diant. I saw some of them questioning my advance scouts and pointing
in the direction of the north-east. It was the whole population of Le
Charmel that had come out to meet us.

Le Charmel is a small village that stands at the meeting of two roads,
one leading towards Fismes, the other towards Fere-en-Tardenois. It
has the appearance of hanging on to the hillside, for whilst the road
to Fere-en-Tardenois continues to follow the plateau, that to Fismes
dips abruptly at this place and disappears in the valley. The houses
of Le Charmel are perched between these two roads. Thus the people of
the village had a good view of the enemy's retreat, and everybody
wanted to have his say about it. I turned to a tall man, lean and
tanned, with a grizzled moustache, who had something still of a
military air, and seemed to be calmer than the others around him. From
him I was able to get some fairly clear information.

"_Mon Lieutenant_, it was like this.... They went off this morning
early, with a great number of cannons and horses. The artillery went
straight on towards Fismes by the road. The cavalry cut across the
fields, and disappeared over the ridge you see over there on the other
side of the valley. Then towards eight o'clock some of them came back.
How many? Well, two or three regiments perhaps, and some guns; and
they went down again towards Jaulgonne. I believe they wanted to
destroy the bridge. But just as they got to the turn of the hill, pan!
pan!--they were fired at. Then, of course, we got back to our houses
and shut them up, as the guns began to fire. But when we heard no more
reports we came out again, and saw them making off across the fields
like the others and in the same direction. But it is quite possible
that some of them stayed in the woods, or in the farms, on the other
side of the forest of Riz...."

He was interrupted by my non-commissioned officer:

"_Mon Lieutenant_, the scouts ... they are signalling to you...."

I galloped up to them, when they pointed out to me, at about 1,500
yards distance, on the opposite ridge, a small group of cavalrymen
near a stack, and, on the side of the slope, a patrol of German
dragoons, pacing slowly with lances lowered and stopping every now and
then facing in our direction.

I took my glasses and looked carefully at the stack. And then I saw a
sight which sent a shiver of joy through me. The horsemen had
dismounted and put their horses behind the stack. Three of the m