A RECONNOISSANCE
Hullin's orders had all been carried out; the defiles of the Zorne and
of the Sarre were well guarded; while that of Blanru, the extreme point
of the position, had been put into a state of defence by Jean-Claude
himself 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 within
two-thirds of the summit, was a farm, surrounded with a few acres of
tilled land, the freehold of Pelsly the anabaptist: it was a large
building with a flat roof, much needed, so as to prevent its being
blown away by the high winds. The out-houses and pigsties were
situated at the back, toward the summit of the mountain.
The partisans were encamped near: at their feet lay Grandfontaine and
Framont; in a narrow gorge farther on, at the point where the valley
takes 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 peak
of the Donon, covered with rocks and a few stunted pines. Before them
was the rugged road, its shelving banks thrown down over the snow, and
great 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 a
carriage 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 fires
scattered round the farm-house sent up their puffs of damp smoke to the
sky, and alone indicated the position of the bivouac.
The mountaineers, seated by their kettles, with their hats slouched
over their faces, were very melancholy: three days they had been
awaiting the enemy. Among one of the groups, sitting with their legs
doubled up, bent shoulders, and pipes in their mouths were old Materne
and his two sons.
From time to time Louise appeared on the step of the farm, then quickly
re-entered, and set herself again to her work. A great cock was
scratching up the manure with his claws, and crowing hoarsely; two or
three fowls were strutting up and down among the bushes. All that was
pleasant to look upon; but the chief pleasure of the partisans was to
contemplate some magnificent quarters of bacon, with red-and-white
sides, which were spitted on greenwood sticks, the fat melting drop by
drop on to the small coals--and to fill their flasks at a small cask of
brandy placed on Catherine Lefevre's cart.
Toward eight o'clock in the morning a man suddenly appeared between the
great and little Donon; the sentinels perceived him at once; he
descended, 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 been
sleeping for an hour in the farm-house, on a great straw mattress, side
by side with Doctor Lorquin and his dog Pluto.
The three came out, accompanied by the herdsman Lagarmitte, nicknamed
Trumpet, and the anabaptist Pelsly--a silent man, having his arms
buried to the elbows in the deep pockets of his gray woollen tunic
trimmed with pewter clasps, with an immense beard, and the tassel of
his cotton cap half way down his back.
Jean-Claude seemed light-hearted. "Well, Nickel, what is going on down
there?" cried he.
"At present, nothing new, Master Jean-Claude; only on the Phalsbourg
side one hears something like the rumbling of a storm. Labarbe says
that it is cannon, for all night we have seen flashes through the
forest of Hildehouse, and since the morning gray clouds have been
spreading over the plain."
"The town is attacked," said Hullin; "but what about the Lutzelstein
side?"
"One can hear nothing," replied Bentz.
"Then the enemy is trying to turn the place. In any case, the allies
are down there: there must be hosts of them in Alsace." And turning
toward Materne, who was standing behind him, "We cannot remain any
longer in uncertainty," said he; "thou, with thy two sons, go on a
reconnoissance."
The old hunter's face brightened. "So be it! I can stretch my legs a
little," said he, "and see if I can't knock over one of those rascally
Austrians or Cossacks."
"Stop an instant, my old fellow! it is not now a question of knocking
anybody over; we want to see what is going on. Frantz and Kasper will
remain armed; but I know thee: thou must leave thy carbine here, thy
powder-flask, and thy hunting-knife."
"What for?"
"Because thou wilt have to go into the villages, and if thou art taken
in arms, thou wilt be shot directly."
"Shot?"
"Certainly. We do not belong to the regular troops; they do not take
us prisoners; they shoot us. Thou wilt follow, then, the road to
Schirmeck, stick in hand, and thy sons will accompany thee at a
distance, in the underwood, within musket-range. If any marauders
attack thee, they will come to thy rescue; if it is a column, or a
handful of troops, they must allow thee to be taken."
"They are to let me be taken!" cried the old hunter, indignantly. "I
should like to see that."
"Yes, Materne; it will be the best plan: for an unarmed man would be
released, an armed shot. I do not need to tell thee not to sing out to
the Germans that thou art come to spy upon them."
"Ah, ah! I comprehend. Yes, yes, that is not badly planned. As for
me, I never quit my gun, Jean-Claude, but war is war. Hold! there is
my carbine, and my powder-flask, and my knife. Who will lend me his
blouse and his stick?"
Nickel Bentz handed him his blue blouse and his cap. They were
surrounded by an admiring crowd.
After he had changed his clothes, notwithstanding his large gray
mustaches, one would have taken the old hunter for a simple peasant
from the high mountains.
His two sons, proud to be of this first expedition, looked to the
priming of their muskets, and fixed to the end of the barrel a
boar-spear, straight and long as a sword. They felt their
hunting-knives, flung their bags upon their backs, and confident that
all was in order, they glanced proudly round them.
"Ah," said Doctor Lorquin, laughing, "do not forget Master
Jean-Claude's advice. Be careful. One German more or less in a
hundred thousand would not make much difference in our affairs; whereas
if one or the other of you came back to us injured, you would be
replaced with difficulty."
"Oh, fear nothing, doctor: we shall have our eyes open."
"My boys," replied Materne, haughtily, "are true hunters; they know how
to 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 before
night."
They departed.
"Good luck to you!" shouted Hullin, while they mounted the snow in
order to avoid the breastworks.
They soon descended toward the narrow path, which turns sharply on the
right of the mountain.
The partisans watched them. Their red frizzy hair, long muscular legs,
their broad shoulders, and supple, quick movements,--all showed that in
case of an encounter, five or six "kaiserlichs" would have little
chance against such fine fellows.
In a quarter of an hour they had reached the pine-forest and
disappeared.
Then Hullin quietly returned to the farm, talking to Nickel Bentz.
Doctor Lorquin walked behind, followed by Pluto, and all the others
returned to their places round the bivouac fires.