chassepot rang out, sharp and clear, upon the air.

"Oh, of course! drive them into the Meuse, by all means," muttered
Weiss, "and while we are about it we might as well ride them down and
regain possession of the Carignan road." Then addressing himself to
Delaherche, who had stationed himself behind the pump where he might
be out of the way of the bullets: "All the same, it would have been
their wisest course to make tracks last night for Mezieres, and if I
were in their place I would much rather be there than here. As it is,
however, they have got to show fight, since retreat is out of the
question now."

"Are you coming?" asked Delaherche, who, notwithstanding his eager
curiosity, was beginning to look pale in the face. "We shall be unable
to get into the city if we remain here longer."

"Yes, in one minute I will be with you."

In spite of the danger that attended the movement he raised himself on
tiptoe, possessed by an irresistible desire to see how things were
shaping. On the right lay the meadows that had been flooded by order
of the governor for the protection of the city, now a broad lake
stretching from Torcy to Balan, its unruffled bosom glimmering in the
morning sunlight with a delicate azure luster. The water did not
extend as far as Bazeilles, however, and the Prussians had worked
their way forward across the fields, availing themselves of the
shelter of every ditch, of every little shrub and tree. They were now
distant some five hundred yards, and Weiss was impressed by the
caution with which they moved, the dogged resolution and patience with
which they advanced, gaining ground inch by inch and exposing