The defender of Germain answered the attack by a kick so violent, that he sent the Cripple rolling to the extremity of the circle formed by the prisoners. Germain, of a livid paleness, half suffocated, kneeling beside the bench, did not appear to have any consciousness of what was passing around him. The strangulation had been so violent and painful he hardly breathed. After he had recovered a little, Skeleton, by a desperate effort, succeeded in shaking off the Chourineur, and getting upon his feet. Panting, drunk with rage and hatred, he was frightful. His cadaverous face streamed with blood, his upper lip, drawn back like a mad wolfs, displayed his teeth closely set against each other. At length he cried, in a voice breathless with anger and fatigue, for his struggle with the Chourineur had been violent, "Cut him down, the turncoat, cowards! who let me be attacked traitorously, or the spy will escape." During this kind of truce, the Chourineur, raising up the half-fainting Germain, had skillfully managed to approach by degrees an angle of the wall, where he placed him. Profiting by this excellent position of defense, the Chourineur could then, without fear of being attacked from behind, hold out a long time against the prisoners, on whom the courage and Herculean strength which he had just displayed made a powerful impression. Pique-Vinaigre, alarmed, had disappeared during the tumult, without any one remarking his absence. Seeing the hesitation of the greater part of the prisoners, Skeleton said, "Come on, then, let us do the job for both of them, the big 'un and the little spy." "Not too fast!" answered the Chourineur, preparing for the combat; "look out for yourself, Bones! If you wish to play Cut-in-half, I will play Gargousse--I'll cut your weasand." "Why don't you jump on him?" cried the Cripple. "Why does this madman defend the spy? Death to the spy, and him also! If he defends Germain, he is a traitor." "Yes! yes!" "Death to the betrayers!" "Death!" "Yes; death to the traitor who defends him!" Such were the cries of several of the prisoners. A part of them, more merciful, cried, "Not before he speaks!" "Yes, let him explain!" "A man must not be killed without a hearing!" "And without defense!" "One would be a regular Cut-in-half!" "So much the better!" answered the Cripple and the partisans of Skeleton. "One cannot do too much to a spy!" "Death to him!" "Fall upon him!" "Let us support Skeleton!" "Yes, yes! down with the Blue Cap!" "No; let us sustain the Blue Cap! hang the Skeleton!" answered the party of the Chourineur. "No; down with the Blue Cap!" "Down with Skeleton!"