, we are always liable to treachery. There are scoundrels always to be found who would sell their own mothers, but now even the most patriotic15 cannot but feel that they are running an immense risk in sheltering us.
"Never before, I believe, in the annals of civilized nations, did a man in authority dare to proclaim that persons should suffer for a crime with which they had nothing, whatever, to do. If we arrive at a little village, how are the people to say to us, 'We will not allow you to pull up a rail!'? And yet, if they do not prevent us, they are to be punished with fire and sword. And these people call themselves a civilized nation!
"One of the evil consequences of this proclamation is that we shall never dare trust to the inhabitants to make inquiries16 for us. They will be so alarmed, in case we should attempt anything in their neighborhood, that they would be sure to do and say everything they could to dissuade17 us from it and, if inclined to treachery, might even try to buy their own safety by betraying us."
Major Tempe was speaking to the other officers, who thoroughly18 agreed with his opinion. Ralph and Percy had remained in the room, in case any further questions might be asked in reference to the proclamation. They now asked if anything else were required and, upon a negative answer being given, saluted19 and took their leave. It was dusk when they went out and, as they walked towards the schoolroom, they heard a great tumult20 of voices raised in anger, among which they recognized that of Tim Doyle.
"Howld yer jaw21, you jabbering22 apes!" he exclaimed, in great wrath23. "Give me a lantern, or a candle, and let me begone. The boys are all waiting for me to begin."
Hurrying up, they found Tim surrounded by a few of the principal inhabitants of the village, and soon learned the cause of the dispute. Supper was served, but it was too dark to see to eat it; and Tim--always ready to make himself useful--had volunteered to go in search of a light. He had in vain used his few words of French with the villagers he met, and these had at last called the schoolmaster, the only person in the village who understood French. This man had addressed Tim first in French and then in German and, upon receiving no coherent answer in either language, had arrived at the conclusion that Tim was making fun of them. Hence the dispute had arisen.
The boys explained matters, and the villagers--whose knowledge of England was of the very vaguest description; and most of whom, indeed, had previously24 believed that all the world spoke either French or German--were profuse25 in apologies, and immediately procured26 some candles, with which Tim and the boys hastened to the schoolroom. Two candles were given to each company and--one being lighted at each end of the room, and stuck upon nails in the wall--the boys were enabled to see what the place was like.
Clean straw had been littered, a foot deep, down each side of the room; and fifteen blankets were folded, side by side, along by each wall. Upon pegs27 above--meant for the scholars' caps--hung the haversacks, water bottles, and other accouterments; while the rifles were piled along the center of the room, leaving space enough to walk down upon either side, between them and the beds. At the farther end of the room was a large fireplace, in which a log fire was blazing; and a small shed, outside, had been converted into a kitchen.
"We might be worse off than this, a long way, Ralph," said Louis Duburg, as Ralph took his place on the straw next to him.
"That we might, Louis. The fire looks cheerful, too, and the nights are getting very cold."
"That they are, Ralph.
"Ah! Here is supper. I am quite ready for that, too."
The men who officiated as cooks--and who, by agreement, had been released from all night duty in consideration of their regularly undertaking28 that occupation--now brought in a large saucepan full of soup; and each man went up with his canteen, and received his portion, returning to his bed upon the straw to eat it.
"Anything new, Barclay?" one of the men asked, from the other side of the room.
"Yes, indeed," Ralph said. "New, and disagreeable. Mind none of you get taken prisoners, for the Prussian General has issued a proclamation that he shall shoot all franc tireurs he catches."
"Impossible!" came in a general chorus, from all present.
"Well, it sounds like it, but it is true enough," and Ralph repeated, word for word, the proclamation which he had translated to Major Tempe.
As might have been expected, it raised a perfect storm of indignation; and this lasted until, at nine o'clock, the sergeant29 gave the word:
"Lights out."
In the morning, after parade, Ralph and Percy strolled away together and had a long talk and, at the end of an hour, they walked to the house where Major Tempe had established his headquarters.
