Corporal Coriolanus Gand, a bit of an infidel from Lyons, who sometimes amused himself with the Breton’s superstition, told him with a grave face, that the splinter belonged not to him, but to the sutler, and, though so small, was doubtless a necessary part of his frame. “If you keep that, it will be a bone of contention between you two,” said he; “especially at midnight. HE WILL BE ALWAYS COMING BACK TO YOU FOR IT.” “There, take it away!” said the Breton hastily, “and bury it with the poor fellow.” Sergeant La Croix presented himself before the colonel with a rueful face and saluted him and said, “Colonel, I beg a thousand pardons; your dinner has been spilt--a shot from the bastion.” “No matter,” said the colonel. “Give me a piece of bread instead.” La Croix went for it himself, and on his return found Cadel sitting on one side of Death’s Alley, and Dard with his head bound up on the other. They had got a bottle which each put up in turn wherever he fancied the next round shot would strike, and they were betting their afternoon rations which would get the Prussians to hit the bottle first. La Croix pulled both their ears playfully. “Time is up for playing marbles,” said he. “Be off, and play at duty,” and he bundled them into the battery. It was an hour past midnight: a cloudy night. The moon was up, but seen only by fitful gleams. A calm, peaceful silence reigned. Dard was sentinel in the battery. An officer going his rounds found the said sentinel flat instead of vertical. He stirred him with his scabbard, and up jumped Dard. “It’s all right, sergeant. O Lord! it’s the colonel. I wasn’t asleep, colonel.” “I have not accused you. But you will explain what you were doing.” “Colonel,” said Dard, all in a flutter, “I was taking a squint at them, because I saw something. The beggars are building a wall, now.” “Where?” “Between us and the bastion.” “Show me.” “I can’t, colonel; the moon has gone in; but I did see it.” “How long was it?” “About a hundred yards.” “How high?” “Colonel, it was ten feet high if it was an inch.” “Have you good sight?” “La! colonel, wasn’t I a bit of a poacher before I took to the bayonet?” “Good! Now reflect. If you persist in this statement, I turn out the brigade on your information.” “I’ll stand the fire of a corporal’s guard at break of day if I make a mistake now,” said Dard. The colonel glided away, called his captain and first lieutenants, and said two words in each ear, that made them spring off their backs. Dard, marching to an fro, musket on shoulder, found himself suddenly surrounded by grim, silent, but deadly eager soldiers, that came pouring like bees into the open space behind the battery. The officers came round the colonel. “Attend to two things,” said he to the captains. “Don’t fire till they are within ten yards: and don’t follow them unless I lead you.”