stalls, as closely as they could stand;
while the rest of the area was completely covered with cavalry
soldiers, some sitting up smoking and talking, others already
wrapped in their cloaks and stretched at full length.

A sergeant, seeing the marks of Ralph's rank, at once rose to his
feet and saluted.

"I have two horses here, sergeant; my own, and one of Colonel
Tempe's. General Chanzy told me I should find room here, but it
does not look like it."

"I will turn two of these horses out, sir," the sergeant said.

"Is there no other place?" Ralph asked.

"They are all as full as this, sir."

"There is a little shed, down at the end of the garden," one of the
men said. "I noticed it this afternoon. The door was locked. I
looked in, and it seemed a cow shed. I don't know whether anyone is
there. I will go down with you, sir, and show you the way, if you
like."

The shed was soon found, and the soldier forced the door open with
his sword bayonet. The place had, as he supposed, been a cow shed;
but the walls and roof were in good order, and the ground hard.

"This will do first rate, your honor," Tim said. "There is room for
all four horses, if they squeeze a bit; and for Jacques here, and
myself. I suppose, your honor, there will be no harm in knocking up
some of this woodwork, to make a bit of a fire? It's too dark to
look for sticks, tonight; and they would be so damp, from the snow,
that the smoke would choke the bastes entirely--to say nothing of
us."

"Well, under the circumstances, Tim, I agree with you; but don't do
more damage than you can help, and only make enough fire to make
the water hot for coffee, and so on. You will be warm enough, here,
with the four horses. You must go and see if you can get them some
forage."

"But how about your honor's and the colonel's dinner?" Tim asked.
"I haven't drawn rations; but I have got plenty of bread and meat,
in the haversack. I got them at Tours, for I thought there wouldn't
be much to be had here."

"Thank you for thinking of it, Tim, but we dine with the general.
When you have got the horses comfortable, and lit your fire, one of
you bring up our cloaks to the house. Keep the horses' saddles on,
with loosened girths. We may want them suddenly, at any moment of
the night."

The next morning, General Chanzy said to Ralph:

"I should recommend you, Captain Barclay, to spend an hour studying
this map; and getting up, from these lists, the exact position