40 HORSE, FOOT, AND DRAGOONS. 



more boldly, until they reached the first houses, where the 

 young lieutenant in command halted his troop, and sent half a 

 dozen of his men scurrying around the edges of the town on 

 both sides. They returned in a minute or two, reporting the 

 place evidently unoccupied and the w^ay clear. Meanwhile 

 w^e heard desultory firing over on our right and beyond our 

 position, so pushed up the main street and out on the road to 

 the point where I had first seen the enemy's line. My friends 

 the chasseurs had not arrived a moment too soon, for not a 

 hundred yards from us, crossing a wide field of turnips, we saw- 

 a number of the enemy's infantry advancing as skirmishers, with 

 the evident intention of occupying a row of hedges and earthen 

 walls which skirted the road, and from there delay the progress 

 of our troops through the town. Our infantry, however, were 

 right on our heels, and quickly seizing the hedges, at once 

 opened fire. The enemy replied sharply, but fell back towards 

 their main line, taking a position about half-way between it and 

 us, and in front of a large farm surrounded by high walls and 

 deep ditches. 



The firing on our right had gradually increased, and devel- 

 oped into a sharp skirmish fire. We could see the enemy's first 

 line of skirmishers slowly falling back, kneeling to load and 

 deliver their fire, and then retreating a short distance to repeat 

 the same manoeuvre again. As the houses masked the view 

 of the approach of our troops, I bade au rcvoir to the lieutenant, 

 and made my way towards our right by a road that ran along 

 the edge of the grounds of a fine old chateau, the inmates of 

 which, ladies, children, and all, were perched on the walls of the 

 garden enjoying the novel sight. 



F"rom a hill near by I had a full view^ of the field of battle. 

 To my rear, and almost at my feet, lay the town, with the high- 

 way stretching back southward into the country, while to my 



