Little Humel showed up beside him! "Reserved for the first platoon! We invited Guillaumin, that's all!" "Look here, what about me!" I said quite calmly. "Impossible!" I said to Guillaumin. "You might have asked them before you came to fetch me!" "Rot! They're fooling!" he said. "There's room in there for fifteen or twenty." He gave me a shove. "Get along up!" I put my foot on the first rung and began to climb up. Humel had called for help. Descroix seized the ladder with both hands and shook it. I nearly took a toss. "The brute!" I jumped down. The others up there were howling with laughter. If I was sickened by it, Guillaumin appeared more offended. He set to work to blackguard them, in language very much to the point. Playoust tried to appease them: "Why make such a fuss! I was so fond of being alone. It was very good of them to offer him a place! Why not bring the viscount along too straight away?" "De Valpic? He's going to sleep in the open air!" Humel yelped. "Very well, then; why can't Dreher do the same thing!" I considered it useless to insist. I should manage all right, I said to Guillaumin, but I advised him most strongly to take advantage of the stroke of luck--as he was so thick with them! Not at all! He protested that nothing on earth would induce him to desert me. It was shameful, the way they had treated me. On active service all ought to help one another. How delighted the Bosches would have been if they had witnessed the scene. Playoust retorted by jeering at us and reaped an easy harvest of guffaws among his accomplices. Guillaumin unexpectedly seized the ladder, and carried it off. I went with him laughing, while infuriated shouts followed us. We got back to our stable. "For us the dung!" "Yes, like Job." The smell was sickening, and the worst of it was that my place had been taken. Judsi was lying there snoring. I felt about him, he shook himself and let off an impropriety, which made me recoil. Luckily my faithful Bouillon hailed me. He made himself small and I was able to squeeze between him and Corporal Donnadieu, and with my handkerchief over my nose, I soon fell fast asleep. * * * * * There was an alarm in the middle of the night. A sudden clamour was heard in _the_ road and the click of bayonets. To arms! To arms! We leapt to our feet and went out. Outside there was nothing but tumult and bustling, indescribable confusion, terrified creatures bumping up against each other and seizing each other by the throat. I know my heart was thumping. A night attack? Good Heavens! It was very astounding.... And yet the enemy was not far away....