“C’est vrai, assurement.”

“Mais, L’Armee Anglaise porte toujours les habits rouges!”

The Subaltern laughed outright.  This simple fellow actually believed that the English fought in scarlet.  Even now he was not thoroughly convinced that they really were English.  Ignorance goes hand in hand with obstinacy, and these simple old peasant folk defended their stupidity with a veritable wall of impenetrable incredulity.

The Subaltern was still laboriously engaged in explaining matters to the man, when part of the Headquarter’s Staff trotted up the road with a clatter and a swing and scurry that looked as if they were wanted very urgently on the left.  It was the first time during the campaign that he had seen the Corps Commander and the Chief of the General Staff on horseback.

It must have been about five o’clock when he received a message to concentrate on the main road.  On the way he was accosted by a woman perfectly distraught with grief, who explained that two days ago her little son had disappeared into “ce bois la” never to come out again.

“Si votre fils vive encore, il reviendra, bien sur, Madame.  S’il est mort, moi, je ne peux pas vous aider.”  Terrible to relate, the sight of such grief annoyed rather than saddened him.

The advance was continued until it was quite dark, when the Battalion denuded the usual hayrick, and “dossed down” in the usual stubble field.

CHAPTER XIX

AN ADVANCED-GUARD ACTION

At about eleven o’clock the next morning his Company Commander—­the Captain was leading as the Major was now second in command of the Battalion—­told the Subaltern to ride back to the transport wagons and get some fresh maps and some chocolate which he had left in one of the carts.  It was pleasant to get a ride, and to rest one’s feet for awhile, so he took his time in getting back to the transport.

No sooner had he reached the wagons than a gun boomed.  He thought nothing of that, however.  Guns were always going off, at the oddest times, and without any apparent reason.  Four seconds later another rolled out, followed closely by a third, fourth and fifth.  Soon a regular cannonade broke out.  There was obviously mischief in the air, so he crammed the maps hastily into his haversack and the chocolate into his pocket and regained the Battalion as soon as he could on the exhausted animal.  Even as he was pressing forward, he heard the crackle of musketry somewhere out of sight on the left.

Of course, the very thing that he had feared had happened.  His Company had been rapidly deployed and had already disappeared over the crest.  He explained matters to the Major who was in command of the remainder during the Colonel’s absence; dismounted, and set off on foot towards the sounds of the firing.  He ran against the Company Sergeant-Major in charge of the ammunition, who told him where his Platoon was.