ranches of
the willows. I let the boat float downwards, looking for a suitable
landing-place. Presently I perceived that a sloping path had been made
down the bank by the enemy to allow the men and horses to get to the
water. The corporal adroitly threw into the willows one of the stones
that I had made ready, the cord caught in a tree, and the boat brought
up against the land a foot or two from the slope. It must have been just
about midnight. The Austrians, having the swollen Danube between them
and the French, felt themselves so secure that except the sentry the
whole camp was asleep.

It is usual in war for the guns and the sentinels always to face towards
the enemy, however far off he may be. A battery placed in advance of the
camp was therefore turned towards the river, and sentries were walking
on the top of the bank. The trees prevented them from seeing the extreme
edge, while from the boat I could see through the branches a great part
of the bivouac. So far my mission had been more successful than I had
ventured to hope, but in order to make the success complete I had to
bring away a prisoner, and to execute such an operation fifty paces away
from several thousand enemies, whom a single cry would rouse, seemed
very difficult. Still, I had to do something. I made the five sailors
lie down at the bottom of the boat under guard of two grenadiers,
another grenadier I posted at the bow of the boat which was close to the
bank, and myself disembarked, sword in hand, followed by the corporal
and two grenadiers. The boat was a few feet from dry land; we had to
walk in the water, but at last we were on the slope. We went up, and I
was making ready to rush on the nearest sentry, disarm him, gag him, and
drag him off to the boat, when the ring of metal and the sound of
singing in a low voice fell on my ears. A man, carrying a great tin
pail, was coming to draw water, humming a song as he went; we quickly
went down again to the river to hide under the branches, and as the
Austrian stooped to fill his pail my grenadiers seized him by the
throat, put a handkerchief full of wet sand over his mouth, and placing
their sword-points against his body threatened him with death if he
resisted or uttered a sound. Utterly bewildered, the man obeyed, and let
us take him to the boat; we hoisted him into the hands of the grenadiers
posted there, who made him lie down beside the sailors. While this
Austrian was lying captured, I saw by his