“Dame! it would be better that four should share the undertaking.  One or two of us might have a chance of getting off.”

Then Jean, with an emphatic shake of the head, refused to have anything whatever to do with the matter; he distrusted the gentleman, he said, as he was afraid he would play them some of his dirty tricks.  He had to exert all his authority with Maurice to retain him on his side, for at that very moment an opportunity presented itself for attempting the enterprise; they were passing the border of a small but very dense wood, separated from the road only by the width of a field that was covered by a thick growth of underbrush.  Why should they not dash across that field and vanish in the thicket? was there not safety for them in that direction?

Loubet had so far said nothing.  His mind was made up, however, that he was not going to Germany to run to seed in one of their dungeons, and his nose, mobile as a hound’s, was sniffing the atmosphere, his shifty eyes were watching for the favorable moment.  He would trust to his legs and his mother wit, which had always helped him out of his scrapes thus far.  His decision was quickly made.

“Ah, zut!  I’ve had enough of it; I’m off!”

He broke through the line of the escort, and with a single bound was in the field, Chouteau following his example and running at his side.  Two of the Prussian soldiers immediately started in pursuit, but the others seemed dazed, and it did not occur to them to send a ball after the fugitives.  The entire episode was so soon over that it was not easy to note its different phases.  Loubet dodged and doubled among the bushes and it appeared as if he would certainly succeed in getting off, while Chouteau, less nimble, was on the point of being captured, but the latter, summoning up all his energies in a supreme burst of speed, caught up with his comrade and dexterously tripped him; and while the two Prussians were lumbering up to secure the fallen man, the other darted into the wood and vanished.  The guard, finally remembering that they had muskets, fired a few ineffectual shots, and there was some attempt made to search the thicket, which resulted in nothing.

Meantime the two soldiers were pummeling poor Loubet, who had not regained his feet.  The captain came running up, beside himself with anger, and talked of making an example, and with this encouragement kicks and cuffs and blows from musket-butts continued to rain down upon the wretched man with such fury that when at last they stood him on his feet he was found to have an arm broken and his skull fractured.  A peasant came along, driving a cart, in which he was placed, but he died before reaching Mouzon.

“You see,” was all that Jean said to Maurice.

The two friends cast a look in the direction of the wood that sufficiently expressed their sentiments toward the scoundrel who had gained his freedom by such base means, while their hearts were stirred with feelings of deepest compassion for the poor devil whom he had made his victim, a guzzler and a toper, who certainly did not amount to much, but a merry, good-natured fellow all the same, and nobody’s fool.  And that was always the way with those who kept bad company, Jean moralizingly observed:  they might be very fly, but sooner or later a bigger rascal was sure to come along and make a meal of them.