draw his rein, and come to a
full stop.

Illustration: The Children on the Battlefield.

There, in the open field, were two children: the one a boy, of six
or seven years old; the other a little flaxen-haired, blue-eyed
girl, of five. They were quietly picking flowers.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked, in astonishment.

He spoke in French and, receiving no answer, repeated the question
in German.

"What are you doing here?"

"If you please, sir," the boy answered, "I have been out in the
wood, with Lizzie, to pick flowers; and when I came back there was
a great fire in the house, and a great noise all round, and I
couldn't find father and mother; and so we came out, to look for
them."

Percy did not know what to do. It was too pitiful to leave the poor
little creatures where they were; and yet, he could not carry them
away. He had no doubt that their parents were hid in the woods.

"Look here," he said; "if I take Lizzie upon my horse, will you run
along after me?"

"No, no," the little girl said, vehemently.

There was no time for parley.

"Look here, do you see those soldiers lying down in a ditch?" Percy
asked, pointing to a line of Mobiles, not fifty yards in front.

The children nodded.

"Now look here, the best thing you can possibly do is to play at
being soldiers. It is capital fun. You lie down quite flat in that
ditch, and throw little stones over the bank. Don't you go away.
Don't get up, whatever you do; and if you are good children, and
play nicely, I will send father and mother to you, if I can find
them. If they don't come, you go on playing at soldiers till all
this noise stops; and then, when it is quite quiet, you go home,
and wait there till father and mother come back."

The children were delighted with the idea, and threw themselves
flat in the bottom of the ditch; and Percy went on again, at full
gallop. The French were now being driven back, towards the point
where the valley narrowed again; and many of the Mobiles were in
full flight. General Cambriels, therefore, withdrew his artillery
to a point where they could cover the movements; and then ordered a
rapid retreat--ten regiments of line, and the Zouaves, acting as
rear guard.

It was already getting dark, and the movements were carried out
with but slight loss. The Germans, contented with their success,
attempted no movement in pursuit.

Chapter 12: The Surprise.

After the check in the Vosges, General Ca