"Good morning, my friends," he said, as they entered. "Is there anything I can do for you? Sit down."
"We have been thinking, sir--Percy and I--that we could very easily dress up as peasants, and go down to Saverne, or anywhere you might think fit, and find out all particulars as to the strength and position of the enemy. No one would suspect two boys of being franc tireurs. It would be unlikely in the extreme that anyone would ask us any questions and, if we were asked, we should say we belonged to some village in the mountains, and had come down to buy coffee, and other necessaries. The risk of detection would be next to nothing, for we speak German quite well enough to pass for lads from the mountains."
Major Tempe was silent a minute.
"You know you would be shot, at once, if you were detected."
"No doubt, sir, but there is no reason in the world why we should be detected. The Prussians can't know everyone by sight, even within the town itself; and will not notice us, at all. If they do, our answer is sufficient."
"I tell you frankly30, boys, I was thinking only last night of the matter; but--however much you may make light of it--there is, of course, a certain amount of danger in acting31 as spies; and your father--my friend Captain Barclay--might say to me, if evil came of it:
"'I gave you my boys to fight for France, and you have sent them to their death, as spies.'
"So I resolved to say nothing about it."
"But now we have offered, sir, the case is different," Ralph said. "From our knowledge of the language, and from our age, we are better fitted than anyone in the corps to perform this service; and therefore it would be clearly our duty to perform it, were it greatly more dangerous than it is. Our father said to us, at starting:
"'Do your duty, boys, whatever the danger.'
"We will see about our clothes--there can be no difficulty about that, there are several lads in the village whose things would fit us. Shall we come in this afternoon, for instructions?"
"Thank you, lads," Major Tempe said, warmly. "I trust, with you, that no harm will come of it. But your offer is of too great advantage to the corps for me to persist in my refusal."
Upon leaving the quarters of the commandant, the boys went at once to the house of a farmer a short distance from the village where, the day before, they had noticed two boys of about their own size. They explained to the farmer that they wanted to buy of him a suit of the working clothes of each of his sons. Greatly surprised at this request, the farmer had inquired what they could possibly want them for; and Ralph--who thought it better not to trust him with the secret--replied that, as the Prussian General had given notice that he should shoot all franc tireurs he might take prisoners, they wanted a suit of clothes, each, which they might slip on in case of defeat or danger of capture. The pretense32 was a plausible33 one; and the farmer sold them the required clothes, charging only about twice their cost, when new.
The boys took the parcel and, instead of returning to the village direct, they hid it carefully in a wood, at a short distance away. They then returned and, in the afternoon, received detailed34 instructions from Major Tempe.
It was arranged that the matter should be kept entirely35 secret, lest any incautious word might be overheard and reported. They were to start at daybreak, upon the following morning. Their cousins and Tim Doyle being--alone--taken into their confidence, their friends regretted much that they could not accompany them, and share their danger. The boys pointed36 out however that--even could they have spoken German fluently--they could not have gone with them as, although two strangers would excite no attention, whatever, five would be certain to do so.
The next morning they started together, as if for a walk. Upon reaching the spot in the wood where the peasants' clothes were hidden, the boys took off their uniforms--which were wrapped up, and concealed37 in the same place--and put on the clothes. They fitted fairly; and more than that was not necessary, as peasants' clothes are seldom cut accurately38 to the figure. Rounding their shoulders, and walking with a clumping39 sort of stride, no one would have imagined that they were other than they pretended to be--two awkward-looking young Alsatian lads.
They cut two heavy sticks, exchanged a hearty40 goodbye with their friends, and started for Saverne. Two hours later they were walking in its streets; staring into the shop windows, and at everything that was going on, with the open-mouthed curiosity of two young country lads. Then they made a few purchases--some coffee, sugar, and pepper--tied them in a colored pocket handkerchief, and then went into a small cabaret--where they saw some German soldiers drinking--sat down at a table, and called for some bread and cheese and beer.
