The news which the commandant of the franc tireurs heard, at
Baccarat, determined him to change his intentions; and to push on
without delay to Halloville--a tiny hamlet on the lower spurs of
the Vosges, some four miles from Blamont; and overlooking the
valley of the Vexouse, in which the latter town was situated.
It was a long march, and the weather had again changed, the rain
descending all day in a steady pour. The men--in their light,
waterproof cloaks, and the flaps of their forage caps down--plodded
steadily on; their spirit sustained by the thought that, ere
another twenty-four hours, they might be in action. The news which
hurried them forwards had been to the effect that a body of two
hundred Uhlans had left Sarrebourg, and were advancing towards
Blamont. They were going quietly, stopping to levy contributions at
the villages on the way. It was probable that they would enter
Blamont on the same evening that the franc tireurs reached
Halloville. It was supposed that they would proceed, with the sheep
and cattle that they had swept up, by the valley of the Vexouse to
Luneville.
To within four miles of Halloville, the road had been a fair one;
but it was here necessary to turn off, by a track that was little
better than a goat path. In vain, a dozen of the men were told off
to help with the cart; in vain they pushed behind, and shoved at
the spokes of the wheels. The road was altogether impracticable. At
last the horse and cart were taken aside into a thick wood and left
there; with Tim Doyle, a corporal, and six of the men who were the
most footsore, and incapable of pushing on. Tim was dreadfully
disgusted at being thus cut off from the chance of seeing, and
joining in, any fighting; and only consoled himself with the hope
that a vacancy would be likely to occur the next day, and that he
would then be able to exchange his whip for a rifle.
The rest of the corps plodded on until, long after dusk, they
arrived at the half-dozen houses which form the village of
Halloville. Their appearance, as they marched up to it, was greeted
by a scream from a woman, followed by a perfect chorus of screams
and cries. Men, women, and children were seen rushing out of the
houses, and taking to flight; and it was with the greatest
difficulty that they were made to understand the truth, that the
formidable body, which had so suddenly dropped upon them, was not
composed of the dreaded invaders.
When the truth was known, they did their best to receive them
hospitably. Their means, however, were small; their houses equally
so. However, in a short time blazing fires were lighted on the
hearths; blankets having been put up before the windows, to prevent
any light being visible from the valley. A fire was allotted for
the cooking of each company, and preparations for supper were soon
commenced. Then an examination was made of the facilities in the
way of sleeping; and two barns were found, well provided with
straw. This was shaken out and, after eating their suppers, the men
packed close together upon the straw, and soon forgot both damp and
fatigue; numerous sentries being thrown out, in various directions,
to prevent the possibility of surprise--for the peasants had
informed them that the information which they had received was
correct; and that the Uhlans, about two hundred strong, had entered
Blamont that afternoon, and had laid a requisition of twenty
thousand francs upon the inhabitants, besides a considerable amount
of stores of all sorts.
At three o'clock they were roused and found, to their great
pleasure, that the rain had ceased. Guided by one of the villagers,
they made their way down to a point where the wood approached quite
close to the road, at a narrow point of the valley. Here Major
Tempe posted his men along in the wood. Several coils of wire had
been brought with them; and these were now stretched tightly from
tree to tree, at a distance of about eighteen inches from the
ground. Some forty yards farther back, young trees were felled and
branches cut; and these were laid with the bushy parts towards the
road, wires being twisted here and there among them, so as to form
abattis perfectly impenetrable for horsemen, and difficult in the
extreme for infantry. All worked hard and, by eight o'clock in the
morning, everything was in readiness.
A small party had been left upon the high ground near Halloville,
and one of them had brought down news every half hour. Soon after
daybreak, a party of Uhlans had been seen to leave Blamont, and to
visit Barbas and Harboise--two villages in the flat of Blamont--and
then to retire, driving some cattle and sheep before them. At ten
o'clock the rest of the men from Halloville came down, with the
news that the Uhlans--about two hundred strong--had just left
Blamont, and were coming down the valley.
Each man now took the station allotted to him: thirty men behind
the trees, next to the road; the main body being stationed behind
the abattis, each man having previously settled upon a spot where
he could fire through the leaves, which entirely concealed them
from view from the road. Number one company was placed to the right
and, consequently, near to Blamont. Ralph and Percy were both in
the front line, behind the trees.
