ck to camp Maurice, without uttering a word, took
advantage of the darkness to seize Jean by the arm and drag him into
a by-path. Their comrades inspired him with unconquerable disgust; he
thought he should like to go and sleep in the little wood where he had
spent his first night on the peninsula. It was a good idea, and Jean
commended it highly when he had laid himself down on the warm, dry
ground, under the shelter of the dense foliage. They remained there
until the sun was high in the heavens, and enjoyed a sound, refreshing
slumber, which restored to them something of their strength.

The following day was Thursday, but they had ceased to note the days;
they were simply glad to observe that the weather seemed to be coming
off fine again. Jean overcame Maurice's repugnance and prevailed on him
to return to the canal, to see if their regiment was not to move that
day. Not a day passed now but detachments of prisoners, a thousand to
twelve hundred strong, were sent off to the fortresses in Germany. The
day but one before they had seen, drawn up in front of the Prussian
headquarters, a column of officers of various grades, who were going to
Pont-a-Mousson, there to take the railway. Everyone was possessed with
a wild, feverish longing to get away from that camp where they had seen
such suffering. Ah! if it but might be their turn! And when they found
the 106th still encamped on the bank of the canal, in the inevitable
disorder consequent upon such distress, their courage failed them and
they despaired.

Jean and Maurice that day thought they saw a prospect of obtaining
something to eat. All the morning a lively traffic had been going on
between the prisoners and the Bavarians on the other side of the canal;
the former would wrap their money in a handkerchief and toss it across
to the opposite shore, the latter would return the handkerchief with
a loaf of coarse brown bread, or a plug of their common, damp tobacco.
Even soldiers who had no money were not debarred from participating
in this commerce, employing, instead of currency, their white uniform
gloves, for which the Germans appeared to have a weakness. For two hours
packages were flying across the canal in its entire length under this
primitive system of exchanges. But when Maurice dispatched his cravat
with a five-franc piece tied in it to the other bank, the Bavarian who
was to return him a loaf of bread gave it, whether from awkwardness or
malice, such an inef