Then thirty men were detached to act as sentinels in the little streets, and I was among the number, which I liked, for I preferred being on duty to going into their stables and barns. As we filed through the principal street the peasants asked us: "What is going on? Have they been cutting wood? Have they been making arrests?" and such like questions. But we did not answer them, and hastened on. Monborne placed me in the third street to the right, near the large house of Father Franz, who raised bees on the slope of the valley behind his house. We heard the sheep bleating and the cattle lowing; that wretch of a Monborne said, winking at me: "It will be jolly! We will make the Baraquois open their eyes." He had no mercy in him. He said to me: "Moses, thou must stay there. If any one tries to pass, cross your bayonet. If any one resists, prick him well and then fire. The law must be supported by force." I don't know where the cobbler picked up that expression; but he left me in the street, between two fences white with frost, and went on his way with the rest of the guard. I waited there nearly twenty minutes, considering what I should do if the peasants tried to save their property, and thinking it would be much better to fire upon the cattle than upon their owners. I was much perplexed and was very cold, when I heard a great shouting; at the same time the drum began to beat. Some men went into the stables and drove the cattle. The Baraquins swore and wept; some tried to defend themselves. Commandant Thomas cried out: "To the square! Drive them to the square!" Some cows escaped through the fences, and you can't imagine what a tumult there was. I congratulated myself that I was not in the midst of this pillage. But this did not last long, for suddenly a herd of goats, driven by two old women, filed down the street on their way to the valley. Then I had to stop them with my bayonet and call out: "Halt!" One of the women, Mother Migneron, knew me; she had a pitchfork, and was very pale. "Let me pass, Moses," said she. I saw that she was coming slowly toward me, meaning to throw me down with her pitchfork. The other tried to drive the goats into a little garden at the side, but the slats were too near together, and the fence too high. I should have liked to let them go by, and deny having seen anything; but, unfortunately, Lieutenant Rollet came up and called out: "Attention!" And two men of the company followed: Mâcry and Schweyer, the brewer. Old Migneron, seeing me cross the bayonet, began to grind her teeth, saying: "Ah! wretch of a Jew, thou'lt pay for this!" She was so angry that she had no fear of my musket, and three times she tried to thrust her pitchfork into me; then I found the benefit of my drilling, for I parried all her attacks.