.

These formed a long line, up and down the sides of the valley, at
three or four hundred yards distance from the French lines. Two
German batteries were down in the road, a few hundred yards to the
rear of their skirmishers; and these were sending shells thickly up
among the rocks, where the franc tireurs were lying hid; while two
other batteries--which the Germans had managed to put a short way
up on the mountain sides, still farther in the rear--were raining
shell, with deadly precision, upon the French batteries in the
road.

A prettier piece of warfare it would have been difficult to
imagine--the lofty mountain sides; the long lines of little puffs
of smoke, among the brushwood and rocks; the white smoke arising
from the trees, in the bottom; the quick, dull bursts of the
shells--as a spectacle, it was most striking. The noise was
prodigious. The steep sides of the mountain echoed each report of
the guns into a prolonged roar, like the rumble of thunder. The
rattle of the musketry never ceased for an instant, and loud and
distinct above the din rose the menacing scream of the shells.

"This is grand, indeed, Ralph!" Percy said, after a moment's
silence.

"Splendid!" Ralph said, "but it is evident we cannot hold the
gorge. Their skirmishers are three to our one, and their shells
must be doing terrible damage."

"Barclay," General Cambriels said, "go down to the battery, and
bring me back word how they are getting on."

The scene quite lost its beauty to Percy, now, as he saw Ralph
scramble rapidly down the hillside in the direction of the trees;
among which the French battery was placed, and over and among which
the shells were bursting, every second. It seemed like entering a
fiery furnace.

It was a terribly long ten minutes before Ralph was seen, climbing
up the hillside again; and Percy's heart gave a jump of delight,
when he first caught sight of his figure. As Ralph came near, his
brother saw that he was very pale, and had a handkerchief bound
round one arm. This was already soaked with blood. He kept on
steadily, however, until he reached the general; who had, upon
seeing he was wounded, advanced to meet him.

"One gun is dismounted, sir, and half the men are killed or
wounded."

"Go down, Harcourt, and tell Herve to fall back at once; and to
take position in the clump of trees, a quarter of a mile down the
valley, so as to sweep the entrance.

"Laon, go to the right, and you, Dubois, to the