While they were taking them, they listened to the conversation of the soldiers. The only information that they gleaned41 from it was that the men seemed to have no expectation, whatever, of any early movement; and that they were heartily42 sick of the monotony of the place, and the hard work of patrolling the line of railway, night and day. Presently the soldiers paid for their beer, and left; and some of the townspeople came in, and took the places they had left. Their conversation, of course, turned on the Prussian occupation, and deep were the curses heaped upon the invaders43. The only thing mentioned in their favor was the smallness of their number. There were not over two hundred men; and this amount weighed but lightly upon Saverne, compared with the fifty, sixty, or a hundred quartered at every little village along the line of railway.
The boys had now learned what they most wanted to know and, paying for their refreshment44, went out again into the street. Then they walked to the railway station--where they saw several soldiers, on guard--and then set off to a point where they could see the entrance to the tunnel. There two soldiers were on guard; while others were stationed, at short distances, all along the line.
The boys now went up to a wood whence, unseen themselves, they could watch the trains passing. They came along nearly every half hour; immensely long trains, filled with stores of all kinds. As it became dusk, they saw a body of Prussian soldiers marching down the line; relieving the sentries45, and placing fresh ones at distances of little more than fifty yards apart. These marched backwards46 and forwards, until they met each other; then returning, until they faced their comrade at the other end of their beat.
"We can be off now, Percy," Ralph said, rising. "Our news is bad, for it will be by no means so easy to cut the line as we had expected. These weasels won't be very easily caught asleep."
"No, indeed," Percy said. "The idea of cutting the line sounded so easy, when we were at a distance; but it is quite a different matter, now we are here."
Upon their return they found--with some difficulty--the place where they had hidden their uniforms; again changed clothes, and then--carrying those they had just taken off, made up into bundles--they re-entered the village, and went straight to headquarters.
Major Tempe was at dinner with the other officers, and received them with great pleasure; for he had been anxious, all day, lest any misfortune might befall them. Finding that they had had nothing to eat, since early in the morning, he at once invited them to sit down to dinner; for military discipline is far less strict in these matters, in France, than it is in England; and among the corps of franc tireurs especially--as among the English volunteers, where the private is in many cases equal to, or superior to, his officer in social standing--the difference of rank is very much put aside, except on duty.
"And you say that they have a sentinel at every fifty or sixty yards, along the line?" Major Tempe said, when Ralph had given an account of their day's investigation47. "That appears, to me, to be fatal to our plans."
"Why so?" Lieutenant48 de Maupas--who commanded the first company--asked. "It seems to me that nothing could be easier. Suppose we fell upon any given point, the sentries near it would be at once killed, or made prisoners; and even allowing--as young Barclay says--that there are troops in all the villages, it would be a good half hour before a force, sufficient to disturb us, could arrive."
"That is true enough," Major Tempe answered. "But what could we do, in half an hour? We might pull up two hundred yards of rail. What real advantage would be gained by that? The line of sentries along the rail would, by firing their rifles, pass the news ten miles, in half as many minutes; and the trains would be stopped long before they arrived at the break. Each train carries, I know, workmen and materials for repairing the line; and as it would be impossible for us to carry away the rails, after pulling them up, they would be replaced in as short a time as it took us to tear them up; and the consequence would be that the traffic would only be suspended for an hour or two, at most. For a break to be of any real utility, whatever, it must last for days, if not for weeks.
"The great coup49, of course, would be the destruction of the rock tunnel of Saverne, which was the special object of our presence here. Failing that, we must try a bridge. The tunnel, however, is the great affair. Once destroyed, there would be no repairing it, for many weeks. My proposition is, therefore, that we turn our attention at once to that point."
"The best course would be for Hardin's company to march direct to the other end of the tunnel, seize it, and prevent interference from that end; while the others then seize the Saverne end, and hold it while preparations are made for blowing it up. Then, when the match is lighted, fall back--if possible--before the arrival of heavy bodies of the enemy."
