and another soldier,
who said in German, "Spare my life, Frenchman; don't take my life."

The cries of the dying still filled the court, and his heart relenting,
Zebede said, "Very well, I take you prisoners."

He went out and shut the door. We did not quit the place again until
the assembly began to beat.

Then, when the men were in their ranks, Zebede notified Captain
Florentin that we had taken a major and a soldier prisoners.

They were brought out and marched across the court without arms, and
put in a room with three or four others. These were all that remained
of the two battalions of Nassau troops which were intrusted with the
defence of Haie-Sainte.

While this had been going on, two other battalions from Nassau, who
were coming to the assistance of their comrades, had been massacred
outside by our cuirassiers, so that for the moment we were victorious:
we were masters of the principal outpost of the English and could begin
our attack on their centre, cut their communication by the highway with
Brussels, and throw them into the miserable roads of the forest of
Soignes. We had had a hard struggle, but the principal part of the
battle had been fought. We were two hundred paces from the English
lines, well sheltered from their fire; and I believe, without boasting,
that with the bayonet and well supported by the cavalry, we could have
fallen upon them, and pierced their line. An hour of good work would
have finished the affair.

But while we were all rejoicing over our success, and the officers,
soldiers, drummers, and trumpeters were all in confusion, amongst the
ruins, thinking of nothing but stretching our legs and getting breath,
the rumor suddenly reached us that the Prussians were coming, that they
were going to fall on our flank, and that we were about to have two
battles, one in front and the other on our right, and that we ran the
risk of being surrounded by a force double our own.

This was terrible news, but several hot-headed fellows exclaimed:

"So much the better, let the Prussians come! we will crush them all at
once."

Those who were cool saw at once what a mistake we had made by not
making the most of our victory at Ligny, and in allowing the Prussians
quietly to leave in the night without being pursued by our cavalry, as
is always done.

We may boldly say that this great fault was the cause of our defeat at
Waterloo. It is true, the Emperor sent Marshal Grouchy the next day at