the guns went on growling at intervals for an hour, and then stopped. have i explained that our company was quartered almost in the open? too much in the open, apparently. the order came round for us to clear out, and to squeeze into the smaller of the two farms which we occupied.
nothing could have been more uncomfortable than the stable, or rather the cattle-shed which fell to our platoon. it might even have been a pig-stye to judge by the stink! they had contented themselves with throwing a thin layer of straw on the litter of dung. the men grumbled: loriot most of all. i went to see for myself, the others were in the same predicament. they were openly discussing the ill-feeling which was beginning to establish itself between the commanding officer and the captain. every time there was a particularly filthy billet going, it would be for the 22nd!
i was hesitating about lying down when guillaumin came up beaming.
"breton certainly has a flair for comfortable quarters; there's no denying it. do you know what they've rooted out? a hay-loft. and a clean one, too![pg 171] we'll have it all to ourselves. we must get hold of de valpic."
we went to find him.
"thanks, it's awfully good of you!"
he assured us, though, that he would prefer to sleep alongside some rick as it was fine to-night.
"you'll be frozen!"
"i shall get some fresh air!"
"as much as you could want!"
guillaumin showed me the way. it was behind the outhouses. a ladder was leaning up against it. i caught sight of playoust at the window. he drew his head in immediately. descroix appeared.
"there's not room for two!" he shouted.
"how's that?"
little humel showed up beside him!
"reserved for the first platoon! we invited guillaumin, that's all!"
"look here, what about me!" i said quite calmly.
"impossible!"
i said to guillaumin.
"you might have asked them before you came to fetch me!"
"rot! they're fooling!" he said. "there's room in there for fifteen or twenty."
he gave me a shove.
"get along up!"
i put my foot on the first rung and began to climb up. humel had called for help. descroix seized the ladder with both hands and shook it. i nearly took a toss.
"the brute!"
i jumped down. the others up there were howling with laughter. if i was sickened by it, guillaumin[pg 172] appeared more offended. he set to work to blackguard them, in language very much to the point. playoust tried to appease them: "why make such a fuss! i was so fond of being alone. it was very good of them to offer him a place! why not bring the viscount along too straight away?"
"de valpic? he's going to sleep in the open air!" humel yelped.
"very well, then; why can't dreher do the same thing!"
i considered it useless to insist. i should manage all right, i said to guillaumin, but i advised him most strongly to take advantage of the stroke of luck—as he was so thick with them!
not at all! he protested that nothing on earth would induce him to desert me. it was shameful, the way they had treated me. on active service all ought to help one another. how delighted the bosches would have been if they had witnessed the scene.
playoust retorted by jeering at us and reaped an easy harvest of guffaws among his accomplices. guillaumin unexpectedly seized the ladder, and carried it off. i went with him laughing, while infuriated shouts followed us.
we got back to our stable.
"for us the dung!"
"yes, like job."
the smell was sickening, and the worst of it was that my place had been taken. judsi was lying there snoring. i felt about him, he shook himself and let off an impropriety, which made me recoil. luckily my faithful bouillon hailed me. he made himself small and i was able to squeeze between him and[pg 173] corporal donnadieu, and with my handkerchief over my nose, i soon fell fast asleep.
there was an alarm in the middle of the night. a sudden clamour was heard in the road and the click of bayonets. to arms! to arms!
we leapt to our feet and went out. outside there was nothing but tumult and bustling, indescribable confusion, terrified creatures bumping up against each other and seizing each other by the throat. i know my heart was thumping. a night attack? good heavens! it was very astounding.... and yet the enemy was not far away....
five minutes of disorder and panic. we could not have offered the slightest resistance! what was happening? the captain had come down and was whistling incessantly. i groped about searching for my section and platoon. they were lost! this pale form! lamalou, in shirt sleeves, by jove, but armed, and shouting, and ready for anything....
what was the matter after all?...
at last the riddle was solved by de valpic, who told us that a horse had got loose on the outskirts of the village, and its owner, a dragoon, had run after it shouting:
"olga! olga!"
a too zealous sentry had thought he heard "to arms!" that was all.
we laughed ourselves hoarse. but one person who was not at all pleased was the captain. awakened at the first movements, he had come rushing up in haste, and had whistled, as i said.... guillaumin and i were the only ones to answer. we were the only two sleeping with our men. the others were[pg 174] in great difficulties. how were they to get down from the hay-loft without a ladder? in the dark! jump? the regimental sergeant-major had sprained his foot slightly.... what! what! had he been up there! he was the one to get the biggest wigging. he was horribly upset about it.
an explanation which followed between guillaumin and descroix nearly ended in their coming to blows. playoust egged them on. breton and i had all we could do to keep them apart.
one thing pleased me; a step frémont took.
"i was with them," he said; "forgive me. they are idiots, but i couldn't get down. they're all in my platoon. they would have led me such a life. you're not annoyed with me, i hope?"
"not at all."
the remainder of the night was calmer. from four o'clock onwards, however, the distant sinister rumbling became noticeable again. there must be something serious doing, for this music to strike up again at dawn!
we soon began to stretch and get up. thanks to my little pocket-glass, i discovered some strange eruptions on my face. they worried me. what could they be?
"spiders, 'rooky,'" bouillon announced jovially.
i was at the pump in a bound, and spent quite a long time washing and soaping myself. in my absence, coffee was prepared and handed round. when i came back there was nothing left but a few lukewarm dregs.
i blamed bouguet for it.
"in future you'll see that my coffee is kept for me!"
he kicked at this.
[pg 175]
"i only have just enough for my section. sergeant donnadieu has one man less. it's his job to get yours."
i made enquiries. he was quite right.