"Nothing could be better," Lieutenant de Maupas exclaimed, and the other officers agreed with him.
"What day do you propose for the movement?"
"The day after tomorrow, at daybreak," Major Tempe said. "That will give us plenty of time to send orders to the other two companies; and the sooner it is done, the better."
The conference was about to break up, when the surgeon--who had listened in silence--said:
"The general plan is simple enough but, tell me, how do you propose to set about blowing the tunnel up? You may be able to hold it for half an hour, at most. How do you think of proceeding52?"
Major Tempe and his officers looked at each other. They had not, as yet, thought the matter over; but the instant it was put plainly before them, they saw the difficulty.
"Oh," Lieutenant de Maupas said, confidently, "we shall, of course, put the nitroglycerine somewhere in the middle of the tunnel, and blow the whole affair up."
Lieutenant de Maupas had been a sailor; and his quickness of decision and go-ahead, straight-forward way of doing everything made him, at once, a favorite and an amusement to the men; who had nicknamed him "Grande Vitesse," or, as we should say in English, the "Express."
"I am afraid the matter is rather more difficult than you imagine, De Maupas," Major Tempe said, with a smile. "This is in Ribouville's way; as he was in the Engineers, he will know all about it."
The officer named, however, did not reply for some little time; but sat with his head on his hand, in deep thought.
"I feel ashamed to own it," he said, at last; "but I really do not know how one could set about the matter so as to have a chance of really destroying the tunnel, after so short a time for preparation. Were the tunnel an ordinary, brick-lined tunnel, the proposition of De Maupas--slightly modified--would no doubt have the effect of bringing down the brick lining53, and the earth behind would fall in, of itself; but with a tunnel cut in the solid rock, it would be difficult. The natural strength of the tunnel would be so great that the force of the explosion would simply be lost, through the ends. It might or might not bring down a few masses of rock, but one could not rely upon it doing even that.
"If I had time, the matter would be easy enough. I should make a deep chamber54 in the solid rock, at the side of the tunnel; insert my charge, and then tamp55 or fasten it in, with masonry56. This would ensure its destruction, at the point of explosion; but I have no hope of any great damage being done, by merely putting two barrels of nitroglycerine down upon the line, and then firing them. I can assure you the point mooted57 by the doctor is more serious and, as far as I see at present, I could do nothing in half an hour which would, in any way, ensure the destruction of the tunnel. To make such a chamber as I speak of (to hold two barrels of nitroglycerine) would be the work of four or five days, working night and day--even with the aid of powder--and of course, it would be out of the question to hope for as many hours."
There was a pause of consternation58, as Lieutenant Ribouville spoke. Here was the end of the grand scheme, from which they had expected so much. At this time, the Germans had no other line of rail at their command; and the destruction of the tunnel would have been a disaster, equal to that of the loss of a pitched battle.
"There would be no chance, would there, of our hiding in the woods under which the tunnel runs; so as to bore down to it, and blow it in from above?" Major Tempe asked.
"None whatever. The depth to be bored would be considerable. The stone is hard, and it could not be pierced without the use of powder, which would betray our presence; and even could we use it, and were the men all good miners, it would be a work of months, at the very least."
There was a silence for some minutes, and then the commandant said:
"We cannot give it up, without a trial. Think it over, Ribouville, for the next three or four days. You may be able to pitch upon some plan. If you cannot do so, we must at least try the experiment of exploding our nitroglycerine in the middle of the tunnel--or, at any rate, as far in as we can carry it--and make our retreat in the half hour, which is all the time we can calculate upon holding the entrance."
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1
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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6
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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reprisals
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| n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 ) | |
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defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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dissuade
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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clumping
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| v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的现在分词 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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46
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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47
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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48
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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49
coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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50
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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51
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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52
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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53
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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54
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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55
tamp
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| v.捣实，砸实 | |
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56
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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57
mooted
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| adj.未决定的，有争议的，有疑问的v.提出…供讨论( moot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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