Not a shot was to be fired, on any consideration, until Major Tempe
gave the word. The men behind the trees were all ordered to lie
down among the low undergrowth and brushwood. The line extended
nearly a hundred yards. The waterproofs, blankets, and all other
impediments had been left behind at Halloville, so that the men had
the free use of their arms. The rifles were loaded, the pouches
shifted round so as to be ready at hand and--orders having been
given that not a word should be spoken, even in a whisper--a
perfect silence reigned over the spot.
Ralph and Percy were near to each other. They had exchanged a
hearty grip of the hand, before lying down; and now lay, with
beating hearts and hands firmly grasping their rifles, in readiness
for the signal.
The time was not very long--only a few minutes--but it seemed to
them an age before they heard the tramp of horses. Nearer and
nearer they came, and now they could hear the jingling of
accouterments First, through their leafy screen, they could see two
Uhlans pass at a walk; scanning keenly the woods, and looking for
possible danger. The bushes were thick, and they noticed nothing,
and kept on at the same pace. It is probable, indeed, that they
really anticipated no possibility of an attack, as the Dijon franc
tireurs were the first who appeared upon the scene of action; and
the Prussians were, consequently, in entire ignorance of the
vicinity of any armed body of the enemy and, at worst, apprehended
a stray shot from a straggler from one of the French armies, hidden
in the woods.
In another minute or two four more Uhlans passed; and after the
same interval came the main body, escorting a number of cattle and
sheep. The greater portion had passed the spot where the boys were
lying, and were opposite the whole line of franc tireurs, when the
silence of the wood was broken by Major Tempe's shout:
"Now!"
Before the Uhlans had time to rein in their horses, or to ask each
other what was the meaning of the cry, the flash of thirty rifles
broke from the trees, and several men fell from their horses. There
was a momentary panic, followed by a hurried discharge of carbines
at the invisible foe.
The captain of the Uhlans--a handsome young officer, with light
mustache and beard--shouted to his men:
"Steady, they are only a handful. Form line, charge!"
Quickly as the maneuver was executed, the franc tireurs had time to
fire again; and then--in accordance with their orders--retreated,
and joined their comrades by passages left in the abattis, on
purpose. In another instant the Uhlans charged but, as quickly, the
direst confusion reigned, where before had been a regular line. The
wire had served its purpose. Horses and men went down on the top of
each other, and thirty rifles again fumed their deadly hail into
the confused mass.
The second line of Uhlans--who had not charged--returned the fire
of their invisible enemies and, although they could not see them,
several of the balls took effect. Nothing could be cooler than the
officers of the Uhlans, and their voice and example steadied their
men. Under cover of the fire of their comrades the men, in part,
extricated themselves and their horses, and drew back behind the
wood. Orders were then given for all to dismount and, leaving their
horses to be held by parties of their comrades--four horses to one
man--the rest advanced on foot against their apparently greatly
inferior foe, keeping up a heavy fire with their carbines. This was
what the commandant of the franc tireurs had hoped for, and
expected.
The wire had been broken down by the weight of the horses; and the
Prussians advanced, opposed only by a feeble return to their heavy
fire, until within five paces of the leafy wall. Then the fire from
a hundred rifles flashed out upon them.
The effect was terrible, and a cry of surprise and rage burst from
those who had escaped its effect. It was evident that they had fallen
into an ambush. The captain--wild with rage and mortification, at
the fault he had committed--rushed forward; and his men gallantly
seconded his efforts. In vain, however, did they try to separate the
interlaced boughs while, as they struggled, the shots from the enemy
flashed out thick and fast. In another moment the young captain
threw up his arms and fell, shot through the heart. The officer next
in command ordered a retreat, the horses were regained and, amidst a
continuous fire from the franc tireurs, the diminished troop
galloped back towards Blamont.
The franc tireurs now quitted their leafy fortress. A small party
was at once sent forward up the valley, to give notice if the
Uhlans showed any signs of returning. A strong body set to work to
drive in the scattered animals--which were galloping wildly about
the valley--while the rest collected the dead and wounded.
