, in the spirit of a nation of petty
hucksterers."

"What do you think of that, lads?" Lieutenant de Maupas said,
coming up to where they were standing.

"It is shameful, sir, shameful," Ralph said.

"Yes," the officer said, gloomily. "This is to make war as the
Vandals made it, not as it is made in the nineteenth century. In
the Crimea, in Italy--ay, even in China--we did not make war in
this way. In China we burnt the Emperor's summer palace, because
his soldiers had murdered our prisoners in cold blood, but we did
not burn a single village."

"No," Ralph said; "and I have read that, in Abyssinia, we never as
much as took a fowl or a bundle of grass from the natives, without
paying for it; and we only burned the fortress of Magdala after
offering it, in succession, to the various kings of the country;
and destroyed it, at last, to prevent it becoming a stronghold of
the Gallas--the enemies of Abyssinia.

"Don't you think," he asked, after a pause, "we shall have fighting
tomorrow, sir?"

"I think it very likely, indeed," the lieutenant said. "I have just
sent off a messenger to the commandant, with a full report; and
asked him to send over a reply whether he will come to our
assistance, or if we are to fall back."

"Faith, and I hope that it's not falling back we'll be, till after
we've had the satisfaction of spaking to them a bit," Tim Doyle put
in. "Barring the little affair of today--which isn't worth
mentioning--I haven't had a chance of a scrimmage since I joined
the corps. It's been jist marching and counter-marching, over the
most onraisonable country; nothing but up hill and down hill and
through trees, with big stones breaking our poor feet into pieces,
and the rain running down us fit to give us the ague.

"Sure, lieutenant, ye won't be for marching us away, till we've had
a little divarshin?"

The boys all laughed at Tim's complaint, which had been delivered
in English; for although he could now understand French, he never
attempted to speak it, except to ask some necessary question. Percy
translated it to the lieutenant.

"You will have fighting enough, before you have done, Tim. Whether
you will have it tomorrow, I don't know. There are a hundred
infantry--they can't use their cavalry--and we are only twenty-six
men, all told. Fortunately, we have a strong line of retreat; or I
should not even wait for the chance of being attacked."

"At any rate, you think that we are safe until morning,