hat was in his pockets;
but whatever his motive, he laid down his gun, leaned forward, and swung
himself into the tree. The same instant I buried my knife in his body,
and he fell with a loud crashing through the branches and came with a
thud to the ground. I heard a short struggle below and an oath or two in
French.

The wounded sergeant had not waited long for his vengeance.

For some minutes I did not dare to move, for it seemed certain that
someone would be attracted by the noise.

However, all was silent save for the chimes striking midnight in the
city. I crept along the branch and lifted myself on to the roof. The
Spaniard's gun was lying there, but it was of no service to me, since he
had the powder-horn at his belt. At the same time, if it were found, it
would warn the enemy that something had happened, so I thought it best
to drop it over the wall.

Then I looked round for the means of getting off the roof and down into
the city.

It was very evident that the simplest way by which I could get down was
that by which the sentinel had got up, and what this was soon became
evident. A voice along the roof called "Manuelo! Manuelo!" several
times, and, crouching in the shadow, I saw in the moonlight a bearded
head, which protruded from a trap-door.

Receiving no answer to his summons, the man climbed through, followed
by three other fellows, all armed to the teeth. You will see here how
important it is not to neglect small precautions, for had I left the
man's gun where I found it, a search must have followed and I should
certainly have been discovered. As it was, the patrol saw no sign of
their sentry, and thought, no doubt, that he had moved along the line of
the roofs.

They hurried on, therefore, in that direction, and I, the instant that
their backs were turned, rushed to the open trap-door and descended the
flight of steps which led from it. The house appeared to be an empty
one, for I passed through the heart of it and out, by an open door, into
the street beyond.

It was a narrow and deserted lane, but it opened into a broader road,
which was dotted with fires, round which a great number of soldiers and
peasants were sleeping.

The smell within the city was so horrible that one wondered how people
could live in it, for during the months that the siege had lasted there
had been no attempt to cleanse the streets or to bury the dead. Many
people were moving up and down from fire to fire, and among t