Of the franc tireurs eight were killed, fourteen wounded. Of the
Uhlans forty-seven were killed, and nineteen wounded remained on
the ground. Their large number of killed, in proportion to the
wounded, was accounted for by the fact that the firing was so close
that, in many cases, the coats of the dead men were actually singed
by the explosion; while the slightly wounded men had been able to
regain their horses, and escape.
The first impulse of the young Barclays, when the fire ceased, was
to turn round and to embrace each other with delight--on finding
that they had each escaped without a scratch--and then to shake
hands heartily with their cousins, whose fortune had been equally
good. There was no time for words, however; for Major Tempe's order
came, sharp and decisive:
"You the Barclays, you also the Duburgs, sling your arms, and go
assist to drive in the cattle. Quick, lose no time.
"You have done well. I am content with you, my boys."
With a flush of pleasure, the boys started off to carry out the
orders; which had been given, by their commander, with the kind
thought of sparing the lads the terrible sight of the battle
ground.
The short but desperate conflict through which they had passed
seemed, to the young Barclays, almost like a dream. In the
excitement of loading and firing, in the tumult and the rattle,
they had scarcely had time even to give a thought to the danger.
Fear is seldom felt by the soldier when engaged in close conflict.
The time when his nerves are most tried is while waiting inactive,
at a distance, exposed to a heavy shell fire; or while advancing to
an attack, under a storm of musketry and artillery. In a
hand-to-hand conflict, he has no time to think. His nerves are
strung up to so high a pitch that he no longer thinks of danger, or
death. His whole thoughts are given to loading and firing.
Any thought that the boys had given to danger was not for
themselves, but for each other; and Ralph--though his own position
was unsheltered--had once or twice spoken, to Percy, to keep his
body better sheltered by the trees behind which he was standing.
It was a long chase before the frightened animals were collected
together, and driven up towards the spot where the fight had taken
place. By the time that it was accomplished, the wounded had been
collected, and the surgeons had bandaged many of their wounds. A
qualified surgeon had accompanied the corps, as its regular doctor,
and two other young surgeons had enlisted in its ranks; and these,
their arms laid by, were now assisting to stanch the wounds and to
apply bandages. Of the franc tireurs, there were only four so
seriously wounded that they were unable to walk.
By that time two carts arrived from the village of Douteppe, which
stood in the valley, half a mile only from the scene of action; and
to which place Major Tempe had sent off a messenger directly the
affair had terminated. In one of these the wounded were placed,
while in the other were piled the arms and accouterments of the
fallen Uhlans. One of the young surgeons was to accompany the
wounded as far as Baccarat, where they were to remain for
treatment.
Twenty-three horses of the Uhlans had also been captured, by the
party who had driven in the cattle--among whom they were galloping.
Four men were told off to take them back to Epinal, and there
dispose of them, with their accouterments, for the benefit of the
military chest of the corps.
The question then arose as to what was to be done with the Prussian
wounded. Major Tempe decided this by saying that, as it was quite
impossible for the corps to be burdened with wounded men, the best
plan was to allow one of the slightly wounded among the prisoners
to walk back to Blamont; with a message that the Uhlans could come
back to fetch their wounded without molestation, as the franc
tireurs were upon the point of taking their departure.
The corps then assembled round a grave which had already been dug,
and into it the bodies of their comrades who had fallen were
placed. Major Tempe then said a few brief words of adieu, hoping
that all who fell might die equally bravely, and victoriously. Then
the sods were shoveled in; and the men, saddened by the
scene--though still flushed with the triumph of their first, and
signal, success--prepared to leave the spot.
Major Tempe had already held a consultation with his officers, and
their plan of operation had been decided upon. The difficulty which
they had encountered the evening before, with the horse and cart,
had already proved that it would be impossible to drag it about
with them. They had also taken thirty fine cattle, and upwards of a
hundred sheep from the enemy; and it was therefore resolved to
establish a sort of headquarters in the mountains, where they could
retire after their expeditions, and defy the efforts of the
Prussians to disturb them. The spot fixed upon was the forest of
Bousson, high up among the Vosges, and distant two hard days'
marching.
A portion of the troop, therefore, went round to Halloville, to
fetch the accouterments, blankets, etc. which had been left there;
while the rest marched, by the road, to the place where the cart
had been left the night before. Two peasants were engaged as guides
and, in the afternoon, the corps started for their destination.
