had left them. "Good officers, unquestionably; and when
they are nice, capital fellows. I can't make out why they should be
so brutal, as soldiers; for they are undoubtedly a kindly race."

"No doubt," Percy said, but he was thinking of other matters, and
not paying much attention to his brother.

"Do you think we have any chance of making our escape, Ralph?"

"Oh, we shall escape, fast enough," Ralph answered, confidently.
"With our knowledge of German, and looking so young, there can be
no great difficulty about it, when we once get to the end of our
journey; but it's no use our thinking about it, at present. We
shall be a good deal too closely looked after. I only hope they
will send us to Mayence, or Coblentz; and not to one of the
fortresses at the other end of Germany.

"Mind, we must not give our parole."

The next day, when they were summoned to start, they found that
there were fifty or sixty other prisoners who had been brought in,
from other directions. Some belonged to line regiments; but the
greater portion, by far, were Mobiles who, in the retreat of
General Cambriels, had been cut off or left behind and, after
hiding in the woods for some days, were being gradually found and
brought in. The Barclays were the only officers. They therefore
took their places at the head of the prisoners; who formed, four
deep--with an escort of Uhlans--and set off on their march.

It was four days' march. The weather was cold and clear, and the
Barclays were but little fatigued when they marched into Luneville.
The greater part of the prisoners were, however, in a pitiable
condition. Some were so footsore that they could hardly put one
foot before the other. Others tottered with fatigue, and the men of
the escort frequently used the flats of their swords, to compel
them to keep together. As they marched through the streets of
Luneville, the people in the streets uncovered; and the women waved
their hands to them, and pressed forward and offered them fruit and
bread, in spite of the orders of the escort.

They were taken straight to the railway station, where they were
put into a shed. Ralph and Percy had gained the goodwill of the
sergeant in command of the escort, by the manner in which they had
aided him by interpreting to the rest of the prisoners, and by
doing their best to cheer them up, and take things smooth; and they
now asked him to request the officer in command, at the railway
station, to allow them to w