Part 23 (1/2)

”What is it?” asked the sergeant.

”A deserter,” said Winter.

The sergeant--an old man--looked at him, and said: ”Take him to the station.”

”No,” said Winter, ”he will go with us to the station on the square.”

”I will reinforce you with two men,” said the sergeant.

”We do not need them,” replied Winter roughly. ”We took him ourselves, and we are enough to guard him.”

The sergeant saw that we ought to have all the glory of it, and he said no more.

We started off again, shouldering our arms; the prisoner, all in tatters and without his shako, walked in the midst.

We soon came to the little square; we had only to cross the old market before reaching the guard-house. The cannon of the a.r.s.enal were firing all the time; as we were starting to leave the market, one of the flashes lighted up the arch in front of us; the prisoner saw the door of the jail at the left, with its great locks, and the sight gave him terrible strength; he tore off his collar, and threw himself from us with both arms stretched out behind.

Winter had been almost thrown down, but he threw himself at once upon the deserter, exclaiming, ”Ah, scoundrel, you want to run away!”

We saw no more, for the lantern fell to the ground.

”Guard! guard!” cried Chevreux.

All this took but a moment, and half of the infantry post were already there under arms. Then we saw the prisoner again; he was sitting on the edge of the stairway among the pillars; blood was running from his mouth; not more than half his waistcoat was left, and he was bent forward, trembling from head to foot.

Winter held him by the nape of the neck, and said to Lieutenant Schnindret, who was looking on: ”A deserter, lieutenant! He has tried to escape twice, but Winter was on hand.”

”That is right,” said the lieutenant. ”Let them find the jailer.”

Two soldiers went away. A number of our comrades of the National Guard had come down, but n.o.body spoke. However hard men may be, when they see a wretch in such a condition, and think, ”the day after to-morrow he will be shot!” everybody is silent, and a good many would even release him if they could.

After some minutes Harmantier arrived with his woollen jacket and his bunch of keys.

The lieutenant said to him, ”Lock up this man!”

”Come, get up and walk!” he said to the deserter, who rose and followed Harmantier, while everybody crowded round.

The jailer opened the two ma.s.sive doors of the prison; the prisoner entered without resistance, and then the large locks and bolts fastened him in.

”Every man return to his post!” said the lieutenant to us. And we went up the steps of the mayoralty.

All this had so upset me that I had not thought of my wife and children. But when once above, in the large warm room, full of smoke, with all that set who were laughing and boasting at having taken a poor, unresisting deserter, the thought that I was the cause of this misery filled my soul with anguish; I stretched myself on the camp-bed, and thought of all the trouble that is in the world, of Zeffen, of Safel, of my children, who might, perhaps, some day be arrested for not liking war. And the words of the Lord came to my mind, which He spake to Samuel, when the people desired a king:

”Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. Howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself; and some shall run before his chariots. He will set them to make his instruments of war.

And he will take your daughters to be cooks and bakers. And he will take your fields and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. He will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men. He will take the tenth of your sheep; and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day, and the Lord will not hear you.”

These thoughts made me very wretched; my only consolation was in knowing that my sons Fromel and Itzig were in America. I resolved to send Safel, David, and Esdras there also, when the time should come.