ng their heads, watching anxiously for the
guns that did not come.

"It is absurd, ridiculous!" declared Beaudoin, who was again fidgeting
up and down before the company. "Who ever heard of placing a regiment
in the air like this and giving it no support!" Then, observing a
slight depression on their left, he turned to Rochas: "Don't you think,
Lieutenant, that the company would be safer there?"

Rochas stood stock still and shrugged his shoulders. "It is six of one
and half a dozen of the other, Captain. My opinion is that we will do
better to stay where we are."

Then the captain, whose principles were opposed to swearing, forgot
himself.

"But, good God! there won't a man of us escape! We can't allow the men
to be murdered like this!"

And he determined to investigate for himself the advantages of the
position he had mentioned, but had scarcely taken ten steps when he
was lost to sight in the smoke of an exploding shell; a splinter of the
projectile had fractured his right leg. He fell upon his back, emitting
a shrill cry of alarm, like a woman's.

"He might have known as much," Rochas muttered. "There's no use his
making such a fuss over it; when the dose is fixed for one, he has to
take it."

Some members of the company had risen to their feet on seeing their
captain fall, and as he continued to call lustily for assistance, Jean
finally ran to him, immediately followed by Maurice.

"Friends, friends, for Heaven's sake do not leave me here; carry me to
the ambulance!"

"_Dame_, Captain, I don't know that we shall be able to get so far, but
we can try."

As they were discussing how they could best take hold to raise him they
perceived, behind the hedge that had sheltered them on their way up,
two stretcher-bearers who seemed to be waiting for something to do,
and finally, after protracted signaling, induced them to draw near. All
would be well if they could only get the wounded man to the ambulance
without accident, but the way was long and the iron hail more pitiless
than ever.

The bearers had tightly bandaged the injured limb in order to keep the
bones in position and were about to bear the captain off the field on
what children call a "chair," formed by joining their hands and slipping
an arm of the patient over each of their necks, when Colonel de
Vineuil, who had heard of the accident, came up, spurring his horse. He
manifested much emotion, for he had known the young man ever since his
graduati