au regiment ou je m'engage
On ne vous accorde pas de conge.
Via tout qui tourne =! j' n'y vois goutte!
Ah, c'est fini! j' sens que j' m'en vas;
J' viens de recevoir ma feuill' de route;
Adieu t Rose, adieu! n' m'oubli' pas.'

Fatigue and weariness, that seemed never to weigh upon my companions,
more than once pressed heavily on me. As I awoke from a short and
fitful slumber the same song continued; for having begun it, somehow it
appeared to possess such a charm for them they could not cease singing,
and the

'Adieu! Rose, adieu! n' m'oubli' pas,'

kept ringing through my ears till daybreak.

CHAPTER LII. THE MARCH

Such, with little variety, was the history of each day and night of
our march--the days usually passed in some place of security and
concealment, while a reconnaissance would be made by some three or four
of the party; and, as night fell, the route was continued.

One incident alone broke the monotony of the journey. On the fourth
night we left the mountain and descended into a large open plain,
taking for our guide the course of a river which seemed familiar to
my companions. The night was dark; heavy masses of cloud concealed
the moon, and not a star was visible; the atmosphere was close and
oppressive, and there reigned around a kind of unnatural stillness,
unbroken by the flow of the sluggish river which moved on beside us. Our
pace had been a rapid one for some time; and contrary to their wont the
dragoons neither indulged in their gay songs nor merry stories, but kept
together with more of military precision than they had hitherto assumed.
I conjectured from this that we were probably approaching the French
lines; and on questioning the corporal, was told that such was the case.

A little after midnight we halted for a few moments to refresh the
horses. Each man dismounted, and stood with his hand upon the bridle;
and I could not but mark how the awful silence of the hour seemed
to prey upon their spirits as they spoke together in low and broken
whispers, as if fearful to interrupt the deep sleep of Nature. It was
just then that every eye was directed to a bright star that burst out
above the horizon, and seemed to expand gradually into a large mass
of great brilliancy, and again to diminish to a mere speck--which it
remained for some time, and then disappeared entirely. We continued
gazing on the dark spot where this phenomenon had appeared, endeavouring