It was a terrible march. The roads were mere tracks, and the
weather was terrible. Over and over again, the men had to unload
the carts, shoulder the contents, and carry them for a considerable
distance, until ground was reached where the cart could again be
loaded.
It was not until late on the evening of the third day's march that,
thoroughly done up by fatigue and hardship, the corps reached the
little village of Raon, in the heart of the forest of Bousson.
There was no possible fear of attack, here; and the commandant
decided that, for the night, there was no occasion for any of the
men to be out as sentries. The villagers at once took charge of the
animals, and turned them into a rough enclosure. The men were too
much done up even to care about keeping awake until supper could be
cooked and--being divided among the houses of the village--they
threw themselves down, and were fast asleep in a few minutes.
The next morning, the sun shone out brightly; and the men, turning
out after a long sleep, felt quite different creatures to the tired
band who had wearily crawled into the village. The bright sky, the
fresh morning air, the pleasant odor of the great pine forest
around them, and the bracing atmosphere--at the height of fifteen
hundred feet above the sea--at once refreshed and cheered them.
There was a brief morning parade--at which Tim Doyle, for the first
time, took his place with a rifle on his shoulder--and then the
major dismissed them, saying that there would be no further parade
that day, and that the men could amuse themselves as they liked. In
a short time, every man was following the bent of his own
inclination. First, however, there was a general cleaning of the
rifles and accouterments; then most of the men went down to the
stream, and there was a great washing of clothes, accompanied with
much laughing and joking. Then needles and thread were obtained,
from the women of the village, and there was much mending and
darning--for the past three days' work, among rocks and woods, had
done no little damage to their uniforms.
Next came the grand operation of breakfast, for which two of the
sheep had been killed. This, being the first regular meal that they
had had, for three days, was greatly enjoyed. After it was eaten
most of the men lit their pipes, and prepared to pass a day of
delightful idleness. Two or three of the village boys had been
engaged, as cowherds and shepherds; and the animals were all driven
out into the woods where, in the open glades, they would find an
abundance of food.
The cart was unanimously condemned as worse than useless. An empty
shed was turned into a storehouse; and it was determined that such
stores of powder, etc. as might be required, upon each expedition,
should be packed upon the horse's back and, if the horse could not
take all required, that other horses should be hired.
The Barclays, with their cousins, started for a ramble in the wood;
taking with them the Irishman, whose good humor and unflagging
spirits, during the last three days, had made him a general
favorite.
"Sure, and are there any wild bastes in the wood, your honor
Because, if there be, it would be well to take our rifles with us.
It would be mighty unpleasant to come across a lion, or a tiger,
and not to be able to pass him the time of day."
"No, Tim, we shall meet neither lions nor tigers, so you need not
trouble yourself with a rifle. A hundred years ago, we might have
met with a bear, or a wild boar; but they have disappeared, long
since. It is possible that there are a few wolves scattered about;
but they are never formidable to any but a solitary person, even in
winter; and at all other times fly from man's approach."
The party had a charming ramble, for the scenery here was very
fine. At times, the forest was so thick that they could see no
glimpse of the sky, and the trunks of the trees seemed to make a
wall, all round them; then again, it would open, and they would
obtain a glimpse over the country far away, rise beyond rise, to
the plain of Champagne or--if the view were behind, instead of in
front of them--they could see the tops of the highest range of the
Vosges, rising hill above hill, and often wooded to the very
summit--the Donon, one of the highest points of the range, being
immediately behind them.
The villages are, here, few and far between, and the people
extremely poor; for the soil is poor, and although in summer the
cattle--which form their only wealth--are able to pick up an
abundance of food, in the forests, they have a hard struggle to
keep them alive during the winter. Their language is German, and
their appearance and dress rather German than French but,
notwithstanding this, they were thoroughly French in spirit, and
regarded the invaders with an intense hatred.
Another day, passed in rest, completely restored the most exhausted
of the band. Orders were therefore issued for an early start, the
next morning; the object, this time, being to endeavor to cut the
railway. The band were to march in a body for the slopes of the
Vosges, behind Sarrebourg and Saverne; and were then to divide into
companies, and scatter themselves among the villages between
Lorquin and Marmontier, so as to act together or separately, as it
might seem expedient.